if you could put any engine/trans in your car what would swap in or what have you swaped in and why that choice?
I would do a northstar and 4speed auto because its the most powerfull matched eng and trans,and coming out of a big old caddy it should be about bullitproof in a fiero
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04:17 AM
PFF
System Bot
Old Lar Member
Posts: 13798 From: Palm Bay, Florida Registered: Nov 1999
if you could put any engine/trans in your car what would swap in or what have you swaped in and why that choice?
I would do a northstar and 4speed auto because its the most powerfull matched eng and trans,and coming out of a big old caddy it should be about bullitproof in a fiero
Ummmm, no.... Northstars being as nice as they are, are not bullet proof. Several of them from the factory have gone out with rod knocks, and there's a problem in one of the cooling mains where they like to crack, and they aren't the most powerful engine for a fiero, plus it'll take over $5,000 to swap one in with the Design 1 system kit (only one out there, unless you can make your own mounts) plus they are a biotch to wire up, even then, they still don't run right. You'd be better off with putting a small block in, or a 3800 supercharged series 2 v6, or maybe the older cadillac 4.9.
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Official Babe of The Weekend Warrior (Thanks to Tabs31)!!! In Progress Restoration/Hot Rodding of a 1984 SE, to be powered by a 4.9 Cadillac V8.
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09:58 AM
JEDI Member
Posts: 1003 From: Sunrise, Florida Registered: May 2002
I got my engine(see sig). I wanted a fuel injected small block chevy, with aluminum heads and a roller cam. I will want to do an Lt1/4 in a fiero.
Those would be my first two. I would also like to do a sc3800 someday.
I would LOVE to do a Northstar. Possibly the most unique motor for a fiero. But I would junk the GM fuel injection and make my own. And have a stand alone programable ECM. I love a sbc, but they've been done to death in a fiero. a northstar of this nature isnt done everyday.
btw: dont listen to 85fierogt. Unless someone would trade him a northstar for his playstation, tv, 4wheeler, sister, and scab collection, he doesnt like it. I was a mechanic at a cadi dealer, I never saw a northstar with a bad rod knock. I didnt see many northstar problems. Now the catera. thats a pile of sh**.
Originally posted by JEDI: Total Cost should be somewhere near $12k to $15K to have Archie do it.
Except Archie doesn't do LS1 or LS6's. At least, not yet. Hopefully that will change. Especially since GM Performance Parts has started selling LS6 crate motors, complete with a standalone computer system!
ill take World Product's small block HardCore 454, aluminum head version with 600hp and ft/lbs mated to DKOVs up comming 6 speed. I would also have to have Holley's Steath Ram injection intake with some big @$$ injectors and Accel's 1,000cfm throttle body
------------------ --Adam-- 1987 Blue GT 5-speed IM AOL: FieroGT5speed
All swaps have pros and cons. Everyone has a personal preference and opinion. It boils down to how much cash you have to spend, how mechanically inclined you are, and what your performance goals happen to be.
The Northstar is a sweet swap, it fits well and has good performance, but it's not cheap. This is a good performance choice if you like higher RPM and the high tech look.
The 4.9 Caddy is a great budget swap. It's "relatively" easy and don't cost an arm or a leg. Performance is much better than stock, but lacks power compared to the N* or Chevy small block V8.
Speaking of SBC, here is a swap that can give you lots of power. Low end and mid-range torque is nothing short of awesome. Hipo parts available for cheap everywhere you look. You do need a $2000+ kit to install it though.
Now we're down to the V6's. Hard to beat the 3800 for reliablity and power when talking about 6 bangers. Lots of hipo parts available. Supercharged version is 240 HP stock with 300 HP within easy reach. Did I mention reliability? A very nice Fiero swap option.
What else? Quad 4, 3.1 V6, 3.4 TDC, 3.4 V6, 3400, 4.3 V6, etc., etc. Like I said, what is your budget and what are your performance goals?
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02:33 PM
PFF
System Bot
DrCreep Member
Posts: 119 From: Cincinnati, OH Registered: May 2003
Not really an engine guru here, but a few ideas came to mind. If one could afford/find one, a ZR1 engine would be pretty cool. As for V6's, I like the idea of the V6 from the Grand National GNX, or the Yamaha motor from the 92-95 Taurus SHO. With transmissions, I'm wouldn't know where to go outside of simply saying 5 or six speed, with perhaps a 3.73 or 4.11 final drive.
Just some ideas... some things I haven't really seen done in a Fiero that I thought would be cool.
-Doc
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02:40 PM
Fieroboss Member
Posts: 117 From: allentown, pa USA Registered: May 2003
If I had the money to do any engine, i wanted to go with a completely worked grand national engine, add a side mount intercooler on the right side of the car, with the loudest blow off valve i can get my hands on - game-over... but since i'm a lil limited i did every modification i could to the 2.8 and next year i'm addin a turbo to that, so i'm not that far off... plus i like the fact that my fiero is quite fast and still has an original block, no insane engine swap
------------------ Ground Zero Performance http://www.groundzeroperformance.com Speed Kills - Drive a honda
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02:44 PM
California Kid Member
Posts: 9541 From: Metro Detroit Area, Michigan Registered: Jul 2001
Reasons: Looks fantastic, Slams you back into the seat, Very durable, Doesn't upset car balance or weight distribution, Awesome exhaust note, Freaks people out, and I could afford it without compromising my life style.
This letter by Scott Perkins I lifted this from the Fiero Factory (I'm sure Ed Parks won't mind) express exactly why I chose the 4.9.
by: Scott Perkins
Since getting the 4.9 V8 conversion from The Fiero Factory installed in my Fiero, I put 30,000 miles on my car. I drove my car from Cincinnati to Los Angeles and back, during the hot summner in August. I drove it through the hottest part of the desert, up long steep hills at high speed with the A/C turned on, and the temperature stayed below 200 degrees except for one five minute period when it hovered around 220 (The red line is at 240). Most of the time the gauge stayed right on 180 degrees. The engine bay even stays cooler now than it did with the original V6 engine. I drove through the mountains in Colorado at over 10,000 ft altitude. The engine had no trouble adapting to all these conditions, and ran well on the 85 octane gas they sell up in the mountains.
It was near Vail at high altitude up in the mountains that I learned my car now has more acceleration than an Audi A6 2.7 Twin Turbo($43,000). As far as the installation of the engine goes, there was only one very minor issue in the first 30,000 miles. I found a transmission line with a rubber hose clamp which had some visible fluid clinging around the clamp. It was a very slow leak, an ooze rather than a drip. The problem turned out to be a defective hose clamp which had been tightened but would not tighten up far enough. I replaced this clamp, and have had no other issues.
I have had perfect reliability so far, and the car is trouble free to use as a daily driver. No failures to start, no acting up, and nothing has come loose. I haven't even had to tighten a belt. The gauges work perfectly too. All I do is change the oil and put gas in it, then drive some more. To have this level of performance combined with such low maintenance, great gas mileage and full-coverage insurance for only $700 per year, is about as close you can get to automotive bliss in a daily driver. The Fiero Factory conversion has held up very well. Great job guys!
I use my Fiero as a daily driver, and like many Fiero owners, I wanted more horsepower than the stock engine provided. I considered many ways to boost the power, and came up with a few of my own priorities. Of course, other people will have their own priorities, but just for fun, here are mine: 1. I'm not quite rich enough to justify spending over $10,000 for an engine. I had to keep the expense down to earth. 2. I like the handling provided by the stock suspension on the 88 GT, and I wanted my car to handle the same with the new engine. 3. The more high-RPM power the better, but it couldn't substitute for low-RPM power. After all, I use the car as a daily driver. 4. My old 2.8 V6 engine was already worn out, so even if I bought a turbocharger, I would still have to buy or rebuild an engine to go with it. 5. I didn't want bad mileage. 6. It had to pass the smog check in Ohio.
One way to achieve priority #1 was to pick an engine and transmission combo which weighed no more than the stock engine and transmission. This saved me $900 by avoiding the expense of new coilover struts and stiffer springs. This weight saving approach also met priority #2, because I wouldn't have to modify the suspension. My money and weight limits eliminated the cast-iron small-block V8(5.7L) and Northstar V8(4.6L) as engine options. Both were too heavy, and in addition, one of these conversions was too pricey; guess which. As for my priority #3, the Caddy 4.9 V8 makes around 150HP at only 3000 RPM. In stark comparision, did you know the famous 240HP S2000 engine produces only 50HP at 3000 RPM, and only 25HP at 1500 RPM? This is less power at these RPMs than the original Fiero 4-cylinder. Needless to say, I didn't want a tiny engine.
BTW, the S2000 is an interesting comparison because it weighs about the same as a Fiero GT. 3000 RPM Horsepower GM 4.9 V8 150HP--GM 2.8 V6-75HP--GM 2.5 L4-61HP--S2000 VTEC 50HP 1500 RPM Horsepower GM 4.9 V8-75HP--GM 2.8 V6-38HP--GM 2.5 L4-31HP--S2000 VTEC 25HP.
The 4.9 V8 would meet priority #3, yet so would the very smooth 3.4 V6 with a turbocharger added. But since I needed a new engine anyway, the cost of the 3.4 V6 with turbo was going to be close or maybe more than the 4.9 V8 conversion. Priority #5 steered me away from the Supercharged 3800, because word on the street was the 4.9 gets better mileage. And the 4.9 has more low-RPM power, because superchargers just don't do much at low RPMs. There were a couple of other nitpicky issues with the supercharged 3800, which caused me to favor the 4.9. The alternator gets in the way of the Fiero trunk-lid lift spring, requiring the substitution of one of those leaky gas struts like you find on a hatchback. And the 3800 is an old-fashioned 90 degree V6 which is not as well balanced as the more modern 60 degree V6 (GM 2.8, 3.1, 3.4L engines). The 3800 requires a balance shaft to be smooth.
These are small issues, and honestly the 3800 might have been my choice if there was no 4.9 V8 conversion available. The only thing the supercharged 3800 had in its favor over the 4.9 was about 25 more horsepower at high-RPM compared to the stock 4.9 V8. I chose in favor of the low-RPM power and smoothness of the 4.9 V8, knowing it's always possible to add tuner parts to the V8 to get the 10% extra high-RPM power, or maybe much more.
Though I wasn't sure at the time, I can now report that the 4.9 V8 actually smog tests much better (65% less smog) than the original 2.8 engine , and it gets better highway mileage too at 28MPG. The old engine never turned more than 27MPG on the highway with the 5-speed stick shift. An additional highly important factor in my decision was the quality of the 4.9 V8 conversion available from the Fiero Factory. This has to be one of the nicest installations I have ever seen for an engine conversion. It looks just like it would look if GM had built the Fiero with this engine from the factory. I have had many people look it over and say they never new GM put V8s in Fieros. The wonderful clean wiring job is a must have item. And this conversion provides for using the factory computer, so there is no problem with emmisions control. Also the factory computer is needed to operate the electronically controlled 4-speed Cadillac automatic transmission. If you want this excellent transmission which maximizes the fuel economy of the 4.9 V8, You will need a conversion which includes the factory Cadillac computer. Oh, and there is one more little reason I had for choosing the 4.9 V8 conversion for my Fiero; it makes it fast!
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10:01 PM
GMGW3 Member
Posts: 471 From: West Allis, WI Registered: Dec 2001
just something about the sound of a sbc with like some big nasty comp cam in it....its fast and mainly just the sound of it will intimidate people.....
ooooh gotta love the glub blub blub blub glub glub blub.... as long as you can count all 8cylinders firing...thats like perfect for me
------------------ New Temporary signature til I design a new one. zr-2 hoodscoop, 6"wingstands, ARchie rocker scoops, CRX INtake..MORE
