A little help plz......

[mixedkilla]

ok so here it is i got a 97 s10 std cab.......my 4.3 blew and i wanna v8 swap nothing crazy just a motor and trans whats a good trans to use a 350t or 700r4 i really dont know i dont want to have to change my drive shaft or anything.......a buddy of mine is gonna help with the swap he said to get a 350turbo trans but dont i have to change somthing around for that.......thanks in advance for ur help......

[Rusty]

if you have a 97 you should have a 4L60E that's probably the best trans for you, i think melonhead knows more about the later electronic fuel injection systems (vortec/cpi?)

[Melonhead]

Well thank you Rusty!!. The 97 you have has a dash that is ran by the ECM. To keep the factory gauges, you need to stay with EFI or loose the gauges. The best swap for you would be the 5.7 liter Vortec. It is the same basic engine you have already, just two more cylinders. Your 4.3 computer can be reprogrammed to run the 5.7. The original harness can be used, but would beed to be altered. Your computer is already OBD2. The 4l60E you have behind the 4.3 will work. You could mount the engine in front the trans and bolt it there. The problem with that is you loose all the clearance between the radiator and the water pump. i would suggest to move the engine and trans back a little and shorten the drive shaft. This allows more room for cooling. Th vette radiator is the most widely used radiators in swaps. I would mount the radiator in the forward position and dipending on if you want to keep a/c, where to put the condenser. The condenser can fit in front the core support and the radiator behind it. This allows for electric fans to be mounted on the back side.

Welcome to the site!

[Rusty]

I knew you could do it! i just got a 92 grand am (year match to the truck :P) so i'll be getting some experience with MPI

if you want to get it a bit cheeper get a good block/ later heads (94+ thats not an LS or LT) then get an intake from the junkyard, it'll look like a bigger version of what you have now with the air comming in from the passenger side (on trucks, it comes in from the front on vans)

the only one i've worked on is a 98 2500 4X4 suburban... its terribly hard to get to the back of the engine if you get a donor motor i'd suggest not one from a burban

[Melonhead]

Here is something to remember. The 3/4 ton trucks with Vortecs normally come with a 4 bolt main and a forged crank. ZR1 has a work truck with a Vortec and has nearly 300,000 miles on the original engine.

[mixedkilla]

well what can i do to use my trans its the 4l60e and a carbed motor how will that work i dont really care about the gauges i have most of them, aftermarket ones.....
if i dont use my trans how can i use a turbo350......im guessing i have to change my driveshaft can i just get a driveshaft from another donor or what......
Well thank you Rusty!!. The 97 you have has a dash that is ran by the ECM. To keep the factory gauges, you need to stay with EFI or loose the gauges. The best swap for you would be the 5.7 liter Vortec. It is the same basic engine you have already, just two more cylinders. Your 4.3 computer can be reprogrammed to run the 5.7. The original harness can be used, but would beed to be altered. Your computer is already OBD2. The 4l60E you have behind the 4.3 will work. You could mount the engine in front the trans and bolt it there. The problem with that is you loose all the clearance between the radiator and the water pump. i would suggest to move the engine and trans back a little and shorten the drive shaft. This allows more room for cooling. Th vette radiator is the most widely used radiators in swaps. I would mount the radiator in the forward position and dipending on if you want to keep a/c, where to put the condenser. The condenser can fit in front the core support and the radiator behind it. This allows for electric fans to be mounted on the back side.i plan on using electric fans and no a/c im not wanting to do a efi i want carb more easy on the wallet and trouble shooting down the road.........

[Melonhead]

OK, If you choose to go carbed to save some money, that's fine. Here are some things to think about. The 4l60e is an electronic trans and needs a computer to work. You can make them work with an aftermarket computer. The price to for the kit is 1K to do it. So, that make the 350th sound even better. You can set up a carbed 350 and 350th the same as you would have in an older truck. The 350th has a kickdown cable and a vacuum modulator. The carb on the engine would need the brackets fron the older set ups to mount the kickdown and the throttle. The vacuum for the modulator can be taken from the manifold. Doing all this with an LT1 would be more costly. You would be better off doing a Gen 1 motor like a Vortec 350.

The things that effect the mounting of the 350/350 combo is the length of the tail of the 350th. The 9" tail is the one widely used on conversions. The crossmember will have to be modded to fit the new position if you even have to move it. The stock driveshaft can be reused if the combo length is correct.

When you are ready for the cooling fans, I can help with that. PM me and we can talk more.