making a van faster

[The Hulk!]

umm so ya

I already got a really built transmission that will handle whatever i throw at it

i bought a 2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette Van

im looking for 300-350whp and iam not used to 3400's (although im very well versed on 3800's and DOHCs) so this is new territory for me, also i dont want to swap to a 3800 because i dont like to rewire things it starts to make the car more sh**y if you know what i mean... unless one of you swaps vans for a living and makes the harness i need im not really interested in an electrically involved swap

i have some questions

what kind of power can a 3400 in stock form handle?
besides the intake gasket whats the next place to have a catastrophic failure?
what breaks the most on the engine?
anyone ever do a van and not swap out for a 3800 and try and make it fast?
3500 is less electrical involved?
how much does a 3500 handle and what breaks on them?
is 300-350whp possible in N/a form?
will a turbo kit from a grand am fit in my van?

thanks for any help dudes
Jordan

[ericjon262]

Mars was DEEP into the 11's (11.13) with his cam and turbo 3500 3rd gen Camaro. I'm not going to say 300 is impossible N/a, but you're going to have alot of work into it to make that happen. can you weld? is the Van a DD?

[Superdave]

300-350 WHP in N/A form with an auto trans is a stretch, it will be MUCH easier and cheaper to boost it.

I have a 3500 with a very well ported top end, good sized cam, equal length longtubes and ITB's. It made 263 WHP through a 700R4. (a little less than 350 @ the crank). It made 275 WHP through a HM282 5 speed in my cavalier.

[caffeine]

Iirc the minivan engine bay is very tight. It would probably not be fun piping a turbo setup. Maybe a rear mount turbo is a better idea.

[ericjon262]

Iirc the minivan engine bay is very tight. It would probably not be fun piping a turbo setup. Maybe a rear mount turbo is a better idea.

yeah, you're right, at the same time though, 260-280 WHP in a minivan would be pretty fun for scaring ricers...

[The Hulk!]

so a grand am turbo kit wouldnt work?

what makes it tight? seems pretty spacious to me

[ericjon262]

from what I saw it was the overhead clearance. but I don't own one, and it's been a while since I've been under the hood.

[The Hulk!]

overhead? like the hood touchs or something? or is it those bars that run diaginal next to the dog bone mounts

[caffeine]

Dunno my parents have an 01 Venture and apparently to change the spark plugs the dog bone mounts have to come off and the engine gets rolled forward to allow access to the rear spark plugs.

I put a new battery in it for them once and it was more annoying than any other car I've worked on even though it wasn't difficult at all.

If you're going turbo, you have to find places to put the turbo, crossover pipe, wastegate(s), blow off valve, intercooler, intercooler/intake piping, downpipe, etc... I have no idea how much extra room would be available after deleting a/c, EGR, EVAP, stock air box, and anything else that takes up space.

[caffeine]

overhead? like the hood touchs or something? or is it those bars that run diaginal next to the dog bone mounts

Ya the engine seems to sit partway under the cowl making access to a lot of things more difficult.

[AleroB888]

Looks like a challenge

[young gun]

Looks like a challenge

Yeah screw that. I'd hate working in that bay. But I'd love someone to do it lol. It would be tight But I can see a turbo in there, If not a rear mount. Should be plenty of room unerneath and out back for a nice rear mount set up. I wouldn't think about N/A at the power level you want. Just pick a nice turbo and run 7 psi on a good tune with some ported heads and intakes and you'll be happy.

[pocket-rocket]

I've worked on a few of those vans, even pulled a few engines on them. I would do a rear mount, myself FWIW.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[The Hulk!]

if i relocate the coolant bottle and get rid of the intake box i think there is enough room for sure

anyone else see it?

[The Hulk!]

btw my agx shocks and lowering springs are going on tomorrow ill let you guys know how she handles!