Thread: 4.3L TBI help?

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I'm lost with this motor. It's in my '88 Monte. So far, I've spent hours upon hours looking for parts online, in old magazines, and from places like Summit. No headers, no intakes, pretty much no nothin'.. Summit does list an Edelbrock intake/cam combo, but they tell me my engine uses EGR and their setup is for non-EGR use?

Stuff I've thought about:

Swapping for Vortec heads (is this stupid to even consider? is it even the same block?)

Chipping it (a local shop told me it only benefits smaller engines)

Having a set of custom headers welded up (pretty pricey)

Any such thing as a custom made intake for under a ton of $$?

One of those standard abrasives porting kits

What about 'free' mods?

There's my brainstorming for the moment.. According to the literature, the motor makes 140hp/225tq in stock form. My goal is to get around 250/300.. Is this a pipe dream, especially on a budget of just a few g's?

Hope anyone can shed a little light for me, as to what to do first, and which options will provide the best results?

Thanks!

There are modifications for this motor, but your looking in the wrong place. Try looking in 4X4magazines and truck magazines. As for the intake, yes your motor does use EGR. However, that doesnt mean it has too. If you get your truck "chipped" for better timing and to ignore EGR readings(assuming it has a computer read on the EGR at all) you can run without EGR. If your truck has a single line and a round manifold-based egr valve, it shouldnt be a problem for the computer. as a test, i would disconnect and plug the vacum line for the EGR and take it for a lap. if you dont get any error codes, EGR isnt sensed by the computer.