need help picking engine

[350project]

im new here and i finaly have the money to work on my project, but i figured before i just start tearing my baby apart i would ask for a little advice from the experts first. i have a 93 s10 with the 4.3 v6 and an auto trans. i want to swap for a 350, while keeping an auto trans. air conditioning, and working guages if possible. so im just wondering what opinions does any1 have on what the best engine/trans. combo might be to save on time and money while still retaining the things i want.

thank you in advance for your time.

[Melonhead]

Couple questions for you. The truck you have is a TBI or CPI truck? If your not sure, look at the 8th letter in the vin number. It will be a W or a Z. If you have a Z, the easiest one would be a TBI 350/700R4 combo. If you find an older truck, sub, or van. The harness you have would work and the motor and trans would fit in the original 4.3 spot. The motor would be in the forward position. The radiator and condisor from the 4.3 would work and the electric fans would have to go in the front. Your speedo is electrionic and you would need to keep a trans that would have the VSS. You can go with an older trans, but would need a converter.

If your truck is a W, you can swap the harness from a Z truck and do the same. If your are looking for carbed, you would need a fuel pressure regulator to reduce the pressure for a carb. If you have a W you would also have to replace the fuel pump with a Z for the lower fuel presssure.

Get a membership so you can post more than once a day!!!!

[sbcs10]

question. i have a 93 4.3 fivespeed s10 now i want to... going to swap it for a 350 with a 700r4 now my big thing is will i have to do any modifications for the tranny i know about the engine but not sure on the trans. another thing i wanna keep the tbi but will it work with the 4.3 computer and harness. could really use some help thanks

[Melonhead]

Since you are starting with a 5 speed, you will need a shifter to work the 700r4. The crossmember you have can be modified or swapped with one from a s10 that had an auto. The output shaft on the 700r4 should be the same as the NV3500. That means the driveshaft yoke will work. You maybe better off setting the engine back a little to aid clearance between the water pump and the radiator. You will also need a TV cable to connect to the TBI unit.

[350project]

well thanks for the help mel yeah i plan on upgradeing my membership after my next paycheck , i guess i just need to decide if i wanna go carbed or not any good thoughts on that???

[Melonhead]

Here is something to help you to make a decision. The carbed way is easy and effective. It would possibly cost less also. Well that is the short term. The EFI direction is a bit more of a headache to do and cost more up front. The benifits of EFI in the long run is good power with economy. If you are working on a budget, are you prepared to handle the gas bill? As an example, my Blazer is an LT1 EFI. I get 20-21MPG on the highway.

[afghanimobilerawks]

the auto in your truck will also bolt up to the 350, since the 4.3 and 350 have the same bolt pattern, so you can keep that in and keep the electronic speedo sensor...

[350project]

yeah i think im tryin to just go for power and performance but i really just wanna go with whats easiest and cheap to install i can deal with poor gas mileage im just tryin not to run into as many problems as i did during my first engine swap.

[Queue]

go for a carb and 86-93 700r4 transmission witha 31 count direct drive spline the trans will be non-electric so you can dump the computers HEI distributers are so easy they almost adjust themselves.
but then I am thinking about going to a 2barrel instead of the edlebrock 600cfm buy the book from JTR it will answer alot of your initial questions.

[350project]

ok so it turns out that the original engine was a 4 banger and the original owner switched it for the v6 so the 8th letter in the vin is an a.......... so does this affect any of my plans i have?

[Queue]

yep but not by much your differential will need to be changed to a posi trac locker.cause the 4cyl only has a 1 wheel fryer with out it you will be spinning 1 wheel so easy it is a problem.

[Scuba]

What do you intend on doing with the truck, (street, race, or both).

[350project]

well its mainly gonna be a show truck but of coarse im gonna kick the hell outa some 5.0's

[Queue]

when you go looking get the whole vehicle use all you can from the donar and scrap the rest to a local yard for yard credit..... be sure to run the numbers research on the engine so you know for sure what your getting (lots of junk out there) 5/16 copper tubing is available from refridgeration suppliers but the flared tubing nuts are not so just clip them off and put them is a box cause you'll need to make up your own lines.

[Scuba]

Beatin some 5.0s should be all that difficult, remember all the power in the world is useless if ya can't put it where it counts. Nothing like watch the other guy blow your doors off while your sizzlin one tire or worse shakin your teeth out. Are you looking for something running that you can put in and go or are you going to build. There are alot of junk yard jewels out there it just depends on your budget. If I was looking for a motor that I didn't have much to do but had great potential would be the LT1. You can carb it and put a HEI on it so you don't need the computer if you don't want it. They have good stats depending on what it comes out of, and yes there are in other ride becides the camaro and trans am. Look under the hood of mid 90's Buicks and Caddies (before the north star) that are rear wheel drive. You can get these motors alot cheaper than there counter parts (camaro/trans am) there are some difference in between them. One is they had aluminum heads (camaro) where the other ones had Iron heads (Buick) but I have seen some of the Buicks and caddies with aluminum heads also. But from what I have researched a cam change and flash the computer (if you have one) and its the same motor. just my two cents

[350project]

well thanks for that advice scuba but i do already have a 95 Small block Chevy factory 2 bolt 350 hydraulic roller cam block bein shipped to my house so yeah im gonna build it from there but any more technical advice on transmission computer carb cooling and differential would be great

[Scuba]

EFI is great for reliabilty but it can be a pain to get it right especially if your going with other than a TBI. Also depends if you truck is a CPI or TBI this will also affect what systems you will need to run a particular motor combination. Carb/HEI would be the easiest way to go but you will be limited to 350/400 turbos or 700R4 for an auto trans. They do make stand alones for the 4L60E but they are very pricey, there are also stock manual trans out there that can handle 350s as long as you don't get to crazy on the power. I believe its NV3500 that comes in the S-truck behind the 4.3L for a manual trans. These can be picked up used for a resonable price, but if you plan on puttin say more than 350hp and your going to drive her hard it might not be the best choice. You can go crazy about rearends there are alot of choices out there, It all depends on your skills and if you want something you have to assemble or just open a crate and hook it up. 9in ford is an awesome axle but it can set you back some good coin, ford 8.8s are another choice, or even beefing up your factory rear will work. For a Rad, go with Vette rad, forward position with dual electric fans.

[350project]

well once again thanks very much , as i said i think i am going for whatever is the easiest while still tryin to save some money so from every thing ive heard so far im going with carb/hei and a 700r4 with the rad. in the forward possition, and itll still be a while before i start lookin for the rearend

[Scuba]

Do you have a combo in mind for your motor yet

[s15stroker500hp]

IF YOU WANT TO GET A LITTLE CRAZY AND REALLY MAKE THAT TRUCK SCREAM HERE IS THE ENGINE TO BUILD, PROB MORE POWER THAN YOUR LOOKIN FOR BUT TRUST ME YOU WONT REGRET IT


LOOK CLOSELY AT THE TORQUE CURVE
heres the combo
SBC 407
· Block, 509, +30, Zero deck, Blanked water passages, Clearanced oil ways, Lifter valley vents, ARP main & head studs, Durabond cam & Clevite 77 main bearings.
· Crank, Scat 4340 forged steel, 3.75”, internal balance, Pioneer SFI balancer + ARP bolt.
· Rods, Comp. Products 6.00” H beam bronze bushed + ARP bolts Clevite 77 bearings.
· Pistons, SRP #4032 flat top, 5cc relief, Speed Pro plasma moly file fit rings.
· Complete rotating assembly balanced. Including - Flywheel, Clutch, Balancer & Crank pulley.
· Heads, AFR 210 Race Ready, 76cc, 2.080/1.600 valves, drilled for steam. FelPro #1014 gasket.
· Cam, Comp. Cams ‘Magnum’ #12-450-8 (286HR) Hydraulic roller.
230/230 @ .050, .377 lift 110 LSA 106 ICL.
· Pushrods, Howards Cams heavy wall 5/16” 7.4” long.
· Rockers, Pro Magnum roller, 1.6, 7/16” stud.
· Lifters, Pro Magnum hydraulic roller. AFR Hydr-Rev kit.
· Comp Cams Springs #950 + #740 retainers installed at 1.875”
· AFR rev kit, AFR stud girdle.
· Lube, Melling M99HVS pump, Canton 7qt 5 trap pan with inbuilt windage and scraper, Cooler, Accumulator, oil stat, remote filter.
· Holley 800cfm #4780C, 1” spacer, Victor Jr single plane.
· Static CR 10.32, Dynamic CR 7.9.
· Quench 0.0415” (Gasket .039” + .0025” down hole).
· MSD Pro Billet Street Dizzy, MSD 6AL, MSD Blaster 2 coil, MSD 8,5mm leads.


RPM BHP Torque
3800 367.3 507.7
3900 384.0 517.1
4000 395.1 518.8
4100 407.9 522.5
4200 418.9 523.8
4300 429.4 524.5
4400 439.6 524.7
4500 449.6 524.7
4600 462.1 527.6

[Scuba]

That is a nice motor real nice, I have a 509 sitting in my garage just wanting to have something done to it. I placed a tread on here before about gettin some ideas

[s15stroker500hp]

That motor will never fail to disapoint, i built it about 2 yrs ago and dropped it in my 69 maro and it has never brought me back to my driveway without a smile on my face and frown on any mustang owners face that happened to run into her

[350project]

well i guess i picked the perfect time to start putting a new engine in this bad boy after all. i woke up this morning and low and behold oil is just flowing out of the rear seal on the v6 thats in it......... i guess its a sign that someone up there in v8 heaven whats me to hurry up and get this thing started