2.8 TBI S10 Mods

[blowns10]

Yeah, the 86 year was the last year for the v-belt system on the s-series, 87 and later was the year they changed to a serpentine belt. The 3.4 engine's horsepower is good, but my primary focus is always torque; because it's what propels the vehicle from a dead stop!!. Thanks for the insight on the water pumps reverse rotation flow with the serpentine belt setup. I'd really like to keep it TBI and just plug everything in and go...but as of now, it's just a consideration, because I'd have to save up enough to purchase the crate engine and some junkyard parts...thanks. Late.

[ex-x-fire]

Hey Blowns10, I used to have the same year/engine S-10 Blazer. To make more low end torque w/out changing the cam, I used a cam timing advancing kit for a sbc, w/ a fresh gears & chain, 3* advance. This kit has off-set adapters that move your dowel pin in relation to the cam gear, some drilling required.
Next junk the factory intake, use the edelbrock 2 piece manifold, get the upper made for a carb. as it has the egr portion you'll need. Make sure you port match the intake to the gaskets, seems mine wasn't great. You'll have to move & relocate a few things, coil, heater hose, ect. No biggy if you've swapped intakes before. You will need to make an adapter for the throttle body so it can bolt to the manifold. You might be able to take a tbi to carb adapter & have it welded to the upper part of the intake, then trim the unused parts. Dorman makes fuel repair kits (sold at the big auto chain stores), so you can make up some fuel lines.
Tbi, you can use a ported stock tbi, a 4.3L tbi, or a Holley 2.8L tbi(which has an adjustable fuel press. regulator). Install a fuel pump from a TPI f-body, so you can accually adjust pressure, my stock f. pump wouldn't go past 10 psi.
Edelbrock used to make headers for them, I never had em though, a cat back exhaust for a 4.3L S-10 Blazer will have bigger diameter pipes & muffler. You can try to advance the ignition timing alittle too, but you may hafta go to a higher octane. Also check what differetial gears you have, mine where 3.73s, I wanted to change over to 4.10s via junkyard swap, but I never did. Good luck.

[blowns10]

Thanks bud!!

Will any brand work?....which one did you use, do you have a part number or manufacturer name?. I would do the intake swap, but in CA it's something that can't be done, because of emissions compliance and when I get a smog check, I don't want to be referred to the referee station for further investigation of my mods!!. My dad had an 84 with the 2.8 & edelbrock intake and headers.....it ran better, but not all that great.

Right, the Holley TBI has an adjustable fuel pressure regulator.

So a fuel pump from an F-body will bolt up?, any mods to do?, how would I adjust the fuel pressure on the fuel pump?

I thought I could use an exhaust system designated for a 1st gen 4.3 engine, I believe all I need to do is adapt the 2.25" pipe to the 4.3 2.50" pipe.

I've got 3.73 gears, it's a 4x4 so any mods for performance would be great!.

Thanks for the info/help/insight, I appreciate it. Thanks. Late

[neo71665]

The eldebrock intake is no better than the factory TBI intake.

Yes the holley has an adjustable reg but its easy enough to make the factory TB reg adjustable. Plus the factory ones are cheaper and easier to get parts for.

No need to swap fuel pumps

Don't buy into the parts swap cause of the big name on the package. This aint the 60s and a lot of the factory parts are as good or better than the aftermarket.

[ex-x-fire]

Sorry the factory 2.8l tbi intake is junk, it has no runners at all. At least the eddy has about 5inches of ports for each cylinder. The oem intake is basically an adapter for the tbi to the heads. Hardly any engineering went into it. If your f. pump doesn't make enough psi to even alter w/ a adj. regulator then why bother getting an AFPR. Look up ultimate tbi mods.
A cat-back exhaust for a 88 4.3l sould bolt right up.
These are part numbers from Mr. Gasket, 85 off-set bushing kit(even degrees),85B off-set bushing kit(odd degrees), & a retainer plate 948G. Get a timing set locally w/ a gasket set too. Sorry that you can't upgrade the intake.

[geoffinbc]

Yea but the Edelbrock manifold does not have equal sized runners. The left side is different size than the right side. It works good only when coupled to their TES Header system which is also designed the same way. The attempt was to flatten the torque curve having one side make good low end torque and the other side making peak torque a few hundred RPM higher. Some like the concept some don't.



You can clearly see here the difference in port sizes. I am using the stock manifold bored out and port matched with good results. Plus the part was free which is a big bonus in my books

[ezrollin]

I had the Offenhauser 4 bbl manifold / 390 Holley on my cammed 2.8 and it ran well.If you consider the price of an the Edelbrock intake and headers plus a carb your making a considerable investment.I would be willing to bet that a properly setup 4.3 tbi on a perpared stock intake would perform just as well with any street cam.Because of the compactness of design on the 60 drg there is no room for runner design which is probably why Edelbrock tried to compensate with the uneven ports.If you have a tig welder a 4bbl manifold can be fab using the base from an camaro/firebird efi and it will perform.

[2.8-350TBI]

If you want to go cheap for now, do a 4.3 throttle body swap.
Its easy but you still have to do a little modifying and adjusting to get everything to bolt up and run right. Just make sure to keep the 2.8 injectors, like I did.

If you have more money, by all means go for a new cam, and steal the mpfi system off a camaro/firebird with an ironhead, and buy some form of tuning.

And if youre made of money, well buy a goddamn 3400.

Im doing a 3400 top end swap on my 2.8. I just got my topend parts back from the machine shop after like 3 months.

[blowns10]

For now, I think i'll do it on the cheap; 4.3 TBI. I wish I was made of money, then i'd just swap in a 502 V8 and make it a trail buggy S10 Blazer!!!. Thanks .Late.