Ok i have decided that i want to build a turbo 3.8 but i have no idea where to start give me some ideas. My goal is 9's and faster with the right combo and a real budget of about 30,000 for the whole car i mean everything. I want this to be a mean little v6 anyway post all the links and info you guys have thanks Dave.

 

www.turbobuick.com
www.turbobuicks.com
www.gnttype.org

Stage 2 = $15000 - $20000

If I wanted to go that fast, I'd build build something similar to what Guido's doing, and go for the cubes.

 

Just remember that you have to do the entire package, not just the engine, but I say go for it, you only live once and you can't take it with you :P

 

Thanks Grease Monkey for the links but i want to go that fast and i am up for the challange because i recently found a turbo 3.8 for sale and i want to **** of some imports and mustangs in the process . I have a budget of about 25 to 30,000 for the motor and the rest of the car will be done accordingly as the funds are available thanks David W.

 

You said your goal was 9's and faster. If the turbo 3.8 you found isn't a stage, you can make it into the high nines if you're good, but faster than that and you're going to kill that stock block.

 

Your goal of 9's and faster isn't that hard to reach but it is expensive as hell.

Your looking at spending most of your budget($20-25K)on the motor,Stage 2 used blocks go for around $2K,same goes for a crank then rods,pistons,dry sump oiling,heads,and most use sheetmetal intakes - add it up and you've got over $10K in parts right there alone not including machine work.

I'm not trying to discourage you,just want to let you know that the parts you need are expensive and hard to find(scince buick has not made a stage block scince 1994).You might want to wait and see how TA Performances new alum stage 2 block($3500)comes out,they are supposed to be reproing cranks and heads eventually but the blocks are coming first.

Anyway,with a $30K budget you'd be better off going with a turbo small block in my opinion because I don't see $30K being enough to build a stage 2 car from scratch.

Steve

 

Little engines need BIG boost to make HP...

Big engines make same HP with LESS boost...

Most GN's in the low 12 and Hi 11's are on race gas. Most supercharged and turbo's V8's are running the same ET's on pump gas. Small block parts are WAY CHEAPER than Buick parts.

Hell... if you're bent on building a six, why not build a 4.3 up and stuff it with boost. i dont know if the Syclone/Typhoon stuff will bolt up in a F Body (Manifolds, etc) but hell... its bigger than a 3.8, and its a CHEVY!

Maybe I'm biased but after seeing my buddy blow up his GN 6-7 times (last combo went 11.70 @ 115, but he spun one main and one rod bearing after the fact) I think I'll stay away from 3.8 V6 Buick engines. Then again he is hardheaded so...

Hell... I cant be too biased, my daily driver is a 98 Grand Prix GTP with a 3.8 V6... difference is it has a Eaton M90 blower on top of it...

 

I think I agree with JAYDUBB in that you might as well build a V8 or Chevy V6,not because the 4.3 is bigger(typical stage motors are 4.5L)but because the part are still avalible.

If your goal were 12's,11's,or even 10's I'd say go for the 3.8 because you can do it for less than you can with a V8 but your talking stage 2 stuff here and that also means custom headers and downpipe(I forgot to mention that before but they can cost you $3K or more for nicely done SS headers)

JAYDUBB,as for your buddy I think he should come over to Turbobuick.com and learn how to race his car,there is no reason a high 11 second car should blow up 6 times - I have a friend who's been running 10.40's for 3 years now on a stock bottom end GN.

Steve

 

Are you planning on doing this to a third-gen? If I had that kind of money for a project, I would defenatly get an lt-1 vette, and get the engine rebuilt with turbos/supercharger. There are guys running 10's n/a with bored/stoked lt-1 vettes, With turbos, 9's would be no prob.
but of course, what you do with your money is your decision, not mine.


p.s. Could you send me some $$$

 

I've suggested it to him MANY times. He likes the GN T-Type.org site. And he likes to listen to his buddies. I dont have much experience with the GN stuff but common sense is common sense.

He sprayed it... overboosted it... over cammed it... just plain over did it. Why exactly he wont go to that site is a mystery... He had M&A heads on it at one time and was still running a stock turbo. He couldnt figure out why it wouldnt go faster than a 13. He traded the M&A's for a set of ported stock heads (I think his "buddy" tricked him into letting those heads go...), put a TA-54 (I think it was a TA-54) on it and went 11.70. I told him he shouldve kept the M&A's...

 

Why not just go V8? When it comes to running nines you could do it pretty easily with a V-8.

Run a 400 with about 8:1 compression and pump it full of boost with a supercharger...

I won't go into details but I believe it could be done for close to 10k-12k.

Guy at my work recently ran a 9.80 is a 3700 pound four door. So imagine what you could do with a similar engine in a lighter body.

 

sucks that $ can't buy brains

not too sound mean but he should've done much research before modding his engine, like steve said there is NO reason why an 11.70 motor has blown up that many times...we know people running faster than that without any problems

but back to the topic here, high 9's is doable but a Stage block is an almost must to run 9's consistantly without grenading the block.

I'd say a twin turbo stealth or minirammed 383 or 406 would look nice in a thirdgen

 

I have roughly $13k in my engine build. But that is to stick my engine on a motor dybo and run it. short block, heads, cam, intake, TB, injectors, fuel pump, Speed Pro, turbo, headers

I am very optimistic that it will run 9's. I would not pick a factory cast block to do it though. At least the route I took. I had a 400 and then bought an aftermarket Dart block to toss my stuff into since I had a good rotating assembly.

A factory 350 block properly prepared (meaning filled, splayed steel caps, etc.) could take the abuse provided it had little core shift.

Good luck.

 

Well it was just an idea but i will probably stick to my original plan a all aluminum turbo v8 anyways it's going to be about the same price for either one.

 

aluninum engine=big bucks

 

With 30k I'd be looking for an LT5 and a blower.

 

you might wanna check this out

Twin Turbo Stage 2