v6 swap

does anyone know the weight of a 4.3l vortec? i was thinking of puting one in my cj2a but while i was reading another post it said

so maybe i should look into that more just for the weight savings.

 

IIRC most list around 400-450 pounds

 

Just about any gasoline-fired modern engine will weigh less than the 134. Casting technology has improved a lot since the '30s, and the modern engines are cast with much less iron. Plus a V6 has an advantage because it shares more iron between the cylinders.

A SBC with iron heads weighs about 550-575 lbs, so 3/4 of that is 412-431 lbs. I expect it won't be quite that light, since you're really removing 1/5 of the weight, not 1/4, so that's 440-460 lbs (roughly).

 

FWIW, I put a 3.8 Chevy non-Vortec into an old Toyota P.U. with an 18R. The v-6 was probably 100 lbs. lighter than the cast iron 18R.

 

good deal, thanks for the info. my plan is to run a FI 4.3 vortec, sm420 trans, dana 18 transfer case with overdrive, dana 44 in the rear and a 30 in front, both with 5.38 gears, and run either the 34x10.5 LTBs or 33x13.5 LTBs. i just need to save a little more money so i can get it all done.

 

Thats exactly what I am doing to.
Also remeber the v6 would have about double to triple the stock torque and HP.
And its shorter.
I have the 231 to use but have opted for the chevy.
The buick was the best way to go but the chevy is a little smoother and just easier for parts down the road.
If you like TBI you cant go wrong.

I am bucking the trend a little.
Going with a carb, quadrajet setup.
Got my parts off ebay pretty cheap and that will be simple which is never bad..

 

Warlock, what do you think of your 470 Holley? I just ordered one last night because I finally gave up on my Edelbrock 600. To damn much carb for my 231. For the money it better run good. I'm curious how your's works off road. The Edelbrock would flood bad going DOWN a steep hill. By the way, I have a slightly used 600 for sale. Less than 1000 miles!

 

Sounds promising, thanks. If you get time to look through your notes I would like to see what changes you made.

 

Thanks Chuck, I just opened the box on mine. I'll try it first and use your set up if needed. Thanks for taking the time to post this, John.

 

Hey I have a 70 cj5 had a 3.9 v6 that blew up what is the best engine to go back with and were do I find it thanks brentrambo@aol.com

 

any Buick V6 except FWD will bolt in. Go even fire but 225 odds are just fine too. RWD G body cars up to 87. 4.1's with 4bbl are desireable too.

There are many variations ppl do here.

 

Greetings,

I'm somewhat new here and have a flat fender frankenjeep project I hope to get started on in the near future.

The 225's/231's seem hard to come by in good shape and expensive. I'm wondering about using some of the newer GM V6s. Are adapters readily available for the T90 etc. Also, I've seen
mention of an SM 420? tranny in a couple of projects.


Thanks, J.R.

 

All the GM engines (except some oddballs like the Vega and such) use the same adpater to the T-90. The bellhousing is different between BOP (Buick-Olds-Pontiac, and Cadillac) and Chevy though.

If you swap an engine and transmission, the adapter is somewhat more expensive, but still doable. Check out the Novak site for a lot of good info: http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/transmission_gateway.htm

 

Thanks,


That helped alot. I guess I'll have to see what type of deal I can come across on what and go from there.


J.R.

 

dont even try a 3800 -- very long list of obstacles to overcome including bell housing bolt pattern -- hasn't been done yet that I know of. I have a theory of how it can be done in my head but its a monumental task if not proven a dead end.

86-87 V-6 Grand Prix, Cutlass or Regal are out there. No fuel injection but MC solenoid computer command carb. Not hard to deal with.

I think a newer 3.8 EFI V-6 Camaro firebird is worth toying with -- nobody wants those and yanks 'em in favor of a V8 conversion. Heck, you might find one free to get it out of somebodys garage

 

good hp and fuel injection to boot. I traded a couple of e-mails with Eric at Novak's a couple of years back about this motor. He seems to think that it's a worthwhile swap and said they are working on something for that. 60* bellhousing and if you get the right on you can use the standard GM pattern style transmission. Dunno if you'll find one for free but they're available.

 

ok, $50?

remember, we live in a world of "get rid of that V-6"

Their trash is our treasures