The Vortec 4.3

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa)
10/21/2014 at 12:09 • Filed to: None

It's like the Uncanny Valley of engine noises. It sounds *SO CLOSE* to a V8 (with the right exhaust) but the back of your brain keeps going "no, man. No. Something's not right."

DISCUSSION (20)

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/21/2014 at 12:10

YOU DONT EVEN KNOW MAN.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/21/2014 at 12:11

Dude I know this so well. (I've owned a Vortec and a modified non-Vortec 4.3L)

It's JUST a hair off.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/21/2014 at 12:14

As a Vortec driver, I am very aware.

Roundbadge > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/21/2014 at 12:14

I had a non-vortec 4.3 in my '92 S-10. Twice the exhaust had to be replaced, and I drove around for a few months with nothing behind the cat. The sound was glorious.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
10/21/2014 at 12:15

My sister has a '99 Silverado with a 4.3 and it's the weirdest damn thing.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Roundbadge
10/21/2014 at 12:16

Out of curiosity, what's the difference between a vortec and non-vortec 4.3?

Grindintosecond > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/21/2014 at 12:18

It's a shame they never built a vehicle to put it in that lasted as long as the engine. It's so over built it's amazing. I've herd of engine pulls out of 150k rusted hulks and the cylinder bores had zero wear! Incredible engines. I miss the one in my S-10 and that's why I hated every single light duty truck since I had that one. It had 250 pounds torque at 2500 rpm. Not a single light truck had anything remotely like that except the old 4.0 Ranger....and that was being discontinued. Not a single light truck after had grunt down low allowing a trailer pull of a small car.....The S-10 could do it. Mine had the K&N FIPK system....on gas it had this absolute Growl of wickedness. The intake tube was plastic so that changed the note slightly...making it a really tough Grr instead of a yell.

[EDIT:] The 318 dakota could as well however that was considered more of a 'medium' truck as it was the biggest of all small trucks and got the worst mileage and that 318 was not much better than the 4.3.

ly2v8-Brian > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/21/2014 at 12:21

Head design. Vortec heads have intakes that create a vortex. Engineers found that the vortexes aid in more efficient combustion: more power, more efficient.

 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/21/2014 at 12:23

4.3 is literally a V8 with 2 cylinders chopped off. My buddy used to work at a GM plant assembling these.

crowmolly > ly2v8-Brian
10/21/2014 at 12:24

Yup. They have excellent combustion chamber design.

There's more, but that's the main thing.

ly2v8-Brian > crowmolly
10/21/2014 at 12:26

the other thing is probably a piston design.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/21/2014 at 12:39

I pulled a vortec V6 apart once, and It's awesome.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/21/2014 at 12:44

Haha yeah.

Loved those engines though, solid as hell easy to work on.

crowmolly > ly2v8-Brian
10/21/2014 at 13:43

I am mostly versed in the V8 version, which also has changes to the intake manifold and valve seats.

bradleyjames518 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/21/2014 at 13:55

I absolutely love the 4.3 - So much so that I considered swapping one into my old Colorado. I have had 4 S10's with the engine. It performed beautifully for everything, sounded great. It's a SBC with the back two cylinders cut off. Mostly everything would fit between the two.

V8 Vortec > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/21/2014 at 13:57

It's the V8's little brother.

ly2v8-Brian > crowmolly
10/21/2014 at 14:02

yeah hard to say. I think Vortec is what I said it was, but all these other changes are the move from gen I to gen II, which coincided with the introduction of Vortec. So all is correct in short.

crowmolly > ly2v8-Brian
10/21/2014 at 14:03

Yeah, you are 100% right. I wasn't completely sure if he meant difference in head and piston design or the engines on a whole.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To
10/21/2014 at 14:08

I love the Vortec 4.3, so much low end torque.

Captain of the Enterprise > ly2v8-Brian
10/21/2014 at 16:42

Now I want a vortec just so that I can explain that to people