engines

[andrewsmith2004]

k im new to the forum i dont own a w body but im interested in swapping an engine outta one into my 04 cav. what is the specs on the engines available in the w bodies? most specifically the 3800 sc and the 3.4 dohc and the 3400. i appreciate any help you guys will give me on this issue.

[sl3196]

Check the main page under motors.

[andrewsmith2004]

thanks

[andrewsmith2004]

alright well i guess im dumb as hell but i cant find the topic you are talking about. please help!!!

[THe_DeTAiL3R]

http://w-body.com/motors/index.html

 

 

LOTS of info here too, just not on the 3.8s since they are 90* engines

http://60degreev6.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=17&page=1

 

Lots of people have swapped 3400s into pre-95 j-bodies, the rest would be harder due to the lack of room in the engine bay. I'm not really into j-bodies so I haven't really seen V6s in the newer ones (although I'm sure it's been done).

[andrewsmith2004]

thanks. hey to each his own. i got the j originally cause i was 17 and the idea of a new car was great. it was cheap and had a manual trans thats all i saw. i still like it but i could have made a better choice.

[DiscoStudd]

Your Cav has quite a good powerplant in it already. GMPerformanceParts sells a supercharger kit for the ECOTec (reasonably priced at $2800 )

 

You should check this PDF "book" out:

http://www.gm.com/company/gmtunersource/html/race_shop_build_book.htm

In race applications, these blocks can handle up to 1000 hp.

 

http://www.mantapart.com and http://www.rsmracing.com also sell hop-up parts for the ECOTec...

[andrewsmith2004]

i know i know. but i can build more power stock and everyone has a 4 cyl. cavs are everywhere you have to be bold to stand out. its becoming more popular mod but still not for everyone. its for me though

[DiscoStudd]

What are you planning on doing with that ECOTec after you yank it from your Cavi?

[pwmin]

go to http://www.l67swap.com. i would do the L67 swap. you'll gain more power than the other motors, have a better aftermarket, and theyre not too expensive to find.

 

again, your motor's not a bad base to start with. i would keep it and get an older cavi like a 94 Z24 and do the L67 swap. i want to get a first gen cavi and do a swap, but i want to do a turbo quad

[andrewsmith2004]

now that is a question....guess i dont know, havent really thought about it. dont even know when im going to do it. prolly not till summer.

[JoroCorona]

Too hell with a Turbo Quad. Turbo DUKE for the win!

 

Honestly, late model J-bodies really arent designed to house a V6 as big as you want. I dont even want to think about the stress on the frame and suspention.

[pwmin]

not sure what "suspention" is but you may be right about that i know L67's fit in older j's. turbo duke would handle its shit, but gain maybe 50% off of 100hp from a turbo. wow, 150hp. add 100 shit of Nitrous and you would equal a lightly modded L67. woot woot!

[DiscoStudd]

Too hell with a Turbo Quad. Turbo DUKE for the win!

You know I'm all for that! You know, the Iron Duke is the new L67, btw. Although we're totally joking about the Iron Duke, I'm not so sure a Duke would even fit in a J-Bod. It might be too wide (or perhaps too heavy.) If it were compact enough, they probably would have had Duke-equipped J-Bodies right from the get-go.

 

Back to the topic at hand.

One other thing to consider: Do they have emissions testing where you live? See, most of these engine swaps that us W-Body guys do involve dropping a newer powertrain into an older car. What you want to do is the exact opposite. If your state does emissions testing, you may not be able to get away with dropping an older motor into an almost new car.

 

I think if it were possible to shoehorn an L67 into a J-Body, the front end would be way too heavy. Not only would the suspension be stressed (like mentioned earlier) but you'd change the whole dynamics (weight bias) of the car, and not for the better either...

[pwmin]

who cares for drag racing though?

[1QUICKHATCH]

I have a 3rd gen Z24 in my shop right now that is getting a 3400 swap, but I am not the one working on it. Looks like its simple to drop in whith the coustom mount except the wiring is a pain. they are using a 93 3.1 harness and a stand alone! the 3400 is lighter than a 3800 and with the right turbo set up will put you in the mid 12 with a stock 3400!

[Vegeta]

Someone else has already done a 3400 into a newer cav. For weight, I would really consider the 3400 over the 3800. Space, i dunno if the 3800 would fit. THe L67 makes more power but your handling and braking would probably need some upgrades immediately as well.

 

Honestly, I would build the piss out of the ecotec. Thats a hell of a motor from GM. If you wanna go crazy, try dropping a 3900 in there:P Not cheap im sure.

[Bossman429]

Too hell with a Turbo Quad. Turbo DUKE for the win!

You know I'm all for that! You know, the Iron Duke is the new L67, btw. Although we're totally joking about the Iron Duke, I'm not so sure a Duke would even fit in a J-Bod. It might be too wide (or perhaps too heavy.) If it were compact enough, they probably would have had Duke-equipped J-Bodies right from the get-go.

 

A Duke will fit in the older Cavy's up to 94. They ran the same motor mount setup as the N-bodys with the Duke motor. This is also the same motor mount setup in my Beretta with the 3.1. I will be starting my duke swap at the first sign of snow here. I'm gonna S/C it though cause the Duke won't rev high enough for a turbo application.

[DiscoStudd]

Dude, what year Duke are you using? If it were me, I'd go with one out of an 80-81 X-Body. Those 2bbl Rochesters make mad power!

 

Man, imagine slapping an SC on a Duke. It'd sound like a "Turbo Diesel."

 

 

So conversely, seeing as the motor mounts are the same, you could conceivably mount a 2.2 OHV from a 92-94 Cav in an older N-Body? Not that it would make much sense given all of the work involved, but if you had a 1G Grand Am and wanted to improve the reliability, fuel economy, and "winter startability" (not to mention boosting the HP a tiny bit) then the 2.2 would make for a nice little "upgrade" over the 'Duke.

 

Wonder if the ECOTEC would fit in a 1G GA without major motor mount fabrication? An 89-91 Grand Am SE with a Supercharged ECOTEC and a 5-speed under the hood would be a sweet little project...

[Bossman429]

Dude, what year Duke are you using? If it were me, I'd go with one out of an 80-81 X-Body. Those 2bbl Rochesters make mad power!

 

Man, imagine slapping an SC on a Duke. It'd sound like a "Turbo Diesel."

 

 

So conversely, seeing as the motor mounts are the same, you could conceivably mount a 2.2 OHV from a 92-94 Cav in an older N-Body? Not that it would make much sense given all of the work involved, but if you had a 1G Grand Am and wanted to improve the reliability, fuel economy, and "winter startability" (not to mention boosting the HP a tiny bit) then the 2.2 would make for a nice little "upgrade" over the 'Duke.

 

Wonder if the ECOTEC would fit in a 1G GA without major motor mount fabrication? An 89-91 Grand Am SE with a Supercharged ECOTEC and a 5-speed under the hood would be a sweet little project...

 

It's all about motor mount setup if you want drop in swaps.

A 2.2 OHV 91-94 Cavy motor will sit in place of a Duke, or 3.1. They all ran the same motor mount setup. That's a dog bone on the bottom from trans to subframe. Trans mount on the top of the trans to the frame (this is the mount that prevents J/L/N bodys from using the TGP crossover) and two front motor mounts on each side of the motor. They have all had this motor mount setup on 85-91 N's ?-94 J's and 87-91 L's.

 

Yeah after I get the Duke in I hope to be running ~110 WHP. which is about 10 more than the 3.1 that is in the car now. With projects like this, it's not about adding 10 HP, it's about the SOUND and the increase in aftermarket support fer sure.

[Bossman429]

The Ecotech runs a different motor mount setup than the 1G grand ams had. It wouldn't be a walk in the park swap like a duke, it'd be like trying to put a 3100 in there as they have a similar mount setup like in the 95-99 N bodys, would have to fab some fabulous brackets and such.

[manitcor]

the 3400 swap in cavis has been done alot, stock youll run a high 14 with a 3400. The l67 would be a good option and has been done atleast 3 times that I know of in j-bodies. All run about 14.0 with a stock l67.

 

you might want to check out http://www.j-body.org/