was chatting with a mechanic the other day, and I suggested possibly doing a swap.....he totally talked me out of it...main reason....I wouldn't see much of a difference between my 2.5 and a 3.4.....HMmmmmm
There's a drastic difference between a 2.5 and a 2.8. There is almost that much more difference between a 2.8 and a 3.4. Your mechanic has rocks in his head.
Obviously, by the time any of these engines hit the ground your going to loose some power. People claim that a brand new 2.8L V6 is only pushing out around 115HP to the wheels.
------------------ Every fiero has a story, It's our job to keep that story alive.
Good mechanics are hard to find... If you trust him, keep him. It seems to me that he doesn't want to do the swap and wants to talk you out of it. That is no reason to drop him, just find someone else to do the swap.
Power 92 hp @ 4,000 RPM Torque 132 lb-ft @ 2,800 RPM
I autocrossed my 5-spd '84 Fiero for four years. Other drivers with newer, much more powerful cars would refuse to believe that my Fiero had about 90 horsepower (probably less), especially after the Mighty Duke had just beaten them around the course.
I drive a 5-spd '88 Formula (2.8) at autocross now, but... a 3.4 would sure make my '84 scoot around the track.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 11-19-2014).]
I don't think that the 0 to 30 time is too much different, especially comparing a manual to a manual trans.
Between a 2.5 and a 3.4? Between 135lb ft and 200lb ft? Huge difference. One of the best things about the Fiero is all that weight over the back wheels - it can put a lot of power down very effectively. Every lb ft you've got counts in these cars. It's nothing short of amazing.
It's obvious to me that either your mechanic knows nothing about a 3.4L engine swap, or perhaps he simply just does not want to do one for you.
For either reason, I strongly suggest NOT insisting on a 3.4L engine swap from him.
Why?
I knew an intelligent guy who specialized in swapping out brand-new engines from brand-new Mustangs, for example, that were engine swaps a whole pile more powerful and complicated than the simple 3.4L engine swap I sought for my Fiero.
This gentleman flat out refused to work on my 3.4L engine swap project, so I asked him, "Why not?"
His response to me was very straightforward. He said, "Unlike you, my Mustang customer base doesn't give a damn if their cars don't start or run reliably when the outside temperature drops to below freezing, because they just store their cars then, anyway. You, on the other hand, probably prefer your Fiero to start and run reliably even at fifteen degrees below zero, right?"
"Yes", I replied, and then promptly took my Fiero someplace else more nearby, per the recommendations of several engineers at work.
That 3.4L engine swap was completed nearly eight years ago, on New Year's Eve of 2006.
And yes, that 3.4L engine swap stil starts and runs reliably even at fifteen degrees below zero (-15oF = -26oC).