1981,22r engine
- Thread starter vondek
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KidVermicious
New member
Tune it up. Get it in the best shape it's been in 20 years, and drive it for another 20.
If you absolutely had to pep up that motor, bolt on some fuel injection. But honestly I wouldn't even do that - if the 22r isn't enough for you, a 22re wouldn't be either. A motor swap is your best bet for power increases.
Love those old pickups, lets see some pics!
If you absolutely had to pep up that motor, bolt on some fuel injection. But honestly I wouldn't even do that - if the 22r isn't enough for you, a 22re wouldn't be either. A motor swap is your best bet for power increases.
Love those old pickups, lets see some pics!
Bad_Vision
Moderator
agreed the 22r is not a power house nor is the 22re but they are decent and dependable.
you need to supply more info like why you need more power?
if you are running big tires and stock axle gears then yes your going to feel way under powered but that can be fixed with bolt on parts and thats called a re gear. 4.88 ratio is common for daily drivers and 5.29 is for offroad and crawlers mostly.
you need to supply more info like why you need more power?
if you are running big tires and stock axle gears then yes your going to feel way under powered but that can be fixed with bolt on parts and thats called a re gear. 4.88 ratio is common for daily drivers and 5.29 is for offroad and crawlers mostly.
fourwd1
Moderator
If your 81 engine is completely original, you could bolt on things all day long and it wouldn't make much difference.
Your engine is 31 years old and worn the heck out. Spending any money on anything other than rebuilding it is like using $1000 bills to light your cigarettes.
That's reality.
Swapping in a different, bigger engine like a V6 or V8 will get you tons more HP, but also cost tons more than a rebuilt 22R.
stevec5000
New member
I found that replacing the useless stock carb with a Weber made a big difference in performance on my pickup. In stock form it had no acceleration and would barely go over 65. They come standard with a 2-barrel carb but I don't think the larger secondary barrel ever worked. Also the engine would slow down when the AC kicked on because the solenoid that's supposed to speed up the idle a little wasn't connected from the factory. I found it loose on the back of the carb when I took it off. There was a huge return spring on the carb that made it hard to press down the gas pedal and just removing that made a difference. After the stock carb got so old and in such bad shape that I couldn't make it work anymore I picked up a used 2-barrel Weber for $20 at the old car swapmeet and put it on. The Weber is not a direct fit but they have mounting kits that include the necessary adapter plate and throttle linkage hardware on ebay. The Webers are used on VW based sand buggies and are pretty easy to find used. It was pretty dirty but after I cleaned it up it looked good. A used one may need to be overhauled and you can get overhaul kits on ebay too but mine was fine with just a cleaning. It took me about a year to get the jets adjusted correctly but now it goes like crazy and when I floor it and that secondary barrel kicks in it really takes off!