I will have to agree that a import engine ...just would not be a way to go. Tuning the V-8 and car as a Street / Road Cruiser would provide the best bang for the buck.
But if you are gonna do a V-6 ...every time that I drive my wife Caddy SRX...I get to thinking how the engine and transmission would do ....then the feature, benefit, cost factor in....so , stayed with the V8 Vetterod...slide a Green Eyed Women with flowing Blonde hair...a Open Road....and the M.P.G. Thing just blows out the the Targa Top and open rear window and into the wind...

 

I'd bet a big NOT. The 4.3L will get way worse fuel mileage than a LS based engine would and will be such a small improvement you won't recoup the costs for a very long time. You do know the 4.3L engines in the 90's era pickup trucks were only EPA rated for about 1-2mpg better than the 5.0L and 5.7L engines? You'll just build a dog of a car that still sucks back the fuel.

 

Why, when you can go with an LS V8, get far more hp and similar mileage? LS swaps are well documented, the engines are all over the place and you can go from stock (with over 300hp) to crazy with them. On top of that, lot's of guys are getting 28 MPG with their LS conversions.

 

I'm sorry, but this is just wrong on so many levels. Hope you don't ever intend to sell it.

 

This is the best solution right here. A 700R4 or a Richmond 6 speed.

 

If you want MPG +, consider a diesel. I use Cummins 4BTA's, CPL 857 in all my old iron off road trucks. Its a tremendous engine.

But its ideal for your Corvette. The engine will run on its side !
You would have no hood clearance problems. You would need to run a dry sump and external oil system, but could mount that behind the front seat. Jack it up and change axles and have a 4x4 Corvette. The possibilities are unlimited

I have a headache

8Valve

 

Funny owning a Jeep the Jeep forums had no probs putting a Chevy V8 in it..

But after all the comments here, and you guys are right when I wanted a Vette as a kid it was the whole package motor, side pipes, the styling, the whole corvette summer thing...

So I'm going to look into the 6 speed LS swap... after reading the conversion it seams the economical ideal out there..

So anyone have any used side pipes

 

The Jeep forum and this forum are worlds apart.
As far as your project goes, I would work with what you have right now, get everything working. Stop in at some local car gatherings and check out what others have done. Last Thursday night I saw a beautiful install of an LS7 in I believe was a 1976.

 

Yeah, well that's a common swap and considered an upgrade by many. Your original idea, not so much, and frankly I don't think it would be considered an upgrade of any kind by the vast majority of corvette guys. The LS swap is a really good way to go, my next vette will have an LS. You might also find that running an automatic though not as much fun as a manual trans, might save you some hundred dollar bills to wipe with...

 

Keep and eye on the for sale section. Seems like someone has a set for sale not to long ago. Depending on your budget the '69 style with the factory heat covers work really well from what I've read on here. The factory covers keep legs from ending up fried

 

I have a 75 that I'm just about done with.
I refreshed the engine. New heads, cam, headers intake and a 700r4 Tranny.

Went to the coast last week. It was the first real road trip since I put the 700r4 in. I got 20.8mpg on the way there and in heavy traffic I got 18.8 on the way home.

I'm putting out right at 290hp to the rear wheels and according to the Speedo I'm doing 110mph in the 1/4 mile.
2100rpm at 75 and 90 at 2600.

This car is just fun to drive.

With the right parts you could easily do better than the engine I put together, and for not all that much cash.

If you want to know more just ask.

Ralph

 

Rock: tune the car and drive it for the rest of the summer. Get to know the car, then you can decide what you might want to do with it. No disrespect, but you have gone from a Toyota to Speed Racer to an LS swap in the same thread.

Tune your car and you should get 14-18 mpg, depending on how you drive.

 

I'm starting to wonder if this post is for real. Like Easy Mike said, the choice of engines have gone from one extreme to another.

 

I was afraid to open up this thread when I saw it. They've way i see it is; if you want better gas mileage drop a fuel injected V8 and an over drive or six speed transmission in there, do what a lot of folks here do and leave the Vette as a weekend cruiser and get a Toyota or something like that for a daily driver, or sell it and get a newer Vette. The money, time, etc... spent doing that swap will cost even more. Don't chop up the Vette for better gas mileage.

 

You seem to have an issue with budget. Which means, doing a motor swap is likely not in the cards for you.


Consider this, however. I have a 76', virtually the same car, same motor. It got...I don't know, maybe 12mpg, lol? I did a top end rebuild, that cost just north of 1 grand, MAYBE 1,100, I don't have all the receipts to add up...and I did the work myself, with a friend. I bought almost ALL used parts, ALL bottom dollar, dirt cheap stuff...and this was JUST for a top end rebuild, mind you...intake, heads, cam, headers. If you include the cost of redoing the exhaust, NOW we are in the 1,600-1,700 range, give or take. Doing this has likely yielded me a 300hp motor, with who knows how much torque, and I can TELL you, my fuel economy has improved, as well. I'm looking at around 15mpg now...BUT...now I gotta use premium.

So.

How much you got to spend on this swap? I spent close to 2k, just on exhaust and a top end. You want to go with a 1JZ or 2JZ, that's just fine...those are strong motors, with a solid bottom end. But how much of the work can you do yourself? Do you understand what's gonna be involved with taking a fuel injected, turbo charged, intercooled motor, and putting it into a body that has no brains, no computer? Not to mention, an entire drive train that was not designed for that motor? New clutch, fly wheel, tranny, drive shaft...plus, where you gonna put that intercooler? Unless you are a kung fu master mechanic, you're not doing all of this yourself, and now you are talking BIG bucks. Just for labor. An LS1 swap will be MUCH cheaper, and they cost a freaking FORTUNE to do.

 

That's because putting a V8 into a wrangler improves the torque, which is what someone looking to go rock crawling NEEDS. Not to doubt the inline six those things have...BUT...they don't cut the muster, when you raise it, and slap huge tires on it.

 

as I was saying just getting ideals is the idea of this post nothing in concrete... only thing keeping this post alive is people pissed because of a thought.. thats it... doent anyone think outside the box... just ideals...!!!

maybe I needed some common sence knocked into me

I like to tinker with everything I get.. people thought I was crazy putting an edlebrock engine in my suburban, but once it was built they loved it..

and being on a budget means buying parts piece by piece till its done..

took me two years to build my trike.. so I imagine whatever I decide to do will be a long project..

I appreciate all the ideals.. and criticism

 

How many miles on the old engine?
Any sludge on top of the heads?

My 75 had 90,000 miles with no sludge and no ridge on the cylinder walls.
It was ideal to refresh.
I got a set of ZZ4 heads for $650.00 but would go with a set of the newer Vortec heads for less money if I had it to do over.

Ralph

 

looks ok under the valve cover havent pulled the heads off 126000 mikes, blows lots white smoke the owner said it was from sitting..... not blueish are vortec heads a bolt on for a 350?

 

Yes they are. There are 2 different Vortec heads. Both flow better than the ZZ4 heads. The newer ones have a bow tie by the lower head bolt holes. The one limiting factor is they can't take a lot of lift.

I can buy a Vortec engine out of a salvage yard here for $650.00.
They are a roller cam engine. A new roller cam is about $350.00.
So for about a grand you can put a 60,000 mile roller cam motor in your Vette.
This is probably the way I would go if I wasn't overly concerned about horsepower. Not that there wouldn't be plenty because there would be.

Ralph