I got a buddy trying to unload a 4.3 with tranny to me. I want to put it in but I am NOT paying $2300 to Samurai Lightning to get a bunch of overpriced stuff that I can make. I want to talk to someone who has put one in and knows what the headaches are and what needs to be made.
Anyone?

Talk to Mud-Lite. He's got a big rig. Try the search button too. I know he always gets questions.

Not sure what you need to know? If you have to ask, maybe you should be looking at lightning. No offence:flipoff2:

Motor mounts, tranny mount, t-case mount, rad, wire harness, fuel pump, shifter, drive shafts.

What axles, t-case, and suspension system are you thinking about running?

Have a game plan befor you proceed. You don't want to be changing things, like engine location half way through.

Pay particular attention to the passenger side exhaust. Its very close. You want the motor down far enough in there to alow the exhaust to pass.

You will be reworking the tranny tunnel for the 700R4.

Keep the engine as far forward as you can too!

Good luck.:D Feel free to ask any specific questions. Just don't ask me to measure shit for ya.:D

There is a guy "Ranger Rick" on the Off-Road.con/Suzuki bulletin board that has a 4.3L + auto tranny. I know it is not a Lightning conversion - you might hook up w/ him.

I have all the measurements already. I have done a few drop ins of different motors into vehicles before, but since the Samurai is so small (engine bay and between frame rails) I was getting unsure about this conversion. Then, when I found out about Lightning making a kit for it, I was getting REALLY iffy about it all. So, the trick to getting the motor in is with the exhaust manifold. So were you able to get it in with the stock manifold by just lowering it a bit? So I assume you made a custom set of motor mounts that mount on the frame rail but drop the actual bolt whole about 2 inches lower?
Did you go with electric fans?
What did you use for a radiator?
How much of the tranny tunnel did you have to cut out? The pprtion by the shifter, or just widen the portion at the firewall for the bellhousing to squeeze throgh?
What did you do for a crossmember, did you modify the original and make it sit lower and drill for new holes?
Is yours MPI, TBI or carburated? If EFI, then how much of a pain was it to wire it into the stock wiring?
I was planning on converting it to cabrurated by grabbing an intake from an older 4.3, and that way I wouldn;t hacve to worry about the fuel pump, and wiring. I heard that it is basically a two wire setup then . . .
As far as my current plans, I was going to give it a spring over with another 2-3" of lift and put 33's on her. I was going to keep the stock axles for right now until I can afford to dump money into a set of D44s.
I think with that amount of lift I should be able to clear the oil pan on the diff (if that is the problem with the conversion), but I am wondering HOW much space I will have left.

You can make some more room in the engine bay length wise by going with a shorter water pump.

I'm in the process of putting a 2000 vortec 4.3L in my zuk. THe oil pan to diff clearence with d44's might prove to be a problem depending on lift size. Keep in mind that Mudlite runs 38's (I think) and has a decent amount of lift to clear them. Mine isn't looking to be as high as his (I want mine low and stable) but I will be running 35's at least if not 37's with major fender trimming. Wiring an EFI is not impossible or even that hard if you are familiar with how the systems work and what input each component needs/provides. It isn't as easy as a carb's set up though. Keep in mind also that the rake or angle of your motor should be 4* (front to back) to get the right angle for you TBI or carb (the stock manifold has the carb on a 4* angle to allow it to be at 0* when the angle of the motor is correct.
The one thing I should add about my set is that I've made a completely custom(read widened) frame to fit mine in and to allow me to build things the way I want it.
just a few thoughts more later, (maybe)

dave
aka Shogunator

This sopunds like way to much fricken hassle. I thought I could just fabricate some mounts, swap the intake for a carnurated one, wire up two wires, grab the sawzal and cut some of the trany tunnel out and then get some mroe metal and make it higher up, drop in the motor and tranny, and then modify the original tranny crossmember and be done with it.