Im just wondering, what are the easiest engine swaps for third gen cars besides the obvious V8 route? I know of the 3.4 swap, as well as the 3.8 turbo buick swap but how easy is it to do and what things need to be considered? Has anybody done or heard of any other swaps into these cars, such as the motors from the syclone/typhoon? etc...?

 

I've heard/seen of a few 3800 Series II swaps from teh 4thg en cars.........

 

Do you know if those 3800 engines bolt up to the stock transmission or does that need to be changed???

 

direct bolt up. jsut remeber, the 94+ auto's are computer controlled, as the 93 are just the renamed 7004r.

5speeds are pretty much the same, maybe a bit beefier, and use electronic speedo's

 

how do the 3800's fit in the engine bay? do u know of any websites or other places where I can read more about this particular swap?

 

Do a search inthis forum on 3800 swap. I have a bunch of threads/posts on it, along w/at least 2 others iirc.

There was a lot more room inthat engine bay w/that engine in, even more than the 2.8/3.4 I had.

 

I'm putting in a 2002 3.8L

As for room.... more up top, less down low.

The a/c box does not fit in its stock location (hits heat shields on the manifolds), the a/c compressor will not fit in the stock location, the newer/header style manifolds came too close to the suspension/frame for my tastes, and I didn't see my stock engine mounts working... but Project 85 made his work one way or another. I fabricated my engine mounts, as well as the brackets to mount the a/c compressor up top. I'm also having to move the a/c box on the firewall over about a half inch to clear the manifolds.

99+ have electronic gas pedals, which technically do bolt up, do not fit on the firewall at the correct angle without making a bracket, which I also did. The 99+ ETC throttle body does not line up with the ram-air(ish) intake on Camaros and it's too close to really create anything to line up without a hardcore bend in it... I'm trying to decide what to do with mine. I might end up just using one of the stock firebird intakes and move my battery to the driver's side of the engine bay.

The power steering reservoir, which is not part of the power steering pump on my engine, also needs to be addressed. It's mounted to the frame rail in a 4th gen. Basically right where the steering is on a thirdgen. It just needs to be mounted somewhere else, but still an issue.

I'm putting the 4th gen dual fans on mine, which will require an lt1 radiator shroud like a friend of mine's has:


As for wiring, I'm not sure how difficult splicing the 4thgen stuff into 3rd gen stuff would be. I've got a 4th gen dash and stuff... I actually got the front clip of a 2000 V6 Camaro... so I've got all/most of the parts I need including cruise control and stuff.

This is the a/c box hitting the manifold (which is the 95-98? non-tubular manifold):


The electronic gas pedal bracket. Also had to cut the steering wheel brace a little bit:


This is what mine looks like so far:


....I hope this helps a little in making your decision

 

wow!!! Looks great so far.... How far away are u from having it completed and about how long have u been working on it?

 

My old 3.4 died at the end of Jan, but real working time.. I honestly have no idea. I think I've had the 3.8l for a little less than a year? Too much going on though.. work.. classes.. etc. I'm also painting the car Sonic Blue, which is why the engine bay is blue (SVT Blue). I was stuck for some time because I was in need of a bunch of parts from the front end (wiring, mostly) and I didn't want to piece things together from random cars.... so I had to wait for either a wrecked car or a front clip, which I ended up getting.

I took out the windshield and found some rust... just sandblasted that today. While the windshield is out I'm going to do the a/c box relocation... having the windshield out will help working with both sides making sure they match up. I've never done anything like this before and no one else that I've seen has had one driving.... so it's hard to say how long before it runs. Once it runs and is programmed/tuned then I'm making a STB and SFC's for it... then starting bodywork and paint. It'll be a few months at least before mine is "done." The biggest deal was dealing with the heat and a/c stuff. If I'd have just tossed it, I could have saved a lot of time. It really depends on what all you want to keep working.


-Bud

 

a/c delete box should help w/clearance issue in back. those black brackets are for hoisting (if you use them. i iremoved mine) 95.5~99(iirc) had teh stock exhust logs, later yrs got the tubulars. If not needing a/c, use my belt routing.

splicing into the later yr 3rd gen wiring will be easier than my splicing and rewiring for a later yr dash cluster, which had the guages in different spots than the 85 mechanical speedo cluster.

 

I'm doing a buick V6 (FWD style) next as well. I did a Buick 350 once, how much worse could it be? heheh

Project 85 2.8 Bird; why are you selling? You have a time limit on that sale?

I'm curious because I'm leaving Afghanistan (finally) and I'll be back in w. OH in about a month or so...

Just curious!!

 

I wanna do a swap cuz i gotta need 4 more power but I don't know wat route to go... I've asked around and I hear mixed opinions about the v8 swap. Some say it's hard and complicated, others say it's easy. So i'm thinkin of sticking with the V6 but i dont think the 2.8/3.1 is worth the time and effort and the 3.4 won't be that much of an inprovement. So NOW i'm thinkin 2 go with the Buick 3.8 Turbo from the TTA or the grand national but i'm not very mechanically inclined. I dont know what exactly will I need to perform the swap and I dont wanna go into a shop totally clueless?

 

Dude, if you're not mechanically inclined this may not be for you.

I can tell you that if you swap to a 3.4 long block (block and heads) you WILL be happy with it! Follow the instructions in the FAQ section and you'll be set.

Engine swaps aren't just for people that are mechanically inclined; they're for people whose brain needs the release of artistic expression that can only be acheived by putting an engine that does not belong there under the hood of our cars. That's a nice way of saying that we are a little off balance...

You can do a V8 swap just as easy as anything else. If you are new at it, make sure you buy an entire parts car with a V8 already in it. That way you have every bracket, bolt, and miscellaneous part necessary.

If you are severely inexperienced but you still want to try, then go this route.

Go and buy yourself a 3.4 from a 93-97 Camaro or Firebird. Then, buy a complete 3.1 from a 90-92 Camaro or Firebird from the junkyard. Next, follow the instructions in the FAQ article about the 3.4 swap. You can then have your 3.4 engine ready to drop in BEFORE you pull your old engine out.

Sell or store your leftovers and chalk up one engine swap to your personal records. If you could handle that job, you can do a V8 next.

Good luck!