Greetings and thank you for activating my account I need some expertise and overview...thank you in advance !
I've always been a fan of the 4.3 engine and have owned several in my lifetime to date. Currently I have a 1995 GMC 1500 pickup truck with 4.3 Vortec with the Z engine code and 5 speed standard transmission. The motor has passed on to the non living status I have removed it from the pickup. I have a donor vehicle with a sweet running 4.3 in a 96 Chev Blazer 4X4 with a W engine code and automatic transmission. Can I transplant the W code engine into my Zcode pickup truck without too much trouble ? If so can I utilize the standard flywheel from the Z onto the W without expecting engine vibration or "shake" ? I see the oil pans are different of course. Any and all input is greatly appreciated. I hope Im in the correct forum. THanks.

The 4.3 in a '96 Blazer is a different animal than what is in the '95 Blazer. I don't know exactly what is interchangeable, but quite a bit changed between the 2 years on the * Platform alone.

I also don't know how this correlates to the full size trucks. Wikipedia suggests that even the '95 * Series made 30hp more than the full size truck v6.

Hopefully someone chimes in with more information, but I am definitely concerned with compatibility.

I believe the 1995 engine code Z refers to the engine being equipped with Throttle Body injection........not necessarily the identity of the engine family.

The W code engine indicates that this engine is more powerful than the other X code engine available from GM. The difference between the W and X engines is the cam shafts.

There is a certain year that a balance shaft was incorporated into the design of the 4.3L v6. I don't remember which years though. The difference with the balance shaft equipped engine is that the timing chain cover is designed differently. Which could be a potential problem in regards to the engine brackets, water pump, etc....

The mid 80'* 4.3L v6 engines.........thier V angle is 90 degrees. It'* basically a Chevy 350 with the two front cylinders gone.

The later (newer) 4.3L v6 engines.......thier V angle is 60 degrees. The "Vortec" designation is more of a reference to the cylinder head combustion chamber design, not necessarily the engine block design. It is possible to put vortec heads on a non vortec engine provided that the vortec specific intake manifold be used with the vortec heads.

If both engines are 60 degree vortec v6'*, the swap will work. I would be more concerned with the 1995 truck being OBD1 and the 1996 engine being OBD2

No, they were all 90* V6'*. In 1996, they started using Vortec heads and a different oil pan.
Considering both blocks are the same, you could in theory transfer over the heads and intake system over to the new engine. Honestly, I wouldn't know how to go from a TB injector to CFSI injection. Which is junk anyway.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genera...2%B0_V6_engine