3.0L Swap possibilities

[E-werd]

Hey all, I'm new to the site (obviously). I have a 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera LS with a 3.0L and 2bbl carburetor. It is a godo engine for what its worth, but I am curious...

What engine could I possibly swap in? I am not sure what transmission is in it, not exactly sure how to tell. It is a 3-speed, thats about all I know.


Any insight will be appreciated.

[sharkey]

id almost bet you have the oldest fwd car on the board.

an 82 olds, cutless, im guessing you could swap just about any 60 degree v6 in there if ya wanted to. the later cutless's came with 2.8l and 3.1l, and even 3100s, so realy mounting it shouldnt be a problem. pretty much limited to a 2.8 if you want to stay carbed.

id throw a 3400 in it. you could get the ecm and wiring harness from an 89-91 cavalier, thats the easyest to work with. you would also need to upgrade the fuel tank, pump, and fuel lines for high pressure stuff (again, newer cutless may work here).

the only 3 speed fwd gm tranny is the th125, so thats what it is. if the 3.0l uses a small gm bolt pattern, then the tranny would bolt right up. if not, then you would need a 125 from a 2.8/3.1, or you could upgrade to a 4 speed auto, the 440t4, or if you wanted to use a different wiring harness (93-94 cutless) you could run a 4t60e. im not sure if a cutless ever had a 5 speed, but im sure you could make it work if you wanted one.

[Guest]

Well considering the 3.0L is a 90* V6, your best bet as much as I hate to admit this is looking at a 3800 or 3300.

EFI swap should be pretty easy.

BTW Sharkey, I believe Marty's Citation is as old, or older.

[sharkey]

i thought it was an 84.

[RacerX11]

i thought it was an 84.

Correct.

[sharkey]

yea i didnt think the x11 came out till 83 or 84.

i was trying to give the 60 degree motor swap ideas. since the 3.0l is a 90 degree v6, if you want the easyest swap, get a 3.8l series 2 supercharged. you should be able to make it bolt in without many problems. i think the biggest issue would be the tranny and engine managment. id personaly run a megasquirt n spark ecu, and do it full stand alone, would be the easyest way. as for a tranny, hard to say. you could have the 125 built up to take the power. the tranny behind the 3.8 s2 supercharged is the 4t65e hd, and the only ecm that will run it is obd2, and trying to make it all work properly would be a nightmare.

[RacerX11]

yea i didnt think the x11 came out till 83 or 84.

There was an X-11 model in 1980 (trim mostly), with the full-blown version available in '81.

[Guest]

yea i didnt think the x11 came out till 83 or 84.

There was an X-11 model in 1980 (trim mostly), with the full-blown version available in '81.

Didn't you have an '82 or '81 at some point though?

[E-werd]

Woops, I thought it was a 60-degree. Well, while we're still on the topic... I am not interested in changing the transmission itself. An engine costs enough, let alone a transmission to go along with it.

Here is my cardomain if ya'll are interested: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2238226

I was once told a 3800 Series I... but all I have found is a Series II. Was I misled? And The_Raven, why do you hate to admit a 3800 or a 3300? Whats the secret there?

Thanks for the input, by the way.

[prodigy_16]

3800 series I is in all 88-95 bonneville & lesabre. if you want to do a two step upgrade, you can get one from a 90-95 bonneville ssei wich is supercharged. series II made more power, and the l67 (supercharged seriesII) is the most powerful, however i believe the series I had more potential, it was just never exploited.

[Husky]

There was also a 3800 Series One in Buick Park Avenue Ultras. I have the M62 off of one.

That's something to take into consideration also, the blower on the series one isn't as good as the series two. I'm sure that if you're going to be doing all the custom work to get the S-I in there though, you could probably get the M90 or even an M112 on the S-I. Don't know if there'd be any point in it though. Weren't the S-Is iron heads?

[prodigy_16]

yes, all 3.8/3800 engines are, even seriesII iron heads make more power with the same compression ratio assuming you can keep detonation down. it would be the same work to put a supercharged series I as a supercharged series II. the n/a seris II had similar power to the supercharged series I http://seriesoneperformance.com/ has series I performance parts, about the only ones that do. build up a 3800 series I engine you can have some good ttorquey performance. the stock engine had a good amount of grunt as is. I had a 89 lesabre t-type, and it wasnt afraid of going!

[LeftVentricle]

why do you hate to admit a 3800 or a 3300? Whats the secret there?

No secret, it's just that those are 90 degree V6 engines. This board is specifically for 60 degree V6s, ie the 2.8 carb, 2.8/3.1 MFI, 3100/3400, and the new 3500/3900. I'm thinking of going to 3400 to replace the Duke in my 6000, since an LQ1 is hard to come by in my area. (BTW, E-werd, you know me as Duke George V over on A-body.net.)