Front wheel drive 3.8 SFI Turbo - Videos!

[turbokinetic]

This is the car that was a carb turbo project right? I've always thought it would be cool to do a fwd 3800 turbo car. THere's tons of 80s fwd cars around here and they're cheap. Would you be willing to do a write up with cost list in the how to section?

Yes, sort of! It was a carb draw-through system I ripped off a 79 Riviera. But on this car, I ran a TBI on it with 2-bar MAP program.

On the 84 Century Olympia, I don't have an exact breakdown of each part's cost. I know that is dumb, but you got to understand this is just a hobby and I collected stuff here and there.

I did another project to see how cheaply I could make a turbo conversion. It is another 3.8 FWD engine in an 87 Century. I got the car with a broken timing gear. Not counting the engine repairs from the timing gear failure; I have exactly $600 in the conversion counting every nut bolt and screw. I used a second-hand eBay turbo, a new cheap Chinese eBay intercooler and mostly the rest of the system is just hardware and pipework. The fuel system is stock except for a set of junkyard 28Lb injectors from an L67 supercherged 3800.

I'm pressed for time this morning, so I'm just going to post a link to my Car Domain page. See the second and third pages for the turbo build.

Page 1
Page 2
Page 3

 

[WIKEDV6]

Very nice, any work done to the tranny?

 

[murphinator]

.

My daily is a 2001 century. I havent researched the FWD stuff at all. Is it feasible to swap a 3.8 and good tranny into it?

as mentioned easier to swap a 3800 series 2 , the 01 century is a w body , many w bodies from 97-04 came with series 2 3800's in them including regal ls (NA) and regal gs (SC) which even share body panels with your car - real easy swap. the fastest w body with stock factory rotating assembly and block ran 8.6 @159 so yes your platform is very moddable.

the century in this thread is an awesome sleeper how did you adapt the 4t65e to fit the older engine ?

 

[turbokinetic]

Very nice, any work done to the tranny?

Thank you sir!

Yes the original 440T4 was replaced with a 4T65EHD. The 440T4 was the first FWD 4 speed. It evolved to the 4T60E, 4T65E, and 4T65EHD as GM perfected and reinforced it. The 4T65EHD is the biggest transmission that will fit in place of the 440T4 without major modifications. I got a 4T65EHD from a salvage yard Riviera Supercharged car. I then installed a stronger drive chain, input shaft, torque eonverter (3-disc lockup), modified 4th clutch, and limited-slip diff.

Because this is an E-series trans, I also had to install a transmission ECU. Instead of spending thousands on an aftermarked unit, I got a used one for a 1993 Chevy diesel pickup with 4L80E transmission. With a $20 tuning definition and $200 emulator, I have a fully programmable trans ECU for about $270

As you can see, the transmission is where the details are on this build. The mighty Buick 3.8 will take whatever you throw at it, but getting that power to the ground is a little tough in a FWD car.

I'm planning an 86 Buick GS build, with a 4T80E transmission. This came with the Cadillac Northstar engines. I'm planning to run the GS on E85 fuel and make all the boost it can handle. I know the 4T65EHD will not withstand this. In the car pictured in this thread, I have the engine ECM programmed to limit boost at low speeds to protect the trans in low gears. On my GS build I want to run 15" wheels, sticky tires, and have full power from the start.

Sincerely,
David