Chevy trucks with a V-6?

Question

I want more power out of my engine. I am getting flowmaster exhaust and it is a stick shift. I would just like some ideas that could pump out more power from the 6 cylinder until I get a V-8. Could I get a turbocharger or just any ideas on how I could make it bettter.

Answer 1

Sorry buddy, no matter what you do to your truck, you're not going to magically turn a 6 cylinder engine into a V-8. Unless you mean the vegetable drink.

Answer 2

you are on the right track. the two best ways to increase performance on any motor, are changing to a true dual exhaust with free flow mufflers. ( order new compact catyletic converters online from one of the racing suppliers too) and changing to a better intake and carb. you don't say what year your truck is so if it is newer and has fuel injection, there are other changes that you can make, from a new chip to a new injector set up. Although I''m not a fan of N0x, you can install a nitrous system to get more HP. this is hard on a stock motor and if not installed and set up exactly right, say bye bye to your motor.
Having said all that, I have a 4x4, 94 chevy with the v6 motor and 5 speed tranny. I bought it because I saw the fuel prices going sky high. My truck gets 20mpg and does everything I need it to do. My chevy with a v8 got about 14-16 mpg. If you change more than the exhaust and maybe the intake, and re calibrate your air fuel mix, your gonna get crap for mileage. Gas prices are gonna continue to climb ( they hit $80,00 per barrel today) and you won't be able to afford to drive your truck. not to mention the broken parts and excessive wear you are gonna have to be constantly paying to repair.The day of the muscle car is over. Very soon, the government is gonna come down hard on "hot rods" and ban them outright. This has already started on motorcycles. anything other than stock exhausts on any bike made after 2006 is now illegal with fines up to $10,000. So, my best opinion is, leave it stock and enjoy the truck as is. I grew up in the 60's and 70's when true muscle cars were a way of life. I miss the sounds and feel of a high powered car running the quarter mile, or cruising van nuys blvd on a summer night. But it's gone now. let it RIP.
Good luck

Answer 3

i think a turbo may put unnessisary wear and tear on your engine. a turbo changer may require forged pistons and new rings and much much more. and even then. a turbo would be wiser then a supercharger. because a supercharger takes away from your engine. and alo is making power even if your at a stp light sitting. a turbo wil make a slight amount of power when sitting. but the power will extrapalate out as you give it more gas. so when u put it to the floor it will put out what it normally does plus. because you are getting more air and more exhaust it spinning the turbo so it will pressurize the air more, so if you reve the engine to much you will have probloms with reliablity unless you get fordged pistons that are sunk in in the middle... i would say that a new intake manifold might help alot. especially if you drop it down under the front bumper..thats where you will get the most air and the coldest air.

Answer 4

first of all, i am going to assume that you have a 4.3l vortec? if so, this is a very acceptable motor by any standards. the exact same bore and stroke as a 350. minus two cylinders. the first thing that i would do is put a "venom" power module in the truck. this will add all the power you are looking for. you can find these on summitracing.com. try this and call me in the morning. haha. you will hardly notice a difference with the exhaust.

Answer 5

Dont know what year your truck is, but you can try adding a throttle body spacer to your TBI system. go to www.jcwhitney.com and input your truck info at the first page, then on the next page scroll down to the "Under Car and Hood" section, click on "Air Intake and Fuel System". On the next page click on "Fuel Injection and Throttle Body." The next page has the spacers. You can follow the below link to the page too. I used a 96 chevy c/k pickup for the search parameter.

Answer 6

which v-6 does it have ,if its the 4.3 engine you can get some good power from those engines,it would help if i knew which one you had,you can help those a lot though,not like having a v-8 though,nothing will beat a good v-8 for building up power,and you probably could change that one over fairly easy.good luck with it.

Answer 7

If you really want the power of a V-8, drive this V-6 responsibly & put the money towards a better platform to get your 'gear-head' into GEAR!
Then do like I did, build it & beat hell out of it & have fun doing it.

Answer 8

You're going to waste a lot of money no matter what you do. Save yourself some money, time, and effort and put your money in a bank until you have enough to get that V-8.

Answer 9

It would be cheaper to sell the wreck and buy a 305.