3100 Topend --> Turbo 3.1 Conversion

[dbtk2]

So a couple weeks ago my sister totaled her '95 Beretta Z26. Obviously it has the 3100. Well it only cost $200 to buy the car back from the insurance company, and the damage was to the left rear of the car, so the drivetrain is in perfect shape. So anyways, I know people take the 3100 topend (heads, upper & lower intake, and throttle body) and put them on a 3.1L engine. So I was thinking about buying the engine from my dad (since he bought it back from the insurance) and using the topend off of it. My question is, how much work exactly is involved to do this. I know the manifolds don't bolt up to the heads and other problems like that, so what problems would I run into doing this? Also, what kind of power gain am I looking at?

Thanks,

Shawn

[Cliff8928]

It's not that easily possible with your 3.1 Turbo, because you would need to change the heads too... and they have different shaped exhaust ports and wouldn't line up right with your originals, and the 3100 manifolds wouldn't be appropriate for use with the turbo. And even if you did use the 3100 manifolds, the crossover bolts up differently..

So basically. it's all issues with the exhaust.

Cliff Scott
89 BerettaGT
89 Volvo740

[dbtk2]

I read a writeup on it that is on this site (don't have the link handy right now, but I can get it if you want it), and since the car is a '95 I wouldn't have EGR problems or anything, the only thing I would have a problem with is the exhaust manifolds, and the power steering reservior (evidently the one on the 3.1 doesn't clear the 3100 intake manifold). So if I swapped out the power steering reservior from 3100 and then did the heads, intakes, and throttle body, all I would have to worry about is exhaust manifolds, correct? I am hoping to get someone to make me some custom headers for the setup, so if I can do that, it should be a fairly straight-foward swap, correct? If anyone can think of any other problems I might have let me know.

I figure since I am pretty sure I warped at least one of my heads when the engine overheated, that I may as well put on some better heads while I have the engine apart.

Shawn

[xxrollin]

Heres an idea, take the 3100 engine in its whole form and go with the roller cam. Maybe pull that cam out and send it off to be ground to near turbo specs so your computer wont freak. Also, maybe clean the heads since the build up is pretty nasty after a few years. Get a custom turbo manifold made and presto, you'll have a turbo 3100. Now granted the 3100 has between 9.5 or 9.6:1 compression, but as long as you got good fuel and the right intercooler, you should be fine. Might want to go for those 1.6:1 roller tipped rocker arms from comp (part #1416). It'd be a hell of an engine. Why swap when you got a perfect engine waiting for boost.......

[dbtk2]

Heres an idea, take the 3100 engine in its whole form and go with the roller cam. Maybe pull that cam out and send it off to be ground to near turbo specs so your computer wont freak. Also, maybe clean the heads since the build up is pretty nasty after a few years. Get a custom turbo manifold made and presto, you'll have a turbo 3100. Now granted the 3100 has between 9.5 or 9.6:1 compression, but as long as you got good fuel and the right intercooler, you should be fine. Might want to go for those 1.6:1 roller tipped rocker arms from comp (part #1416). It'd be a hell of an engine. Why swap when you got a perfect engine waiting for boost.......

Yeah, but then I would have the higher compression like you said, and a weaker bottom end. Not to mention that I don't really want to go with a roller cam because all of the roller stuff is more expensive. (and I'm on a pretty tight budget) And I really don't want to do that much work. There is nothing wrong with the engine already in my car and it has pretty low mileage.

And I don't have a whole engine anymore because my dad sold it to a local mechanic. But even if I did I wouldn't want to do the swap.

Basically its more work then I want to do, costs more than I can afford, and isn't really the setup I am going for.

Shawn

[xxrollin]

K, thought you had the whole engine intact.

[dbtk2]

K, thought you had the whole engine intact.

Even if I did, its a lot of work, and would be very pricey. And its not really the setup I am going for.

Shawn