This time, I'm going to ask questions before I start my project...
#1
11-21-2009, 07:08 PM
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Farmington Hills, MI
Posts: 1,671
This time, I'm going to ask questions before I start my project...
Ok, so my last project didn't work out like I would've hoped, so I'm going to sell it for a profit and find a new project. I'm looking to find a 3.4 with either really high miles or a bad motor. I know that 95 was the transition year for the OBD systems, so would I be able to put an engine from a 95 into an OBD 1 car no problem? Or will the wiring still be different?
here are some of the cars I'm looking at:
http://appleton.craigslist.org/cto/1440847707.html
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/1447546906.html
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/1439170312.html
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/1464063015.html
here are some of the cars I'm looking at:
http://appleton.craigslist.org/cto/1440847707.html
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/1447546906.html
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/1439170312.html
http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/1464063015.html
#3
11-21-2009, 07:35 PM
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Farmington Hills, MI
Posts: 1,671
I want a 3.4 because I have a 3.4 engine and automatic transmission with 111k miles on it that I would like to use as a donor. LT1 is out of the question because of insurance. I have more experience with the 3.4 and I have a much better idea of what mods I can/want to do (alum. heads, CAI, cat-back, possibly headers at some point). So my concern is if i can simply drop the engine/transmission I have into a pre-1995 car without any problems with the OBD system and the wiring (which was the death of my last project when I was trying to put them into an OBDII car 
)
)
#4
11-22-2009, 11:29 PM
The way an OBD1.5 car works is it uses an OBD I system and harness but uses an OBD II diagnostics port... A 3.4 from any year should be a direct swap. And I thought 96 was the crossover, not 95?
#5
11-23-2009, 05:14 AM
95 is the cross over year. 96 is Full OBD2. There was a lot of problems with design in 96 but they where all in ECM. Step one of tuning a 96 is get a 97 ECM.
#6
11-23-2009, 07:40 PM
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Farmington Hills, MI
Posts: 1,671
ok good, that was the part that concerned me most. So now, what do you guys think of the cars I have posted? I'm planning on checking out at least one of them this weekend.
#7
11-23-2009, 08:32 PM
You can not tell much from picture. Finding a nice car with blown motor can take some time. I looked for about 5 months. I looked at a lot of junk. Most of the car did not only have motor damage but you could tell they have not been maintained so replacing the motor would only be the first step in what would have ended up a restoration. My check list was.
I wanted a 3800/5 speed
I wanted T-tops
I want a paint job that would be good for a few years
I wanted a car that looked like it was well maintained and cared for.
I looked at a lot of 5 speed t-top until I found a garage kept, Dealer maintain car with a knock in the motor. Funny part was it was not any more expensive the junk I was looking at and she had it up for sale for some time with no takers. Seem once the motor goes in a V6 it only worth the sum of its parts so the general condition did not add to the value of the car to most people. It did to me. I have put about 7K miles on my car since I installed the motor. Tonight was the first time I had to repair my car since it was done. The alternator went, but that could have happened in any 1996 car.
I wanted a 3800/5 speed
I wanted T-tops
I want a paint job that would be good for a few years
I wanted a car that looked like it was well maintained and cared for.
I looked at a lot of 5 speed t-top until I found a garage kept, Dealer maintain car with a knock in the motor. Funny part was it was not any more expensive the junk I was looking at and she had it up for sale for some time with no takers. Seem once the motor goes in a V6 it only worth the sum of its parts so the general condition did not add to the value of the car to most people. It did to me. I have put about 7K miles on my car since I installed the motor. Tonight was the first time I had to repair my car since it was done. The alternator went, but that could have happened in any 1996 car.
#8
11-23-2009, 08:48 PM
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Farmington Hills, MI
Posts: 1,671
Yeah, I kinda figured finding the right car would be a bit of a crapshoot. My main criteria are t-tops, 3.4/auto (only because I have the 3.4/auto donor ready to go, but the auto is negociable), power windows/locks, keyless, and preferably the 5-speaker sound system. It also can't be red, because my winter beater is red and so is my mom's 2000 Camaro lol. I know it's kind of a tall order, so I'm really hoping that I can find a good one over Thanksgiving break. That way I can work at putting the aborted project back together over Christmas and Spring Breaks and get this one going in the summer.
Which cars I look at also largely depends on who actually returns my emails haha
Which cars I look at also largely depends on who actually returns my emails haha
#10
11-28-2009, 12:04 PM
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Farmington Hills, MI
Posts: 1,671
I found somebody in Milwaukee that has a roller for $500 and one with a bad motor for $1200, so I'm checking those out tomorrow. The roller doesn't have t-tops, so I'm considering getting that, putting in my motor and tranny, and selling it right away, then using that money toward a fully functioning car lol
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