4.1 V6

[MALIBU1]

Hey all. I met a guy at the local cruise-in, and got to talking about my possible turbo conversion on my 1980 Chevy Malibu wagon. He said that if I would want to do this cheap, that I should get a 4.1 V6 out of a junked car, and build it up to suit a turbocharger and intercooler. He said that I'd have to drill a hole for the oil to get to the turbo, but other than that, he said it should work. What do any of you guys think? Any comments welcome.

 

[turbo buicks]

he is talking stage 2. try also posting this in the stage 2 forum. these are the engines that run in the 8's and 9's.

 

[HYPER-6]

Originally posted by turbo buicks
he is talking stage 2. try also posting this in the stage 2 forum. these are the engines that run in the 8's and 9's.

Yeah, lots of Stage-2 motors in junkyards.

 

[turbo buicks]

arent the stage 2 blocks found in junkyards out of old cars though? thats what i thought but im no expert on them so dont blame me. im not telling him to go get an old 4.1 engine, slap on a turbo, and expect to run a 9 sec. quarter mile

 

[SilverSleeper]

Nooo. Thats like finding a nascar-spec small block under the hood of the beatup camaro on the next row.
4.1s found in normal passenger cars are not stage motors.
Stage motors are special production items, used by race teams. Very hard to find, and costly to build.

Now, you might be able to turbo a 4.1 production block, but it is more than just slapping on a turbo, intercooler and turning the key. (my 87 regal was actually a 307 v8, I did the swap out from a wrecked 87 GN) There is a lot more to it than you realize.

Cheapest way is to get yourself a wrecked donor car, and swap out the parts.

 

[turbo buicks]

dang, and all this time i thought they came from wrecked junkyard cars, LOL. i guess if it were that easy everyone would have a stage 2 GN.

 

[HYPER-6]

Originally posted by turbo buicks
arent the stage 2 blocks found in junkyards out of old cars though? thats what i thought but im no expert on them so dont blame me. im not telling him to go get an old 4.1 engine, slap on a turbo, and expect to run a 9 sec. quarter mile

No. The Stage-2 blocks were sold over the counter at GM dealerships or authorized GM distributors. They are very
rare and expensive these days. Stage-2 V6 motors were
never installed in GM production cars.

4.1L production motors are found in junkyards but they
are weaker than the 109 blocks. They also have cast
pistons (no good for turbocharging). The cranks are
the same as the 3.8L turbo motors (rolled fillets) but
one might end up with a normally-aspirated crank in
a junkyard motor (from a previous sloppy rebuild). I
*think* the issue with the hole being drilled is for the
turbo oil RETURN line. I would route it to the front of
the oil pan instead (passenger side) or to the fuel
pump block-off plate. Sorry about the rolleyes.

 

[turbo buicks]

ahhh now i see. seems like i learn something new everyday

 

[GNVAIR]

If you want to do a swap on a Malibu or other G body, let me know as I have some experience with it. It is by far not cheap (unless you get the turbo V6 parts for free )
But it turns out really nice when its done. Only problem now is people at the track think the Monte SS is a GN