i have a 97 4.3 that needs more power, any way i can free up some horse power? im looking for some good mods also. kind of short on cash at the moment but willing to wait. thanks

 

you want to free up some power well you can start by doing an electric fan set up which you can get at your local part store maybe you have an autozone nearby or checker another thing is either a k and n drop in filter or cold air intake, programmer, exhaust those you can start with.

 

alright thanks.

 

no problem anytime you need help just ask away and someone on the forum will be able to help you out with any question.

 

An electric fan will not free up enough HP to make it financially justifiable IMO as compared with the fan/clutch setup in the truck already... The only way that you could gain any appreciable amount of HP with an electric fan is if you were just to leave it off, but then you would overheat. The temp actuated viscous clutch on the stock fan setup is only working when it is required to cool the radiator. When cold, it is barely requiring any torque to move.

 

Basic bolt ons, estimated price, expect HP gains...

Exhaust- $400-1000 depending on the setup.. Maybe 10hp
Hypertech power programmer- $300-400... YOU WILL NEED TO RUN PREMIUM FUEL-- 15hp
K&N.. not much point in spending the extra money for the whole intake, just get the filter. 50 bucks... 5hp
Underdrive pulleys- 100-200 (not my favorite idea in the world if you run high power stereo) 5hp-deep cycle battery would be a good idea $160

Probably the cheapest way to get power is to put your car on a diet. I assume thats out of the question, since you obviously like your Kickers.

Other than that, theres not much you can really do without engine building knowledge. If you want more grunt, you could go with lower gears in the rear end. Probably not a good idea, since Blazers are already pretty much all low end grunt.... Gear swaps don't give you more HP.. but you'll have more of a launch... with a lower top speed and you'll lose some fuel economy... You could probably get some more power with a good cylinder head porting job... not something to be done by a novice.

Addendum... Consider every 10HP gained to be around 0.1 second off your quarter mile time. Consider every hundred pounds taken off the vehicle as a theoretic 10hp gain.

 

or just grab the horns and do a turbo setup.....not a whole lot to do to these trucks

 

i dont want a turbo...i heard it kills the life of your engine..and im only 17 so i dont really want to murder it yet

 

Save up. Thats what I had to do to do a full rebuild and have it done right. I spent around 2200 for a full rebuild (cam, crank , bearings, trans) but did most of the work with a friend and myself.

 

"Hypertech power programmer- $300-400... YOU WILL NEED TO RUN PREMIUM FUEL-- 15hp "

I saw that the max energy needs the premium fuel but the PP III says that you can program both 87 and premium. How is it at the 87 gas setting?