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3.8L V6 Swap?

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Old Jul 19, 2007 | 04:01 PM
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Default 3.8L V6 Swap?

Before the bashing begins, we are not crazy, and did an LS1/T56 recently. This is our teenage daughters project, and a V6 makes a LOT of financial sense for her.

Has anyone swapped a 3.8L/4L60E into a 3.4L Camaro? I know a lot of people are pulling them out of Camaro's, so we should be able to find a decent one pretty cheap. If anyone has undertaken this project, we would love to know what was involved, what all needed to be changed, who programmed the computer, and how close to a drop-in solution this is for her. I just can't see spending $1K rebuilding this 3.4L with a leaky head gasket. ANy help at all appreciated, and I wish there was a more appropriate forum on LS1Tech for this post, but conversions seemed like the best fit...
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Old Jul 19, 2007 | 05:02 PM
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It shouldnt cost $1k for a leaky head gasket. It should be fairly easy to do, especially if it is a 95+ Camaro, as thats when the 3.8 was first offered (95's, I beleive had 3.4, 3.8 & 5.7 as choices).

THe computer shouldnt need to be programmed if you actually get a whole drop in (harness and PCM) from someone who did an LS1 Swap.
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Old Jul 19, 2007 | 05:19 PM
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Its a 94 Base model Automatic. As for the $1K, I have played this game before, and it all cascades. Once you have it that far, you might as well.... next thing you know you have swapped an LS1 into your car. Been there, done that. Asking about the 3.8 because it is at least a decent engine, they run pretty reliably in millions of cars, its OBDII which will help her make repair decisions, and they should be fairly cheap to find. I cannot for the life of me figure why it wouldn't be a simple swap. I don't know abou the K-Member issues, but we should be able to re-use almost everything else. The PCM would need VATS removed, as the car is setup for Passlock now. We would most likely try to keep the emissions equipement where compatible. I don't know about fuel pump pressure or anything, that is why I am looking for someone that has done it before. We haven't made any decisions yet, but it would be fun for her to do, and give her a chance to learn a lot that most little girls never get a chance to.
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Old Jul 19, 2007 | 05:30 PM
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Looking at my cheapy little ebay parts list that I bought (Highly recommended for this type of job) I do show that there are 4 different K members, so it does look like you would need a new kmember. I wonder about the steering rack too...?


Crossmember (K member):
93-97 LT1 (5.7) 10245738
95-02 L36 (3.8) 10245741
93-95 L32 (3.4) 10245745
98-02 LS1 (5.7) 10293578


And yes, that sounds like a great project to get her involved with.
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