Hey guys, Got a friend of mine who just bought a 1987 Fiero with a 91 Ferrari Testarossa re-body kit. Fantastic kit - really sweet. The car came with an engine swap completed - 3800 SC2 with a 4 speed Muncie Transmission. He's having tranny issues and wants to replace it altogether. The engine is solid - what transmissions are available for this engine?
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11:42 AM
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jb1 Member
Posts: 2146 From: Tullahoma, Tennessee Registered: May 2003
Automatics are the best way to go when it comes to 3800 swaps, but you might have to change over to a obd2 engine management if he used obd1 for the swap, which was/is common.
The auto that you would want to use would be found in any series 2 supercharged car 97-02.
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12:52 PM
Sep 30th, 2007
Austrian Import Member
Posts: 3919 From: Monterey, CA Registered: Feb 2007
The way i see it there are 3 tranny's for 3 mind sets: 1) what you take out, you put back in. its an easy swap considering you just replace the tranny. and you wont need to worry about mounts or linkages or gear selection problems. Benefits: simple, no worries. Drawbacks: likely expensive considering that they are getting rare (ish).
2) Something more common; you could swap in a getrag 282 5 speed from a V6 Z24 cavalier with the 3.1. its a bit harder but its cheaper. Benefits: 1 more gear, its easier to find, and likely cheaper to buy . Drawbacks: mounts are custom, linkage brackets are custom, and the shifter feel might suffer.
3) go out and get a 6 speed for the Ferrari. the 6 speed from the G6. they can be found in a junker (rarely), best bet is ebay or archie or anyone else with one laying about. Benefits: you have 6 gears like a real Ferrari, its more efficient, more variety, is really cool in my opinion. Drawbacks: i dont know if anyone has got one working, you'd have to check into that one. too rich for my blood, 500$ per tranny, then you need the clutch, the linkages, the shifter, etc. it could be a pain.
The way i see it there are 3 tranny's for 3 mind sets: 3) go out and get a 6 speed for the Ferrari. the 6 speed from the G6. they can be found in a junker (rarely), best bet is ebay or archie or anyone else with one laying about. Benefits: you have 6 gears like a real Ferrari, its more efficient, more variety, is really cool in my opinion. Drawbacks: i dont know if anyone has got one working, you'd have to check into that one. too rich for my blood, 500$ per tranny, then you need the clutch, the linkages, the shifter, etc. it could be a pain.
The gear ratios of the G6/F40 6 speed transmission also suck for performance. 1st is too short unless you have an engine that likes to rev, and if you do have an engine that likes to rev, the RPM drop when shifting to second will very likely bring you back out of your power band. Repeat similar problems with 3rd-5th. The 6th gear is great for getting excellent highway/interstate mileage, though.
It's a shame it was designed for vehicles 700+ lbs heavier and significantly less sporty than a Fiero.
[This message has been edited by Fiero Brick (edited 09-30-2007).]
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03:27 AM
darkhorizon Member
Posts: 12279 From: Flint Michigan Registered: Jan 2006
honestly, now we have access to factory transmissions that handle the power we can make, the gearing is really a huge letdown, and even with massive power, your 1/4 mile times will be significantly behind any autos assuming the same wheel HP. I would say that if you made 700horsepower to the wheels with a 6speed, then put that same 700hp into an auto, you would be significantly faster. the only problem with this equation is the huge difference in parasidic loss due to the transmission, the output power of a auto is significantly less than the output power manual, to the tune of 15%, which could mean a 100+WHP differnce between a manual and an auto at those levels.
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02:01 PM
darkhorizon Member
Posts: 12279 From: Flint Michigan Registered: Jan 2006
------------------ [16:58] davepettinelli: mine's got a court-apponted psychiatrist [16:58] davepettinelli: yay girls [16:59] GTPimpin: mine whines alot [16:59] GTPimpin: her name is fiero
Automatics are the best way to go when it comes to 3800 swaps, but you might have to change over to a obd2 engine management if he used obd1 for the swap, which was/is common.
The auto that you would want to use would be found in any series 2 supercharged car 97-02.
why would he have to change ECMs? he can just use a 4t60e HD from a 91-95 caddy with a 4.9L, or from a buick park ave ultra or grand prix/monte carlo ss with a series 1 3800SC
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04:06 AM
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Oct 5th, 2007
Austrian Import Member
Posts: 3919 From: Monterey, CA Registered: Feb 2007
How about the F-35 tranny? I know it's a 5 spd, but it has an LSD option. IIRC it also has a 6 speed option with strait cut synchronized gears by quaife. So it would be the best of both worlds.
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12:52 PM
darkhorizon Member
Posts: 12279 From: Flint Michigan Registered: Jan 2006
why would he have to change ECMs? he can just use a 4t60e HD from a 91-95 caddy with a 4.9L, or from a buick park ave ultra or grand prix/monte carlo ss with a series 1 3800SC
as why I said might, because its a better idea to go with a 65e trans, as they are very well known for their strength out of the box, and near unlimited upgradeablity.
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01:15 PM
aaronrus Member
Posts: 870 From: bradenton, FL USA Registered: Nov 2003
as why I said might, because its a better idea to go with a 65e trans, as they are very well known for their strength out of the box, and near unlimited upgradeablity.
ehh, thats debatable, but this thread isnt about debating the 4t60eHD vs. the 4t65e, so i will drop it
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09:40 PM
Oct 6th, 2007
Dennis LaGrua Member
Posts: 15145 From: Hillsborough, NJ U.S.A. Registered: May 2000
honestly, now we have access to factory transmissions that handle the power we can make, the gearing is really a huge letdown, and even with massive power, your 1/4 mile times will be significantly behind any autos assuming the same wheel HP. I would say that if you made 700horsepower to the wheels with a 6speed, then put that same 700hp into an auto, you would be significantly faster. the only problem with this equation is the huge difference in parasidic loss due to the transmission, the output power of a auto is significantly less than the output power manual, to the tune of 15%, which could mean a 100+WHP differnce between a manual and an auto at those levels.
and the other points - No human can shift as fast an an automatic can. There is a reason why automatics rule in most drag race classes. You just jam that sucker to the floor and hold on!
------------------ 87GT 3.4 Turbo- 0-60 5.2 seconds 2006 3800SC Series III swap in progress Engine Controls, PCM goodies, re-programming & odd electronics stuff " I'M ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
and the other points - No human can shift as fast an an automatic can. There is a reason why automatics rule in most drag race classes. You just jam that sucker to the floor and hold on!
