So my daughter cracked the 3.1 and I'm searching for a motor that is not going to break the bank for her.

I found a 2.8 out of a 91 s10 like the 3.4 swap can I use the ECM intakes and so on to make this work?

 

just use the intake nd fuel rail off the 3.1 and it will work just fine.

i wouldnt put a 2.8 in it though if anything even if it costs a lil more u will be well ahead of the game if u find and put a 3.4 in it

 

Yes given a choice a 3.4 would be nice but sourcing one is more of a challenge the 2.8s seem easier to find since they were in the S10 as well.

Any one in western Canada swapping a V8? got a 3.1 or 3.4 for sale

 

You could also swap the crank, rods and pistons into a (1985.5+) 2.8 block, if they are in good shape still. That would keep it a 3.1L.

 

Really so its a stroked 2.8? same bore?

 

Yep. The 2.8 uses a 2.99" stroke, the 3.1 uses a 3.31" stroke, and both use the 3.503" bore.

They actually use the same 5.7" long rods too, but the piston has a higher wrist pin height to account for the longer stroke.

 

cool no clearance issues on the block for the longer stroke?
I know if I want to stroke my 3.8 in the buick it needs the rods and the block modified a little to work.

 

Nope, no issue, at least none that I've had, or heard of anyone having.

In my '85 Jimmy, I used an '86 block, with a 3.1 FWD crank and pistons, RWD rods, and had no clearance issues. I was also using FWD heads, hence the use of FWD pistons, to put my static compression ratio right around 9:1, but should have gone higher. lol

 

How far West in Canada ?. I am in Vancouver and have a 2.8 block that I would sell.

 

Thanks Rhy

I found 2 locally a 92 out of an S10 and one out of a Fiero not sure of the year.

Which one is preferred or are they the same?
The Fiero only has 50,000 km on it.

Bowser BC

Vancouver Island :P

 

Someone else can chime in about compatability of the other engines / blocks.


The block I have is out of a 87 Firebird. Needs a new crank and a rod.
Rod cap came off and chewed up the crank. That was a moment.
Understand that you probably want to get something more local.

 

cost me a ferry trip to get yours.....

 

wasn't there a starter issue with the fiero motors, they move it to the other side and didn't leave hole in the reg place???

 

yeah iirc the fiero engine has the starter in the fwd location
id get the s10 engine

 

The Fiero block would be difficult to use.

 

So i got a 2.8 from a 92 S10, TBI motor, I plan on putting it on a stand and looking at the bearings and doing a compression test. New water pump for sure what are the timing chains like in these motors? How do you prime the oiling system on these motors on these prior to start up? If the compression test shows poorly or the bearings look bad I will probably swap out the rotating assembly for the one in the 3.1.

 

I figure I'd best get this post in before the "anti primers" show up !

There seem to be a contingent of folks here who disapprove of folks priming their engine's oiling systems . They go on about how if your a REAL builder you never worry about such , and that the assembly lube is enough to protect the engine till the oil comes up . Great ! May work well for them .

BUT ! , , Those of us who want our oil pressure to come up in seconds rather than half a minute or so for the freshly assembled and unprimed engine , usually make one of these . It's just an old distributor with the drive gear milled off and the top components removed . (the top of the shaft gets milled down as well to fit in a 1/4 inch drill chuck . Spin the oil pump with this till ya see all 12 pushrods flowing oil , and that fresh engine's first start will be just like all the rest of the starts thereafter , namely with oil flowing within seconds of startup .

Since I've yet to see any of the "experts" offer proof of any engine detriment due to priming (and in the Aircraft world we have electric oil pumps that establish oil pressure before the crank is allowed any rotation , YES , we prime at every startup !) I'll just keep on doing what's worked for me for better than 50 years of car repairs

 

I'm with you I always prime most engines on the stand, cheap insurance dry starts cause premature wear. I have a SBC priming tool I use on my 3.8 buick looks alot like your pics.

 

I've never heard a bad thing about priming an engine.

If someone told me to not prime an engine, I'd never follow any of their advice after that.

While the assembly lube helps the first start, it doesn't negate the benefit of priming an engine. That's one thing that bothers me about engines with crank driven oil pumps. The only way I "prime" them is to disable the ignition and/or the fuel injectors and free wheel it for a while on the starter, 10 or 15 seconds at a time, like I did with my Nissan I6 yesterday after replacing the head gasket.