A friend at work wants to get rid of his 86 s 10 blazer. It has a 4 cylinder engine with a 4 speed manual transmission. First off is 500.00 worth it (its pretty clean). Secondly what kind of transmission is it i was thinking it may be a borg warner manual. Last but not least, I have a 350 engine sitting in the garage. Is it a pretty involved swap for these blazers?

I said i wasnt gonna have anymore projects..guess i spoke too soon lol.

 

have fun, brother. lol. i've never done a 350 swap personally, but i've heard they're a pain in the neck. besides, a 4.3 is just a smaller version of the 350 and you get better gas mileage.

 

well then maybe i will be a first. lol. I did a swap on an el camino of mine (81) it was a hastle but only because i made mistakes based on not knowing the little tricks. Only thing about this blazer is i dont know if the engine compartment will hold it. Do you know the type 4 speed thats in this blazer?

 

if the body is in good shape and it runs decent then i dont think you can go wrong for $500.

the transmission in there may be a borg warner unit, but you would have to change it to put the 350 in. that stock 4cyl transmission will not bolt up to a 350, the bolt patterns are different. and even if it did, it would blow up pretty quick. your easiest transmission option for a 350 would probably be going back to a 60's / 70's muncie or saginaw transmission.

the engine compartment is definately big enough for a 350. if youve done it in an el camino then you know what needs to be done, the frames are virtually identical as far as engine placement.

 

ahhh yes, try a t56 swap. everybody needs a good 6 speed. i wouldn't personally have a 6 speed, that's too many gears for me, but might work fo you.

 

dosent luxus have an 8 speed tranny [sm=jawdrop.gif]

 

the problem with a t56 swap is the shifter location... i'm not sure it will work for a truck. same with the t-5... did the t-5 ever come in an s-series truck?
both are options but neither would be as cheap or easy as an older transmission.

 

you could also use a 700R4 auto behind it with a floor shifter