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Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:31 am

has any one done this i have the motor out of a 91 bazer.
i was thinking about putting a holly 650 on it. im not shure where to start. :?:

Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:02 pm

it can be done, but in my opinion thats gonna be a heavey powerplant for the HP. Kennedy engineering makes adapter's and flywheels for just about any engine trans combo.

Thu Sep 28, 2006 1:33 pm

You can use it, and it will make good power but.. You will need a bus transaxle at a minimum and your going to have to mount a radiator somewhere that it will get air across it (no good place on a bug). You could make a wing and put the rad there. I would also get the longest training arms that you think the local cops will allow. The 4.3 is going to be fairly long. The small factory fuel line is not big enough and very stiff torsion bars will be needed to. I'm pretty sure that you will have to fab some engine mounts off a rear cage. All these things can be overcome but it wont be a weekend project.

Thu Sep 28, 2006 2:24 pm

Ya i have a bus box with 930's with 3x3's with 30mm bars on the front i have 4 inch over arms. 10inch coil overs. im thinking about putting the radiator up front or i might make a wing. motors are not my thing i can shape metal but motors im kinda lost.

Fri Sep 29, 2006 6:38 am

will it work, yes. will it be worth it, depends. what kind of power does an older 4.3 make? i know the later vortecs are pretty stout, dunno bout older ones though. i have my rad in the trunk for a 3.8 v6

Fri Sep 29, 2006 9:40 am

takotruckin wrote: will it work, yes. will it be worth it, depends. what kind of power does an older 4.3 make? i know the later vortecs are pretty stout, dunno bout older ones though. i have my rad in the trunk for a 3.8 v6

does that thing wheelie? do you get air over jumps?

Fri Sep 29, 2006 9:51 am

THE POWER I HAVE NO CLUE IT HAS NEW HEADS AND ITS OUT OF A 91 BLAZER MY FRIEND BOUGHT THE MOTOR TRANS AND REAR END AND HANDED ME THE MOTOR. I WANT THIS THING TO FLIGH. IM NOT SHURE ABOUGHT THE WEIGHT I SAW A TURO RAIL WITH THE 4.3 IN IT I THINK THAT LOOKS LIKE FUN. RIGHT KNOW I HAVE A TIRED 1600 DUAL PORT AND I WOULD LAUNCH IT WITH THAT.

IF SHORT CUTS WHERE EASY IT WOULD JUST BE THE WAY.

Fri Sep 29, 2006 4:00 pm

Is it CPI or TBI ? The weakest part of the 4.3
is the crank. There are kits to make the
two middle saddles for the mains into a
quasi 4 bolt setup to help cut down on
crank flex.

However the 4.3 has gobs of torque. With
it stripped down of it's brackets, etc, it's
heavy but not that heavy. You can go
with Vortec heads up to 94 that flow a lil better.
Of course you can always go with
the manifold from Edelbrock prt 2114 so
as to change it out to carb power. The
dist are electrically controlled so you
might have to run the ECM unless you
can locate a mech advanced vacuum type
dist. Shouldn't too hard to eliminate the
ECM.

There are a lot of performance parts out
for the 4.3 as well. With the right cam
which many offer and will also custom
grind [CompCam] as well as a lil port
and polish on the heads, with a good
free flowing intake and JBA or Gibson
headers, you'll have a pretty fast ride.
One thing that's nice about the cam is
that it's a factory roller setup. Here's a
site that has a lot on info and help in the forums.
www.S10forum.com.
For performance parts, here's just one place
of many.
www.raceprovenmotors.com

There are forced o2 kits avail, but the one
supercharger kit that works off the left side
seems to have a prob with keeping belts on
as it uses the Alt with a modified pulley to
power it. You can turbo it using Sy/Ty exhaust
manifolds and other parts, but if it's just
torque you want the TBI with a TBI spacer
will get you going pretty well. I've been
messing with the 4.3 in my truck for a num
of yrs and it goes ok. I think it would work
pretty good in an off road ride, but bracing
it would be paramount as I'm sure you've
considered. I'd go for it.

Sorry about the long rant, but you did mention
the mighty, well sort of & can be, GM 4.3.. :)

Fri Sep 29, 2006 8:45 pm

you could run an HEI I would stay away from that 650 carb I would go with a 2bl way more torque that 91 is a TBI is their any way you could get the wireing harness and ecm

Fri Sep 29, 2006 9:32 pm

This is probaly a dumb question, but I was just wondering if this was a fresh motor, an untested bargain or a gift? The work needed to install it may not be worth the effort.

Fri Sep 29, 2006 9:37 pm

Sorry, I missed the part where you explained where the motor came from.

Mon Oct 02, 2006 9:59 am

THANKS FOR THE INFO BGS THE STORY BEHIND THE MOTOR IS TE GUY THAT HAD IT JUST REBUILT OR PUT NEW HEADS ON IT NOT SHURE WHICH AND THE MOTOR WAS RUNNING STRONG AND HE SLIDE THE BLAZER INTO A TREE. MY FRIENDS DAD BOUGHT THE MOTOR TRANS AND REAR END. THEY ONLY WANTED THE TRANS AND REAREND. SO THE MOTOR HAS JUST BEEN SITEN FOR ABOUT A YEAR. I HAVE THE WIREING HARNESS FOR THE FRONT HAVE OF THE CAR ALL THE WAY TO THE HEAD LIGHTS. I HAVEN'T TOUCHED YET BECAUSE NOT SHURE WHAT DIRECTION TO TAKE WITH IT.

SORY ABOUT THE CAP LOCK IM AN ENGINEER AND EVERY THING AT WORK HAS TO BE IN CAPS.

Mon Oct 02, 2006 2:36 pm

sammyphsyco wrote: does that thing wheelie? do you get air over jumps?

no, and yes, its the landing thats a problem :(

Mon Oct 02, 2006 3:30 pm

WITH THE 3X3 AND THE STOCK BEAM TURNED 90 DEGRES IT WASN'T BAD. I CANT WAIT TO SEE WHAT IT WILL DO WITH THE 4 INCH OVER ARMS AND 10" COILOVERS

Mon Oct 02, 2006 4:46 pm

those 10 inch coils are going to be a little short. you need atleast 12" coils to get as much travel as possible. Your really going to limit yourself with the 10 inchers. Just a side note.

Mon Oct 02, 2006 4:50 pm

You should do your homework first... It depends on where your shock mount is in relation to the pivot center of the trailing arm. I have ten inch coil overs on the front of mine, and I am getting 14" of travel at the spindle center line (using 4" over arms)....

Wed Oct 04, 2006 3:21 pm

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=197346

This is my ride haven't even had it a year yet

Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:12 pm

Ok, I have done all the homework for the 4.3 I have a 4 seat car I'm building now, with an 091, and TBI 4.3.

Painless wiring makes a stand alone harness...$300. Hecker machine, kennedy adapter plate, $500. Playtech headers, with 02 sensor bungs $500. ECM, TBI, injectors, all on Ebay for next to nothing.

The 87-92 4.3's make plenty of power for what you're pushing around. They are different from 93-95, the currently 96-03. You're looking at 25hp difference, a little difference in the torque.

You can upgrade the cam, and turn up the fuel pressure. I would get a spacer plate for the TBI, and a crane or MSD ignition.

YOU WILL NEED to get weddle gears for your bus box. Otherwise, plan on getting lots of backups when they break. The HP won't kill them, the torque will.

I have a little over 2k into mine, but it's better than the 3k for a Ecotec, Honda, or Subaru. The basic parts are all the same as a tbi 350, which you can go to just about any parts store.

Thu Oct 05, 2006 4:49 pm

Did some make sure it spins the right way???

Thu Oct 05, 2006 6:30 pm

Jamnajar wrote: Did some make sure it spins the right way???

No, I just said screw it, I'll dump a pile of $$$ over there, and start praying. It spins the right way, it's not a Honda.