want LS6 CORVETTE engine in my 4.3L 97 s10 Blazer, Can I do it?

I have a 1997 S-10 Blazer with 4.3L Vortech currently. I want to race my blazer. I am wondering if either an LS6, LS1, or an LT1 Corvette engine will fit in my blazer. Has it been done before? I think it would be better to swap than to bore out my current 4.3L. What do you think?

Yes, and ....Yes.

Yes, and ....Yes.

Ok, I was told that there is a lot of fabrication that needs to be done, that my frame can't handle the conditions (power), that I'll need to replace my tranie, and that I'll need to replace my rearend with at least a 8.5" poxie. Is this all true?

Yes.

If you want to go with that kind of power.

Why not just drop a standard 350 in there and use your existing tranny.

You will have to do a LOT of modifications... GOOD LUCK!!!!

Ok, now im thinking about putting not an LS6 engine in but an LS1, the smaller one, will there still there need to be a lot of fab work? It is my understanding that the Ls1 with the big tranie wont fit and that I would have to get into modifying the actual frame?

Again I want to race my blazer so in the end I want to push 550-600 Hp.

the blazer actually isnt a 'race' vehicle.. maybe get something more race ready?? like a viper..

lol,,,

Hmm.... $10,000 in a Blazer with an LT1 or a $80,000 Viper. I'll take the Blazer and keep the rest of the money in the bank.

I think the important question is:

What kind of racing are you planning on doing? Drag, track, street....

I think the important question is:

What kind of racing are you planning on doing? Drag, track, street....


I plan on drag racing with a little street racing on the side. I want to race the blazer cuz it'l be an awesome sleeper. The only thing is I don't have 10K to put into my blazer. Now I'm thinking about either supercharging my current 4.3L or maybe putting a twin turbo in and not hassel with a engine swap. I can still probably peak at little over 400Hp with fixing up my V6. Got any ideas other than supercharger or turbo, headers, intake, poxi rear, flowmaster.

You realistically need to come down to reality a bit bro.

The stock 4.3L crank can old realistically and reliably hold maybe 350HP max without having problems after a while. You will have to completely rebuild a 4.3L to handle those kinds of numbers.

Twin Turbo = ~$5000-7000 with lots of modifications

Supercharger = $2000-4000

Cheapest way to get any horsepower in a blazer is to drop a LT1 in.

You will get far better results from it than any built 4.3L.

In order to do some drag racing, you'll have to strengthen the frame, engine mounts, upgrade at least the rear axle, and of course the more obvious things (suspension, exhaust system, etc...)

You don't have $10,000.

You want twin turbos or a supercharger.

A turbo may run in the range of $800 - $1000 EACH.
Not to mention all the plumbing, the guages if your going to monitor boost so you know whats going on, and of course you will need twin pyrometers.
By the time your done with the turbos you may have only 4K.

Now you looking at upgrading the tranny for the added HP not to mention the rear and the rear suspension. Geez, it goes on.

And as Blazer LT succinctly pointed out, that crank "ain't gonna" hold up for long.

Listen to what these gents are telling you unless you win the lottery and you want to spend money.

Oh, blazer LT, so if I put in just a regular 350, like maybe the v8 vortec, i can still use existing tranie?

Find a used GM typhoon, early '90's. It already came from the factory turboed.

Hehe, good luck finding one, pretty rare and extremely collectable.

i cant believe all of you. if you dont know what you are talking about dont post a message. half the stuff these people are telling you is a lie. putting a sbc in a blazer is the same as putting one in a s-10. as long as it is 2wd. the frame and rear end will hold it just fine. you do have to change the transmission on for anything you do. the transmision u uses is a t350 and if you use one set of conversion motor mounts you use the short ones and the other set you use the long one. dont have to shorten the drive shaft if you get the right set. and you can buy headers that will bolt right in. there is a book on how to do it. if you have any more questions about it let me know. i helped my bro do it and one of my friends also did it.
joel

the only real mod you have to do is beat the fire wall in to fit the motor. not frame modifications needed unless you are planning on droping a big block in it. you can use the stock suspension but it will not handle as good. exhaust you can use stock but if you are running a performance motor it will load up. just have to run bigger tubing in the same place if u use shorty headers or manifolds. full length headers you have do do a little mod to placment but not much.
i would especaly look into getting the book. you can get one from advanced adaptors. check ebay also.
joel

i cant believe all of you. if you dont know what you are talking about dont post a message. half the stuff these people are telling you is a lie. putting a sbc in a blazer is the same as putting one in a s-10. as long as it is 2wd. the frame and rear end will hold it just fine. you do have to change the transmission on for anything you do. the transmision u uses is a t350 and if you use one set of conversion motor mounts you use the short ones and the other set you use the long one. dont have to shorten the drive shaft if you get the right set. and you can buy headers that will bolt right in. there is a book on how to do it. if you have any more questions about it let me know. i helped my bro do it and one of my friends also did it.
joel

Tell me this, how many of these LS6 swaps have you done in your life?

ok if you read what i wrote i said sbc. yes on a bbc you have to do major frame mod. and other stuff. it would be for drag only. you really would not want to drive it on the road because what all has to be done. need a chevy 2 front end to put under for the most part. van steering because the extra u joint and alot more other things. my friend did it before for a guy and it was awsome but it was not worth the trouble really and the cost. but you can have a 383 that has the same power as a bbc.
joel

also if your are using a 350 wih under like 600hp you can use your stock transmision with no problem at all. just bolt it right to it. still have to have the conversion mount and stuff and i would suest no matter what you run dont use fuel injection because it is alot more dificult because you have to run all the wire for it and have all the sensors.

i cant believe all of you. if you dont know what you are talking about dont post a message. half the stuff these people are telling you is a lie. putting a sbc in a blazer is the same as putting one in a s-10. as long as it is 2wd. the frame and rear end will hold it just fine. you do have to change the transmission on for anything you do. the transmision u uses is a t350 and if you use one set of conversion motor mounts you use the short ones and the other set you use the long one. dont have to shorten the drive shaft if you get the right set. and you can buy headers that will bolt right in. there is a book on how to do it. if you have any more questions about it let me know. i helped my bro do it and one of my friends also did it.
joel

Listen kid, did you even read the things we said in this thread?

WE NEVER SAID YOU COULD NOT PUT A 350 IN A S10 BLAZER!!!!

WE SAID IT WOULD BE BETTER TO DROP A 350 IN RATHER THAN PUT ALL THE MONEY INTO A CUSTOM TURBO OR SUPERCHARGER SETUP.

So before you arrogantly proclaim that we are all lying and know nothing, how about actually reading the fucking posts we made instead of acting like you are some sort of motor swapping pro.

Seeing the huge experience you have had helping your friend of a friend of a friend doing it.

You got a lot of nerve calling me a fucking liar you teenage prick.

Oh, blazer LT, so if I put in just a regular 350, like maybe the v8 vortec, i can still use existing tranie? 1 more option gmc or chevy or one of them make a blazer called the cyklone(sp?) its basically a 4.3 with a turbo get one and mod it from there

1 more option gmc or chevy or one of them make a blazer called the cyklone(sp?) its basically a 4.3 with a turbo get one and mod it from there

read the whole thread, we already talked about the Typhoon/Syclone engine already.

read the whole thread, we already talked about the Typhoon/Syclone engine already.the 4.3 is a 350 with two of the cyleders missing so it shouldnt be hard to find aftermarket parts for it

the 4.3 is a 350 with two of the cyleders missing so it shouldnt be hard to find aftermarket parts for it

LOL, what?

honestly bro, jsut because it is a 350 with two less cylinders does NOT make parts easy to find.

It's not like you can interchange parts or something.

alright i will admite i really didnt know the size of all the new motors with the 3 charater names. like ls6 and z06 and stuff like that. i thought it was all just a sb. i sould have asked before makeing assumptions. but that is the reason why i fraysed it the way i did. i do apolagize for that but it wasnt a freind of a friend. it was my nieghbor who is my friend. and it still didnt really take that long of time. about a week. just to let you know he is a pro. drag racer and engine builder.
also world industrys or something like that makes a 454 small block.
joel

LOL, what?

honestly bro, jsut because it is a 350 with two less cylinders does NOT make parts easy to find.

It's not like you can interchange parts or something.

Aside from the block, heads, crank, cam, and distributor, there are no differences between a 4.3 and a 5.7. LS model engine internals will not work though. It's actually not too hard to build up a 4.3. Since you want to build a drag truck, that makes things a bit easier. If you are running more than 300 hp/300 lb-ft of torque, you'll want to look into a transmission upgrade to handle the power. The swap itself isn't very difficult with a good set of instructions and the right tools. The only fabrication necessary (this depends on the year of the SBC) should be to the firewall. Motor mounts and transmission mounts will all bolt right in. The hardest part to the entire swap will be the wiring of the computer controlled components. How much exactly do you have to spend? I assume you know that complete LS-1 motors generally sell for 4-5 thousand?

i have plenty of friends with s 10's with 350's and i myself have a blazer with a 350 in it. yes, i had to switch trannies, and now i have a turbo 400 with a b&m shift kit and z gate shifter. the stock rear axle is fine as long as it doesnt show much wear, and if it does, just put new bearings and ring and pinion in it and it will hold up fine, oh and yea, posi helps. now now, before you ask, its true, this is a fairly stock engine, with the only "performance parts" being 2.02 heads, a performer rpm airgap manifold, a mild gt cam, and shorty headers. i estimate power at 350 horsepower and 375 foot lbs because of the 10.5:1 compression. thats not enough power to realy brag about or anything, but trust me, u dont need more than that in an s10 to beat just about anything, at least through a 1/4 mile. ive had my blazer up to 135 with 3.73 gears, so there are limits as to top speed, but ive never been beaten off the line and ive raced mustangs, camaros, imports of all sizes and shapes and plenty of big blocks. the only thing that u will need is a very very sticky set of tires and a strong traction bar, because it will break them loose quite easily and if u have a fairly soft suspension, axle wrap is a concern.

Whoever said that the existing transmission in the blazer will work is only partially correct. Yes it will work, but not for long. The 4l60 is only rated to aobut 350hp. So just take into consideration that it will work, but if you drive it hard, you will be feeling the trans deteriorate in about a week. I do not know if anyone sells built 4l60's meant for racing, but a th-350 is a good solid transmission and when they are built for racing can be very durable.

You can easily have a 4l60e rebuilt with a police pack and have it redone to handle 12-14 clutches.... about 200-400 bux over a normal rebuild

It sounds cool, nothing like dreaming up a project then making it a reality. I seen a blown 350 in an Austin Mini before, anything is possible. Dont give up.