I have a chance to pick up a series III 3800 out of a Grand Prix for $75. It has 146K miles. The motor overheated on the last owner and she took the car to a shop to have a new motor put in. The guy at the shop is the one selling the old engine. He said that before they swapped it it idled fine. He said checked the bearings and the such, and everything looks ok.

I'm thinking about picking it up and rebuilding it for the Monte. I figure for $75, I can't really get hurt too bad. If the engine turned out to be junk, I could probably part out some of its parts and make my money back. I haven't looked too hard for a rebuild kit yet. Does anyone know a good place to look for one?

 

For all of the stuff needed to rebuild it correctly- plus the machine shop costs (especially since it overheated)- you're likely going to end up putting more money into than finding another used 3800 that you could just bolt in and go.

 

it is all how it over heated. there is overheating while driving to over heated at a light and imedeatly shut it off. it sounds like a hit and miss i would nab it and see if just the bottom end is ok and go from there. If the bottom is ok i would do what bumpin did to his 3800 if the machine shop said the bottom was ok and good to go. Oh bumpin every time i see your engine when you post i keep thinking it is hot :P

 

I'd be getting it from the shop that swapped it out. The guy said that they checked the bearings and they were fine, along with the crank. It was being driven when it overheated and it was pulled over and taken hauled to a shop. I'm just not sure what to do.

 

Buy it. You cant even get a block for that. Chances are since its 100+ out she was driving with air on in stop and go and it got to hot and she kept ac on. Most people dont know to turn heat on and ac off if it starts to get hot. Shot buy it and send it to me.

 

That's what I'm thinking. Especially since he checked it out. He said that he told the woman that he couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't spin a bearing or something in the near future, so she opted to have it swapped.

I'm thinking that I'd at least pull the heads and have them checked to make sure that they didn't get warped or anything. I'm not sure how much of the rest of it I would really need to get into.

 

Check the bearings on the bottom end. I saw a dude fuse a bearing to the crank because he ran too low on oil. Worse case senario you have an excuse to make it a stroker motor. Since you are building it anyway Just tear it down completely and do a complete once over.

 

That may be the plan. I hate to pass up the opportunity. I guess I don't have that much to lose.

 

I found out a little more detail. Apparently the lady was driving home on the highway and the car started getting hot. She pulled it over and let it cool down and then drove the rest of the way home. Coolant was coming out of the overflow, and there was no oil and coolant intermixing.

 

Id say go for it if you feel you can get your money back from the parts if it is junk. It sounds like it wasnt abused when it overheated, sounds like it just got a little too hot. maybe a gasket problem caused it or stop and go driving.

Everytime I think of Bumpin's motor I remember this.
It was built in his living room.