Best engine in the world

4.3 Chebby. I have one in the shop now, 95 Astro, 259,600 miles. Just changed the original factory cap, rotor and spark plugs. Someone did change the wires out once. This is probably the 5th or 6th 4.3 I've had in here in the last several years with over 200k on factory ignition stuff. A Frickin mazing.

Maybe, but I still like my 1982 ambulance's 460 cid carbureted engine. Drove it last month for the first time in over a year, and it ran perfectly.

4.3 is a SBC with two cyls lopped off. Proven design and non-stressed components. The Buick GNX uses the 4.3 with low comp pistons and a turbo and I have seen videos of 1000HP+ from them.

Atlas donkey engine. I know a guy who dug one out of a gold mine where it had sat buried in the tailings pit for 80 years and all he had to do to make it run was clean it off and wash it down...

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Jay Woodward
Snohomish, WA
'90 Mazdog Frankenprotege
Chronologically, 46...

eh my audi has 242k. im going for 300!

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First Rally: 2010 First RallyX: 2004 (a bunch)
Driver (0), Co-Driver (7)
Organizer (3), Volunteer (3)
Cars Built (2.5), Engines Blown (2) Cages Built (0) # of rotations (3.5)
Last Updated, Apr 9, 2023

I gotta say going a qtr mil on the oem dizzy cap is pretty dang impressive...did replacing it make it go better?

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Jay Woodward
Snohomish, WA
'90 Mazdog Frankenprotege
Chronologically, 46...

Caterpillar 3306.

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Robert.

"You are way too normal to be on Rally Anarchy." Eddie Fiorelli.

Quote
Jay
I gotta say going a qtr mil on the oem dizzy cap is pretty dang impressive...did replacing it make it go better?

Yup. It was barely running, kicking back on the starter when starting. #5 plug had no center electrode left. Still have a dead cylinder but does run now. I'll check compression tomorrow but kinda suspect an injector problem. Lady told me she was from the 'if it ain't broke dont mess with it' school. Guess it worked for 250,000 miles. Better check the oil also...

the vw 1.8t.









oh wait, you said best........not worse.

Quote
heymagic
4.3 Chebby. I have one in the shop now, 95 Astro, 259,600 miles. Just changed the original factory cap, rotor and spark plugs. Someone did change the wires out once. This is probably the 5th or 6th 4.3 I've had in here in the last several years with over 200k on factory ignition stuff. A Frickin mazing.

No kidding? If you get over 80k on a cap and/or rotor on one of those, it's a miracle. 'Round here anyway.

OTOH, boss's mother's 3.8 Series II engined Impala started turning the low oil pressure light on. No pressure at idle, 30psi at 1850, spec is 60. Progressively pulled stuff off for inspection until we had the timing cover off and verified that everything pressure-wise looked okay. Dammit. So, I yanked the mill out of it (of course, it's a California emissions car, meaning lots of PITA in the way unlike 49-state engines) and what we find is the #3 cam bearing ate itself.

The main and rod bearings, however, look brand new. No scoring or discernible wear. We're going to pop new cam bearings in it, clean the can journals, and throw it back together, see if it goes another 230k miles...

(and then there's the no-compression no-cam 5-cyl in my VW which turned something like 360k this weekend... it won't die because it doesn't make enough power to hurt itself)

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Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/03/2013 07:38PM by Pete.

Quote
SeanP
4.3 is a SBC with two cyls lopped off. Proven design and non-stressed components. The Buick GNX uses the 4.3 with low comp pistons and a turbo and I have seen videos of 1000HP+ from them.

The GNX used the Grand National engine with a fancy turbo. Nothing special about it.

The Grand National engine was a regular old "109" block BUICK engine (not a Chevy, those are for little boys because little boys wear bow ties), same rods and crank even as the 130hp junkmotors. Same COMPRESSION as the carbureted engines, too, just forged pistons and not cast.

I play with just a few GNs every year... Fun cars if you're an older guy who likes to go fast with class.

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Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/03/2013 07:41PM by Pete.

Normally we see about what you see Pete. 80k or so and the cap is so crusted or cross shorting inside, wonderfull design. The we got an S10 with 195k all stock tune-up crap and seemed like about 3 or 4 more in the next few months. Wierd as can be. Like the rare Caravan with 200k on the trans...

Those 3800s are pretty amazing too. Great power, good mileage and other than intake leaks once in a while nothing to fuss about.

Got 3 calls in the last 2 weeks on Honda V6 trannies. Oooff big problems.

I picked up an 03 astro with 150k on it for super cheap a few months ago. Some new intake gaskets and it was good to go. I'm going to see how it does on the ice at some time trials this winter.

I forgot to mention some of my favorites; one of which I have owned:

1970 Porsche 2.2 liter flat six

Late 60's early 70's normally aspirated Porsche flat 12 cylinder 917 engines.

Mid 70's Porsche 934 engine.

Damn near any Ferrari V12.

Not sure if the Group B Metro 6R4 rally car ever made it to the USA for you guys to witness, but the sound of the 3.0 litre 400hp NA V6 echoing through the woods sends shivers down your spine. So much more impressive than the modern turbo woosh and anti-lag backfiring these days.

And on the subject of sound, the BRM V16 from the early 1950s takes some beating.
Specs: 1.5 litre V16, approx 600bhp @ 12,000 rpm.

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Disappointingly not yet a Jackass