Increased power for Chevy 3500 Class C

Moving on Down wrote:
We recently bought a 1999 20' Chateau on a Chevy 3500 cutaway chassis. We love everything about this RV. Just took it on a month-long trip out west and everything works as it should. The engine is a 350 and runs perfectly. Only problem: after moving down from a 35' so we wouldn't have to tow a toad, I would still like to tow or 1989 Wrangler on occasion. The 350 just doesn't have enough power for this. We towed a 22' pontoon boat (just under 3000# w/ trailer) from the factory to home and the RV struggled on the upgrades. I don't want to strain it with the Jeep. I noticed in the owner's manual for the chassis that the Chevy 3500 came with an optional 454. How hard would the swap be? I would want a rebuilt engine and transmission, but should I also find a donor vehicle for all the peripherals? Would the donor have to be a 3500 van? Any recommendations on a shop to do the swap (preferably on the East Coast)?

I will have to take your word for it that the 1999 Chevy 3500 had the 5.7 liter 350 Cu Inch motor and also the 7.4 liter 454 Cu Inch motor.

I do know that my 5.7 liter 350 Cu Inch in my 2002 Chevy 3500 could have been ordered with the 8.1 liter 497 Cu Inch motor. I have the 350 CI and it feels like it has enough power to pull 3,500 lbs. I consistently pull about 2,000 lbs without any problems and get an accurae 12.1 miles per gallon. Here B+ motorhomes is a long running thread of a gentlemen that purchased the same model of RV as mine with the 497 CI that loved the power.