Has anyone used the 4.3L tbi or vortec motors from the s-10's and put in our thirdgens? ive searched and havnt found anything. reason im asking is im picking up another camaro..92 RS... has no motor or tranny.. i have a 700r4 and a 4.3 tbi engine, anything see any problems with this idea or reasons for or against it? let me know suggestions or opinions on this.

4.3 = 350 with two cylinders cut off, should work just fine.

They are great little engines.They aren't the most well balanced,but you hardly notice the slight quiver.
It should swap into a 3rd gen fairly easily,I bet if you got all the mounts from an 88-98 pickup,it would bolt in.I know they use the same mount setup as a V8,just further back.
I bet it would work out good for a driver.

Thats what i was thinking... what about manifolds/headers.. wonder if there will be any clearance problems using a set off of a truck.. and does anyone happen to know the differance in distance on the mount points between a 5.7 and 4.3 ?
planning on using this as just a driver.. do have a complete 3.1 with all wiring i could use also, but would like to have that extra little bit from the 4.3

I'm pretty sure that the truck manifolds would clear everything,I don't know if any off the shelf headers would work.
I know that my 92 pickup with the 4.3 has mounts that bolt into the V8 holes,but space back to mount to the V6 block,I'd bet they would work great for your swap.

ill have to go look for those mounts... sounds like they would be perfect.... that is if i do go this route. if i can find a tpi setup cheap i still may go with a v-8.. but teh 4.3 is sounding like the route i may go since it will mainly be a driver with my 91 for the fun..

question on useing the 4.3 tbi.... will the tbi wiring from the camaro v-8 work with no problems using the 4.3? i know i would have to change the chip out.. or maybe i can just edit the v-8 one...anyone know???

V8 harness is the same,I'm not sure about the ECM.When I swapped,I swapped ECMs also,but I've been told you can just put the correct PROM in and use the same ECM.

i think the s-10 mounts may be different because of the size of the s-10 engine bay. if for whatever reason the frame mounts/engine plates are not right from either the s-10 or a fullsize truck, you should be able to score the right set from a 4.3 liter el camino or monte.

another question... i do think i am going to go with the 4.3... now, should i stay tbi and just change the chip.. or does anyone think it is possible to go with the vortech intake with it... maybe use the tpi harness and mod the chip???? or would there be any probs just using the vortech harness with the vss input etc from the 92??? any thoughts???

I actually mocked a 4.3 set-up in my 1985 IROC. I used the 4.3 and mated it to the existing T5 transmission (no changes necessary. 4.3 has V8 transmission pattern.) I stabbed the combination as a whole, mounting the transmission and making note of the difference in mounting location for the motor. I left the V8 frame mounts as is but mounted the V8 block mounts to them. I then mounted a piece of flat steel to the 4.3 Block, drilling the flat steel to the three block holes. I then scribed the holes necessary to mount the V8 block mounts to the plate. Pulled off the plate. Drilled the holes and mounted them up. It did interfere with the use of a mechanical fuel pump but your not going to have that problem. While searching around eBay, I found the same type of plate as I built for another application. Checked for one today but there wasn't any. You might try again later. Use "4.3 adapter mounts" as your search. Personally, I would ditch the TBI for two reasons. It will be limited if you modify the motor and....I didn't see what year of 4.3 you were going to use but if it's pre 1996, you will want to round up a set of 1996 or newer Vortec heads to boost horsepower. Earlier heads just don't flow well at all, even after porting. Edelbrock sells a carbed manifold for this set-up.

http://syty.huryde.com/html/engine/772_cut.htm

Here's a little something that might peak your interest.

I saw a 4.3 from a truck that had been rebuilt and has an rv cam for $600. Is this a good price? How will the rv cam affect performance, driveability and gas mileage?

An RV cam will increase gas mileage, have a super smooth idle and will be quite torquey in the lower rpms. Seems like a good price for the engine though.

Just make sure its not a "W" vin code 4.3

The 4.3 is easy. Ran one in my '84 Firebird for 3 yrs. T-5 (V-8) and V-8 radiator. The 4.3 cast iron exhaust manifolds don't fit, but a set of Edelbrock headers for a van do (with a slight alteration to the passenger side and the y-pipe). I used V-8 mounts relo'd to the "back" position. The hard part was going from a carb to TBI (ya, I know, ...but it was a learning experience). It ran and handled well. I was toying with the idea of a "SyTy" , but too much $. It's 350 time, now.

Interesting...so your saying all that is needed is sliding the frame mounts to the farthest holes back towards the firewall and that's it! I'm actually flirting with putting in a 4.3 in the old IROC and handing the keys to my teenage daughter. The car has a built 4:10 rear that will keep that 4.3 easy to drive (it's a 5 speed) and should get excellent mileage.

What's wrong with the W vin 4.3's? Just curious.

They had a few issues. The main one being the leaking intake manifold which would ruin the engine.

What years/models were the W's typically found in? Thanks.

use the little extra space and weight your saving to add in 2 turbos

WESILVA

YUP, just about that simple. Been away so I'm just getting to see the posts. About the 4:10's, a stock 4.3 runs out of breath pretty quick (~3500 or so?), but the usual 350 tricks can be applied. If emissions aren't a problem, you can get pretty crazy. I think it helps with the handling as it's lighter and the CG is further back. Doesn't have the deep torque of the V-8, so you have to be willing to maximize what you have and be willing to work the gears to compensate. Makes for a very active driving expierence just going to the corner store.

Was that where the EGR would melt the intake and cause #6 to fill up with antifreeze?

Maybe it was just the 3.8s that did that.

I think the w-codes engines were the cpi ones. if so, I caint recommend it from an aftermarket standpoint, becuase there is't any. vortec makes kits for teh 96+ (tbi) versions, but not cpi. Pus, the injector costs $300 to replace

Yes it will absolutely bolt right in there, and the mounts will line right up in place of the old engine. My brother bought an 96 extended cab that originally came with a 4.3 and we dropped the 350 from an 89 3500 service truck right in there with no modifications whatsoever, the old transmission even bolted right up, they're the exact same engine like you said "missing 2 cylinders" everything else is exactly the same. That being said though if the Camaro came with a 2.8 liter, he will have to use the transmission from whatever he plans on pulling the motor from, and possibly have to get a driveshaft that will fit with the larger transmission, me and a buddy did a transmission swap for someone on a Caprice classic years ago and the truck transmission we used was longer, so we had to get the driveshaft fabricated shorter to put back in there.