I know The Fiero Factory is in the engine swap business, and their five year old website quotes "start to finish" prices for two engines, neither of which are particular appealing to me (3.4 and N*). Does anyone know what they would charge to do a 3800SC or LS4, both using the Getrag trans?
First of all TFF only used to install two upgraded engines and the standard 2.8 L V6 as well as the Duke I4. One upgrade engine was a 3.4 liter push rod type and the other was a Cadillac 4.9 engine. Give the owner (Jeremy) a call and see if he is willing to do other swaps and/or what his current price is for this work. Phone number is listed on the web site but is 256 420 5391 based on my old directory.
Note: Edited to change V4 to I4 for technical correctness.
Nelson
[This message has been edited by hnthomps (edited 10-12-2015).]
I knew Ed Parks fairly well when he owned the Fiero Factory and they did turn-key 3.4L and 4.9L swaps. Their swaps were in the $6K-$9K range depending on what you wanted. Today a turn key 3800SC swap would probably cost you $8,000 to $10,000 and an LS4 closer to $12-$15 K. Again depends on what you want and the condition of the power train you use. . The guy that now runs TFF seems to have little interest in these swaps. Last I heard he was focusing on other brands of cars but you can still call and ask. The best guy to consult is Ryan from Sinister Performance. He is still doing the 3800 and LS4 swaps. There are also other guys on this forum that are doing these swaps so ask around. We have not done a commercial 3800 swap in a while as it takes many hours of work to complete and loads of fitting and fabrication. Just too much hassle and parts for what people expect to pay.
------------------ " THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Spintech/Hedman Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, HP Tuners VCM Suite. "THE COLUSSUS" 87GT - ALL OUT 3.4L Turbocharged engine, Garrett Hybrid Turbo, MSD ign., modified TH125H " ON THE LOOSE WITHOUT THE JUICE "
First of all TFF only used to install two upgraded engines and the standard 2.8 L V4 as well as the Duke V4. Nelson
Not to be a jerk, I'm really just curious why people do this? The Duke, like most other 4 cylinder engines is not a V engine. The Duke is a I4. V means the pistons are arranged in a 2 bank V pattern such as a 60o or 90o V6 or even the VW VR6 which only has 10o or 15o of offset between the cylinders in each bank. The Duke however has all of it's cylinders in a straight line, they are not offset into 2 banks, it's all one bank. Those kind of engines are called Inline and represented as such by designating them as I4, I6, I8 or even I10. Camaro's in the 60's came with I6 engines and many a Jeep has a I6 in it. So is it just a slip of thought that makes people type V4 or do they just not know there is a difference? I've just seen this a lot here lately and I don't know if it's the same person or multiple people but it has me wondering why.
Note how on the wiki page for the fiero in the right general information bar under "powertrain" is says I4 and V6.
quote
Powertrain Engine 2.5 L LR8 I4 (gasoline) 2.8 L L44 V6 (gasoline)
Not to be a jerk, I'm really just curious why people do this? The Duke, like most other 4 cylinder engines is not a V engine. The Duke is a I4. V means the pistons are arranged in a 2 bank V pattern such as a 60o or 90o V6 or even the VW VR6 which only has 10o or 15o of offset between the cylinders in each bank. The Duke however has all of it's cylinders in a straight line, they are not offset into 2 banks, it's all one bank. Those kind of engines are called Inline and represented as such by designating them as I4, I6, I8 or even I10. Camaro's in the 60's came with I6 engines and many a Jeep has a I6 in it. So is it just a slip of thought that makes people type V4 or do they just not know there is a difference? I've just seen this a lot here lately and I don't know if it's the same person or multiple people but it has me wondering why.
Pretty sure people just don't care.
Kinda when someone says the sky is blue,We don't tell them your wrong---Its a miraid of colors just the blue spectrum is what is refracted enuff for us to see in that wave length.
Kinda when someone says the sky is blue,We don't tell them your wrong---Its a miraid of colors just the blue spectrum is what is refracted enuff for us to see in that wave length.
I have a friend that had them do a 3.4L swap back when Ed was still running it (Friend's name is Larry; you can see his testimonial on their page). He had the swap done years and years ago, and some years back got out of Fieros and moved into Zs. If my memory serves me right he paid around $8,000 to have it done, in addition to some other re-fresher work that Ed did.
When Ed started swaps the LS4 wasn't even a thing, and the 3800sc swap was (for the most part) still in infancy. Their focus has always been 4.9 Caddy and 3.4L.
I too believe that they have gotten away from the swaps and seem to focus more on parts sales and such. It's not surprising, since they sat on a lot of stock for years and years and now people are needing harder to find OEM parts. I still want to see that '85 test bed factory blue car restored some day...
I dealt with Ed and Rosie quite a few times and purchased a nice '88 from them in 2003. Since Ed retired I wasn't treated very well at all and stopped using them for anything. I drove their 4.9l test vehicle back in 2004/2005 and it was a well done swap overall but wasn't worth the investment as other swaps provided much better results. It was extremely fun out of the hole though and made a lot of people happy for sure.
Ed/Rosie made the TFF worth going too.. it's just not without them.
I know The Fiero Factory is in the engine swap business, and their five year old website quotes "start to finish" prices for two engines, neither of which are particular appealing to me (3.4 and N*). Does anyone know what they would charge to do a 3800SC or LS4, both using the Getrag trans?
The place to ask this question is with the Fiero Factory. LS4 with a Getrag? Probably not a good choice of transmission for several reasons.
You are correct but my typing was obviously faster than my mind on this occasion. I do know that the Duke is not a V engine but an in line four cylinder.
You are correct but my typing was obviously faster than my mind on this occasion. I do know that the Duke is not a V engine but an in line four cylinder.
Nelson
It's not really a big deal, it's just as I said I've seen it a lot lately and wondered why. In your case "fast typing". I can understand that as I've gone back and looked at old posts before and noted errors I didn't realize at the time. I kinda figured it was probably something along those lines but was curious.
Take it easy Nelson and a + to you if I haven't already given you one.
My 4.9 was installed by The Fiero Factory, while Ed was still there. A few corners were cut, but I recognize that had to be done in order to keep costs down. Nothing that really mattered in the long run. (I have had my engine out on at least two occasions, since then, for my own reasons.) In a nutshell, you could pick up the car by the engine and shake it until all the body panels fell off, and the engine would still be firmly attached.
OTOH, one of the guys in our club has a swap that was done very close to the "transition" (not sure if before or after) and has had nothing but trouble with it.
I can't comment on any of the more recent stuff, but I know that Jeremy has had to include vehicles other than Fieros in order to keep the doors open. Can't say that I blame him.
------------------ Raydar 88 Formula IMSA Fastback. 4.9, NVG T550
When Ed and Rosie owned the shop, I had a new 3.4 L turbo engine installed. IIRC, Jeremy was the mechanic who did the actual installation using components supplied by me. This has been a rock solid engine during the past 10 years or so. There are a few current issues related to the transmission/clutch but absolutely nothing wrt the engine or installation quality.