2001 xtreme blazer v8 swap
 

what is needed to do a v8 swap in a 2001 xtreme blazer

What type of v8? LS type engine or the older style engine?
Do you want it carbureted or fuel injected?
Do you want all of the factory gauges to work or are you going aftermarket?

At a bare minimum you will need
V8 engine and transmission
Motor mounts
headers or manifolds
Electric cooling fans
Aftermarket radiator or modifying the core support and moving the factory radiator foward.
Fuel system will depend on carb or injected due to different fuel pressure requirements
Wiring harness
Exhaust
The transmission crossmember may require modification
Te driveshaft may need to be modified
and alot of other small misc parts like fuel hose, trans cooler, radiator hoses, etc.

I am currently in the process of swapping a 5.3 with a 4l60E into my 2002 2 door blazer.
There are alot more parts required than i thought but im having fun so far.

Im going 5.3 with a nv3500 5 speed trans

So you would need all of the above except the trans cooler stuff. You will also have to find a clutch and flywheel combination that will mate a nv3500 to a 5.3.
You will also have to make a wiring harness to work with that combination or pay someone to make it.
Just to give you an idea about harnesses. I am currently having someone build me a custom harness and ECU that will allow me to drop the 5.3 and 4l60E into my blazer and just plug it in to have all factory gauges work properly. But this is costing me ~$1000.

If you want the cheaper route you can get the ECU and harness that came with the 5.3 and rewire it to plug into the s10 fuse block. You will have to add the wiring for the transmission so you will need wiring diagrams for both the 5.3 and the blazer. You will also have to have someone flash the computer to disable VATS, some Check engine codes and make sure it is tuned for a manual transmission.

also beware that there are 2 different types of fuel systems on the 5.3. a looped Return type system and Return-less. The s10 is a return style already. Return-less will require some modifications and a pressure regulator or a corvette style fuel filter to make it simple.

Do you already have a 5.3 engine? If not try to get a complete pull out with all accessories, harness and computer.
Also are you wanting to run A/C or not?
To have A/C there are a few options. I have seen quite a few people notch the frame to run the factory 5.3 compressor in the lower passenger position. You can run a high mount compressor that uses aftermarket brackets to mount on the upper passenger side of the engine or i have seen one person modify the factory s10 brackets and accessories to fit on a 5.3 but this will require some fabrication. For the first option you might be able to use the truck a/c hoses but for the 2nd options you will have to have A/C hoses and lines custom made with the correct fittings for whatever compressor you decide to use. The third option looked like they used the factory s10 hoses and lines.

does anyone have a photo of how u need to modify the front crossmember

Just google "ls s10 frame notch". However from the research I have done, every truck is different. So what worked for one person might not work for you. It will also depend completely on what oil pan you run. You best bet is to get the combination you want to run and set it in the truck to see where you have to cut.


I am going to attempt to do my 5.3 swap without notching the frame if possible. I am going to run a high mount A/C compressor and the hummer H3 pan and see if it works. This pan is supposed to clear without notching but hangs below the frame so its not a good choice for lowered or bagged builds because it is unprotected below the frame.

Greetings, This week I manged to get my hands on a 2000 2 door blazer that has a 94 350 TBI (converted to carb) running vortec heads. Unfortunately I have little to none info on this swap other than the donor was a 94 truck. Tonight I got a little wrench time in to get a closer look into my new madness. So far, looks like it has a body lift (maybe 2 inches). Original trans with the front shaft disconnected and wired up out of the way. ECU is disconnected and looks like the ABS is as well. My plan is to gut everything so no biggie. However, no computer running original transmission (or 2x4 version from s10 or??) what kind of problems am I looking at? Will this transmission hold up running a V8? Would I be better off finding a 350/400 turbo or hell, power glide? Thanks in advance. ~ Rod