I want to get the most power and a deep growling rumbling sound out of my 02 stock ls. What is the best thing to do?

P.S. I really do apologize for being brand new to modding. I have no idea what can be done to a vehicle except for swapping an engine. I thought about putting an LS1 in it but I have no idea if its even possible. All i know how to do is stereo stuff.

 

 

SO i have been reading and in saw lots of people love the 3.8 v6 supercharged. Is it that much better than the 3.4? ANd is it that far from the 3.9?

 

 

what about a northstar 4.4? would that fit?

 

 

well i dont know how expensive a 3.8 sc conversion would be. I just cant find a really nice info full thread about it. if someone wants to point me in that direction then by all means thank you for your help!

 

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What does Chrysler's performance division have anything to do with this?

There is a lot that can be done to any of our engines if you take the time to search for parts. The general mod plan for any engine is essentially the same- make it easier to get air in and out of the engine.

Also, if you don't know much about cars- scrap the LS1 idea... its not gonna happen. Sure its technically possible (and has been done before FWD), but since you'd have to pay to get it done, you'd easily end up with a $10k engine swap. If you want an LS1 car, go buy a camaro or a C5. It'll be cheaper, and more reliable.

Yes, the 3.8 supercharged is better than the 3.4 in that it makes more power stock, and has a larger aftermarket- so it is a very common swap engine. It is very far from a 3.9, the 3.9 is more similar to your 3.4. The 3.8 is a 90* V6 that dates back to Buick in the 60s. The 3.4 and 3.9 (and 3.1 and 3.5) are 60* V6 engines that have a much shorter history. They are two separate engine lines though.

Sure- and it will bolt in and wire in just as nicely as an LS1-terribly. Its going to be a 99% custom job, and you're gonna pay through the nose for it. Whats worse is the northstar has almost no aftermarket in comparison to the 3800 and LS1, so you're locking yourself into an even more expensive adventure because many of your mods are going to have the be 1-offs.

L67/4t65HD swaps can be pulled off for as low as $750-1000 by the really budget minded people that do 100% of the labor themselves. Most normal people should budget $2k-3k in case something goes wrong. If you need someone to do the work for you, I'd guess its probably $4k-5k.

Honestly, I also don't really like the idea of people doing engine swaps on their daily driver. There are a lot of possible bugs in the swap, and there can be possible ramifications with emissions, and repair later down the road that makes me kindof urge people to shy away from it on the daily driver. I've just seen too many people start into it- and either end up with a car that is undriveable, run out of money, or end up selling a car that has never ran correctly.

That said, the L67 (3800 s/c) is about the easiest swap you can do on a 5th/6th gen monte because it is almost 100% bolt in, and almost 100% plug an play (using a wire harness from any 3800 monte from your generation/year monte).

Here is a walkthrough thread I made to give you an idea:

http://mymonte.com/discussion/index.php?showtopic=23142

It will be a little different with an 02 monte- actually should be a little easier. You can buy axles for a 4t65HD in your body style (the 04 ss s/c) instead of having to custom build axles, and every year of your cars had some 3800 option to use, so the engine harnesses are more plentiful.

 

Also, asking if different engines fit is kindof senseless. With enough work, you could run any engine from a 5hp briggs and stratton to a lambo V10. You can do FWD, RWD, or AWD. You can run 1 engine, or 2 (this has been done before in a wbody with an engine in the rear). The possibilities for someone with the mechanical ability and proper tools are endless.

Realistically, I don't think you're really meaning to ask if these engines 'fit', but rather you should be asking if they are a feasible swap. To get an idea of what would be a doable swap- you need to look what engines come in the various Wbody cars (impala, monte, grand prix, etc etc). That means you'll be looking at the 4t60, 4t65, 4t65hd for transmissions, and the 3100, 3400, 3.4 dohc, 3500, 3800, 3800 s/c, 3900, 5.3 LS4- more if you go back to the early 90s wbodys (back to like the 3.1, 3300, etc). Most any of these engines/transmissions can be made to pretty easily bolt in and plug in. Anything outside of this is going to take a considerable amount for customization to make fit.

From that engine list, you can see why many people go for the L67 (3800 s/c)- if you look at which engines have big time aftermarket support- you're left with the L67 and LS4. Then if you look at the going price for used engines- used L67s far outnumber used LS4's- they've been made since the mid 90s, and have been put in numerous cars. The LS4s are only a few years old, and have only been put in a couple cars. So its easy to see why the going rate for an L67 is only a small fraction of an LS4, and hence why many people go that route.