so it's time i start looking to spend what i have saved up for an engine swap. the plan is to go pushrod 3.4 turbo (budget or else yeah i'd look into other swaps) and the work will be done by JMC motorsports here in san diego early next month. my question is about the motor. Pace Performance states on their website that because of a recent revision of the block a few years ago, there isn't enough material left to drill and tap for the starter relocation. however i know of a few Fieros that had/have 3.4 ht crate motors in them successfully. How did you guys get around the problem or is it just bs? haven't talked to JMC yet, just wondering if anyone had a quick answer. thanks fellas.

They're probably talking about the bevel on the outside edge of the "ear", where the starter will bolt.
Care must be exercised when drilling the outside-most hole, as you'll be drilling in at an angle to the beveled surface.
Using a jig to locate the bit will help.

People have been doing that for years.

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 10-17-2007).]

i'm not sure how they did it on mine, but i have a 3.4 crate motor, it was installed 3 1/2 year ago. Are you going to port anything?
Porting the exhaust manifolds are quick and easy to do with the motor out

quote Originally posted by ProjectGT: Pace Performance states on their website that because of a recent revision of the block a few years ago, there isn't enough material left to drill and tap for the starter relocation. however i know of a few Fieros that had/have 3.4 ht crate motors in them successfully. How did you guys get around the problem or is it just bs?

I didn't have a problem with starter relocation. However, I used a junkyard 3.4L bare block from a `95 Camaro as my starting point, not a crate motor. Accordingly, I can't attest to or dispute what Pace Performance says on their website about starter relocation with one of their 3.4L engines:

"Many people have asked if this engine can be swapped into Fieros, and the answer is no. The block casting was revised a few years ago, and there is no longer enough material to drill and tap to mount the starter on the opposite side of the block as is required for Fiero usage."

I've three observations in regard to the above caveat from Pace Performance:

1. That seems a very odd thing for Pace Performance to assert on their website; I'd never heard of such a limitation from anybody else.
   
   
2. As Raydar points out, people have been succesfully relocating the starter on pushrod 3.4L swaps into Fieros for years.
   
   
3. I'd be inclined to take my business elsewhere for a 3.4L crate engine because whether or not Pace Performance is right about not being able to use their 3.4L engine in a Fiero, the comments I've quoted above from their own website simply don't inspire confidence, do they? In short, if Pace believes their 3.4L engine is no good for Fieros, then frankly, I'll take their word for it, and buy one from somebody else!

Incidentally, relocating the starter to the other side of the engine block with a 3.4L swap normally is no big deal. Further, Rodney Dickman offers a useful jig of the type described by Raydar, which virtually guarantees a foolproof means to properly drill the needed holes for that starter relocation. Check out his "3.4 Swap Starter Relocation Jig Kit": http://www.rodneydickman.com/retail_new.html

Good luck with your 3.4L engine swap project!

I'd ask Ed Parks at the Fiero Factory about this. He's the expert on 3.4 PR conversions.

Mine was a factory short block bought a couple of years ago and their was no problem with the starter relocation. BTW, it is also a turbo car.

quote Originally posted by pswayne: I'd ask Ed Parks at the Fiero Factory about this. He's the expert on 3.4 PR conversions.

Second this!
Ed is among the first to have done this swap.

Also, you need to recognize that if you install the HT 3.4 in a Fiero, you have voided the warranty.
Supposedly, this has nothing to do with the starter relocation.
As the story goes, it is only EPA certified for installation in the carbed S10. Apparently GM would have to go through a bunch of trouble/expense to get it certified in a Fiero (or any EFI application) before they could sell it for that application.

Having said all that...
There are tons of HT 3.4s (and rebuilt and junkyard 3.4s) running around in Fieros.
But GM is in the business of making (and keeping) all of the money it can.
If you have an HT 3.4, and have a problem with it, GM is simply going to say "Sorry. Not a proper application. See ya'."

But since you would have to pull it out if it broke anyway, just say it is going in a carb'd s-10.

Which negates the reason to spend the extra money on the GM engine in the first place, a warranty. Personally I'd rebuild my own, especially for a turbo application with a proper cam, or have a good rebuilder do it for less money than a crate motor.

John Stricker

quote Originally posted by sardonyx247: But since you would have to pull it out if it broke anyway, just say it is going in a carb'd s-10.