'83 2.8 Crankshaft swap?

[manlyjames]

I have a 2.8 out of a 83 S-15 which has thrown a rod bearing. From my understanding, the early 2.8's such as this one were prone to this due to the oiling hole in the crank not being large enough. Since the engine had to be driven a few more miles after the bearing went, I'm assuming the crank is probably shot. My question is, can I swap a newer, internally balanced crank into this engine? And do the newer cranks suffer from the oiling problem? I know I would either have to grind off the weight on the flywheel or get a new one for an internally balanced crank. Thanks in advance.

[trotterlg]

I am thinking that there are different journal sizes on the earlier engines, so your conversion may be a lot harder than you think. These engines are so cheap you are probably better off finding one from some RWD late model car to use for the block and crank. Larry

[dskopek]

In 1985 they upsized the crank mains to 67mm from 63mm. Since you have a 83 S-15 you have the smaller crank mains and the newer cranks will not fit without having the mains cut down.

[manlyjames]

Alright thanks for the info. Is there to your knowledge a crank for the 83 2.8 that has the larger oiling holes?

[geoffinbc]

No. None of the small journal cranks had the later model oiling improvements. If you intend to keep the truck you would be much further ahead if you swapped to a newer block. There are a ton of improvements that make it worth while. You could also choose from a 2.8L 3.1L or 3.4L. In the end it will look like your 2.8L and work with all your external parts. It will just have more power and be much more reliable.