Convert 4.3L Chevy V6 to carb?

So far I like the Chevy 4.3L V6 over the Buick V6. I think parts will
be easier to find and I can switch to a 350 easier. I don't want to
mess with EFI though because I don't want any computers in my rig. I
heard that Edelbrock (I think) makes a conversion kit with carb.

One worry though, after reading some posts on this newsgroup. Will
this engine run okay with a carb, going from 2000ft elevation to
9000ft? Do they really need to be adjusted every 2000ft, or is that
just for "top" performance. I've had my current 4-banger with carb at
elevations from -100ft to 9000ft and it runs the same either way (like
crap, j/k it actually runs pretty well).

O-ya, I'll also have to change the distributor. I understand there is
also a kit for this. I guess a lot of race cars use these 4.3L V6s,
Vortecs, but change to carb and sawp dist. which removes the computer
as well. Guess I can check with the hot rod shop, but does anyone have
any links with details or parts for this swap?

Intake manifold:
http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_..._v6_perf.shtml

Carburetor:
http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...erformer.shtml or
http://www.holley.com/types/Street_P...raditional.asp 390 or
465CFM

Distributor:
http://store.summitracing.com/partde... &autoview=sku

This should get you running. Whatever carb you use, you will need to do some
tuning, so I would recommend the Holley, but it is personal preference. The
large changes in elevation can't be compensated for by a carb, so you may
want to look in to one of the quick change jet kits for the Holley, which
will let you swap jets without removing the fuel bowl.

Chris


> wrote in message
oups.com...
> So far I like the Chevy 4.3L V6 over the Buick V6. I think parts will
> be easier to find and I can switch to a 350 easier. I don't want to
> mess with EFI though because I don't want any computers in my rig. I
> heard that Edelbrock (I think) makes a conversion kit with carb.
>
> One worry though, after reading some posts on this newsgroup. Will
> this engine run okay with a carb, going from 2000ft elevation to
> 9000ft? Do they really need to be adjusted every 2000ft, or is that
> just for "top" performance. I've had my current 4-banger with carb at
> elevations from -100ft to 9000ft and it runs the same either way (like
> crap, j/k it actually runs pretty well).
>
> O-ya, I'll also have to change the distributor. I understand there is
> also a kit for this. I guess a lot of race cars use these 4.3L V6s,
> Vortecs, but change to carb and sawp dist. which removes the computer
> as well. Guess I can check with the hot rod shop, but does anyone have
> any links with details or parts for this swap?
>

Thanks for the links Chris! So do you think that anyone with this
setup, driving up a mountain for a weekend ski trip (for example),
would have to stop along the way and swap the jets? I guess I have
seen a lot of older vehicles in the pull-outs going up the mountain.

c wrote:
> This should get you running. Whatever carb you use, you will need to do some
> tuning, so I would recommend the Holley, but it is personal preference. The
> large changes in elevation can't be compensated for by a carb, so you may
> want to look in to one of the quick change jet kits for the Holley, which
> will let you swap jets without removing the fuel bowl.

Isn't there an issue with Holley carbs and incline or off camber stalls?

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)


c wrote:
>
> Intake manifold:
> http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_..._v6_perf.shtml
>
> Carburetor:
> http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...erformer.shtml or
> http://www.holley.com/types/Street_P...raditional.asp 390 or
> 465CFM
>
> Distributor:
> http://store.summitracing.com/partde... &autoview=sku
>
> This should get you running. Whatever carb you use, you will need to do some
> tuning, so I would recommend the Holley, but it is personal preference. The
> large changes in elevation can't be compensated for by a carb, so you may
> want to look in to one of the quick change jet kits for the Holley, which
> will let you swap jets without removing the fuel bowl.
>
> Chris
>
> > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > So far I like the Chevy 4.3L V6 over the Buick V6. I think parts will
> > be easier to find and I can switch to a 350 easier. I don't want to
> > mess with EFI though because I don't want any computers in my rig. I
> > heard that Edelbrock (I think) makes a conversion kit with carb.
> >
> > One worry though, after reading some posts on this newsgroup. Will
> > this engine run okay with a carb, going from 2000ft elevation to
> > 9000ft? Do they really need to be adjusted every 2000ft, or is that
> > just for "top" performance. I've had my current 4-banger with carb at
> > elevations from -100ft to 9000ft and it runs the same either way (like
> > crap, j/k it actually runs pretty well).
> >
> > O-ya, I'll also have to change the distributor. I understand there is
> > also a kit for this. I guess a lot of race cars use these 4.3L V6s,
> > Vortecs, but change to carb and sawp dist. which removes the computer
> > as well. Guess I can check with the hot rod shop, but does anyone have
> > any links with details or parts for this swap?
> >

I am thinking that by the time you get done paying for a distributor,
carburetor and manifold, you will be over the cost of the Howell wiring
harness. I can understand your desire not to have a computer in the
vehicle, but really, they do make it run better, cleaner, more efficiently
and from 2,000 feet to 9,000 feet without a hitch. Maybe the Painless
harness is cheaper, I haven't checked the price, and maybe you can figure
out how to use the harness from the donor vehicle.

Earle

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> So far I like the Chevy 4.3L V6 over the Buick V6. I think parts will
> be easier to find and I can switch to a 350 easier. I don't want to
> mess with EFI though because I don't want any computers in my rig. I
> heard that Edelbrock (I think) makes a conversion kit with carb.
>
> One worry though, after reading some posts on this newsgroup. Will
> this engine run okay with a carb, going from 2000ft elevation to
> 9000ft? Do they really need to be adjusted every 2000ft, or is that
> just for "top" performance. I've had my current 4-banger with carb at
> elevations from -100ft to 9000ft and it runs the same either way (like
> crap, j/k it actually runs pretty well).
>
> O-ya, I'll also have to change the distributor. I understand there is
> also a kit for this. I guess a lot of race cars use these 4.3L V6s,
> Vortecs, but change to carb and sawp dist. which removes the computer
> as well. Guess I can check with the hot rod shop, but does anyone have
> any links with details or parts for this swap?
>

Actually it will run, but you will lose power the farther up you go. The air
is thinner and requires less fuel to maintain the correct mixture. Having
"extra" power to begin with, if there is such a thing, will make the
altitude transition less painful, and a jet change would probably not be
necessary.

Let me recommend one more thing here. I haven't followed this whole thread
as I have been in the Philippines for an extended stay with my now fiancée,
but that's another story, LOL. Anyway, you may want to see if you can get
the wiring harness to go with this particular engine you have. The cost of
doing the carb swap is going to run quite a bit. You will also need to
factor in money for plumbing the fuel, probably plug wires, air cleaner,
etc.

By getting a take out harness, you can look in to a book published by a
company called Jags That Run. This company specializes in Chevy swaps into
several vehicles, and also has a book on doing the wiring for the EFI swap.
I used their book for my S10 350 conversion, and I have to say it was a very
well thought out and detailed swap book. It included every part number for
any part I needed, and anything that needed to be fabricated, which really
was just the motor mounts, had detailed blueprints in the book. If the EFI
swap book is half as good as the engine swap book, the process will be quite
simple. I did the swap according to their manual, and admittedly, I had
everything purchased ahead of time other than radiator hoses, but they were
specified in the book as well. The swap only took two 8 hour days for me and
my friend to complete and have a running truck again. This included removing
the original engine and transmission.

Anyway, give it a look at http://www.jagsthatrun.com/

Chris

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Thanks for the links Chris! So do you think that anyone with this
> setup, driving up a mountain for a weekend ski trip (for example),
> would have to stop along the way and swap the jets? I guess I have
> seen a lot of older vehicles in the pull-outs going up the mountain.
>
> c wrote:
>> This should get you running. Whatever carb you use, you will need to do
>> some
>> tuning, so I would recommend the Holley, but it is personal preference.
>> The
>> large changes in elevation can't be compensated for by a carb, so you may
>> want to look in to one of the quick change jet kits for the Holley, which
>> will let you swap jets without removing the fuel bowl.
>

In some cases there can be. Holley has actually come out with some new carbs
especially for off road vehicles which have some features to help the
problems. The biggest problem is flooding caused by poor fuel control in the
float bowl and fuel splashing out of the bowl vent tube. This has been
improved on their new Avenger off road carbs. You can see the details on the
carb at http://www.holley.com/0-90470.asp.

This would be a good carb for this particular swap. Probably better than the
2 Holleys I originally recommended. Thanks for pointing that out.

Chris

"Mike Romain" > wrote in message
...
> Isn't there an issue with Holley carbs and incline or off camber stalls?
>
> Mike
> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>
>
> c wrote:
>>
>> Intake manifold:
>> http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_..._v6_perf.shtml
>>
>> Carburetor:
>> http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_...erformer.shtml or
>> http://www.holley.com/types/Street_P...raditional.asp 390 or
>> 465CFM
>>
>> Distributor:
>> http://store.summitracing.com/partde... &autoview=sku
>>
>> This should get you running. Whatever carb you use, you will need to do
>> some
>> tuning, so I would recommend the Holley, but it is personal preference.
>> The
>> large changes in elevation can't be compensated for by a carb, so you may
>> want to look in to one of the quick change jet kits for the Holley, which
>> will let you swap jets without removing the fuel bowl.
>>
>> Chris
>>
>> > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>> > So far I like the Chevy 4.3L V6 over the Buick V6. I think parts will
>> > be easier to find and I can switch to a 350 easier. I don't want to
>> > mess with EFI though because I don't want any computers in my rig. I
>> > heard that Edelbrock (I think) makes a conversion kit with carb.
>> >
>> > One worry though, after reading some posts on this newsgroup. Will
>> > this engine run okay with a carb, going from 2000ft elevation to
>> > 9000ft? Do they really need to be adjusted every 2000ft, or is that
>> > just for "top" performance. I've had my current 4-banger with carb at
>> > elevations from -100ft to 9000ft and it runs the same either way (like
>> > crap, j/k it actually runs pretty well).
>> >
>> > O-ya, I'll also have to change the distributor. I understand there is
>> > also a kit for this. I guess a lot of race cars use these 4.3L V6s,
>> > Vortecs, but change to carb and sawp dist. which removes the computer
>> > as well. Guess I can check with the hot rod shop, but does anyone have
>> > any links with details or parts for this swap?
>> >

Ditto.
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/

Earle Horton wrote:
>
> I am thinking that by the time you get done paying for a distributor,
> carburetor and manifold, you will be over the cost of the Howell wiring
> harness. I can understand your desire not to have a computer in the
> vehicle, but really, they do make it run better, cleaner, more efficiently
> and from 2,000 feet to 9,000 feet without a hitch. Maybe the Painless
> harness is cheaper, I haven't checked the price, and maybe you can figure
> out how to use the harness from the donor vehicle.
>
> Earle

Excellent point. As long as I can find a good running engine which
doesn't need the EFI and elec. ignition rebuilt/replaced. If I have to
pay to have those parts rebuilt, plus get the wiring harness, plus pay
someone to program/adjust the computer, then the new/swap parts may be
about the same price.

Guess I need to start looking at used engines to see how they compare.
So far I've only been looking on-line, at prices for rebuilt short and
long blocks. About $1300 to $1600 for a long block, and I'd still need
a lot more parts, so that probably isn't even an option. Headed to
some junk yards right now...

L.W.(Bill) Hughes III wrote:
> Ditto.
> God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
> http://www.billhughes.com/
>
> Earle Horton wrote:
> >
> > I am thinking that by the time you get done paying for a distributor,
> > carburetor and manifold, you will be over the cost of the Howell wiring
> > harness. I can understand your desire not to have a computer in the
> > vehicle, but really, they do make it run better, cleaner, more efficiently
> > and from 2,000 feet to 9,000 feet without a hitch. Maybe the Painless
> > harness is cheaper, I haven't checked the price, and maybe you can figure
> > out how to use the harness from the donor vehicle.
> >
> > Earle

Buy a wreck for less than the engine at most bone yards.
God Bless America, Bill O|||||||O
http://www.billhughes.com/

wrote:
>
> Excellent point. As long as I can find a good running engine which
> doesn't need the EFI and elec. ignition rebuilt/replaced. If I have to
> pay to have those parts rebuilt, plus get the wiring harness, plus pay
> someone to program/adjust the computer, then the new/swap parts may be
> about the same price.
>
> Guess I need to start looking at used engines to see how they compare.
> So far I've only been looking on-line, at prices for rebuilt short and
> long blocks. About $1300 to $1600 for a long block, and I'd still need
> a lot more parts, so that probably isn't even an option. Headed to
> some junk yards right now...