3800sc Crate Engine (Page 1/1)
EnderAndBean FEB 13, 12:43 PM
I’m looking to buy a long block crate engine to replace my 3800sc series II pulled from a 1999 Buick Regal. It’s going in my ‘87 Fiero GT. I don’t know enough to rebuild an engine and mine seems to have bad main bearings.

I’ve talked to Jasper and Frasier Engine and both are confused about the specific build they have. They say,

“We have a 3800 that will fit your car in stock.”

They say it will work to replace either a 3800sc or 3800na. I’m skeptical because I’ve read that the pistons and rods are deferent between 3800sc and 3800na.

They keep talking about how their engines are “better than OEM.” and it “shouldn’t matter” cause they are built better. I don’t know enough about the engines or the company’s themselves to judge.

So I’m asking:
1. Does any of this matter?
2. Does a new “better than OEM” engine mean it will be fine to supercharge?
3. How do I tell over the phone if what they have is right?

Thanks in advance!
pmbrunelle FEB 13, 12:54 PM
Are you looking to buy a longblock or a shortblock?

If you’re looking at buying a shortblock, be aware that the cylinder heads are different between NA and SC versions of the engine.

The NA engine has fuel injectors in the intake manifold as per usual MPFI installatons.

With the SC, the fuel injectors are moved to the intake ports in the cylinder heads, so the SC heads have holes to accommodate the fuel injectors.
82-T/A [At Work] FEB 13, 01:58 PM

quote
Originally posted by EnderAndBean:

I’m looking to buy a long block crate engine to replace my 3800sc series II pulled from a 1999 Buick Regal. It’s going in my ‘87 Fiero GT. I don’t know enough to rebuild an engine and mine seems to have bad main bearings.

I’ve talked to Jasper and Frasier Engine and both are confused about the specific build they have. They say,

“We have a 3800 that will fit your car in stock.”

They say it will work to replace either a 3800sc or 3800na. I’m skeptical because I’ve read that the pistons and rods are deferent between 3800sc and 3800na.

They keep talking about how their engines are “better than OEM.” and it “shouldn’t matter” cause they are built better. I don’t know enough about the engines or the company’s themselves to judge.

So I’m asking:
1. Does any of this matter?
2. Does a new “better than OEM” engine mean it will be fine to supercharge?
3. How do I tell over the phone if what they have is right?

Thanks in advance!




The best thing you can do, is to order an engine for the specific car you pulled the motor from. So, if you pulled an engine from a 1999 Buick Regal GS that had a 3800 Series-II w/ SuperCharger, then you need to buy a rebuilt long-block for that specific car. You can't tell them you want this or that, because they won't understand. You also won't be able to maintain the warranty either, because they expect it to be installed in a 1999 Buick. These guys may know how to rebuild engines and such, but they don't know the specifics of your build, and it just confuses them.

I went through the same thing when I ordered a crate motor for my Fiero's 3.4 build project. I basically just had to order a Camaro / Firebird 3.4 V6/60. Any time I had mentioned that it was going into a Fiero, it just threw everything into a loop.

Jasper rebuilt engines are high quality... they don't rebuild in Mexico, they're rebuilt locally... so for whatever it's worth... you do get a little bit better quality of workmanship.
cliffw FEB 13, 04:18 PM
The fact of the matter is ... if you know of a quality machine shop / engine rebuilders, just remove your engine and let them rebuild it. You would have to remove it anyway and install your heart transplant, .

[This message has been edited by cliffw (edited 02-13-2025).]

Dennis LaGrua FEB 13, 05:03 PM
Be advised the 3800NA and 3800SC series II engines are not the same. Different compression pistons, heads, and the later Series III engines are different still.. Connecting rods on the series III were switched to sintered metal, the heads were slightly ported and the supercharger was modified to run cooler.. I would recommend having an engine shop rebuild what you already have. Shops that build race engines do that type of work. If there is a race track in your area you can ask there to find those shops.

------------------
" 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, P-log Manifold, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, Custom CAI, 4T65eHD w. custom axles, Champion Radiator, S10 Brake Booster, 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 "

EnderAndBean FEB 13, 05:03 PM
Hey thanks for the quick reply. I did just like you said and that’s about as close as it’s gonna get. I just asked for the engine for the ‘99 Buick Regal GS. It took going a little further into the buying process, but somewhere along the way they called it an L67. I took this to mean I was on the right track and went ahead and purchased the long block.

For those interested:
Jasper had the L67 and L36 engines in stock, but Frasier was on back order so far they wouldn’t quote me an L67 engine. Also, if you look under specs on Frasier website under the GM 3800 page, it specifies “naturally aspirated”.
82-T/A [At Work] FEB 13, 08:17 PM

quote
Originally posted by EnderAndBean:

Hey thanks for the quick reply. I did just like you said and that’s about as close as it’s gonna get. I just asked for the engine for the ‘99 Buick Regal GS. It took going a little further into the buying process, but somewhere along the way they called it an L67. I took this to mean I was on the right track and went ahead and purchased the long block.

For those interested:
Jasper had the L67 and L36 engines in stock, but Frasier was on back order so far they wouldn’t quote me an L67 engine. Also, if you look under specs on Frasier website under the GM 3800 page, it specifies “naturally aspirated”.




Nice! It'll be super easy then at that point to just transfer everything over. Don't forget to use loctite on flywheel bolts and to torque them down to spec!