LUVTruck.com

what has more hp a 4.3l chevy v-6 or a 3.8l buick 231

The 4.3 will have more power because it has about 20 more cubic inches. Also the Buick (which is a proven diehard of a motor) is slowly fading away. Performance parts are getting more and more scarce. Finding an even-fire, vacuum advance distributor in the wrecking yards is becoming a problem. I've ran 4 different Buick motors in my truck and it's been great. After this motor goes away(which should be a good long time from now), i will go the small block Chevy route.

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Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

got a 4.3 in my 98 p/u with a 5 speed . i have no problems pulling my luv to the track. its got a flowmaster k&n filter and a modded throttle body. gets 28 mpg!!

Which is harder to install, such as getting them in, engine mounts, is there much converison from a standard 4 banger to either one of those?

Both will be about the same except that the Chevy motor will need extra firewall modifications for the distributor and also the extra work to adapt the computer / fuel injection wiring and components (if need be). The motor mounts might be slightly different from one another but the fabrication and installation efforts will be equal. Both will need a TH 350 transmission, Trans tunnel modifications are slightly different between the Chevy pattern and the Buick, Olds, Pontiac pattern but it still requires the same effort. All other mods will be the same as if you were to install any V-6 or V-8 motor setup. As for comparing it to a 4 cylinder motor,It hits almost every aspect of the truck. Converting to an automatic shift from a manual, Adapting the GM charging system to the truck. Upgrading the cooling system to meet the demands of the bigger motor, Going with a new exhaust system to at least match the motor (you now have 2 exhaust manifolds to deal with) And the driveshaft.
All of this may sound like a big hassle but i can assure you that it isn't as bad as it looks and it is well worth the effort as you can see by the number of people on this site that have converted their trucks. In fact, it become an exciting project once you have the motor/trans in place. And i have yet to read any post of anyone saying that it was a mistake converting to a V-6 or V-8

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.