http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/pts/2260361043.html
for both are priced at $650

is the L67 3800 I'm going to look at sometime this week, i contacted the owner and he said it was pulled out of a 98 Buick Regal with approximately 103k miles. He said the previous owner thought the tranny was burnt out but after he sold the car to the current owner, the current owner found out a hose that carried the tranny fluid busted and that was the only problem since it was leaking fluid.


Let's just say the engine/tranny are both in excellent condition and it's the setup I've been looking for, there is one major problem.


I wont be able to do the conversion. The How To L67... is very nice, but waaaayyy out of my league. I was thinking of printing the entire post out and organizing it and seeing if any mechanics would give it a shot but it kind of worries me since all the electrical wiring is in the hands of a mechanic who might be going off of a step by step paper.

What should I do? Any suggestions?
I called up a few big name engine shops and they sounded pretty angry that I even mentioned a conversion.

 

The reason most shops get angry is they like quick engine changes in/out/in =done, not rewire custom jobs...

 

If you want an L67 and can't do the work, then turbo the car.

Or sell yours and get one already L67 powered.

 

First off:

Unless you posted the wrong ad- it sounds like he doesn't know what it came out of.

Secondly, the image posted in the ad is NOT a series 2 3800 (that would be found in a 98 anything). Pic from ad:



Here is the wikipedia ad on the 3800:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_V6_engine#Series_I

Pic:


Quote from pic:
Then the series 2:
Pic:
(keep in mind the air intake is not factory in the pic)
Quote from pic:
So I'm thinking this guy doesn't know how old the engine is, or used the wrong pic (in which case, I'd be very skeptical).

You could just do a top swap since you have a 3800- but that's just as involved mechanically as a complete swap.

As for having a shop do the work- you're going to get screwed big time. Even the shops that know the conversion charge too much in my opinion. With a shop that's never done it before- they're going to overbudget in case stuff goes wrong (and at $50+ an hour labor, that adds up quick).

Also, no shop is going to take some guide printed off the internet and take that as their manual to do the swap, its just not going to happen- too much liability on their end.

I'd bet you won't be able to find a normal repair shop who will touch it- and if you find a shop that does custom jobs, they're going to overprice it.

 

x2

to translate what bumpin was saing,

Get a book and do alot of researh about motors and do the work yourself. Yeah is a pain, but alot more rewarding IMO

 

Thanks, I appreciate all the feedback. What I was thinking of doing anyways is just replacing the Engine + Tranny for a younger one. Preferably less than 80K miles. Then just throwing an Eaton Supercharger on there and work my way up from there.

 

So you want a newer lower mileage L36, and then attempt to top-swap it with an L67?

 

I don't think I'll go top swap, just throw me a SC on there. I mean that's basically a top swap aint it?

The eaton SC's are pretty good from the reviews I read and I mean they're the L67 SC anyways.

 

I don't think you understand everything it takes to put a supercharger on the L36. That's why it's called a top-swap, you can't just buy a supercharger and put it on. You have to replace everything from the heads up just to run the supercharger on your engine.

 

In order to "throw a SC on there" you will need to install everything from the heads on up from an L67, as well as a few other odds and ends. This is what is referred to as a top swap. Only the short block is the same between the L36 and the L67 (aside from the difference in compression ratios between the two).