Ok, I have the poo the 2.8L V6. It has the 5-Speed manual in it, but I also have a 4-Speed Auto just chillin' outside.

Now, can a High Value 3.5L or 3.9L GM engine fit under the hood and slide right in with limited difficulties? These engines are only like $300 to $400 and have 200/220 and 220/220 for the 3.5L and 240/240 for the 3.9L. The 3.9L, some engines even have FlexFuel and will even run on 3 cylinders. Also, do you think that I would be able to use my 5-Speed Manual for it?


I like these engines because they are super cheap, OHV, give me plenty of power, and great economy. In 3500lbs vehicles with 4-Speeds they are rated 18/28 and I think with a 5-Speed and in a 3100lbs truck, it would be even better.
My 2.8L V6 is a good engine, but has no power and has 220,000 miles on it. Would be cool to get it replaced. Have an extra 75 to 100+hp and 50ft.lbs to 90ft.lbs more torque which is fine for me. Would be like adding a supercharged then some to this engine, but at 1/3rd the cost.

4.3L = worse economy and even less power.

 

The electronics are going to be the pain! To keep your manual, you would have to hope you can find a PCM for a manual trans to use or have a PCM tuned for a manual trans. Not looking into them, I think that these are all FWD application motors correct? If so, motor mounts may be a rather large problem for you as well. And that is providing that they will bolt up to what you have...

A 4.3L is a truck motor and has MUCH higher torque off idle than either of those motors (90% available off idle for the 4.3L). You are comparing a passenger car engine to a truck engine. The 4.3L can be made to get decent mileage if you build it right, but to go to a 4.3L, you would need to have a different bellhousing for your manual transmission (and auto if it's setup for a 60* v6 like the 2.8L).

 

Truck engine, car engine, it doesn't matter. They are all the same these days, espeically since these are a Pushrod engine. Don't underestimate the power of these engines. 3.9L peak torque of 240ft.lbs is at 4,600rpm, but the torque starts piling up as soon as 1,400rpm with 90% if the torque curve from 1,800rpm to 5,800rpm!


Will be extremely interesting. Do have some valide points. Will do a little research. Would be extremely interesting if I had this done. I have seen 1JZ and 2JZ's in S10's and Blazers before, so if those can fit, I think that one of these could get fitted in with some work. Would like to be able to keep the tranny though.

 

Two places I would concentrate on first. #1 - bell housing bolt pattern & #2 - motor mount locations.

If they don't have side mounts, it is going to be VERY difficult to mount them into your engine bay. I'm not saying it is impossible, but there are other alternatives that require much less work and can provide equal performance if built right.

One other thing that I touched on earlier is the wiring to make use of all of the more advanced electronics/programming of the newer engines. I'd rather put a FWD only engine into a RWD application than deal with the wiring/programming! Don't get me wrong, I can do it and have seen many people do it as well, but it is a very labor intensive process.

 

Get the GM crate 3.4L for RWDs... It was make specifically as a direct bolt in replacement for the 2.8.

I haven't seen the new 3.6s or 3.9s, but if they're anything like the FWD 2.8/3.1/3.4L DOHC, the t-stat housing will have to knock a hole in the firewall.

I wanted to do a DOHC swap on my old '85 S10... But I'd either have to fab up a t-stat housing, or notch the firewall.

The only chance you'd have is getting the 3.6/3.9 out of a RWD Caddy...

At the moment, I think that's the only RWD to have the global V6.

60* V6 FTW!

 

I have looked at those 3.4L's. Same power as the older 4.3L's which is pretty sweet.

I do like the 3.4L, and would totally get a 3.4L, but where the heck do I find them? I have only found 1, and for just an engine with no accesories it was hella expensive.
The 3.4L is just a stroked 2.8L right? Cause if so, I could get my 2.8L rebuilt, displacement increased, throw in a few performance pieces and it be cheaper then the engine that I found.

 

Should be just a bored + stroked 2.8 with a crank from a 3.1L I think

 

You can bore your 2.8 out to a 3.1 and use a fwd crank amd pistons but the 3.4 is too much to bore the 2.8 out to. The 3.4s came in 93-95 camaros or a GM crate motor and bolt right up to everything just like pulling a 305 and dropping in a 350.

http://members.shaw.ca/betterthanyou...ine%20swap.htm

The FWD motors can be made to work and I can hook you up with the info to contact a guy that has done it before and was working on making a kit with all the special brackets. I don't know if he ever got his kits off the ground or not but do know he had a s-10 with a 3xxx motor in it.