v8 swap noob

[Bouche]

hey guys im pretty new to the v8 idea. iv been thinkin about it. i have a 87 s10blz with the 2.8. i just am curious as to what can be re used and what has to be replaced if i swapped in a 350. and is there somewhere that sells specialty motor mounts for this? thanks

[Bouche]

or since im not really after power would it be easier to do a new vortec 4.3 as far as fitment wiring and reusing my existing parts go? id rather take the cleaner, easier way

[Myself]

Whether you go 4.3 or V8 you cannot reuse anything from your motor or trans.

[Maverick2664]

like Myself said above, its about a horse a piece, coming from the 2.8, theres nothing you can reuse for the 4.3 or the 350

and yes theres a few companies that sell mounts for s10 v8 swaps, mine came from Trans Dapt

[Scrap]

Not to lead you elsewhere but check out this book> http://www.summitracing.com/parts/JTR-S10/#

It helped out a little, I really couldn't use everything to build my truck. The manual outlines buiding street trucks with full accesories and stuff, but had a lot of good tips for what vehicles/ companies to source certain parts from to make the swap easier. Every section is covered, ( i.e. cooling, mounts etc. Gl!

-SS

[Bouche]

well i guess i could run a carb instead of fuel injection. that will save a little electrical hastle. are there any other websites that specilize in the swap?

[Maverick2664]

uh yeah... this one

[88 s10 Blazer]

I got my mounts on ebay for about $50, The only thing I reused from the 2.8 was my drive shaft.

[Bouche]

ok i got some more questions. i have found a 5.3 long block for 500 bucks to thats pretty much a go. so to use the fuel injection what do i have to do as far as computers go?

[Bouche]

and also i just thought of the airflow sensors. what do with that stuff? and what manual trans will fit to that motor? may be a dumb question but hey im new at this can i use my existing stock 5spd trans behind my 2.8?

[Maverick2664]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bouche

ok i got some more questions. i have found a 5.3 long block for 500 bucks to thats pretty much a go. so to use the fuel injection what do i have to do as far as computers go?

Quote: Originally Posted by Bouche

and also i just thought of the airflow sensors. what do with that stuff? and what manual trans will fit to that motor? may be a dumb question but hey im new at this can i use my existing stock 5spd trans behind my 2.8?

to get that 5.3 to work, you need to find the correct ECM and wire harness for it obviously... OEM or aftermarket, it has to be for a 5.3... if you get an OEM one, you may have to send it out to have it reprogrammed, sometimes theyre individual engine specific and will "lock" themselves if swapped... or something like that, it was something similar to that with mixing and matching the old TPI/LT1 ECM's and PROM, if you used a 89+ chip, you had to have the VATS disabled or you wouldnt be able to start it.. or something like that, i dont know much about it

what do you mean "airflow sensors"?

if you want a manual trans, youll be best off with a T-56 or aftermarket equivilent, i'm 95% sure that all the LS engines and the Vortech's share the same bellhousing pattern, so you wont need an adapter plate or anything

and no, your 5 speed will not fit the 5.3.... even if it did, would you use it? think about it, would you trust a tranny that was never designed to be put behind a v8?

[Bouche]

ok whts involved with the computer swap. and with the new harness wont there be things i dont need? what do i do with the extra wires

[Maverick2664]

you will use most everything on the harness, or at least, you should be... engine harness is seperate from the body harness, as well as the computers, ECMs control engine function, and PCM's control body/chassis stuff... the only thing you have the option to not use would be something like the AC and whatnot

if your using a factory harness and end up with plugs and wires that you cant use, then just remove them from the harness, its not that hard all you do is fish out the wire and once you trace it back to the connection block, tear it down and remove that wire, theres usually a clip or pin thing that holds the end of the wire in place, youll need to use a little screwdriver and push it aside to pull the wire end out... or if your lazy just snip, tape up, and stuff the wire back into the harness casing

as far as computer swaps, i dont have a clue, do some research, i dont know anything about the Gen III/IV engines... although theres a lot of guys around here that do

[Bouche]

so i just swap my ecm? and theres is an ENGINE harness? thats seperate from all the rest of my factory wiring? do i just plug in the new ecm or do i have to make a new circuit or what?

[Bouche]

or is it easier to run something with a carb? basically whats the easiest way

[Maverick2664]

it sounds to me like you have no idea what to do or how F.I. works, and youd probably be way over your head if you tried one

go with a carb, thats by far the easiest way, all you need is basically a fuel line

[Leroy Brown]

You have to swap the engine/ecu harness/ecu from the vehicle that the 5.3 came out of. Your stock engine harness is of no use to you. Just go carb'd, much easier. With a carb'd setup you have your ignition wire to the starter (purple), positive cable from battery to starter (red), ground from battery to block (black), alternator wiring (go with a gm 1 wire).

Other than that either use a electric fuel pump with a regulator, or a mechanical on the block. Either way your going to need to buy swap headers/mounts, possibly fab a trans mount, and maybe get the driveshaft shortened or lengthened.

Its really very simple, just takes common sense like anything else. Good luck, and dont forget to post a project thread when you start.

[Revolt]

The only thing I've used from the 2.8s I've converted to 5.0/5.7 TBI's is the ECM harness if its 88 or later. Has to be modified a great deal and most cases re-pinned.

87 2.8 to newer style vortec would require all new.

[Bouche]

thanks guys. carbed it shall be i suppose