so a new thing came up, my nieghbor builds drag cars and is aparently a mechanic who has a shop at his house so he said he would haul the car there, put it on a lift, pull the motor, tear it down, and see what needs fixed, he's convinced its the number five cylinder and it broke the crank, he said its the most common thing on these and he's fixed a few so he may fix it, he also said he could hook me up with a cam and headers cheaper with his discounts. But anyway, he only want 150 to tear it down then he'll tell us what needs done and we can
A) Pay him to rebuild it.
B) Pay him to replace it.
C) Do what we want with it.
D) Sell it broken to him lol

 

How can there not be a 3.8 anywhere in the State with less then 150K on it it? You realize the 3.8 K motor was on of GMs most common engines in the mid to late 90s. Camaro's, Firebird's, Grand Prix's, Lesaber's .... Just about every non-V8 had a 3.8 option. Another thing is the motors are pretty bullet proof if they are well maintained. There is such a low demand for these engines I have seen on other websites guys finding 3.8's with 10K on them for less then $500.

http://car-part.com/
This site will show only Camaros and Firebirds as fitting but any 3.8 K motor can be striped down to it long block and reassemble with your boltons.

 

The buick 3.8L and Pontiac 3.8L are not the same as the camaro or firebird 3.8L, yes there are hundred of those, but not the camaro, i've called every shop in my town and one shop literally laughed at me and said good luck. The cheapest i've ever seen one is on tacreation and they want i think 400 for a motor with 175k. and thats in florida, indiana obviously has a higher demand for these motors than where ever you are does, even some shops said they are looking for the motor to.

 

The 3.8 long block, N/A, is the same from 96-when they ended. That goes for FWD and RWD. Differences is in the oil pan, intake, valve covers, accessories, etc. But all that stuff is swappable.

 

Take any 3.8L "K" short block and put all your top end **** on it... Problem solved!

 

You don't have to go short block. The long block is fine. You could even keep the lower intake but I suggest you replace that gasket anyways.

The reason shops think these motors are different is for 2 reasons. One, when GM first came out with the FWD V6 it was the 2.8 the 2.8 had to differnet blocks one for FWD and the other for RWD. The second reason is the Mitchell manual that tells you what fits what. Garages want bolt in replacement, They do not want to change anything. The Mitchell manual is their guide. Can the motor from a 99 Grand prix bolt right in without changine stuff,, NO, Will it work if you change stuff, YES. I have proof. If you took your car to a GM dealer and asked them to replace your engine with a new one they would most likely order a long block. It would be this number.

http://paceperformance.com/index.asp...D&ProdID=96139

If you review the list of cars it will fit. That is the list of cars that the long block will work out of. That pic also gives you a good idea how far you have to tear you motor down. I won't mention other Camaro forums and I know of atlease a half dozen project threads where FWD engine where used. They all start the same with everyone saying it will not fit and they all end the same with orginal poster driving a car with a X-FWD motor in it.

 

yea... i cant take my car to gm because i'm on a dq paycheck to paycheck budget.... well if we find that it is going to cost more than 1500 we are selling the car for what its worth cause i found a 87 305 with ttops for $950