YJ with FWD Chevrolet 3100.

[JtuckerSvces]

Hope this is in the right section.

I have a 94 Jeep wrangler with a 2.5 and the 5spd. I have a love hate relationship with this jeep mainly due to the fact it nickle and dimes me to death but is also alot of fun and a great "Love machine."

Over the past I have done simple things such as the ford explorer LSD 8.8 disc axle, on the front a TJ inner and spartan locker. I have regeared to 4.56:1 and have 35" tires. The jeep is alright.

Recently my dumbass did not seat the dipstick fully after changing the oil which lead to a massive oil leak and oil starvation. I noticed low pressure and immediatly added oil since i keep these things handy in a trail/hunting/daily driver rig for occasions like this. You never know when you might need a squirt of penetrating oil, wrenches, or some brake fluid.

So i drive it home and locate the culprit. Next in notice this again about 1 week later. Damn thang is blwing oil like a steam locamotive does wood and coal smoke. Im like this is awsome. Now I can smoke like a cummins. lol, not really.

So I am driving my 2002 Chevrolet malibu and it gets wrecked in a hit and run. Long story short it is totaled but a grat car. gone to kansas 6 times and has about 160k on it and is known as the GM corperate bellhousing bolt pattern (Same as the AX-5).

Futhermore, I search and search and search and find only nimrod dipshits, recomending 4.3 swaps, cumming 4bt, SBC, SBF, dodge v8's and gasp, the dreaded 4.0 swap. Or when someone ask a legitimate question, the individual is told to search. Wow.

Next I decide just to take a look myself at what I'm working with. The 3100 in the 2002 Malibu is a transverse mounted v6. The bellhousing is corperat, but the problems I see are as follows:

1.) Throttlebody is on Bellhousing side of engine
2.) Engine front and rear (to be left and right) mounts are from transmission
3.) Other than other crap like a 4 foot upper radiator hose, I should be good
4.) There is some info on late 80's buick 3100 FWD swaps but thats about it, the blocks bellhousings are on the passenger side i beleive.

My questions are as follows:

1.) A.) Is the upper intake plentum symetrical, reversible and able to be pointed toward the other side? (It looks to be)
1.) B.) If intake manifold on the 3100 engine can have the TB turned to the front, whatsthe best way for the wiring to be extended and soldiered.
The main problem I see with this is the PS resovour is in the way, And how is the best way to addres this? truth is if someone want the 3800 supercharged FWD in their rwd ride then the intake cannot be flipped. This proves to me that relocating the TB to the front of the engine is not nessicary. What do yall suggest?
2.)I understand with the 3400 camaro flywheel that the imput chaft is approximatly 1/4" to thick to disengage the clutch. With a 1/4 spacer between the block and the transmission, assuming my fabrication is up to par, would the spacer be an structurally stable position to run a left and right motor mount from?
3.) Anybody have any links for a FWD specific jeep swap?
4.) Somewhere I heard use a S10 FLywheel and my 2.5L clutch and pressure plate and adjust my fork out or have the bellhousing milled 1/4"
5.) I noticed the starter on the 3100 is on the driverside where the jeep has it on the pasenger side. Do I use the S10 4cyl bellhousing for the 2.2?
6.) If i use another bellhousing, how will that effect my clutch and flywheel setup?
7.) The driver side exhaust runs over the transmission, will it be okay to route this traditionally?
8.) The upper radiator hose outlet for the engine will be by the brake master cylender. Any ideas on how to handle this without running 5' of upper radiator hose??
9.) Can someone just please spell this out for me on the right bellhousing, flywheel, clutch, pressureplate setup, and where the best place to fab mounts and attach them to the block are for my RWD config.


Hopefully we can get through this without comments like the AX-5 wont hold up or just swap a S10 engine or sell a to buy B. This is what I have and I am just looking for help to move foward with less headach than I would have without help.

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Okay, so after 2 days of searching my butt off. I have come to a conclusion. This is doable!

yesterday I just had to know exactly what a 4cyl rebuild would run and while it would be about $900 turn key at the local machine shop with a few "extras" like .060 over, shot and peened rods, .015 milled from head, 3 angle, minor porting, and a couple other goodys, I beleive i can do this GM swap for about half if I can source all my parts from the scraper

Wranglerforums turned up nothing on this swap, so I reckon ill be a pioneer of this swap in a wrangler, but fitting a GM 60* FWD V6 into a RWD platform is common in the MG brittish sportscar community. Id like to cite MGexp.com/phorum for the information I aquired.

Turns out there was a company that used to make parts to do this

I have a headach and 3 weeks before school starts back.

[Guest]

In all honestly, it'll likely be cheaper to rebuild the 4 cyl.

But if you want to go through with the V6 swap... Which I would do myself, but realize there will be things that no one will be able to tell you definitively that x or y will work in some parts of this swap.

First to address the intake situation. The intake, both upper and lower can be rotated 180*. The problem as you noticed is the power steering pump. This is where going to S10 or Camaro front cover and accessories will make like simple. There's a couple modifications that are needed to the block and front cover to do this. The longitudinal set-ups have a small hole in the front cover that lines up with a hole in the block for the bypass, this needs to be blocked when used on a FWD block. The second part, and isn't absolutely necessary is to grind the block a little behind the location of the lower rad hose fitting to help with more clearance for the lower rad hose and getting the clamp in place. You then use the rest of the RWD/longitudinal accessories. The head bolt pattern is slightly different and you can either make adapter plates, or drill out the brackets a little.

The bellhousing situation can be an interesting one. You can cut out the bellhousing for the FWD starter location, or possibly find a 2.5L Dakota bellhousing that I believe has the correct location for the starter, but I have not been able to verify that 100% yet. I'm not sure about the flywheel/clutch situation there, but there was some info on using the R154 which is related to the AR-5 here: http://www.thirdgen.org/forums/v6/66...on-option.html Note, the FWD block can not be drilled for the RWD starter location (easily), due to the mounting ear actually being shaped differently to clear the FWD transaxle.

The engine control is where things get interesting, while you could get the Malibu electronics to work, you will have to deal with the PASSLOK system that is part of the BCM and PCM in those cars. To get around that a custom tune will need to be flashed to the PCM, to disable the PASSLOK, which is about usually a few hundred dollars right there, and a little more if you get the tuning equipment for it. What a lot of people do in this situation is go to an OBD1 system from a Cavalier, Beretta, etc that had a 2.8L or 3.1L MPFI engine. Yes, you lose the SFI, but that's really only an emmisions deal anyway. Also the ECMs are tunable on the cheap, so that's a plus. I use an OBD1 ECM on my LX9 (3.5L) swapped 240Z.

For the exhaust, it's best to get a set of headers and modify the bolt holes by slotting them to match the FWD bolt pattern. The port spacing is the same between longitudinally mounted 60 degree V6s and the transverse, but the Gen2 and gen 3 (yours is a gen3) engines have the studs spaced out a little bit from the port as compared to the iron head (gen 1) engines. An alternative would be to use stock manifolds, but they are not as easily modified for the bolt spacing differences.

I think the hardest part here will be the engine mounts. The FWD blocks don't have a mount pad location that is easily built off of, at least not for what will become the driver side. The passenger side is very similar to the RWD stuff, but not in the same place. The other thing that may be a concern is the oil pan. On other RWD swaps, the shape of the oil pan usually interferes with the cross-member, but depending on how your frame is laid out this may not be a concern. You could also follow GM's idea here, if there' enough space and use the lower mount that is attached to the oil pan to support the engine, and then add a strut to stabilize it. See my thread further down in this forum for how I did that on mine, and then later revised the strut.


I'm not sure what you mean by the Buick 3100 and the block's bellhousing on the passenger side, but all 60 degree V6s are "corporate", meaning there are no divisions that any of the 2.8, 3.1, 3100, 3400, 3500 etc fall under. They are just "corporate" engines put in every marque.

[JtuckerSvces]

In all honestly, it'll likely be cheaper to rebuild the 4 cyl.

But if you want to go through with the V6 swap... Which I would do myself, but realize there will be things that no one will be able to tell you definitively that x or y will work in some parts of this swap.

First to address the intake situation. The intake, both upper and lower can be rotated 180*. The problem as you noticed is the power steering pump. This is where going to S10 or Camaro front cover and accessories will make like simple. There's a couple modifications that are needed to the block and front cover to do this. The longitudinal set-ups have a small hole in the front cover that lines up with a hole in the block for the bypass, this needs to be blocked when used on a FWD block. The second part, and isn't absolutely necessary is to grind the block a little behind the location of the lower rad hose fitting to help with more clearance for the lower rad hose and getting the clamp in place. You then use the rest of the RWD/longitudinal accessories. The head bolt pattern is slightly different and you can either make adapter plates, or drill out the brackets a little.

The bellhousing situation can be an interesting one. You can cut out the bellhousing for the FWD starter location, or possibly find a 2.5L Dakota bellhousing that I believe has the correct location for the starter, but I have not been able to verify that 100% yet. I'm not sure about the flywheel/clutch situation there, but there was some info on using the R154 which is related to the AR-5 here: http://www.thirdgen.org/forums/v6/66...on-option.html Note, the FWD block can not be drilled for the RWD starter location (easily), due to the mounting ear actually being shaped differently to clear the FWD transaxle.

The engine control is where things get interesting, while you could get the Malibu electronics to work, you will have to deal with the PASSLOK system that is part of the BCM and PCM in those cars. To get around that a custom tune will need to be flashed to the PCM, to disable the PASSLOK, which is about usually a few hundred dollars right there, and a little more if you get the tuning equipment for it. What a lot of people do in this situation is go to an OBD1 system from a Cavalier, Beretta, etc that had a 2.8L or 3.1L MPFI engine. Yes, you lose the SFI, but that's really only an emmisions deal anyway. Also the ECMs are tunable on the cheap, so that's a plus. I use an OBD1 ECM on my LX9 (3.5L) swapped 240Z.

For the exhaust, it's best to get a set of headers and modify the bolt holes by slotting them to match the FWD bolt pattern. The port spacing is the same between longitudinally mounted 60 degree V6s and the transverse, but the Gen2 and gen 3 (yours is a gen3) engines have the studs spaced out a little bit from the port as compared to the iron head (gen 1) engines. An alternative would be to use stock manifolds, but they are not as easily modified for the bolt spacing differences.

I think the hardest part here will be the engine mounts. The FWD blocks don't have a mount pad location that is easily built off of, at least not for what will become the driver side. The passenger side is very similar to the RWD stuff, but not in the same place. The other thing that may be a concern is the oil pan. On other RWD swaps, the shape of the oil pan usually interferes with the cross-member, but depending on how your frame is laid out this may not be a concern. You could also follow GM's idea here, if there' enough space and use the lower mount that is attached to the oil pan to support the engine, and then add a strut to stabilize it. See my thread further down in this forum for how I did that on mine, and then later revised the strut.


I'm not sure what you mean by the Buick 3100 and the block's bellhousing on the passenger side, but all 60 degree V6s are "corporate", meaning there are no divisions that any of the 2.8, 3.1, 3100, 3400, 3500 etc fall under. They are just "corporate" engines put in every marque.

The left oil filter side dont worry me, but the other side Im questioning a suitible location to mount the engine mount. is it practical to retain the rear facing intake (Would be super easy to run to a snorkle out the driver fender), exhaust over the bellhousing, and current serp setup? I have about 16" of spare space to move the engine foward and less than 4" doesnt seem unreasonable considering loads of room in the tub to move the shifter foward. (This would solve the rear intake, exhaust, and accessory delimas. Local semi trailer and farm impliment shop can modify driveshafts for $40/ea. + $30 for balence.

Im glad you broght up the passlock because i didnt know anything about that.. I assume the obd 1 wiring harness and computer is plug and play on my 3100 engine?

Ok another question: do I just fab something to run the upper coolant from the back left side of the engine to my upper radiator port on the upper passenger side of radiator?

I was looking today and I thing the 94ish s10 2.2 bellhousing will work i just have to be sure it bolts to my ax-5.

This is looking easier than I originally thought it would be.

[Guest]

I think you might have the engine sides mixed up, since the passenger side (non oil filter side) has 4 bolt holes all in close proximity, and similar to typical Longitudinal layout, just moved rearward on the block. The other side (oil filter side) has some bolt holes as well, at the bottom of the block and near the deck of the block that I used to use for swap mounts into FWD applications, but these are offset by about 1" from one plane to the other IIRC, and are not laid out in a square pattern, but sort of a diamond shape.

You can leave the intake facing the bellhousing end, it's not going to change the way the engine runs with the intake one way or the other. The issue with this is that as you can see the engine will have to be pushed pretty far forward.

The OBD1 ECM and harness isn't a a plug 'n' play, but it's not a difficult swap to do. The injector harness will need to be swapped and/or modified, locations of some of the sensor will likely be a little different depending on which application you get the harness from exactly. The 3100 will run off a stock 3.1 ECM without issue, but you might need to swap the fuel injectors and fuel pressure regulator to pre 2000 parts, to get the lower fuel pressure (43.5 vs 55 PSIG), and the MULTEC 1 type injectors. Or maybe some combination of the two. Ideally tuning the ECM for the application would be best.

[4wheelfurry]

When looking to swap my 2.5L in my TJ I looked long and hard at the 3100 and went over all the same questions you have. I called a guy who did the swap and talked to him for a while about it, he is on Wrangler Forum his name is JS35. He was helpful. 4th gen camaros have a rwd mounted 3.1 my plan was to pick one of those engines up and use components from that setup over to a fwd engine.
I decided to go with a SC 3800 FWD from a Grand Prix. Same bell housing and a lot more hp/torq. My build is done and I am happy with the results. Good luck, keep us updated!!