So with me being the eternal stubborn genius that I am, I've decided to actually take a crack at fixing this thing, and for the guys who told me to forget about it and buy a new one, I understand why you told me what you told me. I get it, and I'm SUPER thankful for any advice/tips. I mean it. But when you stare at a car for almost your whole life, you watch videos of people driving it....it's almost criminal in my eyes to not try and fix it, and if at the end of the day it ends up being a total washout, at least I tried, right? Anyhow, onto the main topic! I recently found out that my 86 Fiero 2m6 requires a new engine, and I decided to take a look around and do some preliminary research, and I found out that Autozone actually has 4 options, and only 2 of them seem to be v6's. but heres whats confusing me, and here's the link: https://www.autozone.com/po...engine/pontiac/fiero
There's the Surefire Remanufactured Long Block for about 1200, and the Tri Star Long Block for about 2241 bucks. Do you guys have any advice for what engine I should potentially pick, or should I go with another route? I'm not sure about the quality of the engines since I literally just found about this today, and I figured I should ask yall for some tips before dropping some money on a brand new engine and later ending up regretting my purchase?
I have not crossed that bridge yet but when it if I do, I am going to go the 3.4 S-10 Goodwrench engine route, 20 more HP, easy swap other than swapping timing cover, upper intake and starter relocation jig from Rodney. (for the starter) Kit
I have not crossed that bridge yet but when it if I do, I am going to go the 3.4 S-10 Goodwrench engine route, 20 more HP, easy swap other than swapping timing cover, upper intake and starter relocation jig from Rodney. (for the starter) Kit
I have not crossed that bridge yet but when it if I do, I am going to go the 3.4 S-10 Goodwrench engine route, 20 more HP, easy swap other than swapping timing cover, upper intake and starter relocation jig from Rodney. (for the starter) Kit
I've considered doing something like that if it comes to it, but I'd kinda like to stick to the less complicated stuff for now if possible, since this is my first real project and me and Dad have literally no mechanical experience, but thanks for the tip!
This is the short block I was going to go with (they also have the long block). These guys just rebuild engines. I'd be afraid that Autozone just sources them from whatever low-cost supplier they can find (but I could be wrong.) Like has been said, the 3.4 is nearly as easy to drop in and there are MANY folks on here who will guide you step by step if you are not sure about something.
Check around locally, when the engine in my Fiero died, it turned out there was a place right down the street that sold engine, carry-out or installed.
Be careful with the Autozone engines. They show the same 4 cylinder fitting an 86 as an 88. (They are vastly different.)
They also show two different "Surefire" V6s. Both are "supposed to" fit an 86 or 88. (Again, there are differences between those years - specifically regarding the engine balance. The 85-87 V6 is externally balanced, and uses a counterweighted flywheel or flexplate. The 88 V6 is internally balanced, and uses a zero - or neutral - balanced flywheel or flexplate. If you mix them up, it'll vibrate badly, and possibly damage the main bearings, over the long term.
With that said... it would be advisable to swap to the later, internally balanced engine. There were some other improvements made (specifically, to oiling) and it's much easier to find a neutrally balanced flywheel, if yours ever needs to be replaced. Subliminal message... You need to ask questions before you purchase, and you need to examine the engine carefully, before it's installed. (An internally balanced V6 will have a round timing disk in the middle of the crankshaft. An externally balanced V6 will not.
Me? I'd go with the 3.4 Camarobird engine. The HT 3.4 is no longer in production.
I went with a 3.4 pulled from a '95 Camaro in a junk yard. I paid a machine shop for cleaning and machining and assembled it myself. With quality upgraded components it came out to about $2000. Not the cheapest route, but far from the most expensive. I feel like the power fits the car perfectly and I know exactly what I have. I am 100% satisfied.
I pulled one from a Camaro, too. Found it had a spun bearing so I bought a replacement Sealed Power prepped crank locally that's turned 10/10. It's been sitting unused in the box in a garage in East Tenn with a 400 Ram Air III Judge engine, a 400 low hp, a 455 w/ HO round ports and a 301 turbo TA engine. The rods need checked for sizing on the 3.4.
[This message has been edited by sourmash (edited 06-21-2020).]
