86 s-10 motor swap ?

Well, having had the exact same truck/dilemma I may be able to shed some light.... gm did release a 3.4 V6 that would bolt right up on the

82-85's for a little more power but it's only for carbs... and to be honest not really worth the effort.

So your two options as I see them are:

4.3 V6... this would be the easier option and would really give you a lot more power, I've driven 4.3 blazers and they really are a whole diff world from the 2.8

350V8.. If you want power this is the way to go. Gonna cost you some $$ if you get a new engine, but if you can score a good engine/tranny from a boneyard not quite as bad. All parts are available for motor mounts/adapters from advanceadapters and summitracing.com(headers etc) This is not for the faint of heart, I know there is a book out there on doing the swap go to jagsthatrun.com, book if i remember is under 20 bucks and is worth reading through to see if you are up to it.

Ok, all that being said, is there anything wrong with your current engine? I had to replace my 2.8 after it spun a bearing and I ended up just putting a reman 2.8 in it b/c of time constraints. If you do have a running 2.8/tranny, you could sell that to help finance the project.

If you do go for the 350 good luck and let us know how it turns out, people I know that have done this are thrilled with it, and those suckers are FAST.

can point me in the right direction. i am looking for something bigger then a 2.8L. Thanks K dog

Fuel injected or carb?

if your rig was fuel injected, swapping to one of the other 60 degree V-6 engines from rear wheel drive is an option, ie 3.1 or 3.4. Use intake, ECM, and all sensors from 2.8, and I believe the trick was to use injectors from

4.1 or 4.3 caddy engine in the 2.8's throttle body to flow enough fuel for the increased size of engine. Set up works very well .Its been 7 years since I have done one. The big issue is the 2.8 used an odd ball bell housing bolt pattern. The tranny wont bolt to a 3.8 Chevy or 4.3 Chevy V-6 or any V-8 in GM's stable. If your carbed, stay with the 2.8, unless you want to change everything. 2.8 was upgraded mid 86 model year. Improvements were larger rod and main crank journals, and going to one piece rear main seal, and better oiling, so later engines are more desirable than early ones. Hooker has the best V-8 conversion kit for S-10's. Everything fits right out of the box, available with headers or use cast manifolds. Even wiring harness extenders for things like AC and alternator were included as well as throttle linkage. only mods needed doing was "moving" top of tranny tunnel back 2 inches and if using headers, notching the rear of the inner fenders as one tube on each sides goes around frame rail on each side. If engine and tranny to go in are on floor ready to install, whole job can be done with hand tools in about two-three days of easy working. Air tools, flame wrench and bust ass can do it in a day. You will need to replace front springs, they will settle big time within 6 months, detrimental to handling and tire wear.

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