go SFI?

[83turbomon]

My friend said he can find me a sfi t-type motor for about 1100 bucks... should I do it? My goal WAS to prove to have HP and speed with the Carb/Turbo Plenum Setup

 

[WkillGS]

A SFI engine is gonna cost ya $1100 for the engine and probably another $1100 to put it all together. Plus it's gonna be sitting apart in your garage for another year.
Hell, you can't afford a $20 service manual, so how are you going to afford 2 grand for an engine swap??

Keep what you have. Do some minor repairs, keep it maintained and DRIVE it!

 

[charlief1]

A SFI engine is gonna cost ya $1100 for the engine and probably another $1100 to put it all together. Plus it's gonna be sitting apart in your garage for another year.
Hell, you can't afford a $20 service manual, so how are you going to afford 2 grand for an engine swap??

Keep what you have. Do some minor repairs, keep it maintained and DRIVE it
!

BINGO! You need to learn more about cars before you try to make changes to the opperating system. If you want to go SFI it will be cheaper to find one and buy it than make it out of what you have.

 

[mat231v6]

i saw on chicago craigslist an 85 gn motors and trans with harnest go for $650 theres better deals out there. its a ok price for a 87 motor. keep looking is what i say; look for a better deal there out there. you can always go to the gs national in bowling green KY; you can pick up parts cheep there.

 

[Grumpy]

you think you can't afford to do anything to the car now ?? wait till ya start putting $$$ in a money pit that you will NEVER see again

 

[BeanSS]

All that has been said above is true....this is why im going to an LT1 conversion

1. I already have Aluminum LT1 Heads that have been ported and polished (I got them for cheap too! ) and Intake

2. LT1's are a dime a dozen and are plentiful (And Cheap! )

3. I already have a set of aftermarket headers and ported throttle body (which I also got for cheap )

4. And some other goodies because of my past uhmmm passions (Jeep steering shaft, front and rear Corvette Calipers and Rotors...)

I was going to stick with the carb setup with all the big brains that Charlie and War Wagon have going and knowledge they've been spreading in this part of the forum. They actually changed my mind about sticking with the carb setup and later wanting to convert it to "EFI" and try and keep the turbo and all haha They saved me alot of money. Now I will have my EFI,Power,and Reliability for something that is well within my budget AND is very attainable for me.

Be satisfied with what ya got my man until you can ACTUALLY afford to do what you want to actually do with your whip...I've been through several old schools and becaus of me being impatient and/or not reading and learning and knowing first I blew thru
ALOT of unessasary bread and have NEVER really got to enjoy fully any of my vehicles other than being able to say "Oh yeah I got one of those!" haha It sucked bruh!

The reason I have those parts is because I had a 96 Caprice...I was in the process of getting parts for it to get it to where I wanted and then I seen the 83 T for sale for 2 grand! But I couldn't afford to keep both cars...But those parts I had make good power....I wanted both but I did some reading and some thinking and said "Fug IT...im a cut my loses" so I sold the Cappy and im taking that money and im putting it into my Turbo T so my money isn't wasted! Outside of the cosmetic upgrades I had for the Caprice (Which I sold to get alot of that money back ) I can take everything that I had for my Caprice and put it on my Turbo Regal.... It's a win win for me.
tSo now the only "problem" I have now is if I want to get a stroker LT1 shortblock or a regular one! Im saving up next year so around tax time I can get my turbocharge set up! I mean how fast do I really want to go ya know?

You just gotta have paitence my man...it pays off in the long run...Like I said I went thru alot of old schools (1973 442, 1972 Cutlass Coupe, 1971 Cutlass Coupe, 1995 Checy 9C1 Caprice, 1996 Caprice B4U...oh and a 1974 Chevy Impala with a 383 stroker engine that NEVER got installed!! )...I know that itch trust me!
Im making sure Im going to get the Buick running good and reliable until I have enough for the transplant and the "unexpected" that ALWAYS happens when you do things (I may have to get a rental car for a week or so during down time ) Tax time is around the corner brother! So until then It's just a maintain and being able to drive before I can play thing!

 

[WkillGS]

All that has been said above is true....this is why im going to an LT1 conversion

Yeah, I was going to suggest he put a SBC in it too, but figured I'd get booted off the board for saying that!

Realistically, the only reason to stick with a carbed turbo V6 to make great power is because you like a challenge, like making the effort to do things the hard way, want to do things no one else has accomplished, or just for the personal satisfaction of reaching your goals.

If you want to do it the cheap easy way, drop a SBC in it with nitrous.....but that's not for me. I like a challenge.

 

[83turbomon]

Yeah, I was going to suggest he put a SBC in it too, but figured I'd get booted off the board for saying that!

Realistically, the only reason to stick with a carbed turbo V6 to make great power is because you like a challenge, like making the effort to do things the hard way, want to do things no one else has accomplished, or just for the personal satisfaction of reaching your goals.

If you want to do it the cheap easy way, drop a SBC in it with nitrous.....but that's not for me. I like a challenge.

I like the turbo... and want to keep its value

 

[WkillGS]

Hey Bean SS,
I don't mean to put down your choice of a SBC. You're putting together a great combo that will most likely outperform any V6 I'm likely to build for my 79.
I'm just using the nitroused SBC as a generic example. I'm a Buick guy with a little of Ford blue mixed in so it's in my nature to make slanderous remarks about Chevys!
Great post BTW!

 

[usetaboost]

If it was me and I had no cash (which I don't) I would just keep what you got and learn about it. You should at least learn to do a basic tune up on your ride. Obviously something isn't right if you are getting 11mpg. Maybe you should ask questions as to why that is. Don't worry about going fast, worry about being reliable and consistent first. Your car has the potential of being a worthy street opponent. You are working backwards. I think you need to spend some time reading up on beforeblack.net

 

[charlief1]

I know we may sound like downers but you really need to take the time to learn about your car and how to fix it. Once you learn how it works and how to fix it then you can do mods to it.

 

[usetaboost]

You can do a CAI anytime though. Definitely not going to hurt anything.

 

[BeanSS]

Hey Bean SS,
I don't mean to put down your choice of a SBC. You're putting together a great combo that will most likely outperform any V6 I'm likely to build for my 79.
I'm just using the nitroused SBC as a generic example. I'm a Buick guy with a little of Ford blue mixed in so it's in my nature to make slanderous remarks about Chevys!
Great post BTW!

I don't see the LT1 as a "Chevy" Motor really seeing as how it came in the Buick RoadMaster :biggrin:

 

[b4black]

To me, it makes no sense to pull a working Turbo V6 and drop in another motor. It's not the so much the Chevy in a Buick thing. It's that there are so many non-turbo G-bodies out there, why not use one of them? The Turbo V6 was the only cool factory motor in a G-body.


I was at a show a few years ago and there was an '83 T Type in the car corral for sale. Blue on blue, in excellent shape. $8,000. Then I saw the SBC. The owner told me about all the work he had done to swap the motor and all the other stuff in the engine compartment. Headers, fancy air cleaner, valves covers, bigger radiator, dual exhaust, non-lock up transmission, etc. I know most of asking price was due to the motor and labor involved.

He bragged it was much faster the the Turbo V6 he took out. "Oh yah, what's it run in the ¼ mile?" I says...."mid-14's" he says. It might have made sense for any other G-body, but just think how fast (and cool) it would be if he put that money and effort into the Turbo V6.

 

[usetaboost]

He bragged it was much faster the the Turbo V6 he took out. "Oh yah, what's it run in the ¼ mile?" I says...."mid-14's" he says. It might have made sense for any other G-body, but just think how fast (and cool) it would be if he put that money and effort into the Turbo V6.

I have a friend that still thinks a regal with a stock 350 is way more powerful than a turbo carb. He's a dumbass. For someone that has no money and can't afford an sfi car he's picky and won't buy a carb turbo car. That's half the reason why I want another one to play with so I can show him how fast they can be and make him feel like an idiot.

 

[BeanSS]

To me, it makes no sense to pull a working Turbo V6 and drop in another motor. It's not the so much the Chevy in a Buick thing. It's that there are so many non-turbo G-bodies out there, why not use one of them? The Turbo V6 was the only cool factory motor in a G-body.


I was at a show a few years ago and there was an '83 T Type in the car corral for sale. Blue on blue, in excellent shape. $8,000. Then I saw the SBC. The owner told me about all the work he had done to swap the motor and all the other stuff in the engine compartment. Headers, fancy air cleaner, valves covers, bigger radiator, dual exhaust, non-lock up transmission, etc. I know most of asking price was due to the motor and labor involved.

He bragged it was much faster the the Turbo V6 he took out. "Oh yah, what's it run in the ¼ mile?" I says...."mid-14's" he says. It might have made sense for any other G-body, but just think how fast (and cool) it would be if he put that money and effort into the Turbo V6.

Hahaha man 14's?! That's some neck snapping power right there!:biggrin:
If I had SFI I wouldn't touch the motor honestly. But I look at swapping the 3.8 no different than dropping in a 4.1 or any other motor, but that's me.

 

[charlief1]

I don't see the LT1 as a "Chevy" Motor really seeing as how it came in the Buick RoadMaster :biggrin:

And since the Buick V6 came in Chevys as well as Jeeps, Olsmobiles, Pontiacs, ect, it isn't a Buick?:tongue:

I was at a show a few years ago and there was an '83 T Type in the car corral for sale. Blue on blue, in excellent shape. $8,000. Then I saw the SBC. The owner told me about all the work he had done to swap the motor and all the other stuff in the engine compartment. Headers, fancy air cleaner, valves covers, bigger radiator, dual exhaust, non-lock up transmission, etc. I know most of asking price was due to the motor and labor involved.

He bragged it was much faster the the Turbo V6 he took out. "Oh yah, what's it run in the ¼ mile?" I says...."mid-14's" he says. It might have made sense for any other G-body, but just think how fast (and cool) it would be if he put that money and effort into the Turbo V6.

To put it simply, That's just a sad fact as well as ignorance.:frown:

 

[dr_frankenstein]

S F I?

sheesh.... how gay.

A.j.

 

[83turbomon]

S F I?

sheesh.... how gay.

A.j.

just a thought man

 

[dr_frankenstein]

just a thought man

LOL, i know just giving ya a hard time.

I think what needs to happen is you need to move to my neighbor hood. Im having a hard time staying motivated in the garage without somebody to talk to. :frown: and I could use the help.... LOL

A.j.