Samurai Chevy V6 swap

[DirtJumper]

Hey all I am new here, have searched and can't seem to find anything on swapping a 3.1 Chevy V6 into a RWD vehicle.

I have a suzuki samurai and the 4.3 is a really popular swap, just too extremem for me. I was looking at the 3.1 and cannot find a 1990 Isuzu for a donor. I am wondering if any of you guys could help me out with how to swap a 3.1 into a samurai? Or if I should just go with a 3.4, I am trying to be a little different here.

I read that the 3.1 in fwd cars basically had the same block as a 2.8 around the same time period, would it be at all possible to swap the 3.1 rotating assembly into a RWD 2.8 block? Or is the 8mm longer stroke just too much for the 2.8 block?

Any help on how to do this would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

[sharkey]

rwd and fwd blocks use different mounting holes on the left bank. not a big deal, custom mounts are needed anyways in your aplication. the fwd uses dis ignition, meaning it has a cank position sensor in the block, something the rwd 2.8 and 3.1 doesnt have. you would need a custom crank trigger for that. another thing is starter location. the fwd has the starter on the left bank, were a rwd has it on the right bank.

what i would do is find a 3.1l from a rwd (such as a camaro) or a 3.4l from a camaro (93-95). grab the wiring harness and ecm (if its a 3.4l, make sure you get a 5 speed ecm/harness, unless you wanna run the electronic 4 speed auto). you will need a high pressure fuel pump for the efi aswell. basicly, take and throw it all in there.

what are you thinking of using for a tranny???

[DirtJumper]

rwd and fwd blocks use different mounting holes on the left bank. not a big deal, custom mounts are needed anyways in your aplication. the fwd uses dis ignition, meaning it has a cank position sensor in the block, something the rwd 2.8 and 3.1 doesnt have. you would need a custom crank trigger for that. another thing is starter location. the fwd has the starter on the left bank, were a rwd has it on the right bank.

what i would do is find a 3.1l from a rwd (such as a camaro) or a 3.4l from a camaro (93-95). grab the wiring harness and ecm (if its a 3.4l, make sure you get a 5 speed ecm/harness, unless you wanna run the electronic 4 speed auto). you will need a high pressure fuel pump for the efi aswell. basicly, take and throw it all in there.

what are you thinking of using for a tranny???

this was going to be in a mostly off-road rig so I was thinking a 4spd auto, but I would look at a 5spd if I had to, I hadn't really gotten my head around the engine far enough to think about a specific tranny honestly...

The basic swaps for a sami seems to be a 700R4, 4L60E, Th350 or a 200R4...I know it is a wide range, but again, these were all installed with a 4.3 in front of them, I was thinking a T5 would work, but as I said I really havn't looked into it too far.

Was it just the (90-95) Camaro and firebird which had the RWD 3.1 or 3.4? Were there any other Buicks/Pontiacs/oldsmobiles?

Thanks for the help!

[geoffinbc]

90 to 92 was the 3.1L and 93 to 95 was the 3.4L. I have info on the 3.4L swap into s-10's but nothing for a Samari.

However any RWD 60* V6 and its related tranny will work. Grab a donor and use its computer, EFI system and tranny.

[Greg55_99]

If you're going to run a Toyota drivetrain in your Sammi, it's possible to hook up the 3.1/3.4 to a Toyota W55 and transfer case by using a Jeep 2.5L bellhousing and a Camaro 3.4L flywheel. If you go this route, you can use all of those nice Marlin parts.

http://www.jeeps-offroad.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1049&d=1083784188

http://www.jeeps-offroad.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2284&d=1097079715

Greg

[DirtJumper]

Thanks guys, I think I will abandon the 2.8 thing and look for a camaro or firebird..