This is Fiona, my VetteKart project. I was injured last year and had to sell the engine and my go fast parts. The project was dead, I was going to sell or scrap the remaining pieces. I bought an 04 impala daily with over 200k miles on it. This was my first glimpse into the world of the 3800, and I was impressed.

I was intending on building up a 3800 car and started looking for deals on 3800 parts. In the search for parts I discovered a website dedicated to GM V6s that had a lot of 3800 RWD projects mostly trucks, but it captured my imagination.

Fiona was spared for a 4th time...

Ive spent the last few months test-fitting, altering, planning and traveling to get deals on parts. I have a ton of fab work left to do and I have very little experience in this kind of work so its a long way to go, but I'm getting there.

Parts list
2004 naturally aspirated bottom end. (9.4 compression)
2006 GTP top swap with ported heads and LIM
ZZP modular pulley system, lowest pulley so far is a 2.9, but I will go lower
Nortstar throttle body
Ls7 lifters
105# springs
Manley retainers
Intense racing guides
Ls4 MAF
WBS belt wrap
80# injectors
Yella Terra 1.8 roller rockers
INTENSE™ Stage 1X Blower Cam, duration @ .050": 210/221, lobe lifts: .321"/.329", valve lifts with 1.60:1 rocker arms: .514"/.526", lobe separation angle: 115, intake centerline: 111 (lift 576/592, duration about 220/231 with rockers)
Rollmaster double roller timing chain.
trans is from a 97 camaro
rear end is a D44 from a 96 corvette
Ive a few ultra light peices from a "touring challenge for corvettes" race car
I have a lot of parts on hand from vettes and GTPs.
loan star performance engine harness (painless)
ZZP stage 2 IC with FMHC and Bosch pump
Z06 repop rims with 11.5x19 rear tires and 9.5x18 fronts
old RCI fuel cell converted to accept the C4 fuel pump
Hydroboost from a 95 astrovan
Varios oil/trans/PS coolers from scrap cars
Secondary electric fans from a 99 Acura Integra
New dash is the bumper from an 85 Rabbit
I am useing a lot of wireing and relays from scrap cars
And steel/aluminum from an 83 Kenworth.

I think its worth noting that almost without exception I have nothing but used parts, mostly from vehicles that were scrapped.
I have spent less than $2000 on the entire project and have traveled over 2000 miles to collect the parts.

My silly plan is a track car with 400+ HP weighing between 2200 and 2500 with interchangeable front and rear bumpers that are of varying weight and balance as well as adjustable shocks so that not only can the car be balanced for different conditions at the Auto X but also for daily driving and drag racing.
Post edited due to a valid criticism. In truth I expected to get unhelpful comments, and my original post may have contributed to that being a self fulfilling prophesy.

Test fit,

Corvette filler and pump in a fuel cell.

VetteKart

Mean

Pretty

C4 tailshaft on 97 camaro trans.

 

Hmmm...a blown V6 that doesn’t fit under the hood......

 

No hood...
No fenders..
Frame, tires, suspension, motor, trans, cage. Send It!

400+ RWHP, 2200 or so pounds, 50/50 weight ratio, 12 inch wide z06 rubber. Want to race?

 

Besides a dressed up 6 cylinder engine, am I missing something here?

 

Something about "more $$ than taste/brains" somehow suggests itself...

 

Just what I was thinking...haha

 

Ingenuity?

 

Entire engine swap cost about $750

 

But were you really thinking?

 

Hmm. Let us begin class.



1. I sold my heads for more than what I spent on that swap.

2. That motor has 50 more HP than my 383 TPI

3. 3800 weighs 100 lbs less than a 350.

4. 3800 (block) sits 2 inches lower than a 350

5. The 2 missing pistons mean the 3800 sits 6 inches further back in the chassis.


So, what you are missing is intelect, tact, and basic knowledge of physics.

Is there a part of cheaper, lighter, lower, more powerful and more centered that is dificult to understand?

In fact, is there even one actual negative besides predudice that you can come up with?

Be more careful in your judgements as they may say more about you than your target.

 

Funny how i can post almost anywhere else and people can think of benefits to the swap faster than insults...haha

 

Is that a factory supercharger from a gtp or?
On-going project?
Nice to see something different! 👌

 

4l60e I’m assuming?

 

….. Since this engine is so much shorter than the sbc , why didn't you just move it forward enough that you didn't need to F with the firewall ? …..

 

Cool project! I knew there had to be someone out there swapping in a V6 into one of these cars. I'm curious, why a supercharger as opposed to a large single turbo, or even a twin turbo setup? Looks like there'd be plenty of room with the engine taking up so little space. Not knocking your decision BTW, just curious as to the reasoning behind it.

 

I dig it. I remember years ago seeing a Buick GN motor in a C4. lol That pissed people off.

 

The plan. Eventually. Is twincharging. Two turbos feeding the m90 should hit 600rwhp. But thats down the road.

Oh. And i bought that whole motor minus the 1.8 rockers for $500. Just had to add rockers and a valvejob. Even had new gaskets.

 

Its a factory m90.

 

Would require 8 inches. I only have 6. . (same old story)

And id have had to make the CBeam 8 inches longer or fab a transmision crossmember. Doable. But the firewall modification seemed the better route.

My new dash curves inward to accommodate and I will have what amounts to a second firewall made of aluminium instead of that fibreglass.

There is a better way to do it by cutting up the SC housing and tig welding an elbow in (or can get a SC from a holden comedor shipped in from australia) but my skills and budget prevent those optiins.

 

Yes. Only the 96/97 4l60 from a camaro (maybe an s10) has the corect bolt pattern on the bellhousing and tailshaft. Adapters are available. But this is a budget build so all stock parts are prefered.