V8 swap for power or turbo install

[Icuff4cash]

I see a lot v8 swaps headache with wireing is there a simple plug play with everything. By the time you buy v8 all the stuff would buying a turbo for the v6 be easer cheaper and give you power.

[Mmusicman]

Depends on your emissions laws in your state.
A carbureted V8 is simple, can get excellent gas mileage, and works GREAT!

[AstroWill]

By the time you buy v8 all the stuff would buying a turbo for the v6 be easer cheaper and give you power.

A properly done turbo would be a lot more expensive and less reliable.

[doyoulikeithere]

It would be helpful to know what year of van you are starting out with, and if it is R or AWD?
AWD has more involved than 2wd due to the different oil pan and motor mounts.
2wd is way simpler !
VIN W vans are more complicated than older VIN Z..
The 2wd Vin Z (TBI) van is fairly easy to swap a TBI v8 of the same-ish year into.
So try to get a complete running engine from a Caprice or a P/U, with all the bolt ons like TBI, Distr, sensors, intake & Ex manifolds, & you can just drop it in.
Get the ECU from the donor truck as well, or even just the chip from the donor truck can sometimes swap right into your van's ECU. Research..
I'm lucky, my 87 shares the same part number of ECU box with the v8 trucks of that era, and you simply swap the chip from the v8 truck into the v6 ECU box.

[racrx7]

Hmmmm, I've been kicking around the idea of an L33 5.3 swap.

[Mr_Roboto]

5.3L swaps are another animal entirely than a traditional SBC swap. Be sure to do your research there are a few good threads on them.

In terms of turbo 4.3 vs a bigger engine, "it depends."

If you're talking about a decent Vortec 350 there's not all that much into engineering the swap. With a turbo kit you're going to have to figure out the plumbing, but more importantly deal with the achille's heel of most 4.3L V6es which is the fuel system. You're looking at either a custom intake manifold, marine intake or a Sy/Ty intake to use injectors that will let you make real power on a 4.3L. There will still likely be some wiring and there will definitely be tuning to make it happen vs a 350 swap where you're likely just to plug a box in, tweak for gear ratios and go. Either way is doable, but even with the wiring I'd consider the "+2 cylinders" a great deal simpler and with a lot better aftermarket in terms of intake manifolds etc.