4.3l Vortec Build Up Questions

[supora1]

Hey guys, I have a 2003 GMC sonoma 4.3L vortec. Its 150 000 km,and Im ready to invest in a build up. I have never done an engine rebuild/upgrade like this before, but I have lots of support and am willing to learn, and mechanically inclined. I am on a tighter budget, Anyways....

 

I talked to comp cams, and they recommended #56-450-8 hydraulic roller camshaft(duration 266/270, lift 0.500/.500) and #850-12 high energy hydraulic roller lifters. I am also looking into new headers(maybe hedman hedders #69590). I have yet to find an intake manifold for the tbi, so I was thinking of getting my stock ported/machined for better flow??

 

Some questions I have, are is it an advantage to get bigger injectors? If so, the only larger injectors I have seen are the ones Al at Wynjammer sells with his s/c kits. Has anyone just bought the injectors only?? And is this any performance advantage after a tune?

 

Also, For a tune, is it best to send in ecu to such companies as PCM4LESS or invest in tuner? I do know some local shops that can tune, but I am unsure on the best software or basically what to do in this department.

 

As I am on budget, I was thinking of leaving stock pistons and everything else... I have no idea on the effect of this, how bad will this be?

 

I am planning on converting to manual transmission over my automotive simply becuase I believe standard is more fun. and perhaps a ford 8.8 rearend(one is available right now for 150 bucks,,,, good deal or??)

 

And finally... am I on the right track? what else can I do for NA power? I actaully am trying to make a decently powered drift truck, yes i actaully drift it. How much of a power gain should I be expecting from these upgrades alone, am I forgetting anything necessary?, and is there any other cheaper sided upgrades i can do i may be forgetting here?

 

 

THANKS SO MUCH!! your advice/comments are greatly appreciated

[Wingnut]

It would be cheaper/easier to just buy a 5.3 from a salvage yard and slap that sucker in there.

 

But that's just me.

[jro909]

its cheaper to do an engine swap...the 4.3 is a fossil of a design and is made to get the truck from point A to point B thats it..putting money into it is not worth it

[supora1]

ya i could, but so many people do that already. I wanna try something different. just wondering if anyone has upgraded cams before and such, and what kinda hp/torque i should be looking into getting this way..

[KMGZ400]

ive never really heard of or seen a V8 s-10/sonoma and it would be really badass to have one

[tbhuge]

I use to have an s10 a few years back. You can build up that 4.3 and get a little over 300 hp. But not on a budget or at least a tight budget. Regardless of whether you use the 4.3 or a v8, the rest of your drivetrain will not hold up to that much power for very long. And lets face it, you aren't looking at having that much power to set the cruise control and never get on it. The best bang for your buck would be to look into finding a donor car that has been totaled and doing an entire powertrain swap. Look at the last gen Z28s and trans ams. They are all over the place and if you keep your eye out you could find a good deal on one and buy it up. This would be the most cost effective approach as well as give you a lot more potential down the road. A stock z28 powertrain in an s10 is very fast.....then you could add a plethora of aftermarket stuff and go even faster.

 

So yes, you can build that 4.3 and get good results, but you will spend more as well as not have as much hp and tq potential. Enjoy it whichever route you choose and make sure to take pictures!!!

[spartan117j]

WWW.ls1truck.com

WWW.v8s10.com

Just drop in a newer 4.8 or 5.3 and save yourself a few dollars on the process the 4.3 is a great motor don't get me wrong but it doesn't have enough potential for power to make sense to build.