34 replies to this topic

[LAZYMON]

Well the snow is all melting and the temps are rising so it's time to pull the broken 4.3 and put in the 5.7. Most the parts are bought and sitting in the garage. This will probably be a summer long project along with a couple other car projects I have going on.
I have a couple questions to start with.
Do I have to remove the radiator support to get the old engine out and new one in? I am leaving the rad in stock spot.
I am removing the oil cooler lines. Anyone have the part number for the oil filter to block adapter?
I am getting the patriot ceramic coated headers. I think this is the part number H8051-1? Found somewhere for $289.
How long does it typically take to get the PCM programmed?
Thanks, more questions later.

[bvd80]

You probably can get the engine out without removing the radiator, but it might be tight getting the 5.7 back in. Just gotta be very careful. I have mine in the forward position and am able to easily get the 5.7 in and out.

The oil filter adapter is just a standard one used on all SBC. You can get one with or without an oil bypass. Search on Summit....

I just put on a set of those headers a few weeks ago replacing the rusted up Sandersons I had. They are a decent set and fit perfectly for this swap.

Depends on who you get the PCM programmed by. I do my own so I can't really say....

[Macs05Z]

You probably can get the engine out without removing the radiator, but it might be tight getting the 5.7 back in. Just gotta be very careful. I have mine in the forward position and am able to easily get the 5.7 in and out.

The oil filter adapter is just a standard one used on all SBC. You can get one with or without an oil bypass. Search on Summit....

I just put on a set of those headers a few weeks ago replacing the rusted up Sandersons I had. They are a decent set and fit perfectly for this swap.

Depends on who you get the PCM programmed by. I do my own so I can't really say....

It is definitely possible to get the motor out without pulling off the radiator shroud. This is how I did mine. However it does make it a little more difficult when it comes to doing the test fit and final placement of the 5.7.

I had Jared at Current performance do my CPU tune and it took about 2 weeks to get it back. Make sure you tell them all the specifics when you send it to them. I had to send my computer back yesterday because the cpu wasnt tuned for the factory tack nor was it tuned fro the newer style oxygen sensors.

If you have all the parts like i did it shouldnt take you long to do. I was surprised that it only took me about a month to go from a 4.3 to a driving 5.7.

[LAZYMON]

Thanks guys.
I pulled the rad to get it out of the way, I will leave the support in place.
Looks like I will order the headers, I know it says it will not work with my 2" body lift but others have said it will.
I have an 86 TransAm in the backyard with a bad 305 I should be able to pull the oil filter adapter from.

Got me thinking about the Y pipe from the 305 HO, you think this would be a better Y pipe to mod for the swap than the 4.3 Y pipe? It should be a little bigger.
I need to read up more on the exhaust part of this swap.

[Macs05Z]

Thanks guys.
I pulled the rad to get it out of the way, I will leave the support in place.
Looks like I will order the headers, I know it says it will not work with my 2" body lift but others have said it will.
I have an 86 TransAm in the backyard with a bad 305 I should be able to pull the oil filter adapter from.

Got me thinking about the Y pipe from the 305 HO, you think this would be a better Y pipe to mod for the swap than the 4.3 Y pipe? It should be a little bigger.
I need to read up more on the exhaust part of this swap.

I think you will be much better off just modifying your stock y pipe. Just need to cut it in the middle and add a 4 inch piece of 2"od pipe. and then cut off the factory connections to the stock exhaust manifold. The hardest part was welding the y pipe back in from where I cut it out before the cat.

[Hiddenfarce]

http://www.zr2usa.co...showtopic=32282

[LAZYMON]

 EngineOut.JPG   34.58K   103 downloads
We got the old engine out a couple days ago even though it was snowing. I'm the dude on the right. Next step clean up the engine compartment and drop in the new beast. I am still debating on upgrading the fuel injection spider.

[ZR2 MIKE]

Thanks guys.
I pulled the rad to get it out of the way, I will leave the support in place.
Looks like I will order the headers, I know it says it will not work with my 2" body lift but others have said it will.
I have an 86 TransAm in the backyard with a bad 305 I should be able to pull the oil filter adapter from.

Got me thinking about the Y pipe from the 305 HO, you think this would be a better Y pipe to mod for the swap than the 4.3 Y pipe? It should be a little bigger.
I need to read up more on the exhaust part of this swap.

The s10 V8 conversion headers work with the 2" body lift as long as you are using the trans adapt engine mount adapters and 4.3 engine mounts. If you cut and weld in the 2.8 engine mounts then your engine and headers will be lower in the engine bay and the steering shaft may intersect one of the header primaries.

[LAZYMON]

Thanks for the replies. Well I decided upgrade the spider, shopped around and found on Amazon.com for a good price. I have attached my list of parts, what I have and what I still need. There are part numbers on it that could help others.

2000 Blazer Engine Swap List
RED=COMPLETE
BLUE=INCOMPLETE

1. Engine-2000 Cadillac Escalade L31 5.7 Vortec...................$650
2. Headers-Patriot #H8051-1...............................................$287.60
3. Motor Mounts-Energy Suspension #31144G.......................$65.98
4. Frame Mounts-Advance Adapters #713123........................$66.00
5. Radiator-Will use stock with pusher fans............................Already have
6. Electric Pusher Fans-
7. Fan controller-Derale #16759 or #16749...........................$44.00
8. Body Lift-PA 2” lift............................................................Already have
9. Engine Stand...................................................................$60
10. PCM reprogrammed
11. Plug wires and boots-Taylor 8mm Blue
12. Spark Plugs-
13. Bell Housing Bolts-
14. Two wires splice in.............................................................Free
15. Wires extended-................................................................Free
16. Distributor-ChandlerMotorSports #330523487178.................$52.49
17. Intake manifold gaskets-Fel-Pro #MS98000T........................$51.79
18. Rear Main Seal-FelPro #BS40656........................................$16.95
19. Oil Pan Gasket-FelPro #OS34500R.......................................$19.69
20. Oil Filter Adapter-...............................................................$10.99
21. Fuel Injector upgrade-Delphi #FJ10566.................................$213.32
22. Oil-Synthetic-Brand????
23. Antifreeze-
24. Exhaust-
25. Crank Relearn-
26. Sensor Elbow-Dorman #490-117..........................................$3.20
27. 4.3 taken out.......................................................................Done
28. 5.7 put in

[Macs05Z]

I hate to be a buzzkill, but the stock radiator with pusher fans wont work. You will NEED to get a puller fan and the corvette radiator. If you are going to spend a bunch of money on this swap you might as well spend the extra money and get the radiator and a ford taurus fan. You can get the radiator from any auto parts store. I got mine from Advance auto for $135. I got my ford taurus fan on ebay brand new for $100. These two items will save your engine from overheating. Its not hard at all to trim the radiator shroud to fit the corvette radiator. It's also not hard at all to move the A/C condenser.

[LAZYMON]

I hate to be a buzzkill, but the stock radiator with pusher fans wont work. You will NEED to get a puller fan and the corvette radiator. If you are going to spend a bunch of money on this swap you might as well spend the extra money and get the radiator and a ford taurus fan. You can get the radiator from any auto parts store. I got mine from Advance auto for $135. I got my ford taurus fan on ebay brand new for $100. These two items will save your engine from overheating. Its not hard at all to trim the radiator shroud to fit the corvette radiator. It's also not hard at all to move the A/C condenser.

No buzzkill. I will try the stock first. The ZR2 is mainly my snowmobile, only driven in the winter time. I use the K5 for offroading and camping and the Vette for everything else in the summer. If I do drive the ZR2 in the summer it is usually only about a 7 mile comute accross town. If I find I start to drive in more because it will be so much more fun with the V8 and run into heating issues I will go that route.

[ZR2 MIKE]

I hate to be a buzzkill, but the stock radiator with pusher fans wont work. You will NEED to get a puller fan and the corvette radiator. If you are going to spend a bunch of money on this swap you might as well spend the extra money and get the radiator and a ford taurus fan. You can get the radiator from any auto parts store. I got mine from Advance auto for $135. I got my ford taurus fan on ebay brand new for $100. These two items will save your engine from overheating. Its not hard at all to trim the radiator shroud to fit the corvette radiator. It's also not hard at all to move the A/C condenser.

No buzzkill. I will try the stock first. The ZR2 is mainly my snowmobile, only driven in the winter time. I use the K5 for offroading and camping and the Vette for everything else in the summer. If I do drive the ZR2 in the summer it is usually only about a 7 mile comute accross town. If I find I start to drive in more because it will be so much more fun with the V8 and run into heating issues I will go that route.

I ran stock rad and pushers in the beginning. It did ok unless I was in stopped traffic or in a fast food drive up line. Don't even think about running AC with the stock rad because that WILL overheat. I'd say if you want to do it right get the vette rad. If its just a daily driver in winter you will be fine with the stock rad and pushers. If you push it hard in the snow you could still run hot. So just see how it does in change it later if you have to.

Edited by ZR2 MIKE, 30 May 2011 - 10:22 AM.

[6speedblazer]

I hate to be a buzzkill, but the stock radiator with pusher fans wont work. You will NEED to get a puller fan and the corvette radiator. If you are going to spend a bunch of money on this swap you might as well spend the extra money and get the radiator and a ford taurus fan. You can get the radiator from any auto parts store. I got mine from Advance auto for $135. I got my ford taurus fan on ebay brand new for $100. These two items will save your engine from overheating. Its not hard at all to trim the radiator shroud to fit the corvette radiator. It's also not hard at all to move the A/C condenser.

No buzzkill. I will try the stock first. The ZR2 is mainly my snowmobile, only driven in the winter time. I use the K5 for offroading and camping and the Vette for everything else in the summer. If I do drive the ZR2 in the summer it is usually only about a 7 mile comute accross town. If I find I start to drive in more because it will be so much more fun with the V8 and run into heating issues I will go that route.

I ran stock rad and pushers in the beginning. It did ok unless I was in stopped traffic or in a fast food drive up line. Don't even think about running AC with the stock rad because that WILL overheat. I'd say if you want to do it right get the vette rad. If its just a daily driver in winter you will be fine with the stock rad and pushers. If you push it hard in the snow you could still run hot. So just see how it does in change it later if you have to.

I suggest running a 4.3 hd radiator over the vette radiator. It has a greater cooling capacity than a vette radiator.

Just an fyi the corvette radiator is the same dimensions as an s-series 2.2 radiator. The vette rad has 1" tubes where the 2.2 ones are ~1/2"

Edited by 6speedblazer, 30 May 2011 - 04:33 PM.

[ZR2 MIKE]

I suggest running a 4.3 hd radiator over the vette radiator. It has a greater cooling capacity than a vette radiator.

Just an fyi the corvette radiator is the same dimensions as an s-series 2.2 radiator. The vette rad has 1" tubes where the 2.2 ones are ~1/2"

Um... That is actually incorrect. The 4.3 hd rad has a larger physical capacity for coolant but the Vette rad (even though smaller) is more efficient in cooling because it incorporates more cooling fins per inch. This means that it has a much greater surface area to radiate the heat away.

[LAZYMON]

I thought I would give an update. I put the engine in the other day and am starting to hook it all back up. Stock oil pan cleared the transaxle, touching but did not have to pound on it. The headers have good clearance, steering shaft has no issues.
I got behind because the K5 rearend gave out so I upgraded it to 14b FF and replaced the Dana 44 front with a 3/4 ton as well. Along with other upgrades underneath.
Well the snow is starting to fly here in Tahoe so I need to get this thing completed now.
More to come.

[6speedblazer]

I suggest running a 4.3 hd radiator over the vette radiator. It has a greater cooling capacity than a vette radiator.

Just an fyi the corvette radiator is the same dimensions as an s-series 2.2 radiator. The vette rad has 1" tubes where the 2.2 ones are ~1/2"

Um... That is actually incorrect. The 4.3 hd rad has a larger physical capacity for coolant but the Vette rad (even though smaller) is more efficient in cooling because it incorporates more cooling fins per inch. This means that it has a much greater surface area to radiate the heat away.

my 4.3L hd radiator has 18 fins per inch just like the corvette unit.

[LAZYMON]

what's the trick. I am trying to pull the pins out of the V6 pod to put into the V8 pod, not coming out. On the V8 pod I was able to get them out easily by sliding a needle down the edge to push in the clip, not working on the V6 one for some reason. Tried a few and broke one pulling on it.
Also where does the plug to the alternator come from? I can't seem to find the connector hanging loose anywhere. Maybe I had too many beers but it seems to have vanished.
The V8 has two engine coolant sensors where the V6 only had one. Which one is best to use?
Getting close to turn the key and see what happens. Oh boy!

[BLACK96regcabHighrider]

There should be a temp sensor by the T-stat housing and a temp sensor on the drivers side head, between cyl 1 and 3.

I think the computer uses the one by the t-stat, and the one on the side of the block is what your dash will read.

Good luck with everything and hope it works out.

EDIT: If it helps, the temp sensor by the t-stat will be hardwired into your harness. The sensor on the drivers side head is just a wire that goes from the connector and goes into a plug on the plenum.

Edited by BLACK96regcabHighrider, 18 November 2011 - 12:02 PM.

[LAZYMON]

Found out the 2000 V6 only used the 1 sensor for both functions. So I will pull the sensor from V6 and put into the V8 on the side of engine and use that. It seems as though I could use the one by the thermostat to fire the fan.

[LAZYMON]

what's the trick. I am trying to pull the pins out of the V6 pod to put into the V8 pod, not coming out. On the V8 pod I was able to get them out easily by sliding a needle down the edge to push in the clip, not working on the V6 one for some reason. Tried a few and broke one pulling on it.
Also where does the plug to the alternator come from? I can't seem to find the connector hanging loose anywhere. Maybe I had too many beers but it seems to have vanished.
The V8 has two engine coolant sensors where the V6 only had one. Which one is best to use?
Getting close to turn the key and see what happens. Oh boy!

Got the pins out, I had to find a smaller needle, the one I was using was just mashing down on the top of the clip and bending it in. Found the alternator connector. What happened was I used the better alternator off of the Escalade and the connectors are different. Spliced in the connector from the Escalade harness and all good now. I will use the hole by the front sensor to screw in the sensor for the Derale fan controller.
I was able to use the plug wires from the Escalade, put some heat shields on a couple of them.
Continue to hook up wires and stuff.