swap a 3.8 into s10?

[ptours99]

is it possible to do this swap ,has anyone ever heard of this ever happening. i asked on a s10 forum they basicilly said no way go to a 4.3 or a v8.the 4.3 sucks to much gas and the v8 is to expensive to do. i thought this motor has more hp and better fuel mileage than a 4.3. can this happen or am i dreaming,i have a 2.2 now 120 hp not that good.thanks for any input.

[Grimm]

There's atleast one guy on here that's done it, and more than that he's got his turbo'd. Look for someone named "RedFrk". If I recall it did take a fair bit of fabbing to get everything to work though.

[Grimm]

And for the record, the 4.3 doesn't suck that much gas. We get 20mpg easy out of our 92 4.3 s-10. It's just all in how you drive it.

[PeeFo]

4.3 is probably better as a "truck motor" but both are great engines IMO
stock for stock 3.8 has more hp
RedFrk is the only person I have ever seen with the swap

[usd2sing]

yep. i was getting 20-22mpg on the rd trip from MA to dfw. but i wasnt a throttle jockey either.

18gl tank 370-390mi per.

its all n the gearing.

[ptours99]

thanks for the info that's good to heari'll have to check out redfrk's project i really appreciate it.

[...rallyred]

moving to conversions...

[badinfluenceRS]

I've seen it done (not in person) somewhere on the internet...

Could have been that one guys car...I dunno

[lubsvitek]

thanks for the info that's good to heari'll have to check out redfrk's project i really appreciate it.

My friends got a almost brand new GMC sonoma. I can see why you are thinking about a swap, hes got an intake/exhaust, couple other things and its still a dog. I don't want to ruin your fun, but just keep in mind, unless you go all out (and I mean really into it), you're never going to have a fast car out of an s10, its just meant for something else....

[RedFrk]

How did I miss this thead. :D

3800 is not an easy swap, you cant buy parts to complete it, you have to build them. Motor mounts, headers, modify oil pan, ect. As far as I know, I am still the only person who has completed this swap.

I feel the 3800 is a better performance engine than the 4.3. With the 3800, I had a stock drivetrain(auto tranny) with intake, exhaust, minor computer tuning and hit a 14.37 on drag tires, 14,7x on street tires. I have not seen a stock engine 4.3 run those times, even with a 5-speed.

I like 4.3s, they are good engines, I think there fuel injection setup really holds them back.

[06camarodude]

My friends got a almost brand new GMC sonoma. I can see why you are thinking about a swap, hes got an intake/exhaust, couple other things and its still a dog. I don't want to ruin your fun, but just keep in mind, unless you go all out (and I mean really into it), you're never going to have a fast car out of an s10, its just meant for something else....
Yeah. . . like dropping in a 350 or LT1 or something. . . I've seen it done. . . lol

[lurch]

yep. i was getting 20-22mpg on the rd trip from MA to dfw. but i wasnt a throttle jockey either.

18gl tank 370-390mi per.

its all n the gearing.

Damn thats good mileage. The best i ever saw in my 2000 Sonoma ZR2 was 15mpg and that was on a 130 mile trip doing between 70-80 mph. The worst i saw was 11 mpg. I get a little bit better than that now and im driving a 6000lbs truck with the aerodynamics of a brick.

[Grimm]

It's because yours was 4wd. That counts for a lot.

[lurch]

yeah i forgot about that, also 3.73s and an air filter that was probably never changed might have had something to do with it also.

[lubsvitek]

How did I miss this thead.
3800 is not an easy swap, you cant buy parts to complete it, you have to build them. Motor mounts, headers, modify oil pan, ect. As far as I know, I am still the only person who has completed this swap.


I was seriously thinking about getting a GMC sonoma with the 2 liter as a daily driver. A friend of mine has it and gets great gas mileage, its comfortable and its a nice little pickup truck.

Personally, i would take the money and time that you would have to put into a custom swap, and I'm sure you can find yourself a pretty nice "fun" car. I'm sure you can pickup a 3.8 camaro/firebird for a pretty good price if you look around - and if you want to toy around with something maybe find a higher mileage/body damage etc car that you can bring back to life ;).

[RedFrk]

I don't want to ruin your fun, but just keep in mind, unless you go all out (and I mean really into it), you're never going to have a fast car out of an s10, its just meant for something else....
No you wont have a fast car, you will have a fast truck. Trucks are some of the best sleepers.

[Amagine]

yes.. they... are

dakotas with built 318 magnums are the worse. 318's with the right exhaust sounds just the same as the 3.5 a 3.5 with exhaust, but will smoke your ass off a line....

how ever theres a 10 second 95 s-10 not a couple blocks from me. and at least a couple fast silverado reg cabs.

not to mention a whole host of diesels. I'm pretty werry of diesel owners pressing buttons.

[lubsvitek]

No you wont have a fast car, you will have a fast truck. Trucks are some of the best sleepers.

I'm just saying, if you want a 10 second sleeper truck theres other things you should be thinking about then the 3.8. And yes, the work you did is impressive, hell its faster then my car. I'm just saying, I would take a different route.

[blackbetty3.8]

we had a s10 and droped a bulit 350 in it. Didnt take much work had it done in less than a month and it was running low 12s high 11s when we where done but thats only because of the nitours.

[Grimm]

I'm all for going fast with the stock sized motor. ;) 4.3 are more than quick enough if you massage them a little.

[ptours99]

How did I miss this thead. :D

3800 is not an easy swap, you cant buy parts to complete it, you have to build them. Motor mounts, headers, modify oil pan, ect. As far as I know, I am still the only person who has completed this swap.

I feel the 3800 is a better performance engine than the 4.3. With the 3800, I had a stock drivetrain(auto tranny) with intake, exhaust, minor computer tuning and hit a 14.37 on drag tires, 14,7x on street tires. I have not seen a stock engine 4.3 run those times, even with a 5-speed.

I like 4.3s, they are good engines, I think there fuel injection setup really holds them back.you did this swap iyo how long to do this if the parts were made up front.40-50 hours???? did you take any pics? i'd like to see them,also what rear end didyou use. what's your local driving mpg.

[RedFrk]

you did this swap iyo how long to do this if the parts were made up front.40-50 hours???? did you take any pics? i'd like to see them,also what rear end didyou use. what's your local driving mpg.
The swap ended up taking me a year until it moved again. Mostly due the fact I was in college and had to go back to school at the end of the summer. I took me about the whole summer to complete, then I just had a wiring issue we could not figure out until I had the time to work on it again the next summer.

I have no clue how many hours I put into it, this was done back in 02/03.

I have the stock S10 rear with 3.73 and a zexel lsd. I am still running that with the turbo.

I got about 22 mpg, but I feel it could have been much better. The headers I made leaked bad and screwed up my fueling.


These are the only pictures I could find. They show the engine mounts and headers.

http://www.gmv6.org/gallery/S10_3800_Swap/

[ptours99]

The swap ended up taking me a year until it moved again. Mostly due the fact I was in college and had to go back to school at the end of the summer. I took me about the whole summer to complete, then I just had a wiring issue we could not figure out until I had the time to work on it again the next summer.

I have no clue how many hours I put into it, this was done back in 02/03.

I have the stock S10 rear with 3.73 and a zexel lsd. I am still running that with the turbo.

I got about 22 mpg, but I feel it could have been much better. The headers I made leaked bad and screwed up my fueling.


These are the only pictures I could find. They show the engine mounts and headers.

http://www.gmv6.org/gallery/S10_3800_Swap/looks like you did your homework,very nice job isee you had some issues to deal with,air intake was a tight fit. well after seeing it live i do have a much better understanding of what your in for.thanks again for the class it was worth it.

[PeeFo]

Also, just to add in
Hot Rod magazine had a couple of tips on how to build up a high hp 4.3 in the back of the Feb. 08 issue. It talked about some of the aftermarket cylinder heads, bowtie blocks, etc.

Don't forget how easy a 350 swaps in also.

[ptours99]

Also, just to add in
Hot Rod magazine had a couple of tips on how to build up a high hp 4.3 in the back of the Feb. 08 issue. It talked about some of the aftermarket cylinder heads, bowtie blocks, etc.

Don't forget how easy a 350 swaps in also.well you're right,look at the amount of work a 3.8 swap would be i might as well drop in a 5.3 but i didn't see that article on the 4.3 i'll check it out thanks.

[Grimm]

A 350 is a 5.7l. The 5.3l would technically be a 327.

[KAMAKAZI]

im in the middle of throwing a stroker v8 engine into a s10 jimmy 2wd, it pretty much fits right in when you use sbc motor mounts, not the stock 2.8 ones. as for oil pan, i dunno what mine was off of, but it works. as for cost, just the engine and tranny and fuel system. mine will be carb for now. the only thing that i recomend is to shave as much weight off the front as possible, headers, Aluminum intake, relocate the battery and take as much crap from under the hood out as possible. the front end on the s10 are kinda shitty, and the lighter it is, the longer it will last. hedman headers makes headers for the swap. i dont want to dissuade you from the 3800, i love that engine, but i believe there is nothing like v8 power, dont worry about the rear dif till it blows, i had a camaro with a 2.8 -> 350 swap with 300hp, and the rear end never blew up on me. i think you may be happier and spend a lot less money and time adding a v8 instead of the v6. an lt1 with a 6spd would make a good donation as a drivetrain. cheers

[AlfredB18]

The 5.3l would technically be a 327.

Actually, a 325. But, who's counting.

P.S. I don't see the point of a 3.8L if it's a stock 3.8L...if a FWD 3.8L can be turned around for an s-truck, maybe in that case, go for it. There's 4.3L swaps and Vortec 350 swaps for less cost.

[skalor]

Look at all the 4.3 powered S-trucks out there and then look at the times they run. In all of my times at the track I have never seen a 4.3 powered vehicle run faster than a 14, and that includes a guy that was running a CSC on his 4.3 powered extreme. My brother(redfrk) and I talked to the guy and besides the CSC he had drag radials, and caltracs style traction bars. My brother told him what he was running and guy thought it was a supercharged 3800 and not an N/A 3800. We never corrected him because we felt bad that a stock N/A 3.8 in virtually that same vehicle with similar suspension setup ran the same time as his CSC 4.3. All I'm saying is if you going to drop in another engine don't even bother with the 4.3 if you not going to use a Sy/Ty engine. The fuel injection setup is horrible and they never make good power N/A. If you want to be different go with a 3.8, otherwise go right to a V8.

[XTC28]

redfrk do you have dimensions for mounts?????????:cool:
yours are much better than mine. :doh:
Also would it have been easier to use body harness from firebird or otherwise??
Great job overall!!!!!!!!:worship::worship:

[XTC28]

aybody else seen or heard of s10 w/ 3800

[ezrollin]

I think some of you guys are missing the point. Yes,he could of built a 4.3 or swapped in a sbc but who hasn't. He's one of few with a 3.8 and a damn nice looking engine it is,I considered the 3.8 but decided to go with a 3.4 hybrid.

[RedFrk]

redfrk do you have dimensions for mounts?????????:cool:
yours are much better than mine. :doh:
Also would it have been easier to use body harness from firebird or otherwise??
Great job overall!!!!!!!!:worship::worship:
I dont have dimensions...but the drivetrain is out of the truck, so I might be able take some measurements soon.

I used the engine harness, but I just bought a new one and am going to redo all the wiring.

There is another person on this message board building an L67 S10. He had a few threads in the forced induction section.