Nice truck. Anything that old here would be rusted to death from road salt. You'll have to show us a picture when you get the cow pusher on

You've got a chevy and I got a GMC. Identical drive train as mine. Mines about as bare bones as you can get. No a/c, just an am/fm radio that doesn't work and crank windows. The headlights are different on yours. Mine is a big square. There's no reason to switch engines. Not gonna need to break a speed record are you? Mine is green not red.

Nice

Nice looking truck, bein a chevy it will give you alot yrs of enjoyment

.I have hauled alot of bumper draggin loads of wood over the yrs with a 4.3 . that lil engine will fool ya

That 4.3 is a great motor, Just make sure to keep the oil full and the oil and coolant separate. Intake leaks are pretty common.

Father -in-law owned a garage and worked on ALL makes and models and diesels
He was a million mile guy back in the day...drove big rigs all over USA...for some reason he
didn't like the little 4.3 he had in his GMC half ton. Mileage was ok around 15-17 but he felt it was under powered
Sold it for a Ford with a 460 in it....lol

Nice looking rig. I wonder what happened on the left front panel?

They sure aren't a V8. But they are good little workhorses. I've got the last of that engine family in my 2015, its rated at 300hp. More than the 5.7s were.
Mileage wasn't ever good with them. At least not much better than a V8.

Being its a Chevy, just leave the V6 in it. It'll blow up soon and you can replace it then with a V8 you can blow up.

I think a 4.3 compared to a 7.5 is a little apples and oranges

they are in very different classes

one is a good small half ton motor for not a lot of pulling trailers mine gets right about 17mpg

I used to run a Ford Dually for work with a 460 it got 8pmg but it would pull the skid steer trailer the 1/2 ton 4.3 had no business pulling

When we were blowing up engines for that stupid cash-for-clunkers fiasco, those GM v6's were some of the toughest to get to go.
They'd run after blowing a rod through the pan and block.

Chrysler minivan v6's were surprisingly tough also.

No 4 cylinder stood a chance.

Those ovah sized flares ,hide a multitude of body rot.

Just drive it...any money..other than regular maintenance stuff ..

Is a waste of money.

Congrats

Noice truck...