V8
 

i have a 1992 vandura 3500 with a 350v8 with throtel body injection and was wondering if it could fit my 98 blazer 4.3 v6 with out much ado. i know LOTS of people do v8 conversions but was wondering if i would need a differant engine? thanks

RE: V8
 

depends on your states emissions laws you might need a motor the same year or newer to pass.

RE: V8
 

In Texas, it does not matter what engine is in the car in order to passstate motor vehicle inspectionas long as it will pass the "sniff test"in five or six countiesthat are around large metropolitan areas like Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and El Paso.Thoselocations have strict emissions requirements for 1994-up vehicles that use the OBD-2 system but not as restrictive as 1983-1993 vehicles that usethe OBD-1 system. Other year vehiclesand all vehicles the othercounties of the state do not require any emissions tests.

I don't think I would attempt a V8 conversion in my S10 Blazer SUV, although I thought about it. The main reason is that I cannot do it myself and it is nearly impossibleto find a automotive repair shop that would be willing to perform that job. I would guess that would be a at least a 40 hour job at $80 an hour shop time. If you could find a custom automotive repairshop that was willing to do it, they would have to charge by the hour, plus parts.That would be cost prohibitive, at least for me it would.

I could have easily done that kind of a job 15 years ago and I have done three engine conversions similar to that one in the 1960s,but not now.

RE: V8
 

I dunno about 40 hours....

Book value for a V6 swap is 16 hours. Given a few extra hours for alt bracket and radiator swap, I couldn't see it being more than 20-25. That's still a solid $2000 in labor alone (at 80/hr), plus cost of engine and parts.

I'm no mechanic though, just thinkin outloud :D

RE: V8
 

If it will take 16 hours shop time to replace a V6 with a V6 it will take from15 to 20 hours for two men (30 to 40 hour shop time) to replace a V6 with a V8 .

Shop time of 30 to 40 hours would bejust to get a V8engine running, the hood back on the vehicle and out the shop door. All the tweaking, tuning, replacing of minor parts, rerouting of the wiring and vacuum hoses, eliminatingthe bugs,undoingwhatwas messed up by the so-called "professional" mechanics and a general clean up by theowner would takeat least a month or two.

I believe you can geta fresh 4.3L V6 to perform nearly as well as a V8 with half the effort. Includean Edelbrock TBI aluminum intake manifold with a 470 CFM stock 2" bore throttle body or installa670CFM Holley 2" bore throttle body and a Edelbrock hydraulic roller camshaft and stiffer valve springs. That would keep the precious original appearancebut would add up to 30 HP from 4000 to 5000 RPM to a 4.3L V6 Chevy engine.

RE: V8
 

Don't go blazerSS'n it up on us now..

And if peak horsepower and torque on these guys is around the 2200 rpm range...why would I want to add 30 hp at 4000-5000 rpm?

Also where did you pull the second guy from? Shop time doesn't include two people last I checked. At most I see it taking an extra hour or two to get the V8 in the body over what a V6 would take, seeing as how a V8 does indeed fit and bolt up...it's just tighter clearence. How does the addition of a V8 over a V6 somehow DOUBLE hours for a qualified, experienced mechanic?

RE: V8
 

Unless you have done it you have no idea what it takes I just put my 350 back into my blazer saturday it took 2 of us 13 hours and it was just a simple bolt in because it was already in there once. going from a V6 to a V8 I would be surprised if a shop mechanic or twowith no swap experience could do it in a week (40 hours)

RE: V8
 

HP 101:
Whenyou increase intake CFM and duration of a camshaft, the increased horsepower production willalwaysbe in at a higher RPM. With the modifications I suggested for a 262 CIV6, it would raise the peak HPproduction from 2000-3000 to 4000-5000 RPM. For that HP range to bepractical,a lower final drive rear gear ratio would berequired which would be impractical when the vehicle is in 4x4.

Shop time is alwaysdivided the number of people performing the work. It is physically impossible for oneperson to replace an engine.

It ismore difficult to putanengine in a vehicle that was not designed for it.The obsticles such as motor mounts, exhaust system, linkages, wiring, radiator, brackets, oil pan clearances are just a few of the changes that must addressed.

RE: V8
 

Wolfpack, that was spoken like a man who has never made something fit where it was not made to go. While it will bolt up it is a huge job and requires some serious know how. And while the 4.3 is a good engine there is nothing likethe sound and feelof a small block chevy.

RE: V8
 

Here i go again with my younger days story but here goes. Ive always enjoyed tearing apart my toys just to see how they worked and then one day my partents bot my older brother and i a2nd hand 1980 Mazda3dr hatchback. my brother recked it bend tierod ends and all 4 rims at the most. i inherited it and spent most of my time(not doing homework) getting it up and running again ( i was 14yrs old at the time and the car was already 9yrs) again taking things apart and seeing how they work. pulled the engine and cleand what i could and got brave and pulled the water pump and then i fond out what gaskets where for. blew that engine and repaced it with Mazda B2000 engine. took time but i got in and running in abouta week(spare time after school) and thats when i fond out that oil is only black when it comes strait from the ground. blew that motor too[sm=dontgetit.gif]i was doing all this in the back where my dad had all of his tools and space to do it with a roof too
ok this going somewhere i promise.a few years later(18yrs) and few carslater as well i got a job as a mechanics helper. then on day theowner asked me if i got any experience and i told him some. he asked if i could do an engine swap and i toldill give it a try. the car was a little nissan and the donerwas is the same make but that car flipped so i had to cut and chop to get it out first. well took me a day 8hrs to get one out and half toget the other out and half to get it back in(hope you can follow here)and another half to get it running and rolled out the door. theowner was suprised as well as happy not have to pay me mech wages(talk aboutyoung dumb and full of........) i told him that when you have the ritetools space and ability anything is possible. now here this is goingis
1 day for thinking of how to do it. Half a day of gettinginto the mood of doing it. 1 day of getting everything ready to do it. 2 days of accually doing it(this is how my boss at the time was) so looking at about a week of work. im not saying that mechanics are crooks......they are just human. when someone who doenst know who to do somethings asks a friend he gets most of the time a strate answer. try that with a pro involving $ and you get the run around most of the time(most guys and girls who are mechanically inclined scare the crap out of most mechanics:D) so the best thing you can do is become friends with one and you will most likey get a strait answer.
[&:]sorry for the long story i just like sharing thats all stories that is
man i wish i had the space and tools my dad has back home(Guam US Ter. Pacific) and a Napa 5mins away:(