hot rodding a 4.3L

holla
i just pulled a 4.3L engine out of a 91 4x4 blazer and i want to rebuild/hot rod it and put it in my 86 4x4 blazer.
i was wondering wat types of things i should do to the 4.3L to get maximum horse power with a fairly tight budget. i am willing to spend about 2500 on parts for it which when it comes to an engine isnt a whole bunch so i would like to know which parts i can get that will give the best hp and be cheap as well
thanks!

Well... For $2500, you could build one stout 350 v8 and stuff it into your 86. Carb it up and you're all set! You could have around 350-400 reliable hp for that money depending on your parts sources.

If you are dead set on using the 4.3L out of your '91, then run a search or two in this section. I posted a link to an article awhile back entitled the '3/4 350'. Here's the article - You have one month...

hmm ya thats a great article and its starting to make me shy away from the 4.3
k so i need some serious advice here cause im in a dilemma lol.
so there are 2 paths i could take. take the 4.3L and tranny out of the 91, rebuild the 4.3L and buy engine mounts and whatnot then shove that engine in my 86.
OR
i could leave the 4.3 in the 91 and sell it for $600 ez and buy a 350 crate engine and buy all the things that i need to get the 350 to work in my 86. but if i get the 350 i will need a new tranny, or i could take the tranny out of the 91 which inturn would basically cost me $600 cause i wont be able to sell the 91 any more.
which path should i chose? cause i would LOVE the 350 in my truck but if it is a lot more work and money than the 4.3 then i might have to go 4.3 :(
take in mind that im from canada, so 2500 doesnt go as far in canada as it would in the states
so here is my MAIN question lol
how much more money/work is involved in geting the 350 in my truck instead of the 4.3L?

What motor and tranny is in your blazer now? Depending on your motor and tranny you may be able to bolt the 350 right up. I know my blazer I would be able to bolt a 350 up but with gas prices wouldn't be very fun as a winter time dd

I believe he stated in another thread that his '86 was a 2.8L so he'd need another transmission either from his '91 or from somewhere else.

ya i got a 2.8L with stock tranny in it so i would need a new tranny.
how much do just regular 350's cost? like nothing special just a mediocre one

Ummmm........


Why not sell the '86 and drop a V8 in the '91?

The '91 has a tranny a V8 will bolt up to. Then follow the same advice swart got in the other thread.

However if you want to hot-rod it. Rebuild it to factory spec, and install a beaffier cam/intake/valves kit, headers, and a custom chip.

well the 91' is a total toilet, its completely rusted and need a crapload of work. my 86' already has paint and a bunch of other accessories on it so i have to stick with the 86 :(
well im just researching a lot on 350's and i might go with the 350. pull the tranny out of the 91, put it in the 86 get a new oil pan, fan and whatever else i need
but thanks for the help! ill update u on which road i chose!

In that case, save the donor, your going to need lots of things off of it.
Tranny, wiring harness, puter, radiator, etc.

Areboth vehicles 2wdr or 4x4?

When I pulled the tranny from a 4.3 truck for my 2.8 truck, I grabbed a couple little things. Battery tray, coolant overflow etc. So hang onto the 91 as stated.

realy so i can use the rad out of the 91 instead o buying a new one?
that would save me quite a bit of money.
both vehicles are 4x4.

buying that 91 is going to pay off so much.
bought it for 900 bucks, took off the nice wheels it had on it (wheels are in my gallery) and ive taken atleast 20 little things that i needed, and now im going to take the tranny and a bunch of other stuff so id say it was a pretty good deal :)

get a junkyard 350c.i. for $150- put some speed-pro pistons in it, new bearings, and rods, as well as molley rings. put a 400c.i. crankshaft in it 2 make it a 383 stroker and then through a nice cam @ it with edelbrock intake manifold and carb- dunno about the heads. but i assume you can get soem nice performance ones for cheap for the s.b.c

There is a lot of talk of dropping a 350 into a Blazer. This is just my opinion on this matter. What a lot of people do not mention is all of the work that it involves! not to mention the work on the electrical side. The mechanical aspects, as well as the fitment. Older Blazers have more than enough room for the swap, newer Blazers have a lot less room but it can still be done. There are a whole lot of hidden expenses, Be prepared for them. Be prepared to live without driving your Blazer for quite some time. The 4.3 is a very capable engine, it is so miligned! You can get just as much power and torque out of a 4.3 as you can with the 5.7, sometimes even more!!


A lot of the aftermarket ,now, they are starting to deal with the 4.3 engine, there are mods that can be done in a day with help, that will give you instant satisfaction! Not to mention the lighter weight of the engine itself. So far I have smoked every v8 I have came across!! I have came close to loosing but it hasn't happened yet!!

Want something that makes people's jaws drop, when they find out that you have a v6 under the hood!! Feel good knowing that you are in a exclusive club, I'm sure everyone has heard of Grand Nationals, Typhoons, Syclones, and the Ghetto Sled, there are so many more that I am not mentioning, but believe me they are little giants!!

Bottom line, YOUR 4.3 CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY!!!

Well, dollar for dollar, you can get more power, more reliably from a 5.7L than you can from a 4.3L, period. If your vehicle didn't come with a turbo or supercharger, then you'll spend big $$$ to put one in.

If you have the tools, knowledge, and capabilities to do a v8 swap yourself, I guarantee you it can be done cheaper with better results than hotrodding a 4.3L to meet the same performance attributes.

If you don't mind my asking, how much money did you spend for your csc setup? How long did it take you to install? To dial in? Did you do the work yourself? Have you dyno'd your truck? results? What does it run in the 1/4 mile? You make claims, now's time to back them up...

Heck, I know of the capabilities of a v6. I have a s/c Bonneville and I love it to death. But if I get the $$$ to drop into my Bravada, I won't be doing anything but adding 2 more cylinders.

This is a personal preference issue. Some people have put at least 20 grand and up to the 100's into there vehicles. I am currently working on a 350 engine for my next project.

lets see I think I started with the throttle mod, then cold air kit, then hypertec, then 1.6 rockers roller tip, then cat back, then headers, then supercharger, then stroker kit (355stroke), 30 over dished pistons, comp cams 270 56 460 8 camshaft, ported heads with oversize valves, Beehive springs, 78mm throttle body (how I know the symptoms), very strong engine mounts, twin fuel pumps, fmu,crane cams Is6 ignition, knock control, this is off of the top of my head but there is so much more that I have done.

I have a binder full of reciepts. the bottom line, do what makes you happy, spend money within your means, if you look at the putfile pictures you will see what I mean. I have done all of the work myself with the exception of the machine work. I had fun putting this together. I payed for it out of my own pocket, my knucles have been scared and bloodied, I have had a face full of fuel and all kind of dirt in the eyes. Why do I do it ? Because I can. And my name is on the title!

Oh Yea I almost forgot, I think about 6 grand on the whole truck on all of the mods. Take a look at a good crate engine, this sounds like a lot but this is over 2 years, the Blazer is practicly new. and no matter when you think you are finished there is always something else.

I did some comparisions of stock 4.3L to stock 5.3L , and stock 5.7L some time ago.

To get a 4.3L up to the power of a stock 5.7L V8 you need a turbo/super charger. You can buy a stock long block crate 5.7L from GM for $1500. 1/3 the cost of a turbo/supercharger for a 4.3L. If oyu just beef up the 4.3L with upgrades your looking at competeing with a stock 5.3L V8. I am not saying dont build a 4.3L, but there is an economy of scale here. I personally think a properly built (mid build) 4.3L V6 is more then enough power for the S10's. At least for my intended purposes. However a built 5.7L V8 is really cool, and can put on one heck of a smoke show. It comes down to what YOU want out of the truck.

This is one of the reasons I love the S10-Blazers. They are so versitile that you can do just about anything with them. There are some other very common platforms that don't have half the potential the S10-Blazers do.

well im going to stick with the 350 me and my dad will be able to drop the engine in ourselves (most likely).
my dad has been working with cars his whole life so he knows some ppl in high places that will definately be able to give us a hand if needed
not to mention the fact that my uncle is an amazing mechanic that could prob drop a 350 in a smart car ;)
so im not too worried about the installation, except the fact that it will take me a while to do the installation, but i can live with my parents driving me to school for a week :)

Don't get me wrong , I know a 350 has great HP potential that is why I am building one, it will be supercharged also, But how many people can say that they have a 4.3 that can run in the eights, There are a few 4.3's that are twin turbo'd and put out 1100 HP, why invest money in a 15 year old Blazers? For that matter why invest money in any car? Why because you can. WE LOVE OUR BLAZERS! That is why we look at these forums, they have problems and breakdowns but we fix them right back up again.

If you do put in your 350 think about strengthening your front suspension and your rear driveline, address the new handling issues, Many people say that if you have tbi you can do a direct swap but think of getting bigger injectors so you don't run lean.

Make sure that you use a heat barrier on your fire wall you will find out later if you don't , I have built a few engines in my life, before you drop it in freshen it up, better to do it now before it goes under the hood, sounds like I am preaching- just experience. And lastly HAVE FUN!! The first burn out is always the best!

I could point out 1000+hp I-4's, but what good is a motor that isn't streetable.

For well-WELL under $3k, I could build, install, and tune atleast a 400hp 350 that would idle great while retaining all factory functionality of the vehicle. I have figured around $1500 for a 5.7L vortec swap into my Bravada, complete, which would include a complete rebuild, cam, head work, headers & exhaust work, motor mounts, fans, wiring changes, and the tuning of the PCM, all while retaining all factory functions including OBD2 diagnostics and my AWD. I'd expect atleast 350chp with what I'm planning.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Blazer SS


If you do put in your 350 think about strengthening your front suspension and your rear driveline, address the new handling issues, Many people say that if you have tbi you can do a direct swap but think of getting bigger injectors so you don't run lean.

The whole throttle body injection for a 4.3 is exactly the same as the one for a 5.7 with the only difference being with computer programming. You would need a chip. And before I spend money to hot rod a 4.3, I'll buy a 5.7. Something about hearing 8 cylinders.

aight well thx for the advice and ya the v8 has a 1 of a kind sound that no v6 could compare to.
seems like a lot of work for the 350 but i guarantee its giong to be worth it cause ill get all th3e babes!
ye yee
lol
aight well im a lil drunk so ya bye

I'm just curious ? How many people on this site have actually done a 350 swap? Not just talked about doing one in the future . There is a factory Blazer done with a LT1.

http:www..chevyhighperformance.com/techarticles/48442/ . You should check this out.

The funny thing about it is that I have more HP. From my lowly 4.5 v6 vortec, Did anyone notice that I put 4.5 instead of 4.3 ? For a little over a grand and a half you can have your engine stroked. Great torque increase! To get the HP that I have in my Blazer right now, It would cost maybe 4 to 6 thousand for a built 350 crate motor alone. Not including instalation.

I plan on dropping my compresion even more and increasing my super charger to between 12-15 psi of boost, Still with the plastic intake. Relax everything is locked from underneath to prevent blow out. And they are so easy to replace anyway and that I do have a spare. I'm thinking that they can take 20lbs of boost without any serious problems. And if it doesn't OH Well, I guess I will have to replace it and change out a pulley. 30 minutes work.

One more thing , There is one more power adder that costs maybe 600$ Does wonders with a supercharger! Just hate the refills.

Bottom line I kept the v6, I can embarrass v8's , and I am having fun ! I hope that the rest of you are having just as much fun with your projects. The v6 can work!

oh i guarantee a v6 can do wonders but for wat i am looking for (nice driving daily driver that can smoke the tires on command) the 350 will be easier and cheaper. im not looking to get 400+ hp out of a 350, i would like around the 300 zone which would make my truck a beast, and yet still easily possible on a low budget.

Blazer SS, you still haven't answered a few of my questions... Here's the quote:

quote:

ORIGINAL: swartlkk

Have you dyno'd your truck? results? What does it run in the 1/4 mile? You make claims, now's time to back them up...

So.. I'll ask again... How much power are you putting down exactly? dyno? What do you run in the 1/4 mile?

I'll also take the opportunity to ask a few more since you seem to be getting on our nuts about things. What v8 powered vehicles are you embarassing? Were they stock or modified?

I'm not asking these questions to be a prick. Just trying to ascertain the validity of your comments. Anyone can make claims on the internet. I have a responsibility to keep the information listed on this forum accurate so that someone doesn't go out and copy someone else only to be disappointed.