I was thinking about putting a 3800SC in my V6 car when the engine died, but I think its safely out after seeing this pic. If you don't mind cutting a hole in your firewall and plumbing the intake through you dash it would still work.

 

Well, it definately wouldn't be the easiest thing in the world to do, by any means. And since it comes up on the forum about twice a month or so we've all thought and seen the inherent problem (atleast the first one) But, adapting fwd engines to rwd applications isn't exactly the newest thing done in hotrodding. depending on your fabricating ability, a 90 to 180* elbo can be utalized prior to the throttle body, which would re-route the TB to the front of the car. And although it'd be a tight squeeze, and i mean tight, removing some hardware from your firewall and re-arranging "cleaning it" would make the job much easier. Essentially, you start from scratch, ditching what you don't want, and don't need from the present engine bay, clean everything down, cut where needed, make a small relif cut and back fill it with sheet metal and rivits, spray it down to make things look like it came from the factory that way, build your engine bay around the engine and you can make just about anything fit, but when most of us think engine swap, we think "will it drop in, bolt up, turn key, and run without any major issues?" and in the case of a 3800SC the answer will simply be "no" but i don't see it as beign the most expensive thing you could do to your car either, and in many cases and well built (truely well built, not just a cammed 350) will cost more than this would...be more work? now that's the question.

 

There is enough room in the engine bay to run an elbow/reroute intake to relocate the tb in or cars. Ask me how I know .

I've also seen pics of the swap done in a 4th gen camaro, and they have less "visable" , & probably physical as well, room to work with a swell. It's very important to get the matching pcm & have it reprogramed for your BUILT up tranny & gears, as GTPs have like, a 3.08 or even lower final drive ratio to keep thier tranny's from being fried.

 

www.camarov6.com said it was impossible with less than a 4 grand investment. They also said they never known of it being done. This is on 4th gens that already came with the 3800 motors.
They claimed there was two inches of clearance between the flange and firewall. Now it may be different on a thirdgen.

I did a little research on the subject first.

 

think if you hooked the elbow to the TB then you might have clearance issues, that's easily and extra 3-4 inches that you've lost...but i'd have to say that if you put the TB on the end of the elbowed piece, then you'd have enough room to run it, really doubt there'd be any real trouble with ti either. space wise atleast.....hey project, change of plans on your swap, get a FWD 3800 and give it a try....c'mon ya know ya wanna.

 

ideas

 

Come on guys think for a sec............

how much room is there in the engine compartment???

Move the engine forward as far as it will reach without hitting the radiator. Run 2 slim fan on the out side that blow in and wa-la.

Course you will need to move the trans forward and get a longer drive shaft and traction bar but big deal.

Just time and money. anything is possible.

 

http://members.iinet.net.au/~mgordon...arged%20V6.pdf from Holden I think,


http://community.webshots.com/album/73249682zNpxhw here you go, & onan 8cylinder 4th gen too

one more:

http://www.firebirdgt.com/SC%20Firebirds.htm

 

neat to look at, but i will say that the numbers for the 3800SC'ed car isn't exactly exciting...although they'd be quicker with a 3rd gen, don't know how much, especially since they didn't give a real estimate. A new 3800SC is pushing 260 horse so that'd be good for 14 second times in a gen 3, not bad....and i'm sure a smaller pulley and more boost could land you 13's, just don't know how long the lil thing would last. Would sure make an interesting swap, do we have any takers yet?

 

http://www.clubgp.com/cgi-asp/qtrmile.asp

And we have lower gearing

 

Like I said earlier, according to camarov6.com, there is two inches from the flange. If you put the TB on there would be negative room. In other words the TB would be inside the car. There isn't even room for the elbow on the flange if our cars firewall has the same clearance as a 4th gen.

 

http://www.thenebula.com/carpics/pic...39;%20Room.JPG

 

Thats not the supercharged motor though, if you look at the pic you can see the flange is further back than your intake.

 

This picture has no throttle body attached, notice how the flange protudes past the back of the block?

 

i still look at the pictures and believe that although it would be time consuming, and wouldn't produce much "benifit for the time" although there'd be more than adaquate power for the little car, along with wow factor, but i still have to say that it could be done if a person has enough determination. Although it'll take some work no matter what you did with that engine, there is no progress without a little suffereing, and the gained information would be nice to have also. Neway, from what i've looked at (not measured) on a 4th gen, the engine bay seems have less space. The reason it looks this way is how far back the engines sit, the rear of the back cylinders appears to be in where the fierwall would be in a 3rd gen. don't know if the actual space is really that limited, or if it just looks that way though....cut and notch the firewall, relocate accessories, include an elbow, then work out the mounts, and drivetrain.

 

Eaton makes superchargers w/the tb facing forward too

 

From what I understand from the 4th gen forums they won't bolt up. I have a few other ideas I am kicking around.