Rebuild the 2.8 or put in a 3.4/3.8?

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

if you go to a junk yard, the ones arround here i know anyhow... you could get a 0 mile motor for the same price as a million mile motor. they just sell the parts based on what they are, not what theyve been through. the fender off the 2006 caddilac will cost just as much as the fender off the 1983 Toyota Corolla... i dont know why. lol
one thing to remember when ur there is that its a JUNK YARD. if you dont buy it and no one else does in a week or so, its going to get crushed, shredded or melted down. deals are easy to come by there. up here, we can get ANY motor from any junkyard car for $150. and some weekends are as much as 50% off. so $75 for a complete engine, no core charge. if it has a turbo or supercharger its $75 more i think... (before any discounts come in) so $225 for a turbo 3.1 from a TGP... if you could find one.


hey, why hasnt anyone suggested a 2.4 Quad Cam?? doesnt that motor put out 200hp?? and four banger instead of 6.... i dunno. just a thought, those are really cool motors too and LOTS of room to work on.

[2.8 Grand Prix]

Ok, I'll keep that in mind.

[SofaKingWeToddDid]

https://www.drivesafely.com

buy a whole car and have parts to spare... just try find a rear ender, ya know?? you dont want the engine bay squashed in and hard to work on...

[bszopi]

And some more to chew on... Don't listen to anything no_doz is recommending. Seriously, this guy wants a simple upgrade for a daily driver and you keep telling him to do way more than he is looking for. If you haven't noticed, he really doesn't want to spend much money.

[no_doz]

just save your money & find yourself a TGP engine-they can be found for $200-300, the swap in is pretty simple as far as swaps go & then with some badging ull have a TGP-only legit TGP guys could call your bluff then, & when some little prick with a honda civic wants to ask you what you have you can tell em-ever seen a TGP before?

more to chew on

[2.8 Grand Prix]

Cool,

If anybody reading this has an engine that I might want, feel free to email me at robk80@rocketmail.com. I would really like to get an engine for my car soon, if possible one that has less than 120,000 miles. Thank you!

[robertisaar]

possibly. i've seen 50K mile motors go for less than $300...

[2.8 Grand Prix]

Would salvage yards have "low" to "mid" mileage engines for under $250? I am really trying to get this car going good with a little money on hand.

[robertisaar]

most yards around here will give you a 30-day warranty on the motor... if there is something majorly wrong with it, you'll know within that time.

[2.8 Grand Prix]

Back to the drawing board.

Well,
I talked to my grandfather, and he is suggesting taking the car to a mechanic and having them look at the car to see if there is anything else wrong with the engine. He says that a junkyard engine might have something wrong with it too. That makes sense. He thinks that if there isn't anything major wrong with the engine (besides the heads), that I could have the heads rebuilt and maybe get another 50,000 miles out of this engine.
I've decided that if I really want to get a new engine, I need to find one that the salvage yard owner knows/guarantees that it runs good. So for the time being, I'll just let the car stay the way it is.

[no_doz]

yea there were some of those cars that came with the 3400-my friends sister had one & it was a pretty dandy running car for stock :P

[2.8 Grand Prix]

Thanks guys!

I am really getting excited about this. I'll just have to wait until I get a full time job so I can afford to do all of this. The good thing is, the tired 2.8 still drags itself around town just fine. It's just loud and not very fast. Well, thanks for all your help so far!

[robertisaar]

Check out domesticcrew.com there is a swap guide there for putting in a 3400 into an older vehicle. Going into a W body I'm not sure but I think your stock mounts *should* bolt to the 3400.

certain Ws did have 3400s... although the dogbone mount may be a different length...

[IsaacHayes]

Check out domesticcrew.com there is a swap guide there for putting in a 3400 into an older vehicle. Going into a W body I'm not sure but I think your stock mounts *should* bolt to the 3400.

[ghrarhg]

get a set of 3100 or 3400 heads/intake/tb, the custom pushrods to match, & some headers, as well as a tune from wot-tech & you should be thrilled with the power you get. or you could get a set of TGP exhaust manifolds & a t25 or t28 turbo, & have flybynight on tgpforums.com tune you a chip to match.

you could be gradually buying parts & make it an crazy badass ride without a full out engine swap. if you go the route of the turbo you should get:

a set of pistons from summit racing or wot-tech
ARP studs for the connecting rods
manual boost controller
walbro 255 lph fuel pump
boost gauge
intercooler
the intake piping
tgp headers
stiffer valve springs
chip tuned for boost (flybynight on tgpforums.com would be a good person to talk to)
bigger injectors
accommodating oil lines

or you could do the 3400 heads with a t25 or t28 turbo which will require different headers & i you went that route you could skip the t25/t28 & go for a T4 & really push some power.

there are lots of options even with the stock engine

I did all that to my 2.8. T25 + Turbo cam, 3400 heads, basically everything you have listed except pistons and arp fasteners. If my car had to be my DD, I would go 3400 in a heartbeat for about 1/3 the cost. I like the setup I have, but for cheap and reliable everyday usage the 3400 wins hands down.