How to build a 4.3l Powerhouse

I'm asking you guys. I had a 1988 s10 blazer with the 4.3l v6. For as little cash as possible how do you make it as fast as possible???

whipple may have an s/c...
or you could get headers and an intake manifold from edelbrock...

an intake and exh will help... throttle body spacer is nice... get a chip maybe?

if it's an auto, get a shift kit

To tell you the truth I have checked out all the kits on the market and they are a waste of time.
The best you will get is 10hp with a new intake,cam and springs.
The best thing to do is buy a chip(I have a Jet) and a good set of headers,Edlebrock has a kit with headers and Y pipe foe about $240.00.
You will want a cold air kit and take that damn rick off of your throttelbody,it put hot crank case air right in your intake.
Buy a throttelbody spacer and to it of with a MSD dis. and some 8.5mm Super Conductors.

After all that you will make about 200hp,I know that does not sould that great but the trick is you will make that at 3500-4000 rpm not 5500-5600 and you will make even bit of 275-300 ft lbs. total cost about $800.00

Got to love 4.3Ls,it's the Big Block of V6s:D :D

I don't know what a 1988 4.3l V6 pushes but I'm guessing its probably not 180 hp like the recent engine.

Still though he should be able to get more power out of it then 200. I'm pretty sure they make superchargers for the s-10 and he's using the same 4.3L so it should bolt on just like it would on mine. Supercharged and an intercooler he would be pushing an extra 100 hp from that. Though you're looking at probably 4,000 bucks for those two items. A better exhaust and headers would make like what maybe 15 hp maybe 20 I don't know. A shift kit would help if your an automatic, 4.10 gears and that thing should have some good pickup.

not true..

the vortec series motors have new heads/intake manifold/throttle body...

not the same as the older ones, so it won't bolt up the same

find a junked s10 with the vortec 4.3 in it and swap the heads/intake/tb... and get the computer and what not...

that should get you to new standards... fun...

Do you know what the best thing about the 4.3 is? The 350 bolts right in! For the amount of money your gonna dump on improving a V6 up to a 305's stock HP your better off looking for a wrecked Camero or full size RWD car or truck. The block will bolt right up to your 700R4 Tranny, even if it's a 4X4! The fan will have to come off the front. It sticks out too far. The radiator will have to come out and be moved in front of the core support with dual eletric fans on it. you can keep your A/C. All the motor mounts are interchangeable. An alluminum 5.7 liter 350 outta a late model F body (Camero or FireBird/TA) or a Vette (good luck finding that fore under 5 grand!) would actually weigh less than the iron 4.3 and double it's output. I can buy a '97 Trans Am Formula Ram AIR with an LT1, 6 speed, 4.11 posi rear with discs breaks, ECM, the whole car minus the chassie/body. I can even take the bloody leather seats if I want all for $3,000.00. Basically, I would flat bed the car home for $5,000.00, strip it, and return the body for a $2,000.00 deposite return. They just wanna make sure no one trys to rebuild a totaled vin # and replate it after a roll over. Unless you have a Syclone/Typhoon 4.3 I'd swap it for a small block and spend your money on something that may one day put out 350 HP. A fully built alluminum 4.3 4 bolt main billet crank boared and stroked breathing easy and being blown will max out around 800 HP but cost you over $8,000.00. I'll settle for half the HP at half the coat thank you! I would like to drive it on pump gas!

i have a 4.3L 89 s-10 blazer 4x4. it pushed 160 hp stock. after boring it .60 over, adding a holley performer intake manifold and performance throttle body, and adding a NOS plate injection system with 100hp shot it only makes around 310hp and costed just a tad over the cost for a corvette engine a found for $1,500 a bargain. the advantage of adding all the components was not have to do any fabrication and it saved alot of time. all that said if i do it again i'll take the corvette ls-1 engine and drop it in. more performance upgrade for that engine.:smoka:

hotrod did a 300hp buildup
basicly you need hicomp pistons, good cam, exaust/intake...and you have to port the living hell out of the heads, if i rember right hteir ported heads (old nonvortecs) flowed less than stock 305 heads
still, a 300hp s10 would be nice

my best bet would suggest a V8 too. more stable/reliable that a highly modded 4.3 and you still have room to add power later while a 4.3 could be tapped out

The world of forced air induction can do wonders to a 4.3 though.

I just found out there is a kit for 96+ 4.3L V6's that is a supercharger and intercooler. Because the 4.3 has a somewhat low compression (9.4) and is cast iron, the engine can handle 10 psi with a good exhaust setup. It will run fine and last you as well as long as you don't rag it out.

With just 10 psi that will push the truck to around 350-360 hp. This will cost you $4,000 versus paying around $6,000 total for a 350 V8. You can buy a 350 for $2200, but that is just the engine, that doesn't include fuel injection or carb. So you gotta buy that, intake, etc. So you're looking $6,000 at least.

That is for those of us with new 4.3L V6's however you own an 88. Either go with a new V6 and supercharge it or buy a 350 V8.

Hamsturbation where did you see that mag. What issue was that cuz i bulid my 4.3l up slowly but surely.

Hamsturbation where did you see that mag. What issue was that cuz i bulid my 4.3l up slowly but surely.



I stroked my 2003 4.3 like you would a 383 we have a mechine shop so i saved some money doing this i put headers intake put a new ecu put 4.11 gear and put a 6 speed vette tranny in her but guess what i cant run her on pump gas the good old 110 race fuel is what she has to have if i dont want to hear valves a clanging but any ways i wish i had just did the LT swap and be done i had the motor and all that was kinda a freebe but did not want to hear what the popas had to say about it so remember guys it you are going to drive it everyday do the bolt on stuff chip it or swap it dont stroke it