Im looking to upgrade my 3.4 and no I dont want a v8 or I would of bought one. No one in my area and I mean within 2000 mile radius will do the 34xx top swap. Besides buying a new crate motor is there anything I can do I increase the power, ie new rear end or motor upgrades? Or tranny ie: faster shifting, shorter shifts (not gear ratios)

it already has a k&n intake, has a uromaster (flowmaster knock off and not my doing previous owner did it) and a cam I know it has one cause when the car is warm it idles @ 700 rpm.

im just tired of all these pony boys out here with there stangs think there hot and I want to either smoke them or give them a real run for there money. Much info is appreciated

 

just because it idles at 700rpm, doesn't mean it has a cam, just fyi.

but if you want simple, cheap hp, nitrous is always on the table.

also, a deeper gear and a converter would really wake that thing up

 

The 3.4 came out in 1993, if there was a way to make it fast it would be in the FAQ. You are not asking any question that was not asked 20 years ago. Even with turbo and Nitrous the heads choke off the exhaust and the cylinder never really empty out and the next intake stroke is already half filled with leftovers. The bottle neck is the heads, there is no work around for that.

If you can figure out a way to make a 3.4 even as fast as a 3800 you will be a hero but with 300 HP Lt1 driving cars selling for 2K it is going to be tuff to do anything that would make sence from a money point of view. I have watch people put thousands of dollars into 3.4 and never come close to a bone stock LT1.

Sell you car for 2K buy a Lt1 with a blown head gasket for $1300 2 weekend and $400 later you have 300hp and a few hundred in your pocket and a car that now worth more then you have in it.

 

or that, he is right though, there is no replacement for displacement.

Whats stopping you from doing the 3.4 top end swap yourself?

 

I wish they were that cheap where im at

 

Only thing that stops me is im good with a computer not mechanical work I know a few things but that deep with a whole motor rebuild I did consider it but I cant afford to be out a car for 6 months if I screwed something up and I dont have a place to store the car indoors to work on it with dirt and debris.

 

If you're set on doing the top end swap, you'll need a 3500 lower intake manifold, 3500 heads, 3500 fuel rail, 3400 upper intake manifold, and 3.1 pushrods.

Basically, if doing this was a) easy or b) worthwhile, don't you think it would be a lot easier to find builds where this has been done? I hate to bash the 3.4 because I was in your exact situation almost 5 years ago. If you want power/speed/muscle, get a V8 and don't look back. Don't try to make your car something it's not. I'm guessing you're young and don't have much (if any) experience wrenching on cars. I think the best thing for you to do is to enjoy your car for what it is. If you want to get your hands dirty, do some bolt-ons and suspension mods, or you can fix it up to make it look nice. There is plenty of enjoyment to be had out of a car with a 3.4, but if your end goals are power and speed, your time and money is better-spent looking elsewhere.

 

Read my two threads in my sig, the v6 was cool but the v8 swap was cheaper to make horsepower.

 

the bolt ons is what im asking im not looking for a 10 second 3.4 i could careless for 400 hp i have 2 children who ride in the car so im not looking to kill us. Yes im 27 but that dont matter and no i havnt worked on alot of cars if you think taring down a motor was easy you think there would be garages or mechanics to do this. I do enjoy my car i just want to pep it up a little it wasnt a hard question to answer as i did state i could careless for a v8 i have a 5.7L jeep so no need there.

I dont know why its such a big deal to ask questions about a car i personally want to keep my 3.4 because of all the z28 drivers hate on them. I just dont understand why its hard for anyone to say hey port and polish your heads yada yada but anyways. Yes i understand this question has been asked for 20 years but with the technology today i would figure i would ask damn.

 

I've been there and done that with port and polishing the 3.4 heads, and the works. Its not worth it. My car maybe put down 180 horse on motor with the work done.