Swapping Engines???

[BAM19]

OK, so I have a 1999 Grand Am SE. My girlfriends dad just wrecked his Chevy Lumina Z34 with a 3.4L V6 engine that gets 200 HP.

He is willing to sell the whole thing, wrecked and everything, which isnt even that bad, for $1500.

I was thinking about swapping my 2.4L 4 Cylinder 150 HP for the V6 in his car. I was thinking about modding the engine anyways and buying a Ram Air hood for it, which would be worth it if I got the 3.4L IMO.

I didnt know if this was good or worth it or what.

PLEASE let me know what you guys think

Thanks.

[92CamaroRS]

Originally posted by BAM19
OK, so I have a 1999 Grand Am SE. My girlfriends dad just wrecked his Chevy Lumina Z34 with a 3.4L V6 engine that gets 200 HP.

He is willing to sell the whole thing, wrecked and everything, which isnt even that bad, for $1500.

I was thinking about swapping my 2.4L 4 Cylinder 150 HP for the V6 in his car. I was thinking about modding the engine anyways and buying a Ram Air hood for it, which would be worth it if I got the 3.4L IMO.

I didnt know if this was good or worth it or what.

PLEASE let me know what you guys think

Thanks.

the 3.4(NOT 3400) in teh Z34 is not worth the time to work out the swap, if you want something else, your better off wiht a 3400, but honestly, you've got the engine with the most potential already.

[Brandon]

if your going to attempt that... just go out and do the 3.8 v6 SC from a grand prix gtp.....

[nice96gt]

Originally posted by Brandon
if your going to attempt that... just go out and do the 3.8 v6 SC from a grand prix gtp.....

Don't put any ideas into the kids head that he won't be able to do...


I agree with Cory, you would need way more than just the motor to get it to work. I don't even think the tranny from you Grand Am (N-body) would bolt up to the Lumina (W-body). Let alone the computer, motor mounts and other crap just to get it to sit in there.

I would stay with the 2.4 and build that up if you want. The "ram air" hood won't do any more for your car if it has the 2.4 or the 3.4. In this day and age, they are more for looks than in the old days when they had full functioning slots. Just keep what you got and do some research...you'll be surprised on what you will find out about the little 2.4L.

:thumbup2:

[Matt95GT]

Not worth it. That's money better spent making the 2.4 fast.

[BAM19]

Thanks for the heads up guys.

So what would be some good updates for the 2.4 to make it perform faster/better?

I research and stuff all the time but I dont know what will really work. For instance I found a turbo kit for my car, but it was almost $5,000!!! Thats way more than im looking to put into this car. Unless there are better deals, or that is a good deal?

This is my first car that im really looking to improve and mod because I can afford it now that Im older. So any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!!

[92CamaroRS]

Originally posted by BAM19
Thanks for the heads up guys.

So what would be some good updates for the 2.4 to make it perform faster/better?

I research and stuff all the time but I dont know what will really work. For instance I found a turbo kit for my car, but it was almost $5,000!!! Thats way more than im looking to put into this car. Unless there are better deals, or that is a good deal?

This is my first car that im really looking to improve and mod because I can afford it now that Im older. So any comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks again!!


did you think you were gonna be able to put a 3.4 DOHC engine in for under $5k?

I'd recomend, and im sure Matt will agree, the GM supercharger kit for the 2.4L is the best bang for the buck.

[Matt95GT]

^Yes, I do agree. About $2,400 for everything needed, with daily-driver & GM warranty reliability. And nearly as much power as the stock Twin Dual Cam V6... without the "frankenstein" bugs and hassle of that huge engine.

Edit: Errr... you have a 99... you'd need to get a 2000+ starter and do your own fuel/tuning mods tho.

[BAM19]

Well I didnt know if that was a good price, I thought it was a little high but if thats what Im going to have to pay than I cant complain right? haha.

Thanks guys.

[Matt95GT]

We're not just talking cost of engine... more like cost of custom mounts, wiring harness, PCM, a trans that will mate to it, custom CV shafts, etc.

[BAM19]

Originally posted by Matt95GT
We're not just talking cost of engine... more like cost of custom mounts, wiring harness, PCM, a trans that will mate to it, custom CV shafts, etc.

I meant the price of the supercharger. I didnt know they would cost that much when I saw that one for $5,000. But I guess they do.

[car audio dave]

theres a guy (spyhunter) that has a 2.4L with 300+ hp and 340+ tq. hes got a turbo,and lots of engine mods, but hes got the best 1/4 mile time for any n-body with its original motor size.

just proving that your engine has LOTs of potential. i have the 3400 and im debating on whether to build it up, or swap for a nissan VQ35 and deal with all of the hybrid issues. (hybrid meaning fusing car with different make of motor, the original use of the term in a car sense).

[Snowman]

You guys overestimate alot i think... I swapped a 3800 into my 93 GA for about 700 bucks, including buying the GA....
got the car for 200 bucks with a 3300 that was run out of oil. Nice interior, and decent paint. Got the olds 98 with a 3800 for 250. lots of miles, but in decent shape. spent 130 on a new radiator... cause my fan chewed a hole in it... spent 60 bucks on a custom K&N air intake. 60 bucks for a new battery. NO PCM mods, NO wiring mods, except extending wires. built One motor mount and tada! it runs.

[nice96gt]

Originally posted by Snowman
You guys overestimate alot i think... I swapped a 3800 into my 93 GA for about 700 bucks, including buying the GA....
got the car for 200 bucks with a 3300 that was run out of oil. Nice interior, and decent paint. Got the olds 98 with a 3800 for 250. lots of miles, but in decent shape. spent 130 on a new radiator... cause my fan chewed a hole in it... spent 60 bucks on a custom K&N air intake. 60 bucks for a new battery. NO PCM mods, NO wiring mods, except extending wires. built One motor mount and tada! it runs.

There is your reason for it being an easier swap..."3300". The 3300 is like a smaller version of the 3800. Just like the 3100 is a smaller version of the 3400. Most of the components will work fine in the swap. I'm also assuming you had the knowledge of what to do during the swap, where as I'm not too sure this guy has as much, not offense BAM19...it's just your first car, that's all. He would have to do a lot of other stuff since he has the 2.4 stock.

I would aslo like to see a video of it running and pics of it if you have it. I'm sure many other members would like to also. There is a guy here in Toronto that has one swapped in too but you just don't see them everyday.

[FasTBird232]

Originally posted by BAM19
OK, so I have a 1999 Grand Am SE. My girlfriends dad just wrecked his Chevy Lumina Z34 with a 3.4L V6 engine that gets 200 HP.

He is willing to sell the whole thing, wrecked and everything, which isnt even that bad, for $1500.

I was thinking about swapping my 2.4L 4 Cylinder 150 HP for the V6 in his car. I was thinking about modding the engine anyways and buying a Ram Air hood for it, which would be worth it if I got the 3.4L IMO.

I didnt know if this was good or worth it or what.

PLEASE let me know what you guys think

Thanks.

I asked the same question on the w-body board, having previously owned an LQ1-powered '95 GTP. Bottom line: the DOHC engine is WAY to wide to fit without hacking up the firewall. It's simply not worth it.

Good idea though, putting in a 210 hp DOHC V6 into a 3100 lb car.

[TA^Guy]

Originally posted by Matt95GT
Not worth it. That's money better spent making the 2.4 fast. :agree:

The DOHC 3.4 is a cool motor and be a interesting swap, however it's not very reliable.

As Matt stated mod the 2.4, there are alot more aftermarket goodies for it than the DOHC 3.4.
Originally posted by Snowman
You guys overestimate alot i think... I swapped a 3800 into my 93 GA for about 700 bucks, including buying the GA....
got the car for 200 bucks with a 3300 that was run out of oil. Nice interior, and decent paint. Got the olds 98 with a 3800 for 250. lots of miles, but in decent shape. spent 130 on a new radiator... cause my fan chewed a hole in it... spent 60 bucks on a custom K&N air intake. 60 bucks for a new battery. NO PCM mods, NO wiring mods, except extending wires. built One motor mount and tada! it runs.
Question is, what 3.8 motor is it? There are several different 3.8s. That is like telling someone that they swapped a 5.7 from a Camaro into a Caprice.

[FasTBird232]

I'd say it's plenty reliable (so long as you check the timing belt every 15k miles or so), but the aftermarket for it is next to nothing. Everything is custom. It hurt it that it was only available for seven model years one just one platform. Even I can agree that it'd be easier to mod a 2.4 than trying to shove the LQ1 into a Grand Am and ALSO having to turbo it for more power. The L67 is more worth your trouble, with it giving you 240 hp right out of the box, plus the large aftermarket for it (as opposed to the LQ1's 210 horsepower and the added expense of having to custom-build your own mods).

From the sounds of it, I'm guessing he got a Series I 3800.