2.8 to 3.4 engine swap

[Bandit86]

So before i begin bandit is a 86 had the 2.8/ax5 with over 270,xxx miles ! Although running decent apart from some carb issues , low compression and major oil leaks it was time to retire the old 2.8 . I started off this with a little research and found a pretty helpful link that answered most of my questions , but not all. here's the link for reference ..  https://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/Project_XJ/Project_XJ.htm .. so with a little bit of knowledge i began the search for a decent candidate . Found one on the ol ebay for 600 95,xxx miles and a warranty ! Pulled the trigger it arrived with the full electrical and intake system , Although i would love efi i decided to keep it carb for simplicity sake . I started the tear down of the 3.4 i pulled off upper and lower intake , all pulleys and accessories, timing cover , oil pan ect. All that was left was block and heads . I took the opportunity to reseal the engine with new gaskets . Reassembly began with  2.8 lower intake manifold , 3.4 reusable exhaust manifold gaskets , 2.8 exhaust manifolds , there is a metal plug blocking the distributor hole but if you pull it out a distributor will slide right in , 2.8 oil pan , 2.8 timing cover , 2.8 water pump , all 2.8 accessories . The 3.4 block does not have provisions for a block mounted fuel pump like the 2.8 uses to fix this issue i bought a universal electronic fuel pump mounted it on the frame and wired it to the ign switch . You will also want to install a fuel pressure regulator to keep your psi to whatever your carb requires. Now is a good time to do a full clutch kit , hard lines , slave cyl , master cyl . Make sure to have your original fly wheel neutral balanced or get one for a pre 91 s10 as i did . Since the engine is the exact same as the 2.8 it went in just like the 2.8 came out.  I trashed the old carb that was original to the 2.8 and went with a weber 38 did the first fire up set timing and made slight adjustments to the carb and she was ready to roll. This is my first post so i know it may be rough but any questions let me know ! 

[Gat'79]

As someone with a 86 2.8l Ive been looking down the road at this and you make it sound so easy. You also gave me confidence that my engine will keep going for awhile. Thank you for that.

Great job and thanks for the write up.

Do you run the carb open like that or do you have an airfilter on it or any clearence issue with the hood?

Have you considered the self turning fuel injection carbs? I certainly cannot afford it, but they are simple and there are ones for rock climbing.

Enjoy!

Enviado desde mi LYA-L29 mediante Tapatalk

[Bandit86]

15 minutes ago, Gat'79 said:

As someone with a 86 2.8l Ive been looking down the road at this and you make it sound so easy. You also gave me confidence that my engine will keep going for awhile. Thank you for that.

Great job and thanks for the write up.

Do you run the carb open like that or do you have an airfilter on it or any clearence issue with the hood?

Have you considered the self turning fuel injection carbs? I certainly cannot afford it, but they are simple and there are ones for rock climbing.

Enjoy!

Enviado desde mi LYA-L29 mediante Tapatalk
 

Thank you for giving it a read! I unfortunately don't have a picture of the air cleaner i went with but it was 30$ on ebay and clears the hood great! , ive looked into the fast efi systems for my 2nd gen camaro and have considered it as well , i havent ran into any issues with the carb loosing fuel or loading up on the trails ... yet! 😂  

[Pete M]

I've read that the 3.4L's original EFI system is rather simple to swap from the donor car. 

[Bandit86]

1 minute ago, Pete M said:

I've read that the 3.4L's original EFI system is rather simple to swap from the donor car. 

Ive read that as well fortunately i kept all of it just in case 😁 

[Pete M]

8 minutes ago, Murdermanche86 said:

Ive read that as well fortunately i kept all of it just in case 😁 

 

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