i'm planning on taking my 4.3 L engine out and replacing it with a 5.7 camaro engine, i also wanted to add the camaro rear end so i can have power in both rear tires and the speed to go with the engine... to do this, would i need to be looking forward to alot of headaches and tweeking, or is it pretty straight forward conversion?... also my question is, how much of a change would i actually notice from driving my stock 4.3 w/ the limited slip rear end, to driving it with the 350 and camaro rear end.. and is it worth the money i am going to invest in it ..... i also have access to a garage and a lift too i'm sure will help when it comes down to the conversion,

 

the 4.3 takes up alot of space and if the 5.7 is bigger good luck.

 

i dunno man, its not un heard of

 

i have seen an ls1 in a blazer its takes up more room than the 4.3 obviously but it fit

 

they are an easy swap. its pimp and great power and almost derect bolt in except get a painless wiring kit for it, sames alot of hasel, only about $1000 or so.

 

The 350 will fit well with a few adjustments and some studying on the instal. Now for the rear you would want to make sure the camaro has a good gear ratio. Some of them have some serious highway gears and crap for take off. If you find one with worse geraring than your but with disc brakes, the brakes can be put on your s-10 rear.

 

Here is a '92 S10-Blazer with a LS1 engine.
http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Pages/S10_V8_4x4wLT1.html

This company puts out a great book on how to do a V8 swap into the S10 series trucks. Other then a few minor things, this is a direct bolt in project. I personally would not go with the Camaro rear axle. It is not as strong as your current rear axle. JTR even coevers the rest of the drivetrain and what needs to be modified. In your case, I would install a limited slip, or swap in a ZR2 rear axle with the limited slip in it. The ZR2 axle is a shortened fullsize truck 10 bolt axle.

Here is some more S10 with V8 conversions. Even new body styles. Plus the book has some info aobut a V8 swap GM did. The best part about this book, most of the swap can be done with GM factory parts. There are only a few special parts to buy or fabricate. They list where to buy them or how to fabriacte them and leave it up to you on which way to procede.
http://www.jagsthatrun.com/Pages/Che..._S-10_V-8.html

 

i say go for it! but for the rear end, id just beef up the one you got. you said you already got a posi in it. im not sure, but the spring pads will probably be in the wrong spots and the overall length may be different.

 

OK...I think this is my department... First, what year 350 are you planning on using?..That does make a difference on ease of installation. Are you carbourating, TBI, or TPI? Also, check the tag on the rearend, or check the vin # to find out what size ring gear you have. Some came with a 7.5" ring gear, some came with an 8.5" ring gear. The latter will be more than sufficient for the conversion. If you change the rearend, gearing is very important. You want to make sure the rear and frontend gears match, mismatched gears will break something bad, and you will be S-O-L. The camaro rearend will fit in, but if it has disk brakes, you need a proportioning valve, or you will have no pedal...trust me on that one.


* The easiest way to install the motor: PLEASE be smart about this...It is imperitive you listen. Go to www.jagsthatrun.com and buy the s-10 v-8 4x4 conversion kit. spend the money, they are the only people who have the complete kit for this. Other companys sell kits, but they do not fit. I went through three different kits, before I got the one from JTR. They are the only ones who sell the proper headers for the 4x4. Yes 2x4 and 4x4 headers are different, and so is the oilpan... they have a notch in the bottom for clearance of the front diff. The parts that you need are...

* JTR upper engine conversion mounts
* 2.8L lower engine mounts...they are stronger than the 4.3 mounts
* JTR 4x4 V-8 oilpan
* JTR 4x4 V-8 headers
* dual 10 or 12" electric fans(preferably pushers...mount on the outside of the radiator, between the grill, and radiator)
* Oil filter relocation kit... the one on the 4.3(engine side) is too small, and will not fit.
* Custom Y-pipe...easier than dual exhaust, the t-case, and gas tank get in the way.
* You need to trim the lower firewall lip, and hammer it flat(the book included with the kit will explain.
* Many various nuts, bolts, fasteners, brakets, and sensors.
* lots of time, patience, and some extra money. Don't think it is a weekend job, cause it isn't.


If you are running an injected or throttlebody motor, you will need the computer to go with it, and I reccomend the painless wiring harness. The stock tranny will need to be beefed up for higher horsepower engines...for example, the 700r4 is the same on the outside, but internals are different for v-6, and v-8. The 4.3 puts out between 200-240 horses, respectively, and the V-8 will do anywhere from 200-3, 4, 5, 600...you get the picture.


Oh yeah, don't forget about suspension... you are adding roughly 150 extra pounds in the front...you do the math...can you say, bouncy.

I have a ton of info on this subject...I have done three of these to date, so just ask away

 

Now I know who to contact when I do my 2putt8 to 5.7L swap.