JeepTJ38
AKA: THE MYTH
for overall driveability and fun in a TJ would you put in a 4.3 or 5.3 vortec. I can find 4.3 for around 900.00 and 5.3 ring in the area of 2,000.00 I need to save money (I already spent) in the Atlas II. What would you do ?
4.3 or 5.3
- Thread starter JeepTJ38
- Start date
whats a 5.3L (is it a 327???) personally I would go with the 4.3L cause its $1100 cheaper...thats a good chunk towards the atlas...I have set-up my mounts so that I can swap a 350 in place of my 4.3L IF I feel the need for more cubes...something to consider...also if you buy the 4.3L for $900 chances are you can prolly sell it for about the same...FWIW I vote 4.3L
S
sukaB
Guest
I can usually get Vortec 350's for 1100-15 with computer...
It weighs about a hundred pounds heavier if you leave it alone..
Hello....
My pa used to say if a little bit's good a whole lot has gotta be better....
Do the 350....I'll let you drive the black wolf that make up your mind....
It weighs about a hundred pounds heavier if you leave it alone..
Hello....
My pa used to say if a little bit's good a whole lot has gotta be better....
Do the 350....I'll let you drive the black wolf that make up your mind....
TigerStripe40
Arrogant Bastard
- Location
- Salt Lake City
If it's the 4.3 litre Inline 6 you are looking at vs the 5.3 litre V8, I'd say go with the I6 because of the available low end torque.
If it's the V6 you are looking at, I'd say go with the 5.3 litre Vortec V8.
Just my 1/50th of a dollar.
If it's the V6 you are looking at, I'd say go with the 5.3 litre Vortec V8.
Just my 1/50th of a dollar.
- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
what do you have in your Jeep now?
TigerStripe40
Arrogant Bastard
- Location
- Salt Lake City
Depends on who you are asking...
I don't own a Jeep.
I've got a Land Cruiser with a 2F that's been bored .030 over, with non-usa performance distributor, header, and a performance carb. The carb will keep the truck running at a steeper angle than the truck will roll over at. Makes plenty of torque for my needs (I would like a little more HP for freeway driving, but I would swap in a 1FZ-FE 4.5 litre inline 6 out of a 1993 or newer cruiser to get that).
It's no V8, but close enough for what I use my truck for.
I don't own a Jeep.
I've got a Land Cruiser with a 2F that's been bored .030 over, with non-usa performance distributor, header, and a performance carb. The carb will keep the truck running at a steeper angle than the truck will roll over at. Makes plenty of torque for my needs (I would like a little more HP for freeway driving, but I would swap in a 1FZ-FE 4.5 litre inline 6 out of a 1993 or newer cruiser to get that).
It's no V8, but close enough for what I use my truck for.
JeepTJ38
AKA: THE MYTH
Well hell everybody wants to talk about the motor but no one will reply to my question about na shackle reversal, anyway.
I now have the 2.5L straight 4. I run 4.88's and 35's. K&N intake tube and a flowmaster exhaust and free flow CAT. It works fine off road when I'm in low but driving between here and Colorado is a pain and I'm constantly in 3rd trying to maintain 55 MPH (if the winds not blowing). I want more power since it's me everday driver.
I want to run either a 4.3 or 5.3 vortec. A NV4500 tranny and Atlas II. Dana 44 front and Ford 8.8 rear. So im just curious if the 4.3 six would work or what the hell while it's all apart go with the 5.3.
I now have the 2.5L straight 4. I run 4.88's and 35's. K&N intake tube and a flowmaster exhaust and free flow CAT. It works fine off road when I'm in low but driving between here and Colorado is a pain and I'm constantly in 3rd trying to maintain 55 MPH (if the winds not blowing). I want more power since it's me everday driver.
I want to run either a 4.3 or 5.3 vortec. A NV4500 tranny and Atlas II. Dana 44 front and Ford 8.8 rear. So im just curious if the 4.3 six would work or what the hell while it's all apart go with the 5.3.
Spork
Tin Foil Hat Equipped
- Location
- Saratoga Springs, UT
so lets talk tranny... Do you already have the NV4500? You find a good deal on it? Details!
TigerStripe40
Arrogant Bastard
- Location
- Salt Lake City
I think that if he goes with a 6 cylinder, I think he should get an inline 6 rather than a V6... Jeep makes a decent inline 6, with lots of available aftermarket parts, and plenty of adapters for the NV4500 tranny. If I were a Jeep Geek, I would probably get the I6 out of one of the newer jeeps, and stroke the motor to 4.5 litres. IIRC, the motor would be a direct drop in. Lots of after market parts for that one too, to make plenty of power. Check out www.cliffordperformance.com
Just my 2 cents.
Just my 2 cents.
grinch
inner city redneck
- Location
- Salt Lake City
Your nuts if you even think about the straight six over the vortec 4.3
I personally would go for a 4.3 vortec any day of the week. Its not to hard to squeeze 230-300 HP out of this engine..... Just make sure its the vortec and not a regular 4.3
Also if its a jeep your sticking it in the 4.3 is shorter than the 350 and is alot easier to squeeze in the fire walls......
I personally would go for a 4.3 vortec any day of the week. Its not to hard to squeeze 230-300 HP out of this engine..... Just make sure its the vortec and not a regular 4.3
Also if its a jeep your sticking it in the 4.3 is shorter than the 350 and is alot easier to squeeze in the fire walls......
TigerStripe40
Arrogant Bastard
- Location
- Salt Lake City
What do you need all that horsepower for? Mudding is the only thing I can think of.
IMHO, low end Torque is the name of the game for offroading, and straight sixes can't be beat in the Low End torque department. Add an RV cam, oversize valves, and stroke the motor, and you have a total LE torque monster. The Vortec V6's and V8s make alot of horsepower for their size and displacement, that is true, but they do it in the higher rpm's of their power (2200rpm+) band. But in the low end (idle - 1800 rpm) they don't do so well.. What do you do? Well, you put in lower gears... You can put in an RV cam, but you sacrifice idle smoothness, and other things, like highway speeds.
IMHO, the ONLY plus to either the Vortec V6 or V8, is that the parts are cheap and readily available. I think there are better motors out there.
In the end, if a V8 is what is wanted, by all means, I am just providing an alternative that might be a little bit higher on the cool factor.
IMHO, low end Torque is the name of the game for offroading, and straight sixes can't be beat in the Low End torque department. Add an RV cam, oversize valves, and stroke the motor, and you have a total LE torque monster. The Vortec V6's and V8s make alot of horsepower for their size and displacement, that is true, but they do it in the higher rpm's of their power (2200rpm+) band. But in the low end (idle - 1800 rpm) they don't do so well.. What do you do? Well, you put in lower gears... You can put in an RV cam, but you sacrifice idle smoothness, and other things, like highway speeds.
IMHO, the ONLY plus to either the Vortec V6 or V8, is that the parts are cheap and readily available. I think there are better motors out there.
In the end, if a V8 is what is wanted, by all means, I am just providing an alternative that might be a little bit higher on the cool factor.
Well in one sentence you say to add an RV cam to the 4.0L but in another sentence you say not to add one to the 4.3L???
...also the V6 and V8 put out great torque (V8 is more than the I6) plus the V8 is shorter and weighs less...the I6 is a big motor(weight and length) and but you dont get much outta it in stock form...you talk about stroking the 4.0...if you stroke it usually it ends up being a 4.7L sometimes a 4.6L but I have never heard of 4.5L...that costs quite a bit of money to do unless you do eveything your self but some parts still have to be sourced else where and even then you are still talking at least a grand...for a grand you can do quite a bit to either of the chevy motors and get much better torque out of either one...personally I think you are just against Chevys because a lot of guys do them...there is a reason a lot of guys use chevy motors in ALL makes and models of 4x4sthe 4.0L is a good motor, I'm not saying its not but since he has the 2.5L right now its not a drop in affair...it will take the same work to put a V8 or V6 in as it will to do the I6...plus, usually the I6 cost more upfront anyways...again either chevy motor would be my vote...
grinch
inner city redneck
- Location
- Salt Lake City
Another point to the low end torque thing.........
Most crawlers are geard low in the axle, If you are running an atless II you will be running the lower T case gears.....
With these set ups your engine will not be running in the low low RPM ranges unless you are crawling flat ground.... i.e. rock garden and bolder fields...... Most of the wheeling around here, in Moab, (and in the rockcrawling comps) are Verts..... For these situations alot of the time you will be in the low to mid rpm ranges where the 4.3 shines....
Im not talking trash on the straight sixs,,,, I run a 4.2 in my own crawler, Ad fuel injection and its a pritty good motor.
We are in the prosess of swaping in a vortec 4.3 right now down at jeepers Off Road into a heep that had a 4 cyl..... The swap should be done in about a week After I drive it I will tell you my honest opinion on witch one i think is the better motor.... I will say that after driving a fuel injected 350 my straight 6 plain sucks....... maybe I wont be as impressed with the 4.3( but I doubt it.)
Most crawlers are geard low in the axle, If you are running an atless II you will be running the lower T case gears.....
With these set ups your engine will not be running in the low low RPM ranges unless you are crawling flat ground.... i.e. rock garden and bolder fields...... Most of the wheeling around here, in Moab, (and in the rockcrawling comps) are Verts..... For these situations alot of the time you will be in the low to mid rpm ranges where the 4.3 shines....
Im not talking trash on the straight sixs,,,, I run a 4.2 in my own crawler, Ad fuel injection and its a pritty good motor.
We are in the prosess of swaping in a vortec 4.3 right now down at jeepers Off Road into a heep that had a 4 cyl..... The swap should be done in about a week After I drive it I will tell you my honest opinion on witch one i think is the better motor.... I will say that after driving a fuel injected 350 my straight 6 plain sucks....... maybe I wont be as impressed with the 4.3( but I doubt it.)
JeepTJ38
AKA: THE MYTH
well as said earlier to swap in the I6 i would have to swap the tranny anyway so I dont think I would get anywhere and the I6's are way long in my opinion (I would like the toyata I-force 8, like in the Tundra I drove one for a while and it hauled ass) but that would be a pain. I may go with the 4.3 becasue it;s lighter and you can still get 300hp out of it. beyond that and things will start to snap. But the 5.3 is not much heavier (it is but not as much as the 5.7 or 5.9) the Tranny (NV4500) will easily handle both and the t-case is more thean enough. The rumble of a V8 is way appealing but a 4.3 bored out could give the same HP with better gas. Damn I'm back where I started again !!!
Don't pick the 4.3 because of weight or size. The V8 will fit just fine with plenty of room to spair. They don't weigh too much more either. If cost is an issue (and it always is) then go with the six. I just have a hard time seeing why any one would choose an engine with less power. It just makes no sense. Why limit your self to the 5.3? I would look for the biggest small block I could afford. They all weigh about the same and take up the same space.
they should all weigh damn near identical except for the V6(which I know you said)...since they are the same blocks with different bores strokes ect...I am reall tempted to go V8 but since I already have the V6 in I am going with that till my junk is atleast running
...more power never hurt anyone...
If you are talking bang for your buck, then the 4.3 V6 is the only way to go. They are plentiful and you can get the entire system, computer, etc. to make it work from a donor vehicle. The 5.3 is still very new, it will cost you a BUNDLE and it will be considerably more difficult to figure out how to get it to work properly.......the new chev trucks have a lot more complicated electronics and computer systems that control everything. (annoying). The cool factor would be through the roof with the 5.3, but will your wallet recover?
EZ
EZ