Ok so I have thrown around the issue of what motor I want. And since I have a cadi laying around I figured I would asks y'all's thoughts on the n*. Is it a good mod or is it too much of a hassle. Just anything will help.
It's a nice engine, but it's not a trivial swap by any means, and if you want to mod it for more power later on, your options are more limited than with other engines, as there is very little in the way of aftermarket parts.
Well what if I just want roller rockers and lifters, bigger cam. Forged pistons and a turbo
The Northstar is a DOHC engine. Aftermarket cams are not easy to come by, and you have to replace 4 of them, not one. You can turbo it, and probably run 10 PSI on stock pistons without any problem. Not sure how easy it is to get forged pistons for it either.
I completely forgot the dohc part.. And I knew it could be turbos stock but I would still like better pistons and cams if I can find em. But on the engine as a whole do you know it's capabilities durability wise
I completely forgot the dohc part.. And I knew it could be turbos stock but I would still like better pistons and cams if I can find em. But on the engine as a whole do you know it's capabilities durability wise
ARP head studs, don't overdo things, and it should be plenty reliable. There are plenty of Fieros running around with Northstars swapped in. Search for the build threads for all the info you could ever want. There are a couple of great threads by Will and Bloozberry, on their builds, in the Construction Zone area.
Im a huge Cadillac Enthusiast and currently own a 91 Seville with the 4.9L OHV V8.
The Northstar is a faulty engine that I would never try to work on. The head gaskets blow right around 100,000 miles and also has issues with the threaded head bolts.
Look on Craigslist for "Cadillac Seville" or "Eldorado" and your bound to see at least 10 people selling theirs because of the Northstar.
With that being said:
That engine is extremely powerful and also gets relatively good gas mileage for being a V8. Plus the noise it makes is beautiful. I do think the 98-2004 engines were improved but still had issues. Honestly, I would try to find a 3800SC engine. The after market support for the Northstar isn't that great.
------------------ Every fiero has a story, It's our job to keep that story alive.
So what you're saying is I should put it in till I get bored and then put in a 3800 when I come across one. You have to consider that I just have the car laying around and have no use for it. The interior is already a donor for my 79 trans am. So if I don't use the engine it will just continue to sit.
Im a huge Cadillac Enthusiast and currently own a 91 Seville with the 4.9L OHV V8.
The Northstar is a faulty engine that I would never try to work on. The head gaskets blow right around 100,000 miles and also has issues with the threaded head bolts.
Look on Craigslist for "Cadillac Seville" or "Eldorado" and your bound to see at least 10 people selling theirs because of the Northstar.
With that being said:
That engine is extremely powerful and also gets relatively good gas mileage for being a V8. Plus the noise it makes is beautiful. I do think the 98-2004 engines were improved but still had issues. Honestly, I would try to find a 3800SC engine. The after market support for the Northstar isn't that great.
Oh stop. There was a fix made by GM for the faulty head bolts issue that caused the head gasket problem. Just install the ARP studs if you're boosting, and be done with it. And that is literally the only real issue. If you're wanting to go N* and planning to throw forged pistons in it anyway, then just do the head bolts right and you won't have the problem.
Oh stop. There was a fix made by GM for the faulty head bolts issue that caused the head gasket problem. Just install the ARP studs if you're boosting, and be done with it. And that is literally the only real issue. If you're wanting to go N* and planning to throw forged pistons in it anyway, then just do the head bolts right and you won't have the problem.
You are right, GM charged $3,000 for this to be done. You could obviously do it for less but it's more work that the O.P. might not want to deal with.
And there are a lot of them running around with no issues at 300,000 miles...... Maintenance is the key to any machine.
I agree, but if the internals of the engine are bad, then maintaining them properly isn't going to help. Here is a video of a list of things to watch out for:
So what you're saying is I should put it in till I get bored and then put in a 3800 when I come across one. You have to consider that I just have the car laying around and have no use for it. The interior is already a donor for my 79 trans am. So if I don't use the engine it will just continue to sit.
I'd recommend you hold of and just wait till you find a 3.8SC. I would recommend you part the car out, you'll have more money in your pocket at the end of the day. I would love to see a pic of this trans am tho.
Trans am is in rough shape, needs basically everything. Got a mild 350 I built a while back to put in it. Going with cadi interior, and god knows what else. I will see about getting a pic of the junk. As for the cadi motor, since I want atleast 350 hp it's a no go ?? :P problem is atm I ain't got room for a donor car since I got the fiero the cadi and the trans am just sittin. No one want to buy parts off the cadi and I gotta remove it before grabbing a 3.8 donor car. So I am in a bit of a pickle.
Above link is where you get your N* performance upgrades from. Heads, Cams, upgraded internals they have it all. Being the owner of a N* Fiero I will say this, the sound is truly exotic compared to any other install and it does make good power and get decent (28mpg hwy) fuel economy. The only catch with this is you pay exotic prices for everything with this engine compared to every other common engine swap into a Fiero. If you are doing it, replace all the seals, pumps, alternator, and do the head stud upgrade before you do the install. As for power adders, the best power adder for a N* is Nitrous. It already has more power than you can possibly use on the street in the US stock. So the only time your really going to want more is at the Strip and a 75 shot is lethal in N*. My friend in VA has a Seville and for $#!+s and giggles put a 75 shot on it and took it to the track. He was laughing hard when he took down a mustang in a Seville.
Oh yeah, one more thing. If you keep the 4T80 your Fiero will pick up roughly an additional 150 pounds over a S/C 3800 swap. If you plan on running it on a twisty track that will affect performance. The extra weight is noticeable when you have stock Fiero brakes as well. You will need to upgrade your brakes if go N*.
Originally posted by zzzhuh: You are right, GM charged $3,000 for this to be done. You could obviously do it for less but it's more work that the O.P. might not want to deal with.
I think if one wants to install forged pistons for boost, then timeserting the deck and installing ARP head studs is probably not more work than one wants to deal with. The heads are already off at that point, and you should be installing new gaskets and bolts anyway. Might as well do it right.
Above link is where you get your N* performance upgrades from. Heads, Cams, upgraded internals they have it all. Being the owner of a N* Fiero I will say this, the sound is truly exotic compared to any other install and it does make good power and get decent (28mpg hwy) fuel economy. The only catch with this is you pay exotic prices for everything with this engine compared to every other common engine swap into a Fiero. If you are doing it, replace all the seals, pumps, alternator, and do the head stud upgrade before you do the install. As for power adders, the best power adder for a N* is Nitrous. It already has more power than you can possibly use on the street in the US stock. So the only time your really going to want more is at the Strip and a 75 shot is lethal in N*. My friend in VA has a Seville and for $#!+s and giggles put a 75 shot on it and took it to the track. He was laughing hard when he took down a mustang in a Seville.
Yeah, the few performance N* parts you will be able to find will be $$$$. As for taking out Mustangs, meh. It's funny when Mustang owners try to stoplight race my Avalanche. That 4.027 first gear in the 6l80e with the torque curve on the 5.3 is not too bad, even with the 3.42 rear gear.
Yeah, the few performance N* parts you will be able to find will be $$$$. As for taking out Mustangs, meh. It's funny when Mustang owners try to stoplight race my Avalanche. That 4.027 first gear in the 6l80e with the torque curve on the 5.3 is not too bad, even with the 3.42 rear gear.
Everything with a N* fiero is big $$$$. That's why I try and caution folks before they make the decision. As for Mustangs, it's always funner taking them out in something they don't see coming. I think he said he went up against one of the newer stock S197's. The Mustang ran something like a 14.1 and he ran a 13.9. You know the guy took all kinds of flack for being taken out by a Seville.
Oh no never intended on it honestly I wouldn't trust the n* with 500 hp. I was referring to final product, the north star honestly was just a I between I'm a little bored concept
Being someone that has done what you are talking about with a northstar, I would recommend you don't do it. Money should be irrelevant when your building this motor, especially single or twin turbo. There are a lot more aspects of the swap Then just throwing it in to make power. The most expensive part is going to be he tuning, to make sure it runs right.
Northstar = free Forged pistons = 850$ Treatments = 250$ Rebuild with arp fasteners and time serts = 3,750$ Software, standalone and boost controllers = 2,500$ Turbo , wastegate, bov = 1,500$ Custom piping hot and cold side = 2,000$ Custom grind cams = 1,000$
Then installs, tuning, transmissions, axles...
It's a good dream, but IMO you should keep it a dream and stick with more realistic ventures. The 3800 is just as powerful of a power plant.
Go for it!!!!! I have a 97 in my Finale, no mufflers, just cats and tips.. beautiful sound when you jump on it. I have done only 24K in 10 years and it has never let me down. I'm not saying it was an easy swap but Kevin at D1S did a perfect job.