How much for a Chevy 4.3L?

[Gearhead61]

I've been thinking about doing this swap in the sammi. Fuel injected for sure, but I'm not sure about the CPI vs. TBI versions of the motor? Anyways, what should I expect to pay for one of these suckers? And how about with a tranny? Most people recommend either a TH350, 200R4, or 700R4... any of y'all have any input on that?

[colman]

i'm picking up a tbi 4.3 with everything for 100, found it on craigslist. ran when pulled tp put in a race motor, we will see if it runs or not but if id doesn't it is worth it for all of the accesories and the tb and starter and such. i am going to put it in front of a 465 in the new 7 that i am gathering parts for.

[Gearhead61]

Damn sweet deal. I found a 95 astro van for 700... says it runs but needs a new flywheel. I think it's got the 4L60E tranny though, which'd require more wiring and crap than a 200R4 or 700R4. Is that a good deal? I could probably scrap the body for a few hundred once i'm done, right?

[CRaSHnBuRN]

do you need fuel injection? Is this for a trail only rig? If so, one option would be to buy a 4.3L and sell the fuel injection system, then set it up for propane. Very simple to do, with very little wiring, making the swap much easier.

Personally, I would like to find a 4x4 S10 with a 4.3L, a NV3500 (standard transmission), and a NP231 T-case. Convert the 4.3 to propane for simplicity, then cut the t-case in half and adapt a D300 up to it like crieghton did in his jeep. Good horsepower, lots of gearing, twin stick front dig capability, and should be pretty stout, yet lightwieght and relatively short overall

[stx4wheeler]

leave the fuel injection, it wont be that hard to figure out, and is better than propane.

[Gearhead61]

Propane kits cost like $500-800 don't they? I'm not worried about the wiring, I can probably figure it out, and if not I can get help. I think it'd be easier to stay with the fuel injection.

[william_ace]

what axles are you planning on running uner the sami?

[BMFScout]

Scrapping a working fuel injection system to go to propane b/c you are scared of a few wires would be uber-ghetto.

[colman]

i just did a tbi swap on the cj and it wasn't bad i could help you out if you needed it but the internet should be plenty. there are step by step instructions

[agjohn02]

there are step by step instructions


got a link? ive got a friend thats putting tbi on a 400 sbc and cant get it to work quite right.

[Gearhead61]

what axles are you planning on running uner the sami?

I think I'm planning on running a D44/12 bolt for now. I may end up swapping to a 14 bolt/D60/D70 rear and upping the front D44 to 8 lug if the 12 bolt turns out to be less than I need.

[CRaSHnBuRN]

have any of you who are bashing the propane run it? No, but I have and loved the simplicity of it. Not just in setting up, but it requires just a few wires to run, so there is very little for water or mud to damage. The kit on my buggy came from a guy in dallas and cost less than 200 bucks total

[Sharpe]

Clayton '05...didnt your propane tank freeze or something b/ it was so f'ing cold. I personally wouldnt use propane, seems like more trouble than its worth to me.

[CRaSHnBuRN]

no, it did not freeze. The chevy ignition module got wet when the radiator line busted and quit working. The problem with the freezing was that the hose was not screwed on all the way, so when we turned the tank on and liquid propane leaked out and iced it up for a few seconds. I screwed it on all the way and it worked fine after that

[CRaSHnBuRN]

I also kinda find the whole propane being to much trouble thing kinda funny considering how many problems you've had with you diesel engines, yet you stick by them

[Sharpe]

I only had trouble with one engine and its gone now :flipoff2: Plus I can get fuel anywhere so suckit.

Way to make this personal ***** :angry:




*kidding*

[CRaSHnBuRN]

I guess I should have added some :flipoff2: s to that to let you know that it was in fun.


But as for the propane, getting it was not a problem, and alot of places like katemcy now have propane on site. And I never had a problem with the propane system itself. The truck always started up and ran fine, even after sitting for months, with the exception of that time in clayton, and that was not the propanes fault. Its just so simple to use, and there isn't much to screw up.

[BMFScout]

If you want to add propane to an engine that doesn't have EFI already and don't have the knowledge to piece EFI together, then I guess it's ok if that's what you're after. It would be cheaper. However, to rip all the EFI off of an engine that already has it because "Propane is easier" is dumb. Also if the engine already has all the EFI stuff, how would it be cheaper to convert it to 'pane? If you just want to be different, that's cool too, but it's not my bag. I don't like smelling it. I also like using the fuel that is in every town in America and 98% of the cars on the road use. (not counting diesels)

[CRaSHnBuRN]

but really, lets look past the fuel systems, and at the vehicle itself. Stuffing a 4.3 into a sammi is not going to be cheap or easy to do. Whats wrong with the engine in the sammi now?

[CRaSHnBuRN]

If you want to add propane to an engine that doesn't have EFI already and don't have the knowledge to piece EFI together, then I guess it's ok if that's what you're after. It would be cheaper. However, to rip all the EFI off of an engine that already has it because "Propane is easier" is dumb. Also if the engine already has all the EFI stuff, how would it be cheaper to convert it to 'pane? If you just want to be different, that's cool too, but it's not my bag. I don't like smelling it. I also like using the fuel that is in every town in America and 98% of the cars on the road use. (not counting diesels)

but let say you can get a smoking deal on a engine that allready has had the fuel injection taken off of it, was missing alot of stuff, or was damaged by something like a fire, why not set it up for propane? And from my talking with gearhead, it sounds like he has neither the knowledge or the money for this kind of swap yet.

[BMFScout]

but let say you can get a smoking deal on a engine that allready has had the fuel injection taken off of it, was missing alot of stuff, or was damaged by something like a fire, why not set it up for propane? And from my talking with gearhead, it sounds like he has neither the knowledge or the money for this kind of swap yet.

Like I said, if that's your bag, that'd be cool. It's not my bag, I think it stinks...Literally :)

[CRaSHnBuRN]

I think its better than smelling gas all day

[Gearhead61]

Well the engine I've got is kind of on its last legs. Its got somewhere in the realm of 130-140k on it and let's face it: it's not exactly a great engine anyways. I'm just trying to gather some information right now since i'm still pretty green around the gills here.

Oh, and thanks for the heated discussion on propane vs. EFI, ***.

[bburris]

Sami engines are about 75 pounds of 50hp fury. Why not swap one out?

[Sharpe]

Geo tracker mota.

[william_ace]

i was gonna say the same thing

[CRaSHnBuRN]

yes, the 1.6L engine you can get in suzukis and geos is a good swap. It bolts in for the most part, is fuel injected, and one person can pick it up. Plus it loves to be redlined and makes a decent amount of power. My mom had a X-90 with one, and it was a fun little car

[BMFScout]

but can you put propane on it?! ;)

[CRaSHnBuRN]

probably :flipoff2:

[Gearhead61]

Yeah I've looked at the 1.6L engines too... it might be the right way to go. Guess I'll have to jump off that bridge when I get to it.