So i currently have the stock 2.8 v6 and i actually like it. I dont race or anything so it has plenty of power for me for the most part. tho i little more would be fun lol. My current motor needs new valve seals (have a little smoke on start up) and i'm thinking it could use a valve job as well. My buddy (who knows far more about automechanics than I do) is trying to talk my into swapping motors instead. he says if i'm going to go thru all the effort i might as well just get a bigger motor with less miles (mine has 154k). So my question is this: Is there any particular motor (other than to another stock v6) that is considerably easier to swap to than others? Obviously the 3800sc would give me the power i'd like, but again, i dont really need that much and i havent liked the sound of the few i've heard. yes sound is very important to me. I have been considering the 3100 or 3400, but just wanted to know what's the easiest of all the swaps? and cheapest? (hopefully the same) Tho my buddy is excellent at fabricating anything needed for a swap, i'd like to be able to do most of it myself and not have to bother him on an hourly basis. thoughts? suggestions?

I had a crate (ie new) 3.4L engine installed replacing the stock 2.8. I look at, if you find a used Camaro engine, now 20 years old, it would require a rebuild anyway. I had the Fiero intake , exhaust etc all put back. It all depends on your wallet for engine or skill set in the install if you do it yourself. I had mine done at a shop and have no issues in the 65K mile I have put on the engine. The 3.4 needs the starter moved and evrything else is plug and play.

3.4 is the *easiest*

3400/3500 and 3800 swaps any mecanicaly savy person can get done if they have the time.

lots of documentation.

Time is an issue as my fiero is my daily driver and can only go so long without. The guy who would be helping me with this definitely has the skills, but i'd like to make things easy so #1 i can do most of the work and #2 he doesnt have to work too hard since i dont pay him lol. Thanx for the input guys. Appreciate it

3.4 will mount up on cradle and everything? I am debating on a future swap either being a monster 350, or a lower end turbo 3.4

My buddy found this link for me. really does look EASY. Fiero 3.4 Swap

3.4 is your best bet.. askide from that your putting the car out of service for a little while to get them done.

Rodney Dickman sells the starter relocation jig for the 3.4. I will be doing this swap in a few months. I don't plan on being down for more than half of a day.

Tony

[This message has been edited by Tony Kania (edited 09-03-2012).]

half a day? i was planning on most of a weekend. tho my buddy and i waste a lot of time BSing and i ask a lot of questions trying to learn as much as i can from him.

So anyway, this definitely looks like the best and most viable option for me when all factors are considered (time, cost, difficulty, etc). But after researching the 3.4 a little more I see i'd only be gaining about 20 horses and 30ft-lbs of torque. How noticable will that be? Again i'm not trying to build a race car here, but if i'm going to go through the trouble i'd like to notice at least a bit of extra power. (tho i guess i could always turbo-charge it later)

When I first had the 3.4 installed in my 88GT, I had it dynoed and it came out at ~120 HP at the wheels. My car has a 440T auto and it is a cruiser. I can not say how much better it is than the original engine as I had only driven it a short time before changing engines.

With the availability of engine swap parts, the job of changing engines is not very hard. If your car is a stick then the job can be nearly a bolt up and go. For instance a 3800 N/A series II/stick swap can be bolted in with just a new front mount, a throttle bracket and a plug and play harness from phonedawgz. or Fieroflyer.
The only remaining items would be a small bit of plumbing in running the fuel lines and water hoses. THis swap will give you 50 more horsepower than the 3.4L, the starter doesn't need to be moved and 3800 engines can still be found in good used condition for cheap. If you calculate the cost of a rebuilt 3.4L swap vs a good used 3800 N/A swap(with the conversion parts), the bigger engine would probably cost less and be almost as easy to do..

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" THE BLACK PARALYZER" -87GT 3800SC Series III engine, custom ZZP /Frozen Boost Intercooler setup, 3.4" Pulley, Powerlog manifold, Northstar TB, LS1 MAF, 3" Flotech Afterburner Exhaust, Autolite 104's, MSD wires, 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 "

quote Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua: With the availability of engine swap parts, the job of changing engines is not very hard. If your car is a stick then the job can be nearly a bolt up and go. For instance a 3800 N/A series II/stick swap can be bolted in with just a new front mount, a throttle bracket and a plug and play harness from phonedawgz. or Fieroflyer. The only remaining items would be a small bit of plumbing in running the fuel lines and water hoses. THis swap will give you 50 more horsepower than the 3.4L, the starter doesn't need to be moved and 3800 engines can still be found in good used condition for cheap. If you calculate the cost of a rebuilt 3.4L swap vs a good used 3800 N/A swap(with the conversion parts), the bigger engine would probably cost less and be almost as easy to do..

x2. I was going to post this but I can only drop "3800" so many times.

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Turbo 3800 E85 F23 5spd spec5
11.54@132.7

My how times have changed.. not one vote for the 4.9L V8.. at one point it was the swap. But of course, if you are gonna do an engine swap... 3800 all the way.

3800 is what i would really like. And yes i have stick (4spd). But i was lead to believe this was a difficult and expensive swap. Looks like it may be a more viable option than i thought :-)

A lot depends on the skills of your mechanic, the tools you have available, and your workspace.

I think folks on here make the 3800 sound easier than it really is. Yes, if you have a fully equipped shop, a lift, a welder, all the mounts, harnesses and parts lined up and the skills to use them, sure you can do the 3800 swap in a day.

But if all you have is a kmart socket set and the jack from under the hood, it's going to be infinitely more difficult.

You asked what the easiest motor swap is rather than another 2.8 and the answer is the 3.4V6. Now if you decide that it's too much work for maybe 20 hp then you need to ask a different question. What is the easiest swap that results in a significant hp increase? I think the 3800 is high on that list, but I think some of the more experience mechanics here do you a disservice by making it sound easier than it is.

I've seen some really nice 3800 swaps and I've seen some hack jobs, with no working a/c, wires all over the place, the battery in the trunk...etc. So before you take apart your only means of transportation consider carefully what it is you really want to do. And assess how much free work you can extract from your friend.

Yea, nothing that appealing with the 4.9L anymore. I'm pretty tired of mine.

quote Originally posted by mattwa: Yea, nothing that appealing with the 4.9L anymore. I'm pretty tired of mine.

I'm not a huge fan of the 4.9L either (as an owner of one) but there doesn't seem to be any other V8 that physically fits in the Fiero as well at the 4.9. The SBC with adapter plates just don't look right to me pushed over to the right. The LS4 turns out to be much more difficult than anyone imagined or else you would see a bunch of them running around. The Northstar is just so big and I'm not sure if the electronics have been 100% figured out.

V8s are old school anyway. I would much rather see the 3.6L V6 LFX engine producing 323 horsepower in a Fiero. That's what I would be looking at, but since I don't see a bunch of them it can't be too easy.

There is always the thought of doing a Northstar in the back of my mind, but you would really have to want one to justify the time, effort, and money to do it. The cost and trouble per HP is way more then the common 3800 swap or maybe even the LS4, and the fact that there is zero room to work on things in a Northstar engine bay. But there is just something about a DOHC V8 next to a manual...

[This message has been edited by mattwa (edited 09-03-2012).]

As with 95% of the others here, you want easiest... 3.4L
Next question money..... 3.4 L
and one more time..... 3.4 L

Unless you have either plenty of time or money, which does not sound like what your asking, it is a 3.4 L

IF, you have a little extra money, I would find someone selling a already built and upgraded 3.4L , but again this is where the money comes in.

Go to the mall and post that you are looking for a 3.4 either stock, or with upgrades, let them know what your budget is; or go with the offer above for a fresh rebuilt 3.4l and this will give you a base to start from.

Remember, there is no cheap way, good luck

Definitely leaning towards the 3.4 as a ton of extra power isnt really what i want, though i may like it. Cash and time both being major restraints makes it by far the best choice for me. But since i still have a few months the 3800 will remain an option for now. Ty guys

For what it's worth, if the 2.8V6 in my GT quit on me tomorrow I would replace it with a crate 3.4 V6. It's not a huge upgrade in power maybe not even noticeable. But compared to a 25 year old tired 2.8 would give me decades of reliable driving. The oiling alone is so much better that it's almost worth doing. If you ever do need more power you can add a turbo.

Where is a good place to get a rebuilt 3.4L v6?

s550w just beat me to my next question. only ones i've found were $1800 which doesnt seem worthwhile since u can buy a crate for about $2000

Have you considered building up a 2nd drive train, cradle and all? Thinking it might save you a bit of down time. It's really hard to anticipate every little thing you'll run into that needs some extra time or a part you have to order.

For what it's worth, my local pull-it-yourself salvage yard is always full of 3800s. I hardly ever see 3.4 cars there, and didn't see a single one when I was there this morning.

I did my 3.4 PR swap over a long weekend. It was about as close to a plug and play as you can get. With mild mods, porting the exhaust manifolds, etc. the 3.4 is noticeably more fun than the 2.8. The additional torque and power of the 3.4 mated to a a 5-speed makes the Fiero quick enought to be very entertaining, and still get get excellent mileage. Also, accessories (cruise, A/C) still work as they should without any extra effort. Another plus for me, was it retained the stock engine appearance which I really like, and still has that great 60 degree exhaust note.

The only more involved swap I would consider would be the new LFX 3.6 DI. In a Fiero this engine would sound fantastic with a 6800 rpm redline, double the horsepower(323) over the 3.4, and get even better mileage. If someone developed a swap kit, I would purchase one.

quote Originally posted by jscott1: The Northstar is just so big and I'm not sure if the electronics have been 100% figured out.

They work fine in all three of my Northstar Fiero's by D1S, but Kevin doesn't install them any longer, but back tho the question at hand. The N* isn't the easiest swap here.

[This message has been edited by madcurl (edited 09-03-2012).]

I found the easiest one on youtube her take a look

http://youtu.be/K2slnPlrIhI

quote Originally posted by Rick 88: The only more involved swap I would consider would be the new LFX 3.6 DI. In a Fiero this engine would sound fantastic with a 6800 rpm redline, double the horsepower(323) over the 3.4, and get even better mileage. If someone developed a swap kit, I would purchase one.

About three posts ago I was raving about the LFX...to me that is the next big thing coming along.

Dont forget the 3.4TDC/DOHC. Its pretty much a typical 3.4 swap but you have to remove the PWR steering, add a few wires to the stock 2.8L harness and move the dogbone down to where the drivetrain shock was on the 2.8. Granted that was a very quick breakdown, but you get the idea. Only problem is finding a good one. However, crate engines (NOS) pop up from time to time.

Edit, and you don't have to relocate the starter.

[This message has been edited by BV MotorSports (edited 09-03-2012).]

quote Originally posted by BV MotorSports: Dont forget the 3.4TDC/DOHC. Its pretty much a typical 3.4 swap but you have to remove the PWR steering, add a few wires to the stock 2.8L harness and move the dogbone down to where the drivetrain shock was on the 2.8. Granted that was a very quick breakdown, but you get the idea. Only problem is finding a good one. However, crate engines (NOS) pop up from time to time. Edit, and you don't have to relocate the starter.

Waiting for the DOHC bashing to begin...

The real question is what engine will you be happy with? Do you want stock looks with 170 horse or so? Then 3.4L. I love the look of the V6 plenum in our little cars! Having said that, once I drove a 4.9L GT I was hooked. The extra hp and tourque was fun and that lovely exhaust note had me turning off the radio and just cruising listening to the sound of it! No matter how hard the previous owners or I tried you just can't get it looking lovely in there though. Of course, that is only my opinion. The 3800SCs and the 350s look great inside that engine bay and they will give you plenty of "oomph" to keep you occupied. of course, installation will be a bit more complex than the 3.4 swap. All have merits, pros, and cons. So, again, the real question will be what will you be happy with i nterms of looks, performance, and cost?

Still thinking 3.4l. Looks stock which makes me happy. I'm not real huge on massive power as it would onky get me in trouble lol. And the ease of install is a huge plus.