Nbs 4.3 v6 power upgrades

[quis]

I am looking to buy a 2008 regular cab shortbox rwd v6 chevy at a local dealer.i have been looking for a v8,but this v6 has all the features I want.my question is can the 4.3l's be beafed up? Or should I continue my searxh for a v8?

My ulitmate goal is to pit together a nbs lowered sport truck.4/6 on24's.but im finding it really hard to find a reg cab short box with a v8.here in new york,the all seem to have the v6 instead of the v8 for reg cabs short box.unless theyre 4x4.found a couple v8 reg cab but they are all long bed....tell me what u think fsc!

[Quyonmob]

4.8L has 100hp more than a 4.3L

Tall order to fill. I wouldn't bother with any mods for the 4.3L, other than a turbo. Bolt-ons will nickle and dime you to death for a less than 1% increase in power.

[daved931]

X2

Hold out for a V8. You can do things like exhaust and tuning for a V6 and add 15hp. You'll still be giving up nearly 100 HP to a 4.8 V8.

[custm2500]

Depending on your skill swap a V8 or shorten one of the long beds.

If you can't do either of those then keep looking for what you want with a V8. Plenty of guys have built V6s but everyone but them see it as a waste of time.

[oldred95]

Pull the 4.3 and sell it as a boat anchor and drop a 383 stroker in it. Its a direct bolt in replacement and the only thing needed would be a new distributor cap and wires, add two injector circuits and reflash the PCM, if I'm not mistaken.

[94_c/1500]

I'm a V6 fan but I think with your truck a v8 would be better. There's a bit of work to get a v6 to hang with LS engines unless you're lucky, I've outran a 4.8L once somehow.

If you are serious about having a fast V6 truck, you need some money. Actually alot. I always wanted too but much more important things happened in my life. But I always wanted a crazy V6. I wanted to build with an aftermarket block so I could use 4 inch bores. I wanted a 3.75 crank but all that's available now days is billet. So my plan was to use either the factory crank or use an odd fire crank. I wanted to use around 12:1 compression and methanol injection. Going to use worked CPI heads or Vortecs, and a crossram intake. I had wanted to get a custom grind cam and use Rhoads lifters. I had a pretty good plan. But life is more important.
Honestly, if you get a V6 truck get a tune, good muffler ( I suggest a turbo muffler), lower gears (probably 4.10) and if it's an auto a shift kit and a higher stall converter. But a 4.8 will probably just as faster, if not faster. Unless you want a V6 to be different, go with an 8. Most people that want to modify a V6 already have one and just want a little more. Mine does all I need.

[GarrettCobb]

I am looking to buy a 2008 regular cab shortbox rwd v6 chevy at a local dealer.i have been looking for a v8,but this v6 has all the features I want.my question is can the 4.3l's be beafed up? Or should I continue my searxh for a v8?

My ulitmate goal is to pit together a nbs lowered sport truck.4/6 on24's.but im finding it really hard to find a reg cab short box with a v8.here in new york,the all seem to have the v6 instead of the v8 for reg cabs short box.unless theyre 4x4.found a couple v8 reg cab but they are all long bed....tell me what u think fsc!

The 4.8 v8s do in fact make a 100hp over the v6s
In short bed trim(i know because o have one) is only 5-6 tenths slower than the v8 in an 8th mile
Best thing you can do for a bit more power or efficiency, change the gears, put a 3.90:1 or something in it, get a shift kit, CAI, throttle body spacer, and maybe an exhaust.
Thats about 40hp and thatll improve the power curve across the whole band.
That with a shift kit and gears will outrun a 4.8 reg. cab in the 1/4 and probabley run with the 5.3 in an 1/8th mile.
Overall probabley looking around 1,000$
Gears(190$) CAI (280$) throttle body spacer (100$) exhaust (400$) <-- headers
And with very little knowledge, shift kit you could do yourself

[Quyonmob]

The 4.8 v8s do in fact make a 100hp over the v6s
In short bed trim(i know because o have one) is only 5-6 tenths slower than the v8 in an 8th mile
Best thing you can do for a bit more power or efficiency, change the gears, put a 3.90:1 or something in it, get a shift kit, CAI, throttle body spacer, and maybe an exhaust.
Thats about 40hp and thatll improve the power curve across the whole band.
That with a shift kit and gears will outrun a 4.8 reg. cab in the 1/4 and probabley run with the 5.3 in an 1/8th mile.
Overall probabley looking around 1,000$
Gears(190$) CAI (280$) throttle body spacer (100$) exhaust (400$) <-- headers
And with very little knowledge, shift kit you could do yourself

A CAI, tbody spacer and exhaust worth 40hp on a 4.3L?

That will make a 4.3L outrun a 4.8 and hang with the 5.3L's?


........

[Jon4x4]

Try a torque convertor, gears, and alot of nitrous to outrun a 5.3 haha.

[Chriscon7]

HAHA. This thread just got interesting

[GarrettCobb]

Lol well i know that 3.90 gears and a tune on an 08 4.3 will outrun a 4.8 by about 4 tenths in the 1/8 mile
I know because ive done it to mine

[GarrettCobb]

And itd hang with a 5.3 until about 50 ha

[GarrettCobb]

Also, if you do all that i listed above, and a street tune(300-350$)
Youll probabley be looking around a total 65hp increase and around 70+ lb-ft of torque and thatll be damn quick
CAI (12hp) "overall power gains"
Headers (13-18hp) "top end power"
Exhaust (8-10hp) "mid to high range power"
TBS (5-8hp) "low -mid range torque"
Tune (20-30 with slight modifications ^) "low-high end power gains"
But more iportantley, SHIFT KIT&GEARS!
None of that will be very uselful or as effective with out getting even a mild shift kit and 3.73/3.90 gears..
And maybe a stall conv. And posi-track

[Quyonmob]

He adds up the bolt-ons to get total power.

A throttle body spacer on a dry intake? A CAI making power?

Did the 4.8 you beat know it was racing?

Sorry, please post the slip of this beast of a 4.3L you have, as I doubt you hauled an under 15sec quarter with a 4.3L.

[custm2500]

Gerret you have been watching too many comercials. The things you listed might give you 15-20, if you can get a custom tune you might be able to make a touch more then the 20 extra if you are lucky. But 120 hp+ anything shy of another 120+ is useless. So your bolt ons and a 100 shot might brake into the 14s if you are lucky.

Fact is you might be able to turbo the 6 cyl, or dump a bunch of nitrous on it. Short of that you will not make any power, and you will not win any races unless it is a with another ricer.

[94_c/1500]

Cheap bolt ons won't make a V6 fast. Check out the thread in my sig. I've found places selling about every performance part. But you gotta spend more for less power.

[GarrettCobb]

Or maybe i race cars and know what im talking about.
I never raced a 4.8 in a quarter mile, i said the 1/8th mile bud.
And a tune itself wont make any more than maybe 12-15 hp for a good one, but all the little bolt ons i listed contribute to the engine breathing better, from intake to exhaust, the most important thing you can do to an engine right off the back.
All of that stuff adds up guys.
Im not saying it to just yank your chain bud, im saying it because ive seen it done and ive seem the numbers to prove it.
Now this isnt about me not being correct, which i admit some of the gains i posted may be SLIGHTlY optimistic but hes asking for power mods, and from what ive seen, thats the right way to make more power, not just throw a turbo on it.
Hes obviously looking to be different with a v6 build, and a turbo is very cliche.

[GarrettCobb]

Now if everybody will get off of my ass, another way to make more power is to put an electric water pump on it, amazingly they can free up a lot of top end power

[Quyonmob]

If you think a CAI and a TB spacer does more than a tune, you need to do a little research. CAI does nearly nothing, TB spacers on dry intakes are better used as paperweights. Sounds like horsepower TV gave you your power numbers.

Yes, deeper gears are great, as is a higher stall TC, both of which will show larger gains behind a V8.

Oh the 1/8th? Don't care, still isn't happening. I've driven many a 4.3L, great engine for a V6, but has squat on LS V8's.

Seen the numbers to prove it? Didn't I ask if you could share those?

There's guys here running high 15's with bone stock (mild tune) 5.3L's in heavy ECSB Z71s. I'd be surprised if a 4.3L saw more than taillights even on an 1/8th.

[Chriscon7]

Sounds like horsepower TV gave you your power numbers.

xALOT