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More Power from a 4.3
By Mark Hall - Aug 1998 You can buy A cat-back system from the aftermarket or you can have a set of custom duals run if you like... Headers are great power makers also... If you combine the cat-back, headers and a high flow converter you will feel and hear the difference in power the first time you hit the gas... The cooler thermostat is an old trick for fuel injected vehicles, it makes the engine run cooler and the computer senses this and richens the mixture up a little... Easy power, if you live in hot climates you want to run the 180° Thermostat, if you don't need hot heat go with the 160° thermostat...
The factory thermostat is a 195° unit...
The idea behind them is to slow the engine accessories
up and reduce the drag... It`s the easiest 10-20 h.p. you`ll get... They come in a kit, crank pulley, water pump pulley, and alternator pulley... The K&N air filter is the best high flow air filter on the market bar-none... You can get stock replacements or you can get an open element for a little more boost... They are easy to install and reusable... These things are high but well worth the money spent when you think about it's the last one you'll buy for the truck...
They are proven to make more h.p. than any other filter
out there... It comes with a chip that richens the mixture and bumps the timing up slightly...
I don't believe in the chips out there but this one is
an added bonus that seems to work good with the intake and cam... It is a step or two up from stock... It has A higher than stock lift and duration... The camshaft is the heart of an engine, it controls how the rest works... It controls where your power is and isn`t... This cam has A broad overall torque curve that you would want with A 4x4... It`s power range is off idle to 5500... The stock cam runs out around 4000... BTW, the stock cam in these 4.3 trucks are roller cams...
This is one that confuses people... If you have A stock cam you can get
A set of 1.6 roller rockers and add lift to your stock cam... Making it
seem to be a step bigger than stock... If you have the Edlbrock cam you
want to stay with the 1.5 roller rockers... But if you ever need to go
in size on the cam you can go to the 1.6 and get an extra boost up in the
The Ignition system is often overlooked in build-ups... Jacobs has a
nice system set-up that I like that comes as a kit that has everything
you will need to modify your ignition to handle the added power that the
4.3 is now making... When an engine runs harder and faster it needs more
spark... The Jacobs system fits the bill nicely in one matched system...
The T.B.I spacer and the Regulater should be installed together... The
spacer acts just as A carb spacer would on A carburated engine... It
moves the power band up just A hair to get better mixture in the
intake... The regulator lets you change the fuel pressure on the
injectors and richen or lean the engine mixture to compensate for the
above modifications... It lets you have the abillity to tune your fuel
inj. like A carb, richer or leaner...
If you own an automatic you can install a shift kit and get a better
more responsive trans... It gives you more seat of the pants feel when
the trans. shifts, and gives you more control over the trans. downshifts
and upshifts... The shift kits will make your trans. live longer also...It cuts out all the drag between gear chages so there is not as much
slippage while changing, so less wear and tear on the clutches and
bands... ( money well spent ) You could buy A Vortech or Paxton supercharger for an instant 50-100 h.p. This is easy bolt-on power but will cost you big bucks all at once... Nitrous is another option... It comes in A kit with directions to install... It is good for A stout 50-75+ h.p. Cheap easy h.p., but the bottle runs out rather quickly... It can only be used at wide open throttle, and only ran for a few seconds... ( 1/4 mile at most )
Stroker kits are out there but very expensive... You can go up around
300+ cubic inches with these but unless you are building A race car, it`s
A waste... You can get some serious h.p. from strokers but they aren't
pratical for the cost...
The stock 4.3 filter can be used but, you have to get the adapter for
the V-8 engine and the hoses to go along with it just as the stock ones
are done...
The engine can be any Throttle Body Injected 305/5.0 - 350/5.7 from the
years of 86 through 93...
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