Hi all i bought a 99 3800 normal aspirated motor with 44,000 miles on it . My question is can i put a series 3 sc on this motor ? A 3800 sc has 81/2 to 1 compersion and a na 3800 is 91/2 to 1 compersion is this a problem if so what is the problem THANKS 4 THE HELP .

No it shouldn't be a problem to do. The stock bottom ends on the 3800 are pretty stout. I know a guy that runs 25lbs on his stock 3800 in his Firebird. You should be fine as long as you tune it properly.

I thought that i read somewhere that the heads were different from the N/A to the S/C head and the the s/c wouldn't bolt up, is that correct? will it bolt to the heads?
Ant

Parts needed for a sc swap (from ZZP's website:

L67 idler pulleys, L67 idler stand off, L67 throttle body, L67 injectors, custom PCM, GTP balancer, L67 MAP sensor, L67 heads, L67 fuel rail, 2 head gaskets, head studs, MAP adaptor harness, bypass valve wiring, vacuum lines, brake booster line, supercharger gasket, throttle body gasket, lower intake gasket, lower intake Orings, supercharger belt, GTP valve covers, GTP valve cover gaskets, coil pack bracket for 99+ cars, M90 from an L67, lower intake from an L67, M90 bolts, and new rocker bolts. You'll also need a torque wrench, 3800 balancer pulley, and very powerful airgun to remove the crank bolt.

A better alternative would be to get the ZZP SS m90 supercharger kit. They modified the LIM to be able to keep your stock heads. Its a little more expensive than getting used L67 parts, but much easier to do since you wont have to take off the heads.

http://www.zzperformance.co...php?id=382&catid=109

quote Originally posted by Ants87gt: I thought that i read somewhere that the heads were different from the N/A to the S/C head and the the s/c wouldn't bolt up, is that correct? will it bolt to the heads? Ant

As has already been answered, yes they are different. The injector bosses for the L67 are in the heads while the injector bosses for the L26 are in the LIM. That is why you need to swap the heads without the kit from ZZP.

thanks all that is what i thought but i was not for sure . but the motor is a perfect 44,000 mile 3800 and i bought it for less then 300.00 so i just could not leave it there in pittsburgh in that guys basement . i'am looking for a 85 GT wen i get the money so i will just use it there instead of in my 86 fastback .THANKS AGAIN GUYS !!!!!!! P.S. do you guys no were any 3800s/c are .

How much power are you wanting to make out of the 3800? You do the right heads and cam and you can hit close to 300hp/tq at the wheels. I know a guy that hit 307whp with heads and cam only out of a 3800. Granted that was a lot of tuning though. I also know of a stroker kit for these engines. I don't know how much more power it will make though since no one that I know of has done a N/A version yet.

[This message has been edited by rhino2104 (edited 02-10-2009).]

I would like to get at least 300hp at the wheels from a 3800sc that should not be to hard to do . But as far the 85 gt no more then 225/250 hp because it will be for my soon to be wife car and any more then that would be BAD HA HA .

That was N/A. I know several guys that have made high 200's N/A with no trouble.

That is cool no bought so here is the question can you give me some part specs on what they did to get that if you do not mind given out there secrets ?

try these guys for a start

http://www.3800performance....rchant2/merchant.mvc

http://www.abbottracingheads.com/

It's not his set up since I don't know exactly what cam he has. These guys Stg 3 heads and N/A cam will make a good amount of power (280-290whp) with a good tune. Also if you go N/A one of the biggest hang ups for these engines is their intake manifolds. If you can track down a Holden intake manifold from Australia (stock for the 3800 down there) it flows much better. You might have to fab somethings up a little but it'll work. You could easily crack 300whp with that set up.

The guy I know that made that power N/A was tuned through HPTuners BTW.

Thanks a lot guys all the information is greatly appreciated because i need all the help i can get .

Not a problem. I'm no expert on this engine (not yet anyway) but I'll answer any question I can. If I can't I'll try to get the answer for you. I have several friends who know this engine inside and out.

The era of NA 3800 engines is over. There may be a few people here and there that still are hardcore about it but that is just because of bragging rights. With the SS m90 kit and turbos, there is no justifiable reason to stay NA if performance is what you want. For the price of ported heads alone, you could get the SS m90 kit and be faster. For the price of a cam, heads, intake and all your gaskets you could get a turbo and blow the doors off anything NA.

Believe me, its sad to say all this. I use to own a 01 Grand Prix GT that was fairly modded. I was one of the more knowledgeable NA owners over there. There was almost nothing I didn't know to make it go fast. Have you checked out the NA section lately? Maybe a post every two months.

Now if you just want a little more pep with the reliability of being NA, then sure, get a used GT1 cam from ZZP and maybe a cheap set of heads if you can find a good price. Maybe even some headers if you want a little more power. Importing Aussie intakes and custom fabbing things is pointless for the power you will get.

IIRC ZZP's race NA car with GT3 cam and stroker only made about 280 to the wheels and ran in the 12s.