I hope this is the right thread for this question/discussion...if it is not I apologize as I am kinda new to board.

I currently own a 3rd gen (87 Formula 350 w/ plenty o' mods) and I have a friend/coworker who owns a 97 TA. He insists that our cars are a world apart but everything I read seems to imply a lot of similarities...if you all would please give me a guess of what percentage of parts interchange between the 3rd and 4th gens so that I can settle this once and for all...interesting little facts appreciated too.

P.s. Sorry if this is in wrong forum again..and thank you all for your help.

-Aaron

 

87,

Yes, you are relatively new to the boards, so, Welcome Aboard!

Since your question is quite broad ("...What percentage of parts interchange between the 3rd and 4th gens..."), this is probably the appropriate forum.

I cannot answer the question, since I've never taken the time to calculate the percentages. I can, however, identify some of the interchangable parts.

Rear axles;
Seats;
Fuel injectors;
Spark Plugs;
Most of the valve train (except the timing set);


Even though these parts are similar in dimensions and specifications, they do not have complete bolt-on interchangability:

Throttle body;
Entire rotating assembly;
Transmissions;
Brakes.

There are a lot of them I left off both lists, but this should get the ball rolling.

Again, welcome in. Don't forget to read the Rules, check the FAQ Board, and use the SEARCH feature when you get a chance. They can be helpful in getting the most out of your experience here.

 

Theres a lot of differences and a lot of similarities. It depends on what part of the car you are talking about. The rear suspensions are identical, the front is different (strut vs. SLA). The engines share the same displacement and most of the same internals, but the LT1s use Optispark distributors (sucks for them), and the water pump is driven by the cam. The LT1 is also reverse-cooled, has aluminum heads and higher compression. The intakes are worlds apart. Most LT1s use sequential fuel injection rather than the TPIs batch-fire. The rear ends are of different widths, but share the same size ring gear. The fourthgen auto (4L60E) is an electronically-contolled version of the 700R4, they are very similar, manual trannies are very different component-wise. The interiors are completely different, but a lot of parts will interchange with little or no hassle. Pretty much anything can be interchanged, it all depends on how much time you have and how good your fabrication skills are. Hope this helps some...

 

i believe interchangable is kinda a tough term on that. more direct swapable. (if that's a word) in basic design they are similar, but in performance, they aren't even close. i've owned both and although they are similar and both f-bodies, they drive completely different. the main differences other than the obvious are the steering, front suspension, transmission, and engine.