I did look through the forum to try to find this information and wasn't able to find much. My question is: which F23 tranmissions will bolt directly to a series II 3800 SC with no adapt plate, etc, and which donor car has the best/easiest version for the swap? I can find ones from G5 and Cobalt very easy.

2000-2002 Pontiac Sunfire or Chevy Cavalier AND only on the 2200 engine. All other applications use a different bellhousing than what you need for the 3800.

quote Originally posted by fieroguru: 2000-2002 Pontiac Sunfire or Chevy Cavalier AND only on the 2200 engine. All other applications use a different bellhousing than what you need for the 3800.

I'm not saying I don't believe you but let me get this straight. The only F23 trans that will bolt to the 3800 SC is the one that comes off a 2.2 4 cyl and not the 2.4?

[This message has been edited by SecretMoparGuy (edited 10-11-2019).]

That is correct and it is year specific, but I think the F23/2200(pushrod 4 cyl as opposed to Ecotec) combo was still available until 2004 but not completely sure on that one. The 2.4 ecotec was not used in a cavalier. The 2.4 you are referring to is the old Quad4 maybe? Either way it does not have an F23 bolted to it.

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86 GT built 2.2 ecotec turbo
rear SLA suspension
QA1 coilovers on tube arms

The only bell housing that will bolt directly to the 3800 is the 00-02 non-ecotec 2.2, if you can find a cheap junk one of them, you can swap the bell housing over to a newer f23 from the cobalts/g5/ect.....just dont use one from a vue or a hhr as they have a horrible fdr for the 3800, 09-10 cobalt fy1 is the best fitted fdr for the 3.8

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--- 86 GT, my pride and joy (currently undergoing turbo 3.8 swap)

The F23 that bolts to the 3800 has a 3.94 final gear, so maybe not a great match for a relatively low revving torque beast.
The tallest FD available for the F23 is the '09-'10 Cobalt XFE with 3.63 final. You can swap the input shaft and bellhousing from the 2200 trans onto the XFE trans. This combo has basically exactly the same gearing as the stock Fiero Getrag trans.

The Ecotec and Metric bellhousings are different depths, so the input shafts are different lengths. The Ecotec bellhousing is 10mm deeper, and consequently the Ecotec input shaft is 10mm longer.

quote Originally posted by Will: The F23 that bolts to the 3800 has a 3.94 final gear, so maybe not a great match for a relatively low revving torque beast. The tallest FD available for the F23 is the '09-'10 Cobalt XFE with 3.63 final. You can swap the input shaft and bellhousing from the 2200 trans onto the XFE trans. This combo has basically exactly the same gearing as the stock Fiero Getrag trans. The Ecotec and Metric bellhousings are different depths, so the input shafts are different lengths. The Ecotec bellhousing is 10mm deeper, and consequently the Ecotec input shaft is 10mm longer.

Thanks for the info! My plan for the car is not to make it all about performance. I like the 3800 as I have worked on them before. I want a 5 speed for fun and decent mpg. I also have a 67 barracuda which is my "all about fun car". I want this Fiero to be daily drivable and commute with it. That being said, It would still probably be good to use the cobalt half as the only metric F23's I can find near me are high mileage. The cobalt ones I can find have much lower mileage.