Sprucing up and could use some wisdom
 

I have a bone stock '04 4x4 Blazer I got as a repo. Just a few minor things to fix up and looking to give it a pair of nuts now. I have some ideas for what I want:

new cam
bigger injectors
ignition system
underpulley
supercharger
intake
dual exhaust
pcm

Anyone have some ideas for my best course of action, working on a somewhat limited budget? Also, seeing as I live in Houston, Texas, a.k.a. Hell's sweaty crack, is there a way I could mount a supercharger without ditching my a/c? Rotti I know you got some ideas, bud...

Lol ok... Attachment 33062 TruckNutz - The Ultimate Truck Accessory™

Supercharger & limited budget = not happening unless you get one of those electric "superchargers" that you turn on for 20 seconds sorta deal.
As for the intake, injectors look up a 4.3 marine intake. They usually come with 33 lb/h Bosch injectors. They're a bit of work to make work with the fuel lines, throttle body swap etc, but they do help (in a supercharger environment).
With a beefier cam it may help a bit. ZR2dan has the MSD ignition & he swears by it.
A Wait-4-Me tune or something similiar is always good AFTER you've finished with the engine, drivetrain mods. Or if you can get it put on a dyno.

If you have the time, as in the blazer isn't your DD & depending on your wrenching skills try googling 301 HP 4.3. No forced injection & makes a real 301 crank HP as a DD.

What gears does it have in it now? 3:73's aren't bad & decent for street & highway but 4:10's would help more on the street but could hurt economy on the highway.

I have a 3.42 rear end.

My "budget" isn't so low I can't afford $10k in parts--I just don't wanna spend that much. I'm a miser. I planned on dropping $3-4k on the supercharger and installation parts, but would like to find an alternative.
Speak to me about the marine intake. What kind of mods are we looking at for the fuel lines? Do I need to rip the throttle body off a mercruiser too? Wiring issues, at all? Will the computer be able to run it as is?

The marine intake isn't that bad to install, & you should be able to find one online (Craigslist etc) for around $300 - $400 complete with injectors & throttle body. The fuel lines will need different hoses to hook it up though. You can get decent SS braided lines (a foot each should do) for $30. Get the good fuel injector clamps, the type with the nut & bolt to connect them.
Great write up from Scott (UR50SLO) 4.3L Vortec Marine Intake Conversion Helpfull Hints:

The throttle body should be with the intake. It's a little bigger & you'll need to tack weld the plate that the cable attaches to to it. It's all in his write up as well as wiring for the injectors etc.
The engine will run fine without re-programming the PCM until you add a supercharger.
Al at Wynjammer has GM S10 4.3 Supercharger ,GM 1500 4.3 Supercharger , GM Supercharger,S10 Supercharger,.
You wouldn't need his higher flow spider because you'll have the marine intake. The aluminum bonnet is nice as well as the chromed blow off valve, but my stock bonnet & the regular BOV works just fine.
Up to you about what PCM tune you go with. His are programmed for a stock cam, stock TB etc. I'm not sure if he could change that for you but he is always a phone call away & very good to talk to.

After reading Scott's page, let me first say that I have absolutely no access to a welding machine. Marine intake is a no go, and I don't have the mechanical savvy to do what he's talking about. At least not unless I can get a list of all the acronyms he uses in that damn thing...then maybe. I'm no dunce, after all. Looks like an aftermarket intake for this white boy.

Oddly enough, I have a buddy that can do my tuning after I get to that point, so no biggie there. Would think he'd have a welder, though....

Would you happen to know offhand what size cam I can use without having to deal with porting and all that jazz? Or should I just stick with the stock? It can handle another 100hp, right? I guess while I'm in there I might as well break it down a little more and change the valves, springs, etc.

Any idea on the a/c question? Keeping it is a must down here.

If you've got that kind of budget why don't you find a 5.7 and swap that in. Its fairly easy HP and can be done pretty cheap if your patient and diligent in your search for a motor. Its almost a direct bolt in with a few small mods. A supercharger is bad ass and off I could afford one I'd do it!! But for the gain and ease I'll be going 5.7:)

Call me nostalgic I guess. I thought about dropping a 350 in it, but then I'm still gonna do the exact same things to it. I want to do this more for the experience than the actual performance gains. I need a hobby, and pimping my hos has lost its novelty. Besides, when I DO get a V8, I want to have a few more notches in my belt going into it. Not terribly experienced with the 4.3.

Very understandable and learning new things is always fun!! Just make sure that whatever you decide to do you post it up with lots o pictures please!!

In HD resolution with video to go with it. Just need to get a gameplan so I don't have to do this in phases. One teardown, one assembly, and that's it.

That's what we all hope for but it rarely ever works out that way lol.