Thread: Top swap question

I have a 98 GP GTP that a bearing just went and I found a 3.8 from a 04 GP NA with only 20k. I was woundering if I can swap my heads and s\c and oil pan over to make this motor work.

yes it will work.

But then you will running a supercharger on a high comp block.

If you do such, you'll need some mods to run it.

I know everyone will disagree with me but the easy way (for me) is to just put the rods and pistons from the L67 in the 04 NA block. This way there will be no mods needed. You have to swap the heads and some other things anyway.?.? Right?

This is without a doubt the safest way to go if you know what you're doing with the bottom end.

Sorry forgot to say right now mine is top swapped with headers,3" exhaust no cat, ported tb, s\c, intake, cold air, 160 stat

Originally Posted by matt5112

Which requires grand in machine shop charges.

Just buy an l32 at that point.

God no! Only thing you have to do is resize the rods and reuse 20K rod bearings on the other motor. The crank won't even come out.

$350 at most. Includes ARP connecting rod bolts $100. If the rod bore is done at reputable machine shop there won't be a problem.

Why is everyone so afraid?

cuz there is no point doing bottom end work on these engines when it is cheaper to swap a whole engine.

if you are already top swapped then may as well top swap the l26.

Originally Posted by 99pgpgt

cuz there is no point doing bottom end work on these engines when it is cheaper to swap a whole engine.

if you are already top swapped then may as well top swap the l26.

Looks like he left out some very important info in his first post.

I see what you're saying.

Get an L32? Side question: Howd you throw a bearing?

A lot of the misconceptions about the Series II is carry-over from the Series I.

For instance:
"You have to pack the gerotor with petro grease for the Series II to prime".
ANK- Wrong
Fill it with oil and let sit for 10 minutes.
Crank engine for 20 seconds or so without ignition until oil pressure gauge deflects.
For me, oil gerotor primed within about 5 seconds of cranking on both engines I rebuilt.
Plug ICM in and start motor - done - 20psi + at idle cold
The Series I may not prime without packing the gerotor.

"You have to machine connecting rods when using ARP bolts"
ANK- Wrong
When I read this on ZZP's website I was utterly confused.
I thought the rod needed to be machined relative to the bolt.
They actually meant resizing.
A good bore gauge or micrometer will do amazing things for you.
If the bore is in spec and not OOR then it doesn't need machined.
How crazy is that? Not crazy at all to an engine builder or machinist.
Why spend the money machining something that is already in spec? IDK
Out of the 24 rods I recently checked only 2 were more than 0.0004" OOR.
For clarification that is 4/10th's of 1/1000th of an inch.
For an all out race motor you may want it to be < or = to 2/10th's of 1/1000th of an inch.
2/10th's would require CNC resizing and hand honing - it's expensive.

"You have to align hone the mains when rebuilding the Series II"
Really?
ANK - Wrong
Check to see if it needs align honed.
Again, micrometers are your friend so check for OOR.
Alignment? EASY
Bolt up the heads with a set of old head gaskets and torque them down.
Check main bearing to crank clearances.
If the clearances are good and the crank spins freely then VIOLA.
If it's out of spec then take it to the scrap yard and get a few bucks for it.
The Series I is known for twisting the block - misaligning the mains.
GM made many structural improvements to the Series II.
Series II main misalignment is not nearly as common as everyone thinks.

I know that much of the above is overwhelming but it's much easier than installing a head unit and wiring up the steering wheel controls.

IMHO what kills these engines is the "budget rebuild" and the crankshaft is usually the culprit. The clearance specs on the 3800 are so tight that the crank has to be perfectly straight and the journals have to be smooth as a baby's bottom. If we do what we're supposed to, rebuilding the 3800 is a breeze!!!

Matt
I'm on my third engine and the first two have 7K and 19K on them respectively. I'll let you know when they blow up. LOL

Originally Posted by JoRoW99

Get an L32? Side question: Howd you throw a bearing?

Motor had 230k on it and then I went and threw on a s\c and 50k later

Originally Posted by grandamle91

Sorry forgot to say right now mine is top swapped with headers,3" exhaust no cat, ported tb, s\c, intake, cold air, 160 stat

oh its top swapped so its a GT you said GTP in your first post

Originally Posted by gtpeddie

oh its top swapped so its a GT you said GTP in your first post

Read his sig

Originally Posted by 99pgpgt

Read his sig

Thank you, I thought thats what it was there for