GM 3800 V6 mods?
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Re: GM 3800 V6 mods? (jerryjfunk)
In my job I tear brand new 3800 motors apart and they are one nice engine. Roller cams, slipper pistons, thin rings, full floating bronze bushed wrist pins, windage tray, roller rocker arms. Top that with a supercharger putting out 7 pounds of boost with optional pulleys to up that level. I think it is rated at 240HP, revs effortlessly.
I have a new Bonneville with the supercharger and love the car. It will effortlessly smoke a large set of 17 inch tires.
I get the motors free from GM for teaching purposes.
I have a new Bonneville with the supercharger and love the car. It will effortlessly smoke a large set of 17 inch tires.
I get the motors free from GM for teaching purposes.
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Re: GM 3800 V6 mods? (norvalwilhelm)
Forgot I also tear 4.3 apart regularly which I believe is just a 350 missing 2 cylinders and it certainly in the the refined engine inside that the 3800 is. No floating wrist pins, no windage tray, no roller rocker arms,much heavier wrist pin also, the 3800's are short, light weight and tappered.
Give me the 3800 over the 4.3
Give me the 3800 over the 4.3
Race Director
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 12,712
Likes: 2,270
Re: GM 3800 V6 mods? (norvalwilhelm)
The 3800 is a great engine and belies is roots from the fifites vintage Buick V-8. Most of the internal parts are modern as you found. It has excellent torque bandwidth and amazing fuel efficiency.
GM discontinued the "Shortstar" DOHC V-6 based on the Northstar V-8, but the 3800 keeps going like the Energizer bunny. It's a great engine. GM has a lock on modern pushrod engines, and their combination of small package volume, low mass, and broad torque bandwidth makes them superior to DOHC designs for steet engines.
Duke
GM discontinued the "Shortstar" DOHC V-6 based on the Northstar V-8, but the 3800 keeps going like the Energizer bunny. It's a great engine. GM has a lock on modern pushrod engines, and their combination of small package volume, low mass, and broad torque bandwidth makes them superior to DOHC designs for steet engines.
Duke
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Re: GM 3800 V6 mods? (SWCDuke)
I tore one brand new I think 3.1 DOHC apart and thought it was a piece of junk. It had 5 yes 5 heavy cams and one long timing belt. Each of the cams weighed more then a single roller cam. It also had 2 heavy castings, one on each cylinder head for the dual over head cams. They used a complete cam down the centre to fill in the hole in the block and drive the oil pump. That one timming chain had to drive all 5 cams and it was nowhere near as trick inside as the 3800. The 3800 is the only place I have ever run into full floating bronze bushed rods from the factory, along with the windage tray.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 893
Likes: 0
From: Liberal Kansas
Re: GM 3800 V6 mods? (SWCDuke)
I have a 2000 Regal GS. I have headers Cold air intake and did a pulley change. The big ole boat runs low 14s. These are some of the places I used for parts
http://www.3800performance.com/
http://www.slpeng.com/
http://www.zzperformance.com/zzp/zzp_home.htm
Here is a link of some video and Time slips.
http://macgp.clubgp.com/racing.html
[Modified by Rob90, 10:58 AM 2/10/2003]
http://www.3800performance.com/
http://www.slpeng.com/
http://www.zzperformance.com/zzp/zzp_home.htm
Here is a link of some video and Time slips.
http://macgp.clubgp.com/racing.html
[Modified by Rob90, 10:58 AM 2/10/2003]
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,193
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh PA
Re: GM 3800 V6 mods? (Rob90)
Thanks for all of the info, guys. I knew that the 3800's are great engines, but I didn't know the details. I drive a 93' Buick Riviera (I LOVE it). It has 135,000 miles so far, and still runs like it just rolled out of the show room. My dad drives a 93' Bonneville, and my mom a 95' Riviera, supercharged, with 145K, still running great.
After I finish my Vette I plan on getting another 3800, slightly modding it, and then dropping it in the Riviera. I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but I just can't wait to see the looks on kid's faces when their "super street" Hondas get smoked by a "old black dude's car" (that's what they call it). :D
Norval, do you sell those engines when you're done with them?
Rob, how much does your Regal weigh?
Jerry
After I finish my Vette I plan on getting another 3800, slightly modding it, and then dropping it in the Riviera. I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but I just can't wait to see the looks on kid's faces when their "super street" Hondas get smoked by a "old black dude's car" (that's what they call it). :D
Norval, do you sell those engines when you're done with them?
Rob, how much does your Regal weigh?
Jerry
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 893
Likes: 0
From: Liberal Kansas
Re: GM 3800 V6 mods? (jerryjfunk)
Between 3700 and 3800 pounds. Yep its great to put the smack down on somebody in a 4 door. Here is another link for ya
[URL][http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=sc3800;list/URL]
[URL][http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=sc3800;list/URL]
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 11,872
Likes: 12
From: Waterloo ontario Canada
Re: GM 3800 V6 mods? (jerryjfunk)
Norval, do you sell those engines when you're done with them?
I'm afraid I have to scrap them. Brand new egines from the assembly line, I tear them down infront of a class then scrap them. It hurts especially if it is a supercharger version and the complete supercharger gets thrown in the scrap.
That's the official policy and I am sticking to it. :) :)
I'm afraid I have to scrap them. Brand new egines from the assembly line, I tear them down infront of a class then scrap them. It hurts especially if it is a supercharger version and the complete supercharger gets thrown in the scrap.
That's the official policy and I am sticking to it. :) :)
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 3,193
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh PA
Re: GM 3800 V6 mods? (norvalwilhelm)
"I tear them down infront of a class then scrap them."
Man, that seems like such a waste. :nonod: You should be able to use them for something. Maybe sell them and donate the money to charity or just plain donate them. :D :D :D
Man, that seems like such a waste. :nonod: You should be able to use them for something. Maybe sell them and donate the money to charity or just plain donate them. :D :D :D
Racer
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 359
Likes: 0
Re: GM 3800 V6 mods? (norvalwilhelm)
Actually the dohc v6 is a 3.4. It is not related to the Northstar. It is a dohc head bolted to a 60* engine block that was originally designed as a 2.8 for the Citation. The 2.8 had a tendency to break rods at about 60k miles. That problem was corrected on the 3.1, and later 3.4. It had all of those long camshafts because it was never designed to be dohc. It was a pushrod engine with a dohc head bolted on. The cheapest way to drive the dohc was to lengthen the stock cam through the timing cover, install a gear for a timing belt, and run the other cams off of a timing belt. The engine was way too expensive, and not nearly as reliable as the 3.8.
