Dante

Hey all! This is my first post on the forum and I'm absolutely PSYCHED to be here on the forums. Just sold my Civic and inherited my dad's truck. Its a totally rust free, cherry red, 4.3L TBI 4x4 with 300k miles on it. The truck holds immense sentimental value and I'm planning on building the engine so I can have a fun little toy for summer that doesn't guzzle gas too bad. This is especially important because I'm going to University in Canada and gas is insane here (5 bucks a gallon and rising). Not to mention that whenever I go home to Seattle, its an 8 hour drive=8 hours of gas.

I'm getting about 16mpg city and 20mpg highway at the moment with 3.73 gearing, so I think I'm off to a good start with a 4000 pound vehicle. I'd like to aim into the 25-30 range on the highway without having to disconnect the 4x4-as well as a modest goal of 280ftlbs torque. Since I actually want to use it
The newer 2wd trucks are around 1000 pounds heavier and attain better economy, so I don't think this is too much of a handicap.

Some things I have in mind:

-Newer engine technology has been able to increase both hp and torque while improving or preserving economy. In what ways could I mod this old engine to do so? Has anyone heard of any retrofitting projects? I know some vortec heads have been put on the TBI trucks to increase horsepower, but I have yet to hear of the effect on fuel economy and reliability. All my technical knowledge comes from my Honda, so this is a new ballgame.

EDIT: I had a question here about a hybrid conversion. After reviewing the technical specs of the GM hybrid series, it seems that the transmission would have to be swapped and converted to automatic. As this is not an option for me-being the manual transmission lover I am-I have ruled this out as a feasible method. Other hybrid systems are still a possibility, but they seem to be out of my price range.

-I know these pre 92 V6 engines are known for being big, bad, and unbalanced. What would the effect of balancing be? Honestly, I don't even know where I would start with balancing. Someone please educate me on this topic. The redline is currently around 4500 I believe. What would it take to (safely) raise that to, say, 6-7000 rpm? What would be realistic? I probably need to rebuild the engine pretty soon anyways; as its at 300k and still on original internals. Did this with my honda to raise the redline from 6k to 9k and it only cost a few hundred to get new parts and install them, so it must be possible with a Chevy. Harder? Maybe. Worth it? Totally. If you're lost on how this is going to improve efficiency, I'm going to build the motor for low friction. Low friction=efficiency

-As this is still going to be a 4x4 project and my current suspension is lifetime warrantied, I'm not keen on lowering. I'd rather have looks and functionality. I will, however, be considering an under-body tray.

-Already dealt with headers and exhaust (now dual exhaust). Stock intake, but unsure where to go from here.

Any input would be appreciated, as well as any other suggestions. I'd love to have links to other build threads if some of these things have been covered. Please don't post about how the entire thing is "too much work" and to just "buy a new car and be done with it." As I am relatively poor and have mechanical experience (and tools!), work is not an object. I'm comfortable with custom work and fabrication, as well as my ability to take the engine completely apart. I'll put in as much work and time as I need to in order to get to my goals; or at least close to them.

Sorry for making this post so long

Thanks,
Dante

PS-I'll get some nice pictures up soon

Dante

As a promise to you guys, I'll keep this updated...
After some research, I've compiled a short list of things I'll be hopefully installing:

Big underdrive pulley-decrease in parasitic effect for accessories. Hopefully even eliminate.
250W Solar panel to power stereo and accessories-$300
Tonneau cover-decrease in drag
Throttle body spacer-increase in efficient air mixture
Mechanical to electric fan conversion-decrease in parasitic effect. Powered by solar panel.
High flow air filter
Aftermarket cams-will decide on these after everything else. If I get close to goals, I might go for a performance rated cam.
Fully synthetic oil

Hoping to keep all of it around a grand before I do the cams. Should be around 700 (conservative estimate). But it might be more if I go all out with the stereo and solar panel-since I want to do that part right. In the end, the panel will be mounted to the Tonneau cover during use and provide electricity into the cab via a hole in the cabin. I'll use a rubber gasket with sealant to stop any annoying air flow with the wire. Since it is continuous wattage, the 250W should power the amp and stereo continuously without a problem. I'll underrate it to 175W just to be safe.

Get back with more details and updates later-will have pictures.