engine swap questions. 3.8l to v8
 

ok i know there is a sticky on the v6 to v8 swap but i found it unhelpful. Also before anyone says its not worth it to do the swap, i already have my mind made up. i have my reasons for swapping, like my car is clean and i cant find camaros with sticks in my area and my v6 is a stick. plus cheaper insurance. but back on topic. i have a few question on what i will need and where i can get the parts from.

1)What are all the parts i will need? i know generally what i need but a full list would be nice.

2)Will an lt1 fit into a 99 camaro without crazy work? i plan on doing an ls but if i have to i might lt it.

3)I'm probably getting a motor for free that needs a rebuild but i think it came out of a firebird. is it the same as the camaro?

4)What cars can i get parts from? ex. can i use parts from firebirds, trans ams and corvettes? i thought the trans am, firebird and camaro are all the same but i wasnt sure if parts are compatible with the vette.

5)Will a v8 bolt up to my v6 trans? i think i need an adaptor but not forsure. i know i will have to beef it up but t56 trans are hard to find in michigan and i dont need a 6th gear its pointless in my opinion.

You need a full donor car, literally. Your 5 speed will not swap over to an LT1 or LS1; you will need the T56 6 speed that came with the V8's.

It will fit, after extensive work and modification.

Camaro/Firebirds are the same drivetrain wise.

Some parts off the Vette are compatabile; LS6 parts can work with the LS1.

6th gear is anything but pointless. 6th gear is an overdrive gear, it lets you get 25+ mpg on the highway while giving you 5 forward, non-overdrive gears.

Swaps are never worth it, no matter how clean your car may be. Best bet is to expand your search range to other states if nessecary; will save you a lot of money and aggrevation.

Not to be persnickety, but 6th gear is double overdrive, 5th is overdrive, 4th is 1:1.
But yeah, even if you could adapt your T5 to the LT1/LS1, it wouldn't last long once you go rompin and stompin on the thing.....and don't try to tell me you won't! ;)
And are you good with adapting or converting computers and wiring systems?

All the above, and surprised no one mentioned the insurance part. You can pawn your car off as a V6 all you'd like to the insurance company, but the moment they find out that it's no longer a V6 car, your insurance will go up and you can be accused of fraud.

6th gear is beautiful when you decide to stick 4.10 or lower gears in the rear and drive on the highway. That's the only thing that holds me back from getting some myself is the gas mileage loss with the A4 on the highway. Double OD would be amazing.

All the questions you asked are answered in the V6 to V8 swap thread. Smiply put you will need far more parts than it would be worth getting out of a yard so you might as well buy a wrecked V8 car.

The LT1 will fit just fine but unless you want to swap out your entire interior you are limited to getting a parts car from a 97 only. Your K member will ONLY fit the 3800, all other K members are made to their engines and there were 4 different ones over the years. Fuel tank and associated wiring will need to go, brakes maybe, your gas petal assembly is not right for the LS1 or LT1 as you have throttle by wire and the other 2 cars use cable throttle. oh yea and you are gonna have to drill the firewall for the cable.

All and all good luck. I have helped a friend with this swap and if it was not for the fact that he did have a totaled LS1 car the 96 he swapped everyting over to would have prolly been scrapped as it is not just a simple job in the 4th gens. Honestly I would just put another 3.8L in it and have a nice cruiser.

If you need help finding an engine and what parts are needed to swap from a FWD engine to your engine check out my thread on where you can find the 3800s. There are alot of cars out there that can be engine doners for the V6.

Massey

well the motor wasnt an ls1. so i m just gonna buy a car with a bad motor and put it in there. i just got to figure out what motor it is. the guy didnt really know what year the car was it came from. i believe it is a lt1. does anyone know how i could figure out if its from a fourth gen or third gen?

If it's an LT1 from an f body, it would be from a 4th gen, and have aluminum heads. 3rd gen's didn't have the LT1.
google LT1 engines, they are unique looking (different water pump style, optispark distributor down low in front) compared to the old gen 1 style engine in the 3rd gen.

well this one has aluminium heads. does that mean its an lt1 then? i tried googleing them i could really tell.

LT1, minus the water pump. That cream colored "thing" behind the lower pulley is the optispark distributor. It's what's unique to the LT1, and is part of what makes everybody "love" this engine so much! ;)

http://transamws6.com/pics/82_ta/lt1_front.jpg

I'd search Google for TPI and LS1 as well and look at the intakes so you know what you're looking at. Each is distinct and hard to mix up.