I have a 2004 blazer 4 door 4x4, and I've been throwing around the idea of swapping a 350 in as soon as the 4.3 dies. Would I need to re-arrange any of the suspension? Lets say I put a suspension lift in, or possibly even a solid front axle BEFORE I put in the v8. Would putting in the v8 be possible after those modifications?

 

go to s10v8.com and take a look there. they have a manual for $25 on exactly how to do it. its easier with the 2.8L mounts but they also sell everything you need to do it.

 

Ive got an 87 blazer and i just bought the book as well as an sas kit from 4wdfactory.

 

i put a v8 in a s10 that had a 4cyl in it and it really didnt sit any lower. a v8 probably only weighs 100lbs more then a 4.3 so if you weight 200lbs just go lean half of your weight on the fender and see how much it dips down the truck, probably nothing.

especially if you do a sfa it probably wont even budge by doing leaf springs up front. i got a sfa s10 and i can stand on the front bumper and it doesnt move

 

what i mean is, if i convert to a sfa before i put a v8 in, would i have to re-do or change any part of the front suspension after the v8 is in? i understand the weight difference, but i mean the overall size and shape? would the v8 get in the way?

 

it shouldnt effect anything around the engine at all. if anything it will probably make it easier to work on since your truck is a 4x4 and all that ifs garbage will be out of the way, a sfa makes it way more roomier under there. BUT the problem you might run into with the engine swap is the added height. i used to have k5 blazers with 6 inches of lift and when i changed a motor i had to take the tires off drop the truck on the rotors and with the cherry picker all the way extended i still had to slide it over the top of the core support

so its kind of a "up to you" situation. which ever you have the parts laying around for do first i guess but either one shouldnt interfere with each other unless you are doing some kind of very soft suspension up front where the little bit of weight might make it sag.

im running k5 lift springs up front on my s10 with 2 leafs removed and i can jump up and down on my bumper and maybe get a inch of movement