Topic: engine choices...

[kyle_22r]

well, i may be looking at putting in a new engine in my yellow bucket.  no, i haven't blown up my hybrid, it's a great engine, but just not what this truck needs.  it bellongs in a circle track car or a 2wd truck, not really in my 4x4.  kinda has a dead spot until about 2000RPM then pulls hard straight up to 6k.

thinking about swapping in a V6 of some sort.  most likely carbed.  why?  becuase honestly i never have problems with my carbs offroad, i guess i just don't wheel as hard as a lot of guys.  besides, i like to tinker with them.  it's more of a fun project now, no longer my d/d that i have to stress out and have running so i can get to work the next day(i got a '91 22RE 4x4 for that job now ).

sure, for a mainly trail truck i don't really need V6 power, but honestly, i think it'd be an interesting swap and i've really wanted to build an american engine for a while now.  figure instead of building a V8 powered S10 while my truck rots away, i can reach sort of a compromise here.

so here's 3 engines i've been researching on and off for quite a while...going back to before i decided to put in a 22R for simplicity's sake...


4.3 chevy:
pros - cheap, available everywhere, interchanges with smallblock parts, easy to set up with most any tranny, way more than enough grunt to do anything with a 3100lb truck.
cons - rear distributor, heaviest of the bunch, most likely the hardest on parts.

231 buick:
pros - not too hard to find in a junkyard and not really sought after, relatively lightweight, short, front mounted distributor, very torquey
cons - touchy oiling system, often known for running hot, harder to put a manual tranny behind because of the BOP bellhousing, parts are more expensive

3.1/3.4 chevy:
pros - easy to find(early 90s camaros), plenty of power for my truck, narrow and short, a cheap 38mm weber would be enough carb
cons - rear mounted distributor, exhaust manifolds are supposedly wide(maybe headers fix this issue), parts are sort of expensive but available, no adapter mounts available


honestly so far i think a moderately built(low end cam, roller rockers, edelbrock manifold etc) 3.1 or 3.4 would be a great improvement in torque over a 20/22.  the engine is really short and narrow which helps fit it in my cramped engine bay.  however there's no mounts made for a toyota, but engine mounts are usually not too complicated.  as a bonus, i could run an R150F/R151F behind it using a late model dodge dakota bellhousing.

[4.3s10]

I kinda like the 4.3 swap parts are definitely dirt cheap and i love the low end of it. But i think you would have to go with a diffrent tranny which could kinda be a pain.... would you put a carb on it?

I also like the 3.1 or 3.4 I would personally go with the 3.4 because aren't they the same externally especially if you could use your tranny

[kyle_22r [OP]]

with any of the above choices my tranny gets dumped -- it's an L52, which even in marlin's  upgraded version won't hold up to much more power than a well-built 22R.  my first choice would be to run an R series, most likely an R150F as they can be had relatively cheaply, putting an adapter plate on the back of it, and installing a 23 spline input shaft in my transfer case.