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Chevy 4.3L conversion
TonkaToy

The project

After about 2 months my engine died due to both fault on my part and a local shop. Well I had been looking for a reason to due an engine swap and this was it.
____________The engine choices____________________
I had a few different engines I could go with that are commonly used in Toyota swaps. The first being the Chevy 350 or 305. Both good if you are looking for power and lots of it. They are cheap and easy to find (mostly) the down side is they are big and heavy. They require you to move you fire wall back and leave you with no room for fan and all that good stuff. Other down side is the amount of power will rip your truck apart or at least break some stuff. The second option was the Buick v6. A good engine but due to a manufacture flaw they are imbalanced and hard to cool. They are small and easy to fit but still not good enough. The third is the Chevy 4.3L v6 same bolt pattern as 350. Almost the same engine just minus 2 cylinders. They have lots of power but not enough to kill my truck. These swaps are becoming more and more popular so parts are easier to find. I made up my mind Chevy 4.3L it was.
Oh ya fords suck so I didnt even think about it.
___________Where to get a 4.3L_________________
The best place to start is your local salvage yard. Next go to a larger salvage yard. Thats what I did and I found one out south/west . This is the number 1-918-446-6677 ask for lance. I decided if I was going to go through with the swap I mine as well put in a newer engine so went for a 95 vortec. I got the complete lift for $1,600 including the computer, harness, ac and on and on. The engine is sitting in a shop in NH. That is where I am doing the swap.
_____________The trany decision__________________
I once again had a bunch of options of what to go with. There was the Chevy th350 which is strong but an automatic (I wanted standard). The Chevy nv4500 which is standard but I have heard the older ones have problems and the newer ones are expensive and with both the Chevys a lot of customizing is involved. The other two options I looked at where the R150f R151f both from Toyotas. The R151f came from 86 or 87 turbo toyotas (22rtec) It has a gear ratio of 4.31 to 1 and is 23 spline and is gear driven. It is very beefy and strong. The R150f is from v6 toyotas and has a 3.83 gear ratio, and is chain driven. I was originaly looking for a 151f but since they were only made in 86 and 87 they are hard to find and costy. The cheapest I found was $800 for the trany and t-case. The last is the Toyota 5sp. Code g52, g54, w56, g58 these are easy to find and not to expensive. The problem is they are known to break under the power of the 4.3L. I had a 4sp in my truck so I had to get something. I found a good deal on a 5sp so I said what the hell. I still dont know if I am going to have to get new drive shafts or not? The 5sp is longer than the 4sp so I might have to get new drive shafts or I could just move the engine back or forth so that the Toyota drive shafts fit. Any one know?? E-mail me.
____________________Wiring______________________
I looked at painless, I thought about doing it myself and trying to mate the wires but then I learned of Howell wiring. They have harnesses for the 4.3L swap. For $410 why not and save days of agony. I am getting the TBI harness, a computer and chip. So everything will plug right in and the engine will think its still in its blazer.
______________Parts from Advance Adapters____________
Check out the page called conversion parts list for a list and part #
_____________Other parts needed____________________
Radiator: I found someone who can make one for around $120. Thats a 3 core, which should be strong enough to cool the engine.
Fuel lines: need larger fuel lines, plan on getting from s-10
Fuel pump: must be stronger to meet demand, plan on getting from s-10
Fuel tank: plan on getting from s-10
Exhaust: I am going with a flowmaster 40 series.

This is just some of the stuff that is involved in the swap I will be updating this with new info when I get it and with the updates on my truck.
* Everything above is information that I have gathered and things from my head so it might be off or not right at all, I warned you*

___________UPDATE______________
As of 1/20/02 i bought the wiring harness from Howell wiring. It turned out instead of paying something like $300-400 for the wiring i need a Vortec wiring harness! which runs around $650. Since they were trying to clear out there stock i got a deal and payed only $600 and no shipping.

3/10/02
The Por15 is in and its time to paint the frame.  After a long 2 and a half hours i finally was able to remove the bed.  Now i am going to start remving the surface rust and get everything prepped for painting. 










por15.jpg

tonkatoy-nobed.jpg
NO BED

Picture of and older 4.3L swapped in toyota.

tonkatoy.jpg

This is what $600 of wires look like.

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My 4.3L

engine-side.jpg