ok i have a 91 rs 3.1 and i was wondering if i should swap a motor in or beef up the 3.1 i know wut ur all thinking is he stupid.... do a swap but realy would it be that much of a pain to swap say a 350 in? i need advice on wut i should do and wut motor i should swap and how much it would cost

 

Ok people, don't flame me for this. It's just my opinion.
If you want to stick with a V6, there aren't as many parts available for modifying a 3.1 as there is for a 3.8 or a 4.3 from what I've noticed. If you want to go to a V8, there are tons of options once you swap in a 350 or better.

 

Your question is good and valid, it doesn't make you look stupid.

But that does

 

I was too busy messing with ya to throw some info your way .. so heres my take:

To do a V6-V8 swap you are going to need new exhaust and transmission... and of course a V8. Figure $2000 for a good engine, $1000 for the transmission, $100 for the exhaust (stock manifolds and y-pipe)... gets pretty expensive. I could be leaving some stuff out.

Unless you are really attached to your car... it might just be cheaper and easier to sell it and just buy a V8 equipped car. I ran into the same thing with my cars... I want TPI, a good rear(3.42p), and really nice paint. Rather than spend all that money to make my 87 how I wanted it... I just bought an 85 IROC that had everything I wanted (except a 350... but the 87 has one and its going in the 85).

So there my 2 cents.

 

wut about a new wiring harness or i dont need?

 

wut about the old 3.4 swap? can those things realy pump out the juice? or should i just go for a 350?

 

WHAT (sheeesh) you should do is get a GM performance parts catalog from a dealer, or online. They have lots of stuff to make that 3.1 fun to drive. You could even think about putting a turbo on it if you got real ambitious. Secondly, the 4.3 has the same bellhousing pattern as a SBC, so you'd need to get a new tranny there too. One more thing to think about. The 3.1 is a 60* engine, so it's naturally balanced like a 90* V8. The 4.3 and 3.8 are both 90* V6s so they tend to vibrate and carry on and be hateful. Also the 3.8 does not bolt into an F-bod. I'll leave you with this. Make up your mind what you want the car to do, then start spending money.

 

Depends on what engine you want.

Fuel injected... yes you will need a harness.

Carb... nope.

 

"Also the 3.8 does not bolt into an F-body."

What are you talking about? From what I understand, the TTAs came with a turbocharged 3.8. Last I checked, TTAs are F-bodies.

 

Use the search key. There are a lot of people who have looked into the 3.8 turbo swap with little success. The few who have done it had a rough time doing so. Motor mounts are different, you have to use the 2004r, plus lots of other BS that makes it hard. Not something for a rookie to do.

 

a mechanic told me that most 3.8's are fwd, and not turbocharged

 

Well, he was half wrong. All turbo buicks and TAs had 3.8 buick turbo engines. Lots of buicks and Malibus also came with RWD buick V6s. It also comes in the new GTP, the Reatta, and lots of other GM FWD stuff.

 

Whoa, whoa, whoa ATOMonkey. Don't tell me to "use the search key" like I'm some kind of junior member or something. Just because people have had little success putting a 3.8 into an F-body, doesn't mean it isn't possible, as you stated. The TTAs came with 3.8s, so therefore it is possible. This guy asked for advice and I gave him mine. If you don't like it, then just tell him the cons of it. If everybody thought as narrow mindedly as you, we wouldn't end up with as many creative combinations as we have now. These boards are meant to help people with their cars, not for people to get on here and treat people they don't agree with like crap.

On a more pleasant note.....NeXg3N, your only limits should be you mechanical abilities and of course money.

 

omg it's almost as tense in here as the appearance and detailing and body and interior boards!

one thing that may help is to state that the older 3.8's, that the GN's and TTA's had, would make a very easy (as far as harness and bolting in) and very awesome swap/mod for nexgen. the newer 3.8's however, as in the 3800 series that powers current V6 firebirds and grand am's and such, would not be as fun an engine to swap over.

good luck to you whatever you choose, but unless you're uber-attached to that V6 car you should honestly get a 350 car, running or not, for the swap. my $.02

 

I'm the least narrow minded person here.
I'm the one who wants to put a 2.3 quad 4 turbo in a 3rd gen.
I also want to build a dual stage TT 302.
I'm also the last guy to suggest a block swap as a 305 performance upgrade.

I was just being realistic. Swapping to a 3.8 from a 3.1 is no walk in the park. There is absolutely nothing similar between the two engines other than they both have 6 cylinders. One is a 60* block, the other is 90*. One is chevy the other is buick. I don't even think that they use the same sensors. It's not like doing a 305 to a 350 swap. Going to a 350 from a 3.1 is even easier and probably less expensive. This guy just wants more performance and enjoyment out of his car. He doesn't want to set the hotrodding world on fire, and probably doesn't have the means, or the wallet to do it.

I suggest you calm down a little. This is just the internet.

 

"2.3 quad 4 turbo in a 3rd gen"
Interesting.....

"This is just the internet"
I agree. I was a little tired and cranky when I posted that. I apologize. This is a great place for lots of good information, and I'm just tired of seeing the new guys get mislead, and told to "use the search button" when I myself even have trouble sometimes finding what I'm looking for, even using the search button.