Quote
I'm pretty sure the caravan/k-car 2.6l was a narrow block, but to swap a v6 you would need a new tranny (just to start, not too mention fuel/exhaust/electrical mods). different bell housing. to swap a 4cyl to a v6, the consenus is to do the GM 4.3 engine/tranny/transfer swap from the S Series blazer/pickup (you can find rusted out blazers that still run great just about every where).


The Caravan block is close to matching up to a manual tranny block and 87 later auto but only 3 of the four bell housing bolts line up. Some people have done this... Sounds pretty hack to me. I have used Caravan motors for parts since the cranks are the same and they make a great turbo crank if you get one nitrided.

If you have a 87 or later auto you can swap the bellhousing and get the V6 to bolt up to the tranny. The motor mounts will be off a little and require some fabrication.

SO on a 87 and later auto its a lot easyier to swap in a 3.0 V6 than a 4.3. The reason the 4.3 is favored is despite being more work it gets you a bigger bump in displacment and you have a better chance of finding a good used motor. Also in general the rebuild of a 4.3 will be less expensive than a 3.0.

Stock the 3.0 is a nice jump up from a 2.6. The 2.6 is also a good cantidate for a turbo conversion since the Starion used the same basic motor and had a factory turbo.

Kevin C

87 Turbo Intercooled Raider, roller cam, torsen rear diff, LSD front diff, lockup auto with modified converter, V6 brakes, low transfer case gears...