85 S-10 Chevy to 79 Buick turbo 3.8

[60-1 GN]

I need to know would it be differcult to swap a Turbo buick motor into a
older S-10? I also wanted to ask about traction issue because trucks don't
have very much weight in the back.



Thanks,
MIKE

 

[TrndAssassin2]

As for traction I would actually think you would be better off with the 3.8 , I would guess it lays less then a 350, my best bet to tell you with the traction is a good set of traction bars, lighten the front up as much as possible, and run a full tank of gas to keep the truck nice and heavy in the rear. Weight transfer is key to traction, as for the transfer of the motor, if the tranny in your s-10 is a 700r4 you can get a conversion plate to hook it up to the 3.8 liter, as for the motor itself, it should fit in the s-10 just fine, just gotta worry about motor mounts and wiring, other then that it should be a fairly simple swap.

 

[60-1 GN]

Great to hear!!

I am going to use a TH-400 Transmission. I also wanted to know about
traction due to the fact the truck should be lighter than a standard regal?
I am going to proceed with the swap and give detail's later!!

 

[60-1 GN]

S-10 OR Blazer??????

Like title say's which would be a better swap for the Buick 231 3.8 Turbo
motor to in to both are six cylinder's already so swap would be a breeze.
But the S-10 is manual 5speed and the Blazer is auto?
Which one is better???

 

[Intercooled88s]

I have an 88 S10 with a 87 GN motor in it. Its alot easier to install a chevy 350 , but the 350 weighs more and dollar for dollar the GN engine makes alot more power. S10 weighs less then a Blazer also.

Use the GN tranny also, it will be a lot easier and alot less problems. The 3 biggest problems are the down pipe, oil pan , and motor mounts.

 

[60-1 GN]

going with S-10!!!

Thanks for the information!!

I will go with the Chevy S-10. I will also use the TH-350 with the 79
Turbo Motor I will be using. Hope to have it running soon!!

 

[60-1 GN]

Going with a 87 Blazer!!

I am going to perform the swap to a 87 Blazer and make it look and run good.
Hope to have pics soon!!