for all of you fabricators and such how hard would this be to swap into our car...or what kind of person would i have to talk to...to find all the work involved because i have no idea at all

 

be about as hard as it gets, just about anything would be easier, or at least not more work

 

what all would be involved? or who would i have to talk to..like who would know

 

You would need custom engine and trans mounts, have some wiring problems however you are going to run the EFI (whether a GM ECU or standalone ECU).

Then you need to figure out what style/pattern of bell housing it has since you would be longitudinal mounting it, and if there are any existing transmissions that bolt up. If there aren't, you'd have to make an adapter plate to bolt them up.

adapter plate for 700R4:

http://www.phoenixtrans.com/

northstar engine upgrades:

http://www.chrfab.com/


But the most important thing is WHY you would put yourself through the trouble.

Admittedly, DOHC all aluminum engines are neat, but relatively heavy cars need larger engines. (sorry 4.6 mustang (non-supercharged Cobra) owners).


I hope you have lots of money.

 

even though it is such a small motor it makes decent power as i was saying...the only reason i ask is because im sure i would be like the only person to do it...and someone told me that it wouldnt be any harder than an LS1 swap if i had the right mounts and such...so when you say alot of money...how much are you thinking

 

there isnt much of an aftermarket for them, so your limited on things.

 

if you are dead set on it you can look into the fiero sights that offer this swap (it's been done) I would chose some other eng. they do have there issues

 

It depends on how well you want to do it. if you would want to run crush-bent pipes up to the factory cadillac exhaust manifolds, or have headers mandrel bent, custom made that goes down to a matching exhaust.

I'm not a fabricator so I couldn't give accurate prices, but these are the major things you need to take care of.

-engine
-engine control computer
-all that wiring
-trans
-trans adapter
-custom motor mounts
-custom trans mount
-custom length driveshaft(maybe)
-custom headers and exhaust
-induction system w/filter

I don't know how you plan to do it. Are you going to get a new GM crate Northstar (I doubt it) or one from a wrecked car? There is a huge difference in price there.

One-off swaps are usually expensive, since there are no mass produced parts that simplify things.

 

www.fiero.nl People have put them in fieros and it will atleast help you with the electrical side of it. I am fairly certain you can use the 2.8 TH700R4, but you would need to beef it up.

 

i had a 95 sts with the northstar... impressive motor, but NOT near an LS1, so i'd recommend a LS1 anyday. first off they are a pain to work on in some cases, one examlpe is to change the starter(located in the dry engine valley under intake manifold) but anyway. the engine will take a 6cyl style bellhousing, so easiest would be to use a 6cyl t5 bellhousing and bolt up a built v8 t5 or a tremec T5, thats just my opinion.

....so if any of you actually get a northstar parts car, get an 94-up eldorado.... and i'll buy the chassis from you after you pull all the engine parts and wiring, I'm looking for a body to build a tubbed drag car out of)

 

Hit up the V6 forum, there is a guy there doing this swap. You can use a transmission from a v6 thirdgen (Northstar is a 60* motor like the V6's). I personally wouldn't reccomend the swap though, those motors are an absolute biatch to work on. The head bolts are well known for stripping out of the block requiring major machine work. They do idle very smooth though...

 

You can use a 2,8 tranny, but the top bell housing mounts need to be re-worked due to the starter location.
I'm not in the mood to type a novel today, but I have a northstar that's going to be used in the V-12 project. It can be a bolt in , with the right parts, use block plates. Be ready to blow cash.
you will run 4.11 gears, or 4.56's to keep the motor in it's best power range.

 

there are a lot of problems with the northstar engines that you don't want to overlook. I own one personally and i kno that they can be a real pain in the ***.
to start off, one important issue with those is the holes in the block where the heads bolt on. These can strip quite easily. When you change the headgasket, you MUST use timeserts. This is why its practically impossible to supercharge one.
another problem is that the computers are really bitchy about when stuff changes, be prepared for a lot of problems.
Good luck though
also, check out www.cadillacforums.com for additional info

 

What's that, like helicoil?

 

I was looking into this a while back, because NS motors can often be found in the junkyard, or cheaper than LS1/LT1's. You can use a 2.8/3.4 transmission, but it doesnt bolt right up. I remember something about having to drill a few new holes for the bellhousing bolts. Northstar motors are 60 degree motors like the 2.8/3.4 V6's, which is why their bellhousings can fit. While you could make a T-5 from a v6 bolt up to the motor, there is one major problem. Northstars only come with automatic transmissions, and I am 99% sure they do not have a hole in the crank for a pilot bearing. So, in order to use a manual transmission, you would need to machine out a hole (assuming there is enough room to do so) for a pilot bearing. Also, T-5's are weak enough, especially from a 6 banger. Northstars are rated around 300hp, which would easily break a T-5. You would have to make custom accesory brackets too, since the motor is originally transversally mounted. All of the accessories are crammed towards one side of the engine, towards the front. Just getting the engine to bolt in the car is a nightmare alone, and then you have to wire it up. It's a popular swap for fiero guys because they have transversally mounted engines. If I had a big metal shop and could fabricate brackets and stuff, and plenty of money and time, I would do it. But since I don't, I have up on the idea. It would be cool, but its just too much work.

 

yes, timeserts are much like heliciols
in fact, the manufacturer offers a kit specifically for a northstar head job i believe

 

yeap.... i've done like 5 of em.... you do all of the holes... should take about 1 1/2 - 2 hours... annoying

 

we just junked 2 of thos at the shop this year.....
two caddys....
the NS that seems like it would take some work....
i would just buy a hole car so you will have every thing you need...


but why even borther?