I forgot to mention earlier, that a 6th gen, especially the older ones- should be far easier than even a 5th gen monte. First of all, you can buy a factory passenger axle for an 04 SS SC- so you don't need to custom make axles like us 5th gen guys do (heck maybe even the GTP axles would work since they're both 2nd gen wbodys?)- and secondly- you have a lot more 6th gens with 3800's to steal a wire harness from- the 5th gen guys only had a 3800 option in 98/99- so the wiring harnesses are much harder to find.

I just wouldn't expect that at all- any normal shop would charge a minimum of $500 labor to install an engine/trans- especially with it not being exact factory stuff. I just don't see how they'd make a profit putting parts in for free, especially engines/transmissions.


Its not hard- when I did my swap, I hadn't done more than basic maintenance- other than pulling the engine out of the donor car a year or so earlier.

To make stuff easier, I'd find everything together if you can- a complete engine/trans and pcm- and just drop it all in at once- that way everything has the same mileage- there is no swapping parts around, and no reprogramming the pcm for the hybrid setup.

 

Hey, thanks alot.

 

i agree with bumpin. i think your best bet would be to find a car thats totaled and pull the drivetrain out of it motor and trans in one piece. its probably cheaper to buy the whole wrecked car then to buy the motor and tranny. then youll have all the extras like any of the gauges or other things you might want.

oh yeah i didnt mean to talk you out of it just tryin to help you out. like i said 30 40hp shots not worth the money it would cost you. on my 80 were goin to throw 250 at it. it wouldnt make a difference or any sense to throw a 100 shot at my car. didnt want you to buy something and then be disappointed with the lack of performance.

 

I agree- that's exactly what I did. Deals come up every now and then for powertrain setups- but since I needed both including the pcm and axles (I had a 4t60e so I had to upgrade)- I couldn't find a good deal on a complete setup without buying a whole car.

At the time, late 90's GTP's were going for about $4-6k, and I picked up a totaled one for $1500 (had damage to the drivers front bumper, fender, and door- owner had sold the remaining wheels/tires, along with a few interior pieces)- but I was still able to sell quite a few of the other parts I got. I'd imagine I managed to sell at leas $300 worth of stuff, and I got to have a lot of spare parts when I got my own GTP.

I'd imagine now, it would be even cheaper- the price for a running, driving late 90's GTP is down around $3k, so I'd imagine a totaled one would be even cheaper than when I got mine.

 

and hey, about the whole "talking me out of it" thing, its all good, thats what i posted for. so you guys could talk me into or out of it. it seems there has been alot of things ive been talked out of here and its a good thing. but i know what youre saying about it though, like if you didnt like something and you told somone not to get it just for no reason even if it would be a good idea. but anyway thanks guys, i think im gonna go with the swap then, but im gonna have to wait till the end of this year. damn!

 

i would look for a regal gs. its a prime old man ride and probably babied. you could probably find one for *** cheap.