chevy S10 with 383 V8?

Question

i have an 84 S10 with a 2.8L V6, tomorrow i am getting a 383 and transmission for it from a friend, what all will i need to replace, i know ill need a new drive shaft, maybe do i need a new rear end? andthing with suspension, prolly new brakes? will my wires that i have now work? same fuel pump and everything or what? i jsut need to know everything that i will have to replace

it was a 350, i guess they made it into a 383

it is a chevy 383

it is a chevy 383

Answer 1

To all the geniuses out there, a 383 is a stroker engine. 350 block bored out with a 400 crankshaft. I used engine mounts off of a 4.3 V-6 S-10. These bolted right up to the 350 block, but I had to notch the firewall, because the engine sat back app. 4" more. I preferred this so I could run a mech. fan instead of electric.

Answer 2

You will need to get the motor mount adapters. I used third gen camaro exhaust manifolds when I did mine because they actually flow better than the shorty headers and are way cheaper.
The motor in it now is prolly carbed so your fuel pump is on the side of the motor itself, the 383 will be on the passenger side were as the 2.8 is on the drivers side so you will either have to get a remote pump or run a fuel line to the passenger side of the truck. The stock v8 fuel pump will flow enough, unlike what others have said the s10 fuel lines are the same size as ones from v8 camaros. The stock wiring will work just fine, you may need to lenghten a few but the stock harness is the same as a carbed third gen camaro just shorter.

Wiring if the 383 is carbed,

Thick Pink - Power for the distributor
White - Tach
Green - Temp sensor for the temp gauge
Brown - Oil pressure sending unit for oil pressure gauge
Purple - Ignition switch to Starter Solenoid
Red - Starter and alternator
the other wires for the alternator will have the right connector on it for the v8 one.
Mark them as you remove them and they all will work with the gauges. Try and get a cable driven speedo gear in the trans or you will have to get one put in aor the speedo wont work.

If the motor is fuel injected you may need to get a harness for it.

The stock rearend is not that strong. A ford explorer 8.8 rear end is plenty strong enough and is a dirrect bolt in but is not the right length. It will work the way it comes but I had mine shortened the right length for pretty cheap. You can get a radiator from I think its an 85-89 vettelike the kit has ordo what I did and get one from a 4.3hd s10 because it is used in a few v8 apllications as well. Alot of people use a ford taurus cooling fan from one with a 3.8 because of the amount they flow.
Every build is different, I did not have to change the drive shaft on mine which was an ex cab, but my friends was a reg cab short bed and his was an inch to long. If you do need to have it shortended it can be done for less than 100 bucks at most drive shaft shops.

If you have more specific questions check out www.v8s10.org we can help you out there with just about any problems you have

Answer 3

trivium332, that is a good motor to build some horsepower with. Many of the changes are already stated, but I suggest you add a detail telling those few non-chevy folks that a 383 is a small block chevy, either a 400 with a 350 crank or a 350 with a 400 crank, can't remember now. Just because mopar had a 383 doesn't mean no one else can.

Answer 4

It's a real shame that so many of these folks answering you do not know what they are talking about when they tell you that the 383 is not a Chevy engine. Well, a 383 is made from a 350 block witha 400 crank in it and 5.7" rods. the tops of the pistons will have to be milled down for proper deck heigth.
I've built many of them.

Answer 5

Drive shaft definitely. Switching from a 2.8 V6 to a 6.1 V8 is a big power jump and will probably need a new rear end, better wires (more electricity needed), better fuel pump, because the engine will require more fuel, and probably a number of exhaust changes, because a V8 needs to breathe more. The suspension and brakes will probably both need to be beefed up because of the added weight of the new engine (more to carry and stop). Other people could tell you all that needs to be done.

Answer 6

You'll probably also have to change front springs for the added weight of a V-8 motor and I would suggest getting an adjustable brake proportioning valve for the brake system--the added weight of the engine will throw off the original proportioning of the brake system and having an adjustable one will let you dial in the balance of front and rear braking...make take some trial and error on a deserted road to get it close....parts stores or speed shops would carry it.
http://www.autoanything.com/brakes/61A3155A0A0.aspx?kc=YM1969
Also probably need a different transmission crossmember for the trans to mount to...may have to fabricate or modify the old one. Larger radiator and cooling fans, shift linkage, oil pan may have to be modified, hood to carb clearance may be a problem---smaller or low profile air cleaner, etc...
http://www.bulk-search.com/found/chevy_s10_v8.html

Answer 7

you,ll have to change a lot of things on it,including the gas line size of it also , i did mine like that a long time ago and i changed the gas line to a 3/8 ths,line because the stock one coming from the tank wouldn't supply enough fuel to the larger engine,the rear end will work for a short time,you,ll also need engine stands and mounts for it and a radiator,there a lot of changing to do on that one,you may also want to go with a better fuel pump ,i mounted one on the side rail of the frame near the back and that worked out real good,this is going to turn out to be a project truck,but you,ll like it once you get it all hooked up it will run really good,maybe too good,mine did,anyway good luck with it,hope this helps.

Answer 8

Well for starters I would suggest finding a GM V8 to put in place of the Chrysler engine. It's exicting that you have this 383 coming to you with the tranny, but your going to run into a lot of frustrating problems trying to get everything matched up. Brakes, gas lines, adapters, engine mounts, exhaust, beefier suspension for the front, etc etc etc. Save yourself some frustration and go with any of GM's motors and trans.
Good Luck.

Answer 9

for starts 383 is dodge product and now you have do something about the drive shaft maybe the rear-end...other than that you good......but if you go to 283,305,307,350 or really want thump 454...all you really get or change is the drive shaft....our neighbor has a 350 bolted right up to the 700r4 tranny and all he did was get another drive shaft

Answer 10

A 383 isn't a Chevy engine, it's a Chrysler engine. If you're good at some fabrication, you might be able to make it work, but it isn't going to be easy.