![]() GM knew that new Vortec V8 engines were on the horizon and wanted to keep production costs down by having the motors share commonalities, like bearings, pistons, oil pump, and valve trains. When GM fashioned the original 4.3L V6 with the same bore and stroke as the 350 small block V8, the similarities made some nickname the new motor a “¾ short-block” (6 cylinders are 3/4s of 8). Let’s look at this little beast of an engine as GM used it to unleash the power customers needed while giving them the fuel savings they demanded. GM would use the Vortec 4300 in its lineup for nearly twenty years. To help market the new engine, GM labeled it as having Vortec technology, indicating that the engine mixed the air/fuel in a Vortex tornado-like manner. In GM’s case, a new V6 powerplant emerged that was more fuel efficient than previous engines. In some cases, automakers closed plants, moved production overseas to take advantage of cheaper labor, or redesigned engines to achieve better results. As Americans moved away from large displacement V8s and towards an increasingly growing import market, the Big Three were forced to find ways to economize. The hardships affected sales (1980 posted a 19-year low) and forced car companies to make tough choices. The engine became the standard powerplant Chevy/GMC used for many years.ĭuring the mid-1980s, automakers were beginning to emerge from the difficult years of oil embargos, rising prices, and an economy suffering from a deep recession. During its almost twenty-year production, the engine grew as fuel controls improved and emission controls tightened. The Chevy 4.3 was a V6 Vortec engine produced for the Chevy/GMC car, truck, and SUV lineup from 1985 - 2014. The Chevy 4.3L Vortec V6 engine was the undisputed ruler of Chevy/GMC pickups in the mid-80s, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have power.
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