for those of you who don't know, i have a 3.8 with 214,xxx miles. she's still running good, but yesterday when i got out i noticed an oil smell. naturally, i popped the hood. it looks like oil is all around the bottom of the engine (not too bad, i just mean it's built up, not like a constant leak). hopefully it's not anything to do with the engine itself leaking, but the oil pan. there's no smoke from the exhaust whatsoever, which is amazing considering the miles. i'm going to have it checked in a couple days and just keep an eye on the oil. (quick question: what should the oil pressure be in a 3.8? mine stays a bit below the halfway mark, and barely moves when i rev.)

anyway, what i'm getting at is that after looking at this yesterday, i really started to think; this engine isn't invincible, it's gonna go at one point, and that point will probably be within the next year, two at the most. this is my only car, i love it, and i've put a lot of money into repairing it (new transmission, intake gaskets, and other parts that have messed up due to the effects of time), so when the engine starts to show signs of saying goodbye, should i prepare to swap for another 3.8, or rebuild it? and where can i find the parts to have it rebuilt?

 

well i wouldnt swap it for another used one. if you rebuild just talk to a local machine shop about parts. the only swap id consider is to a v8. i dont think itd be a good idea to swap for another hundred some thousand mile 3.8

 

If he swaps for a v8 would it not be cheaper to just buy a lt1 car?

And i would just rebuild the 3.8 if you wanna stay with a V6.

 

yea an lt1 car would be cheaper lol

 

you can pick up a lt1 for less money than it would take to rebuild the 3800

 

i knew an lt1 camaro would cost less than swapping the engine into my car, that wasn't an option, it would be a waste of time and money. i'll probably just go for the rebuild on my 3.8.

 

How much are you looking at spending?

 

but in what kind of shape would the vehicle be? I've been looking around for a 2nd 4th gen for my own toy. I'm not doing anything else to the current one (son turns 16 soon and gets it). I've found LT1s for 3k-8k and every one of them needed at least $1k in work. I found a killer stroked LT1 but the guy was asking the moon for it but the interior was in even better shape than mine, prisitne leather and it has t-tops and was repainted 2 years ago. The only LS1's I've found have been seriously beat.

I'll just keep looking

 

I don't know, I need to look into it. I have an amazing mechanic who knows my car in and out (which is great to have), and he'll cut me a really good deal (had a transmission installed by him for 150 bucks once ). About how much do rebuilds usually cost? I know labor rates change from area to area, but with parts how much would it average? Oh, and since I'm going to go through with this towards the end of the year, it gives me time to save money, so is there any sort of performance I can gain without going over the top with spending? I mean, if there are any performance parts or whatever that are expensive but worth it, that's fine, but I don't want to waste a lot of money on something that really isn't worth it.

 

My theory... If it's not broke, don't fix it...