Hey guys.Looking for some insight and the people on this forum seem to know what they are doing.


Cliff notes at the bottom if you don't like to read.

I have been looking at blazer's for quite some time since i wrecked my old car(a cavalier)I found one a few months ago in need of a new front end and a windshield. Since i have a buddy that know's his way around blazer's pretty well owning two of them and having to rebuild the front end on the one more than once,i was going to pick it up.Well that blazer was sold when i emailed the guy about it.

I hang out with this guy on a regular basis and were good friends.He gets a call from this lady about buying her blazer.It's a 1995 LT if i'm not mistaken(its a 4 door model).Not sure of the mileage.But it's in fairly good condition inside and out.It will need tires since the lady is taking them.The 4wd works,tranny is in good order and everything else is good.Except one thing.The motor is ready to go.Don't know what it is,but they were smart and parked it when it started acting up.

So my buddy tells me he will sell me the motor out of his 1997 blazer,the 4.3 vortec.Same as what's in the 95.So i can get the 95 for 300 from the lady and the motor for 100 from my buddy.Plus other odds and ends for it.i'm looking at around 6-800 bucks for a good blazer.

Think it's worth it?Anything i should know about when swapping the 97 motor into the 95?I searched around some and couln't find a direct answer

Thanks for all your help



Cliff notes.
Buy blazer for 300 with bad engine and no wheels.Buy engine from buddy for 100.Plus his wheels.Buddy helps me get it running right and fixed up nice.New truck for around 800 bucks

 

Different engine. CPI motor in the '95 vs. SCFI motor in the '97.

Your top end will bolt up to the long block from the '97, but the intake up is not the same.

I would take a look into just repairing the problem with the '95. It mostlikely is a fuel leak internal to the plenum. I say go for it and look into what the actual problem with the motor is before condemning it. These 4.3L engines are pretty stout.

 

Well what if we swapped everything in.Like motor,wiring harness etc.

The 1997 blazer my buddy has is being parted out.He slid off the road into a tree and smashed up the side.So we got a pretty much complete donor truck.Expect for the tranny,and the rear which are getting ready to go.This truck was a beater for around the farm some he didn't car enough to fix it.

So can i swap everything from the firewall forward and make it work?

 

No. You would need to swap modules/components/wire harnesses from under the dash as well. It really isn't that easy. They are quite different.

As I said, the easiest way to get it running is to determine the original problem with the engine. If the engine is truely blown, use the long block from the '97 (heads to oil pan) and swap over the intake manifold, etc.

 

Alright.

How much work is doing the second option that you proposed.

 

I would say diagnose the problem like swartlkk said!! It may be just a simple thing and less work then swapping everything over!!

 

If you did the swap... You'd have to swap everything electrical that even touches the engine, PCM, and probably BCM and ignition as well...

Diagnose the engine problem first, then decide which is better to do

 

i agree w/ whats bein said here first diagnose the problem on the 95 then figure out whats easier to do from there. imo i think u should just swap the block like swartlkk said if fixing the 95 is to bad

 

See the thing with doing that is that i'd have to tear down 2 different engines.Thats quite a bit of work as well.

 

Depending on what's wrong with the '95, right?

If you do the engine work with both engines out of the vehicles... It'll be peanuts.