3.1 Lumina swap-out

[garylau]

I have a '97 Lumina that has recently overheated causing damage to the heads and valvetrain. I'm not sure what kind of shape the block is in yet, but I'm probably going to replace the whole motor. I would like to try a different motor or at least different heads to get a little better performance out of it since I'm going through the trouble anyway. That said, I have three questions.
1. If I replace the motor what options do I have keeping in mind that my experience with engine swaps is very limited and I would like it to be as simple a swap as possible?
2. If I only replace the heads, are there heads I can swap in that are better than the ones I've got? (OEM, not aftermarket)
3. What other minor mods can I use to squeeze out a little extra power?
Thanks.

[motorbreath]

The block is probably just fine but the heads are most likely warped. If you just want to replace them get some heads from a 3400. If you want to swap the motor a 3400 will work having only minor differences from your 3100, just keep any parts that are different and put them on the 3400. Exhaust and intake mods might give you a couple extra mules as well. Just dig around the site, almost anything you want to know can be found with the search option.

[garylau]

Thanks. That's pretty much what I was thinking. Are there different years of the 3400 heads that have benefits over others?

[motorbreath]

Not that I'm aware. They should be all exactly the same. 3500 heads are supposed to flow even better from what I hear.