Engine Swap related question

[Yoshi253]

Some time in the fuure, I plan on doing an engine swap. My brother has an old early 90's (I think 92) Chevy Lumina sitting around, and I just got the thought of buyin this car from him for the engine... I beleive it has a LQ1 V6 in it which I understand produces about 200-210 HP. However, does anyone here know anything about this engine?

Of course I would want to have it rebuilt BEFORE putting it in the car, just because a.) high milage, b.) been sitting a long time and c.) I could do some inner performance work on it as well (new cams, new pistons, boring it out a little...). But before I put any serious thought into this, I thought I'd ask a little about the pro's and con's of this engine. I also understand it was put into some of the grand prixs during its production.

[DomestikDemon]

Is that the 3.4 DOHC?

Good luck finding cams.......prolly gonna have to call up Crane or something and get a custom grind, 4 of em. But hey, more power= sexiness. Id go for it. :)

[MantaGreen97]

The LQ1 is indeed the 3.4L DOHC engine, most often called the 3.4L TDC (Twin Dual Cam). The LQ1 was used mainly in W-bodies, so yes it was used in the GP (in the GTP before 97 where they started using the L67 motor instead).

I'd go to www.60degreev6.com for more information about that. There's tons of info and knowledge about the engine over there. Turboed the LQ1 produces some serious hp numbers (go look at the dynos for turbo LQ1s at 60degreev6.com ;) ). If you're thinking about swapping it into your Grand Am, however, note that it probably isn't going to be an easy swap--it'll likely be just as hard as putting an L67 in there... (Plus the fact that you currently appear to have a Quad OHC is not going to make it any easier either).

[Yoshi253]

Originally posted by MantaGreen97
The LQ1 is indeed the 3.4L DOHC engine, most often called the 3.4L TDC (Twin Dual Cam). The LQ1 was used mainly in W-bodies, so yes it was used in the GP (in the GTP before 97 where they started using the L67 motor instead).

I'd go to www.60degreev6.com for more information about that. There's tons of info and knowledge about the engine over there. Turboed the LQ1 produces some serious hp numbers (go look at the dynos for turbo LQ1s at 60degreev6.com ;) ). If you're thinking about swapping it into your Grand Am, however, note that it probably isn't going to be an easy swap--it'll likely be just as hard as putting an L67 in there... (Plus the fact that you currently appear to have a Quad OHC is not going to make it any easier either).

What problems do you think the swap will cause? I haevn't ever swapped engines before so I don't know a lot about what I will encounter. I haven't given it a lot of seirous research or thought yet...

So my current engine will cause a problem? Is this caused by the way the motor is mounted?


Thanks for the information you guys listed, I will start doing some more serious research on it soon.

[Matt95GT]

The Twin Dual Cam is a neat engine design and all, but it's power output doesn't warrant such a frankenstein swap. It simply isn't worth it... the same amount of power can be obtained while sticking to the Quad 4 family.

[Yoshi253]

Which quad 4 would produce 200 HP? I thought they were limited to about 170-ish. Could be wrong though... :D

[Yoshi253]

(BTW, I do like High output 4 cylanders better than V6's anyway...)

[Matt95GT]

Originally posted by Yoshi253
Which quad 4 would produce 200 HP? I thought they were limited to about 170-ish. Could be wrong though... :D

The W41 (exclusive to Oldsmobile) made 190 HP stock, and it doesn't take much work to get another 10 HP out of it. A stroker Quad 4 setup could also easily do it normally aspirated... or low-boost to any Quad 4 in your preferred format (SC, turbo, N2O). The early HO's were 180 HP, up to and including 1992.

Originally posted by Yoshi253
(BTW, I do like High output 4 cylanders better than V6's anyway...)

Both engine types have their pros and cons, but in your existing chassis, sticking to a Quad 4 is a logical choice... and that's only based on physical mounting - electrical hassles would be a whole other chapter. Even if you were determined to swap to a V6, the Twin Dual Cam might not be the best choice - it is a large engine that barely fits into the W-body platform it came in... cars that required you to change the alternator from underneath, etc.

[Yoshi253]

Which oldsmobiles could I find the W41 in? Thanks for all the help and suggestions, too man. I appreciate it. If I am patient/keep my eyes out, I can easilly find a cheap car at the local auto auction. All I would need is the engine (unless it is another GA... Then it could be a valuable parts car particularly if its a GT so I can do a GT conversion)

[Colin]

Originally posted by Yoshi253
Which oldsmobiles could I find the W41 in? The W41 version was the highest-output Quad 4 at 190 hp (142 kW) in 1991 and 1992, and 185 hp (138 kW) in 1993. The additional 10hp came from longer duration cams and a different PROM.

Applications:

* 1991 Oldsmobile 442
* 1992-1993 Oldsmobile Achieva SCX

[Matt95GT]

Originally posted by Colin
The W41 version was the highest-output Quad 4 at 190 hp (142 kW) in 1991 and 1992, and 185 hp (138 kW) in 1993. The additional 10hp came from longer duration cams and a different PROM.

Applications:

* 1991 Oldsmobile 442
* 1992-1993 Oldsmobile Achieva SCX

Correct... but a very rare find. I doubt you'll find this engine in auction/junkyard. Aside from the IDI cover look, you can recreate a W41 using an HO with W41 cams and PROM.

[Yoshi253]

Okay man, thanks for the suggestion!