ok I know this question comes up a lot.
I have a nice little buick v-6 and a 2004r automatic.
how will this work to repower my 88 samurai?  stock running gear.  I don't hot rod it. just drive it and mild 4x4  hunting etc.
will this set up fit?
do I need to make the trans tunnel bigger with this trans?
thanks all

geez someone has to have done this?

Plenty of people have done the 4.3 Chevy swap but none that I know of have done the Buick v6 swap. I'm sure it would be a great powerplant for these rigs but you'll have to fabricate most everything to make it happen.

I have seen a couple 4.3L Sami set ups... they were a tight fit but offered a lot of power.... both of them had cooling issues so be prepared to beef up the cooling system.

Zig

geez someone has to have done this?

maybe not?? I have seen a few iron v-6 (4.3) conversion Sammy's out here and even a 302 powered one. I am a bit of a voyeur so when I see something like this I like to really watch them and study the rigs behavior. the thing ALL of them had in common was they reacted like a diesel pickup in the slick stuff (that's the majority of my wheeling background). meaning they tended to be real light in the ass and would spin everywhere. hard for the rear to push the front out of holes or over the smallest obstacle's. I remember one owner just fuming from embarrassment saying it was the dumbest thing he ever did to his samurai. I also dreamed of a 4.3 Sammy for years till' I watched the mentioned few. (the 302 rig sounded neat but was a turd)

I feel with the 4 cylinder technological leaps nowadays theres better options for a more balanced and much more fun (and affordable to drive) 

my .02 nothing more nothing less

you know I hear that more and more  that they are too heavy for the front of them.  the thing wheels so good now just hate to ruin that.  maybe i will just sit tight till  I figure out what I really want to do.   thanks.

The neatest swap I have seen is the 2.0/2.3L motors in sammys, just seems to be a perfect powerplant. Or I hear the Audi 1.8t is the best 

Ive had 2 samurais that had a 231 buick v6 one had the 200r4 trans  stock samurai t/c & stock axles & gears  the  set up was realy  good especially on the road  altho it was a little ft heavy compared to other  samurais ive had  but I wheeled them for years and they were nice rigs lots of torque & power the spitfire in my avitar had a buick engine in it for 10 years until I reciently put a  chevy vortec 4.3.
 the main problems installing them was fitting a  radiator /.cooling issues   the trans tunel does need to modified a little bit at the bottom   my samis & other rigs had spring over lifts and the oil pan/ diff. clearance was still a issue with out bump stops with a hei distributor and a gm 1 wire alt getting it running will be a peice of cake    I have a ede brock cam intake & 500cmf 4 bbl set upi could sell cheap if you do this swap  if you have any more ?? shoot me a message