Aurora 4.0l / Izuzu 5 speed swap into 88 coupe (Page 1/102)
cptsnoopy APR 27, 07:21 PM
Well the work begins. I have had for several months an 88 yellow coupe with just under 80,000 miles waiting for an engine swap to happen. The car has no options other than a/c. Unfortunately the compressor and flex lines where missing. I had hopes of finding an ls1 or even better an ls6 to mate with a 4t65e-hd but instead I came across a low mileage aurora engine for a good price and so the plan changes. Now I will try to shoehorn this thing into the car using the stock izuzu five speed. I hope to use several components from chrfab. The Holley 950 commander and if they have one, a flywheel. I can cut and weld ok but I don�t have a lathe or a mill so I will be asking friends to fab some parts for me. This will take some time because there are several other projects at the home that need attention too. Thanks to all of the information already shared here I hope not to make too many blunders. I am inviting any and all ideas and or constructive criticism. Here are a couple of pics of where it's at now.

the car. the door skin is off because we needed to make a key for the doors and trunk.


the duke. only 80,000 miles on her. the first owner a gal who treated her right. the second owner drove her hard but only for a few months. when he decided to add performance parts, he ran out of dough and she sat for three years like this.


the "new" engine. hopefully the bottom end will check out good, the top end looks brand new. if anyone has brackets and components for sale I will be looking to pick them up.

[This message has been edited by cptsnoopy (edited 07-05-2023).]

Songman APR 27, 08:46 PM
I almost bought one of these. There is a guy up near San Francisco who has one. The Aurora caught on fire under the dash and burned the wiring and ICU but he says the engine and everything is fine. He only wants $300 for the complete engine and 4T80e tranny. I was about to go get it when he mentioned that the reservoir had melted off the power steering pump. Obviously power steering is not a major worry on a Fiero but I was wondering if anything else might have been damaged on the engine by the heat. Still might be a good thing for you, especially if you are interested in an automatic tranny...

Anyway... you might want to contact Rickady88GT. He just did a 3.5 in his 88. Exact same process as yours, just two less cylinders. He has worked out most of the bugs on this swap and doesn't mind sharing his experiences...

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Fiero-Performance.com

cptsnoopy APR 27, 10:05 PM
It sounds like that engine got hot. being Aluminum I would be very worried... Not to concerned about an automatic at this point. Unless I get the entire car but it has to have good wiring etc. thanks for the input. Rickady88GT already mentioned on another thread how difficult it might be to get all the extra stuff unless I find a donor car. I am hoping to get lucky...
Rickady88GT APR 28, 02:44 AM
My next conversion will be a North Star auto or the new 3.6DOHC 5speed but it wont be anytime soon. I wont do it without the entire car. I like all the little extras that you get with the new cars and to keep it smog legal in CA you need alot of little parts that will easely cost 2X the price of the engine and tranny I can part out what I dont use and try to break even on the drive train.
If you have any questions just ask or e-mail me. Mine is a little diferent than yours but I may sill be able to help.

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Rickady88GT QuadCam 3.5 V6

Will APR 28, 10:43 PM
I'm not sure if the Isuzu will work with the Aurora/N*. The clutch throwout arm on the Getrag requires "clearancing" to not interfere with the water manifold. The Isuzu has a much larger throw out arm, so be aware of the possibility that it won't work.

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'87 Fiero GT: Low, Sleek, Fast, and Loud
'90 Pontiac 6000 SE AWD: None of the Above

Luck, Fate and Destiny are words used by those who lack the courage to define their own future

cptsnoopy APR 29, 01:40 AM
Thanks Will,

I figured it would not cost anything to give a try and see how bad it is. I will report back when I try to mate the two together. I spent the day getting an engine hoist and jack stands. I had hoped to have the cradle behind the car by tonight and clean the mess tomorrow. At this rate I'll be lucky to roll the engine free sometime tomorrow.

Thanks for the offer Rickady88GT, I'll be asking questions for sure... In fact here is a quick question for you, Will or anybody. There is an intake manifold on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewIte m&item=2476117605&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting

Would this be a bolt on item? I have read somewhere that I need to get the throttle body from earlier years to avoid getting an IAC stepper motor because of the Holley commander system. Is that true? Should I try to get this thing or pass on it?

[This message has been edited by cptsnoopy (edited 04-29-2004).]

cptsnoopy APR 30, 05:28 AM
Got a little done today. Car is up, cradle is out and the duke is off the cradle. I will try to mate the 4.0l engine to the trans next just to see if it will work. Here are todays pics.


This is the car up in the air and engine hoist out of the way. Ready to roll that sucker out of there...


This is the Izuzu trans on the cradle. Now its time to see if this combo might work...

[This message has been edited by cptsnoopy (edited 05-11-2012).]

longjonsilver APR 30, 07:25 AM
can i ask a dumb question????? is the olds 4.0 a smaller version of the caddy 4.6 N* motor?
jon

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I'm the original owner of a white ' 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983 from Pontiac. Always garaged, no rust, 4-wheel drifts are fun!

Rickady88GT APR 30, 11:59 AM
Yes and so is the Olds 3.5L twin cam V6 (Short Star), they are all related.

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Rickady88GT QuadCam 3.5 V6

cptsnoopy APR 30, 12:35 PM
I am pretty sure the 4.0 is the same size on the outside, just smaller bore cylinders. Rickady88GT is the 3.5 a little shorter?