Third Generation Camaro HELP

Hey Everyone~
I just joined up with this site hoping I could find others to help me out a little. After reading alot of everyone else's posts, I think I'm in the right place. I bought a 1987 Chevy Camaro mid last year with plans for it to be a project car. For 800 bucks, a project car it sure has been. :) I just love camaros though, so I'm dedicated. Aside from the few small tasks I'm in the middle of, my next big project I'd like to start gettin' ready for is replacing her little ol' 2.8 V6 with a 4.3L. Originally I was going to put a V8 in it, but after thinking about everything else that would have to be replaced with it, I decided to just stay with the V6, just go with a bigger one :) .
So, the part I need help with, is I have absolutely NO IDEA what I'm doing there. I've been messin' under the hood of all kinds of vehicles for years but by no means am I an expert. I've never done anything that big with a car before.
So, without straight out asking "How Do I Do It?" and wondering why no one has taken the hours out of their day to type a response, :), can anyone suggest some good books or web sites I can go to so I can start readin' up on what I need to learn?
I'm shootin' for April for this project, so any information that y'all can offer will be greatly appreciated and graciously accepted.
Thanks again for your help and I'll be sure to keep up regular updates as progress, well....progresses. :)

Honestly, a 4.3 swap is no less of a job than a V8 swap would be, so first and foremost I suggest you re-think that idea. As for info go to www.thirdgen.org and start reading their tech info and forum threads, you'll learn quite a bit from them, just like I did.

Yes if you are going to swap the motors just go ahead and put a V8 in her, it will be well worth it in the long run...... as for help were the best forums out there so if you need help im sure someoe will be happy to help ya.

why are you going to replace a piece of shit with another piece of shit? go with the v8

honestly if the choice was between a 4.3 and a 305 i would go with the 4.3, the 4.3's are great engines, a 4.3 is nothing but a 350 with 2 cylinders missing. a lot of performance parts for a 350 will work on a 4.3

go for the v8. cause you will probally get tired of the six's poweronce a couple of v8's eat you up.
thats what happened to me when i had a 3.1 in a camaro.

Thanx for all the replies. I reckon I'll weigh out the option between the 4.3 and the V8. :) If it's about the same amount of work, I guess I might as well go with the 8. Can't be too much more money, right? :)

Swapping in the 4.3L is a novel idea, one i dont think ive ever heard before, and not nessesarily a bad one, i for one give you props for originality. I have seen naturally asperated 4.3L sixers pounding out 300hp, and supercharged ones pushing a little over 400hp, (check out hotrod magazines webpage, they did the build up on it i think) So it would be a sixer that would stomp all over even a slightly modded V8, and probly get better gas mileage. So i wouldnt toss it right out the window.

The swap is going to be very intencive, and before i start rattleing off ideas on weather or not you should do it, a key bit of information is, do you have emissions testing?

why are you going to replace a piece of shit with another piece of shit? go with the v8
I'll hurt you

Nope, cool thing i like about moving from NC to WA, no inspections :)