Our dream project is coming together. I purchased a Soviet UAZ 452 four-wheel-drive forward control “Buhanka” van about four years ago. I had to ship it and import it into the country. After shipping and registration, the van cost me $14,000. We had some great times with it. David, Alex, and I drove it the entire length of the El Camino Del Diablo (Devil’s Highway) trail in Arizona.
Now, it’s time to do something bonkers! We decided to V8-swap this bread loaf van with a Chevy engine and parts. As far as we know – this has never been done before. Why is this bonkers? It’s because David and I have never LS-swapped any vehicle before. We plan to nearly triple the engine power in this short wheelbase top-heavy van. I am funding everything myself, so we are trying to keep the budget low. This will be scary…
This Buhanka is equipped with a 2.7L or 2.9L inline-4 gasoline engine and a 4-speed manual transmission. The original power rating is close to 112 horsepower @ 4,000 rpm and 153 lb-ft of torque @ 3,000 rpm.
The new engine comes from a 2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 2WD pickup. It’s a 4.8L V8 and it had about 170,000 miles when David took it out of the donor truck. This is a GenIII small-block V8 engine. The 2003 version of the engine is rated at 270 hp @ 5,200 rpm and 285 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm. David gifts me this engine for free.
We found a 1970s General Motors NP205 4×4 transfer case. This is a very tough gear-driven transfer case. I paid $700 for this transfer case.
Next we decided to use a 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission. We needed a non-computer controlled transmission. It’s because we already have a Holly Terminator X engine management wiring harness. This harness does not include transmission controls. In order to keep the cost down, we need to move forward this way.
The Terminator X control system was traded to David by our friend Dan. David is giving me this system for free.
The 700R4 automatic transmission that is compatible with a 4×4 system is difficult to find. We are able to find it in Denver and I have it rebuilt. I paid $1,900 for the transmission and a matching torque converter. This transmission came from a 1992 Chevy Astro van 2WD.
| Item | Price | Details |
| 4.8L V8 (2003 Silverado 1500) | Free | Donated by David |
| 700R4 4-speed Auto (1992 Astro) | $1,900 | Custom Built Transmissions |
| NP205 4×4 transfer case | $700 | Chris Ford |
| Holly Terminator X controller | Free | Donated by David |
| Tru-Ram LS Headers | $500 | |
| NP205 output flange | $100 | TorqueKing.com |
| Fuel Tank 19 gal. 1998 GMC Jimmy | $132 | RockAuto.com |
| Radiator + Fan | $625 | 1967 Ford Mustang V8 |
| Winch 10K lbs | $400 | |
| Air Intake / Filter | $211 | Amazon |
| Throttle Body | $158 | eBay |
| Leaf Spring Bushings | $170 | eBay |
| Fuel pump / tank neck | $125 | Rockauto |
| Timing chain | $65 | Rockauto |
| Transmission shifter | $280 | Speedway Motors |
| Fuel Filter / Reg / Lines | $240 | Speedway Motors |
| Fuel Filler Door | $20 | Jeep Wrangler (Amazon) |
| Two Drive Shafts | $1,050 | North Colorado Drive Line |
| Starter | $188 | Rockauto |
| Transmission Cooler | $123 | Summit Racing |
| Engine Sensors | $201 | Rockauto |
| Transmission Tuning Labor | $200 | Custom Built Transmissions |
| Misc (tools, fluids, etc) | $1,600 | |
| Paint | $200 | |
| Labor | $4,300 | |
| More Labor | infinite | |
| — | — | — |
| Total | $13,339 + infinity |
Part 2 (the final part of this build series) is coming next week (on January 1, 2025).
