69 with a Vortec 4.3

[iluvmy72]

I saw one today.....it was pretty cool.....it had a 600 Carter on top with a high rise Holly intake along with some headers to go wth it.....the man claims he gets 310 horse and 330 torque.....hard to believe for a V-6 but I couldn't call him a liar since I didn't build his engine....man he had lots of room in that engine compartment.....anyone else toyed this idea?

[Hooter]

I wonder what kind of milage he gets with that thing?

[lukecp]

I dont think the 4.3 would be a bad swap into one of these trucks. The Vortec versions had anywhere from 175 net hp, all the way up to a 200 net hp CPI version. A stock 350 has about 175 net hp, so the difference in acceleration wouldn't be that much differnt, besides a loss in low-end power (less torque). Much better power, and proably better fuel mileage than a 140 net hp 250, or a fuel thirsty 292.

I toyed with the idea before i joined the board, when i had a sick 350 in my truck, and a sick TBI 4.3 to use as a core....then i found that a 4.3 rebuild would be ~$1500, and the 350 rebuild would be less than a grand....so i used the 350 and i am very happy with it

[OHsweet69]

my brother had a 92 work truck with the 4.3. i was very impressed with the low end torque that it had. he got about 20 miles to the gallon. it was a 5 speed. never took it easy always heavy footed.

[Longhorn Man]

Don't mess with the CPI versions, pretty much everyone who had one will tell you the exact same laundry list of problems. In reality, I find it disturbing that GM would let it be sold with so many problems.
I highly doubt he is getting 310/330 out of that thing...I find it very hard to believe. He is probably going by the seat of the pants dyno.

[iluvmy72]

remember that the overall block size isn't far from a V-8......the bore is much bigger.

[old Rusty C10]

id like to see pics and what was the laundry list of problems???

[Longhorn Man]

The bore is the sae as a 350, that is all it is is a 350 with 2 jugs cut off.
The early 4.3 Vortec problems (cpi injection) include;
EGR valves that last 10,000 miles and cost over 200 bucks.
Fuel pressure regulators that last a few years, but you have to buy the CPI unit to replace it at about 450 bucks.
Throttle body linkages that like to bind.
Motor mounts that fall apart prematurly.
Tranny mounts that fall apart prematurly.
poor valve seals that leak after 50,000 miles and smoke on start up.
I'm trying to remember more(I know there is more), but I have been trying to forget that POS.

[lukecp]

They may have been POS's.....but the CPI 4.3's were the most powerful naturally aspirated 4.3 GM has put in a S10 yet. Even more powerful than the new Vortec 4.3's (190hp). The Typhoon/Syclone trucks had 4.3's with forced induction...and were rated at 280hp i think. I have read that they ran mid 13's bone stock.....pretty fast for a 6-cylinder S10 .

[Longhorn Man]

Don't get me wrong, that blazer would flat out haul when it was running properly...but it was a dog choking on it's own breath half the time I had it.

[iluvmy72]

I thionk you are wrong on the bore size of the 4.3.......Ive seen the pistons for these 4.3's and they are about 1/4 bigger....but then again there could have been different variations in the bore size over the years......this engine that the guy had came from a 88 Astro Van......man that engine you had sounds like it was a damn lemon.

[Longhorn Man]

I agree that mine was a POS, but I have spoken to way too many people who had the exact same problems.
Another one I just thought of was the seal on the factory sandwich adapter for the oil cooler. It mounted between the block and the oil filter. I replaced it 4 times with Genuine GM gaskets, and then 2 more times with fell pro gaskets. (plus some one had been in there before me...so add at least one more time to the list.) Finally I took the seal from a huge oil filter for a perterbuilt or something we had laying around and used a butt load of sillicone. FINALLY...it stopped leaking for a few years. But it did start to leak again, I still have the stained cement driveway to prove it.
The bore was either a 305 bore or a 350 bore...like I said, I have tried to forget that 7 year nightmare.
Was your '88 a CPI, or throttle body? The throttle body engines didn't have nearly as many problems as the CPI ones did.
I was under the impression that '92 was the first year for the CPI set up.
I haven't even touched on the problems with the rest of the truck.
All I'll say is properly lubed upper controll arm bushihngs should last more than 60,000 miles before they fall apart.
Like I said, this thing ran liek a scalded dog when it ran properly. It was no problem to spin the tires through first and a good 25 - 35 feet into second gear...and this was an automatic.
It was no big block, but that thing was a monster for a stock Kroger Cruiser....when it ran properly.

SUVs... ...Nothing but a station wagon with a lift kit. pffft.

[smokekiki]

The 4.3 is the same cyl size as a 5.7.

[Longhorn Man]

350, that's what I had thought.
Thanks smokeekiki

[palallin]

My wife and I bought a 4.3 S-10 4-dr Blazer last year. It had 145,xxx miles then; we've put another 12,000 on since. She runs like a dream, is easy on gas, is moderately peppy, hasn't got a spot of rust anywhere, and has cost me nothing except routine maintenance in the past year.

I guess we've been lucky, but this truck is the best vehicle deal I've ever had as far as condition and upkeep. I love my K-10, but he is pretty good at devouring money.

I would NOT want to try to move my K-10 around with the 4.3, though

[1998c1500]

Try this v-6 in your engine bayhttp://www.sportmachines.com/magrack/ttsup_8-95.html

[Canada20]

I thought the Cyclone/Typhoon were using the Buick 3.8 supercharged engine? Maybe the Buick supercharger on the 4.3. Sorry.....jacking the thread

I've heard that the 4.3 is supposed to be a pretty good engine but it sounds like you really need to be careful which ones you get. I'd always thought it would be a good alternatice to the 292 that came with my truck as I'd had a 2.8 V-6 in an '83 Ranger and it seemed to get around alright.

Greg

[Dean]

The 229 V6 is the same bore as the 305; 262 (4.3) is the same as 350. I started with the early 4.3 in my Chevette, but it is far far from stock. Lunati roller cam, Brodix aluminum heads, Brodix high rise, Eldebrock carb, etc etc.

It screams in that light little car, but I'm all for torque in a truck.

And don't get me started on POS S10s....lol......aggghhhhh......

[Yellow Cheyenne]

Some questions. What does CPI stand for? I just bought a '96 Chevy 1/2 ton with a 4.3 litre Vortec that has 192,000 miles on it. It doesn't smoke on startup, but I haven't driven it far enough to know if it will use any oil. '96 was the first year the vortec was available in the 1/2 tons. Was it available earlier in the S10's? I bought V-6 for gas mileage as my father in law has a '92 with about 220,000 miles on it that still runs good (does smoke on start-up, but doesn't use oil) and he was getting 20-21 MPG. I drove mine back from Texas at about 75 MPH and got 20.75 MPG, much better than the typical 11-12 MPG I get with my '72 when cruising at that speed. The '96 doesn't have the power that the '72 has, but it is very respectable. Talked to a friend that owns an auto repair shop and he said the only main concern he would have with it is the fuel pump (I just replaced as a precaution) and some tubes between the injectors that are expensive to replace-so I will wait to replace those until they start showing signs of trouble. Other than that, he said they are pretty reliable vehicles. Sounds like at least some of the problems Longhorn was having are with the vehicle as much as the engine. I'm hoping mine will be ok.

Randy

[lukecp]

The buick's used a turbocharged 3.8.....the Typhoon/Scylone trucks used a forced induction 4.3 (think it was turbocharged).

I used to have a TBI 4.3 and it was an excellent engine....my mom has a Vortec 4.3 (190HP) in a S10 and it is also an excellent engine....zero problems so far, 22mpg, and enough power to get out of its own way. I keep trying to get her to buy a supercharger for it but she just dosen't understand

[1969 GMC]

Mid 80's Buick Grand National, GNX, Turbo Riviera, and Turbo Regal all used a turbocharged 3.8L V6.

Early 90's to present Buick Park Avenue Ultra, Regal GS, Olds 98 Touring Car, and Pontiac GTP use a supercharged 3.8L V6.

Syclone/Typhoon used a turbocharged 4.3L V6.

I was under the impression that a 4.3 was simply a 350 minus two cylinders, and a 3.8 was a 305/307 minus two cylinders. Even though the 229 (3.8L) V6 has been around longer than either the 305 or 307.

[iluvmy72]

wow....was this subject ever brought back from the dead.

[Tx Firefighter]

Both 350 and 4.3 have 4 inch bore. Pistons are even interchangable.

<hijack on> As a note, I have a 93 model Throttle body 4.3 for sale. It's complete from aircleaner to oil pan. All the throttle body, distributor, exhaust manifolds, everything. Runs great. I just pulled it out to put a 350 in it's place. I'm tired of it being on my engine stand. 100 dollars in DFW area. Trade for anything. It needs to go. <hijack off>

[highboy_04]

man tx firefighter to bad i dont live closer to you. i would take the motor off yer hands

[Longhorn Man]

Yellow Cheyenne, you should be OK, I am 99.9% sure that by 96, Chevy got there head out of there tail pipe on this vortec set up. CPI stands for Central Port Injection. It is almost liek a cross between TBI and MPFI. It has one fuel injector down under the top half of the intake, and 6 popet valves that spray the fuel into each cylinder.
And wow, iluvmy72 is right...brought back from the dead...gotta love the search being up again.
Just as the Blazer nightmares were coming to an end, y'all go and bring this one back ttt.