Am new to this particular conversion. Donor 4.3 will not have brackets and pulleys. I am taking out the 2.8 and am under the impression that nothing to less will fit. So other than buying brand new from factory, what is the plan? I wouldnt mind chrome or better but only see products for v8's. Is it possible that the v8 small block parts actually fit? Please tell me this is so????? If not I guess I'll be travelling to the boneyards.

 

I'm not sure if any v8 brackets will fit. I would just grab everything from the junkyard. Be careful with the aluminum peices as they tend to get brittle the older they get. I don't know if they used the aluminum brackets in the year range you're talking about, but if they do, just a word to the wise.

 

i have stock crank and alt pulleys for my 4.3 if you want them i will let them go for cheap

 

Just got the motor here and am really finding some interesting stuff. 1. Does a v8 waterpump work? Parts store shows two different parts, one for v8 and one for 4.3. Could that difference be in the distance AWAY from the block that the pully run? I measured the actual sizes between boltholes and such and found the v8 pump and the v6 pump to be the same. This is 1992 regular, not vortec. I also measured the distance that a v8 crank pulley would be from the timing cover to the second v belt out and noticed that IF an Alternator similar to one for a v8 with v belt were used, they would also be the same.

So where do I get into trouble? Did factory really want to create a DIFFERENT distance for the newer cars with the serpentine belt? Why would the waterpump be new and different? Lets assume I have one that will turn in the same direction.

If i were to substitute a standard v belt arrangement in the bottom, it would do the job with a WHOLE v belt system. now; I am not saying I wish to run V belts, but its the only solution I see to getting all chrome parts on the front of this motor.

Tell me whats going on here? This engine came with no brackets or alternator, water pump is missing.

I have another question. When I look at a 229 manifold with carb, and the 4.3 fuel injection laying next to it, how come they look like they would fit each others motors? Bet the porting is off, or different, but the bolts are the same.

 

As far as the waterpump, it mostlikely is the same casing, size and all, but a different sized impeller in the housing. A v8 pump would have a higher flow and/or pressure than a v6 pump due to the area in the block and the difference in restrictions throughout the system. So the use of a v8 pump, although it may bolt up fine and possibly even run fine, would more than likely cause seal failures in the block due to higher pressures created by the waterpump.

With the intakes... I don't have an answer on that subject. What is a 229 manifold? Are you suggesting that you want to use the 229 mani? A simple gasket comparison would show you if they would work. You'd also have to check the deck height of each block to make sure that it would even seal in the lifter valley as well as work with the distributor installed height.

 

Guess you could say that the suggestion as a WHOLE is that while everyone is not paying attention the simple truth is that aftermarket parts are very scarce for an engine that should have a huge supply of such parts available because they are available for the sbc. The timing cover, for instance, my 4.3 and my 350 are identical. It is also a fact that this is not true for later models of the 4.3. The 4.3 drifted further and further away from its original design as it became more and more developed.



What gets me is this. If I look at an add for a timing chain cover, why does it not say; "also fits so and so 4.3, blah blah blah."


There is a huge gap in what will fit with these motors and what advertising or the factory is willing to tell us.

Your discussion of the v8 impeller and pressure as compared to the v6 is probably correct. But it is also correct that on this very same aftermarket supply there are numerous HIGH Pressure and HIGH volume pumps available for the v8 with no mention whatsoever of the dangers of their use.

If the marketing guys would simply sell things for the 4.3 and sell them at a fair price, like they do for the sbc, they might make lots of us happy.

The aluminun brackets on the front of the modern engines do NOT last. They break. I have NEVER seen anything as simple as a steel alternator bracket for the old v belts break smack dab in half and we were tooling along at 6500 rpm, not limited. We had to adjust and change belts more often, thats all.

Anyone know of a decent distributor made as competently as any of the aftermarket ones for the sbc????

Information such as this is needed in our hobby unless we are all millionaires and let others do the work. We need to publish any of the information we might gather and give others a chance to use it.

A really good for instance is this one. lets see the price of gas. About 30 cents a gallon even ten years after the sbc v8 was first designed. If I had a work van right now and simply wanted more economy, i would simply yank out the v8 and replace it with a nice, well running v6 that would not have any smog controls cause the car it was going into didnt. I would be making an overall improvement in the situation for everyone, the environment and ME. Yet few have the knowledge that perhaps every part on the front of the motor is interchangable. Just looking at the price of a starter. A sbc v8 is 35 bucks here. A 4.3 is 65, yes different, but lighter duty, I would suspect. Anyone for honesty?

 

Where to begin.
80% positive all external components from a SBC V8 will fit on the 4.3L V6 engine provided you have the corresponding brackets, water pump, and timing cover. All the V8 brackets should bolt to the V6, there might be issues with the accesories (alt, a/c, etc) you have fitting on those brackets, as the accesories mounting locations have changed some over the years. However the mounting holes in the block didn't change for like the last 20 years. Exceptions, would be the exhaust manifolds, intake manifold, oil pan, etc. GM even uses the same tranny for both the 4.3L V6 and SBC V8 engines.

The brackets off a V8 should fit on the 4.3L, although the best bracket (IMHO) to use would be off the 4.3L out of an Astro van. It is one bracket, not several brackets. Should be an easy bracket to locate in the salvage yards. Plus make sure you use the parts that will fit on the bracket(s) you use.

There is a difference in the timing covers and water pumps. When GM went from V-belts to serp belts the water pump changed flow directions, and to get the clearance needed to fit the water pump the timing cover was modified. If your going with serp belts, make sure you have the correct timing cover and water pump for it. Ditto for v-belts. Plus watch your radiator as well. I believe the hose connections switched sides when they went from v-belts to serp belt as well.

 

Yeah sorta what I figured. My tape measure showed this. The waterpump is available in both clockwise and counter for the model I have. I believe any that will bolt up can be made normal rotation if the FULL serpentine sytem is not used. I have a camaro with "FLAT BELT". Thats what I like to call it. Two v belts for the power steering and a serp type for the water, alternator. Never use air pumps or air cond pumps. I posted some good gas mileage figures somewhere and this is the best reason. Only the wife gets air conditioning. Hers is stock, hardest one to maintain.

Happen to have a shed full of sbc parts and this motor came with nothing on it for a very good price. Seems solid as it sits. Pulled heads and pan. Looks good. Am replacing a 2.8 anyway and also changing tranny to th350. I just happen to have one. I intend to add headers and chrome engine out, but the pulleys dont seem available in stock, so I started noticing the resemblance. There were no parts on the front of the 4.3 otherwise I might be like everyone else; jumping to the conclusion that a different motor has different parts. A chrome waterpump is nice but certainly not available for 4.3, so I wonder, thats all. If you have to buy all new anyway, why do it later?

 

I have to ask the question then. Why not go to a v8 if you are attempting to use v8 components. Although things may work, it'll be a headache if you need to get replacement parts. Nothing like having a bastardized vehicle to try to get parts for... Atleast if you were to just put a v8 in it, you could simply ask for the stuff for that engine. With a truck that came with a 2.8L that now has a 4.3L with a 350 accesory drive system... LOL Seems like alot of hassle.

Why not just get the proper brackets and stuff from a junk yard? Seems like a whole lot of trouble for alittle bit of bling under your hood. And in all honesty, you could chrome out the stock components for really not alot of money (afew hundred max).

 

And your arguement about fuel mileage. A v8 can be made just as efficient in the same vehicle as a v6, i4, etc. It's all in the tune.


*EDIT* - Also, I have NOT seen a single aluminum bracket failure in any one of the 6 farm trucks we have owned over the years that came equiped from the factory with them! Two trucks have had 3 different motors in them all with the same accessory drive bracketry. Brackets that were removed and reinstalled twice per vehicle. If something were going to happen, it would have. And these trucks saw more than 35% of thier total mileage in fields being driven quite a bit faster than prudent through ruts and general disturbances found in untilled fields. Again, if they had a problem, they would have broken.

**EDIT** - I believe the timing cover changed with the addition of the balance shaft to the 4.3L.