2.8 swap

[my86mj]

well my tired 2.8 took its last breathe so its time for a new one. i found a low mile one for 150 bucks on the craigslist machine. will any 2.8 bolt up? or do i have to worry about some things? its an ax5 not a frenchie trans

[mvusse]

Any REAR WHEEL DRIVE 2.8 will bolt up, they were commonly found in S10 pickup trucks. So will any rear wheel drive 3.1 or 3.4 (out of a Camaro for example) for a bit extra grunt. They use the same block so all your accessories and carburetor will swap over.

[Pete M]

I seem to remember that you might need to have your flywheel rebalanced depending on which you go with.

 

and the peugeot won't bolt to a 2.8/2.5. :thumbsup:

[mvusse]

Now that Pete refreshed my memory, yes, either the 3.1 or the 3.4 or both are internally balanced, so you may need to have your flywheel rebalanced neutrally.

[MJRemi]

Go for the 3.4 and get some extra horses!

[Eagle]

Go for the 3.4 and get some extra horses!

More important, go with the 3.4 and get an engine that won't self-destruct. The 2.8 isn't even a good boat anchor.

[86FUBAR]

I personally love the 2.8 , my 2.8 other than being gutless put up with alot of abuse and neglect from me for the first 4 or 5 years before I decided to try and take care of it . Now with all that said after I swapped in the 3.4 and felt the power increase I was sold . The swap does include its own hurdles and increased cost compared just droping in another 2.8 but they are well worth it . If you do decide to go with another 2.8 why not just rebuild what you have if it is serviceable or atleast rebuild the doner ? Doing that will IMO do more for you in the long run than just replacing it with something else wether it be another 2.8 or a 3.4 as you will learn the basics of rebuilding an engine and it can be on be done on the cheap. Anyhow any RWD pushrod 2.8 3.1 or 3.4 will fit , they were all neutrally balanced from IIRC 1988 on and some will require an electric fuel pump and some other small things .

[carnuck]

Later 2.8 motors (starting late '86) are internally balanced. If the motor has EFI, it's balanced and the "improved" version. (wider rod bearings, etc)

[35 Dollars]

The best junk yard EFI fuel pump money can buy would be from a 1997-2000 ford explorer - it's a puller/pusher style: pulls from the tank, then pushes to the engine with up to 33psi or something like that.