What is needed to switch n/a to sc or turbo? Thanx

N/A to SC =
pretty much take an SC upper end (from block up) and put it on a N/A block.

Turbo charging an N/A is much easier. It is no different than adding a turbo to any other engine. It comes down to personal preferences as far as what Turbo to use, where to put it, and etc...

-Dave

Adding: N/A to SC, what gets changed:
The heads,
The injectors,
lower intake manifold,
the compressor,
the fuel rail,
the harmonic balancer pulley,
The SC pulley system
etc

[This message has been edited by IFLYR22 (edited 07-13-2011).]

The NA engines are different compression ratio. They run higher compression.

and thier crank is not as strong.... i say sell the NA and buy a supercharged one then convert to turbo.

quote Originally posted by Niterrorz: and thier crank is not as strong.... i say sell the NA and buy a supercharged one then convert to turbo.

Why go turbo if you already have sc? Just curious

the fastest fiero on this forum and as far as i know that exsist is a turbo, pushing over 700 hp plus you dont have that parasitic drain that superchargers have and you can always push more air thru up to what ever the unit is rated for whereas you can only do so much to a supercharger.

edited to add: that fiero is owned by i belive FieroX if i remember correctly.

[This message has been edited by Niterrorz (edited 07-13-2011).]

quote Originally posted by Edhurl: Why go turbo if you already have sc? Just curious

The SC lower parts can handle more psi than the Compressor can put out. A turbo can potentially produce more power.

-Dave

And it's easier to cool the charge from a turbo vs a supercharger.

So, I have no welding skills, whats it gunna take to get a turbo on and what turbo is good for a sc conversion if I want 300hp? Thanx

quote Originally posted by Edhurl: So, I have no welding skills, whats it gunna take to get a turbo on and what turbo is good for a sc conversion if I want 300hp? Thanx

Go SC for 300Whp. if you want more than 400+Whp then go turbo. I think you will also need a 2 bar MAP sensor. Club GP has many writeups on the conversion and there is also a "topswap" Kit from a few vendors.

300Whp in a fiero is crazy fast you and it more than enougn for most ppl.

Doing a top swap would probably be easier if you just want 300hp. You are just bolting parts on at that point. Going turbo is going to take some fab skills. The m90 supercharger is limited to about 300whp before you get crazy with head work, and intercooling. It starts to get pricy at that point when all you need is a larger compressor. Getting a larger supercharger like a Whipple will cost more than going turbo. If you think some day you will want 500+whp then bolting a turbo on will be the best bang for the buck.

I don't think I've ever heard of anyone breaking a 3800 series II/III crankshaft. The n/a engine will handle as much power as an m90 can throw at it. You just need to be a little more careful with knock.

There is some info in my sig from going sc to turbo.

IMO, turbo is the way to go, but there may be easier ways to meet your goals.

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Turbo 3800 E85 5spd spec5
11.53@126.7

[This message has been edited by Justinbart (edited 07-13-2011).]

You can go with a strong bottom end (3800SC) or a weaker bottom end (3800NA)

The NA bottom end holds up fine for stock NA's. Do NOT expect to boost the horsepower of your 3800NA significantly and not have bottom end problems, well unless you think you know more about engineering than the GM engine engineers.

If you think you know more than the GM engineers, well then do whatever you think is right.

quote Originally posted by phonedawgz: You can go with a strong bottom end (3800SC) or a weaker bottom end (3800NA) The NA bottom end holds up fine for stock NA's. Do NOT expect to boost the horsepower of your 3800NA significantly and not have bottom end problems, well unless you think you know more about engineering than the GM engine engineers. If you think you know more than the GM engineers, well then do whatever you think is right.

There is truth here. The combination of higher compression and a weaker bottom end severely limits the amount of boost that you can use. If you wanted to bolt on a turbo and put in 5 psi of boost I would guess that the engine might last. But if you are looking for gonzo power from a 3800 N/A, it was not designed for it. Do you want 20% more horsepower or 50% more. if its 50% more the SC engine is the platform to build upon.

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" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, 3.4" Pulley, N* TB, LS1 MAF, Flotech Exhaust Autolite 104's Custom CAI 4T65eHD w. custom axles, 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 "

I am too tired to correct all the wrong crap in this thread.. sigh....

n/a cranks are not weaker...

compression ratio doesnt matter

if you have no "skills" putting custom boost setups together.. I would stick to a stock L67 swap as that is going to be hard enough.

n/a bottom ends have fairly weak rods... but will hold any amount of power the typical fiero guy wants.

Crankshafts are identical but the S/C rods are stronger. Darkhorizon beat me to it.

Supercharged with a magnetic clutch in the pulley and turbo it. Best of both worlds.