I was thinking about doin the HV3, prolly rockers instead of cam just for ease of install, exhaust of some kind, and maybe a throttle body or something. Which is my back up for if I can't supercharge. I got this all figured out! I REALLY hope I can get the ssm90 though.

 

Lol, I'd try to do the supercharger man. I think with that na setup you could get into the low 15's.

 

I want to supercharge SOOOO bad. However, my parents are being the most stubborn right now and I don't think it's a possibility at this time. I think they might let me do the zzp ssm90 kit just because I don't have to take apart my engine as much. But I guess only time will tell at this point.

 

I agree with enzo. na is pointless. the 3800 just doesnt have enough cubes to do it. at least not do it easily. have you mentioned to your parents that the 3800 has been supercharged for quite some time and came in numerous cars from the factory with no reliability issues. bonevilles and rivieras? those are kind of sedate vehicles. perhaps show them pics? they may be picturing a giant mad max weiand with a hole in the hood. if they dont go for it you can always do what i did when i was 17 and my old man refused to help me build a big block for my cutlass. find a car with the drivetrain you want. then sell the car you have behind there back. sure theyll be pissed but theres no take backs in real life. my old man was pissed and still is 12 years later, but i got what i wanted.

 

None really. More maintenance (2 belts instead of 1, another oil to change, etc)- but really no extra benefits.

As was said above, there really are none. $/hp is really terrible with these engines NA. Like TheMonteMan said- its really small cubic inches, a pretty poor flowing 2 valve head design, relatively low compression, etc etc.

I see you mentioning rockers, HV3, TB, exhaust, etc etc- I wouldn't waste your time or money on any of it. Take a look at this (if the link works right):

ClubGP Message Forum troubleshooting

Scroll down to the NA section, then look at the 'stock camshaft' numbers. Record with a stock cam is 193 whp (less than a stock L67)- but since you're also not porting the heads- the stock cam/stock heads NA record is 181 whp- which is say roughly 220 crank horsepower, maybe 225. That means you're still going to get walked on by stock L67's, and pretty much any modern mid-level sedan. The NA 3800's seem to really need a cam to wake them up (and obviously the NA cams that make good power tend to be a lot more extreme sounding than the boosted cams that make good power)- and if your parents won't let you do a top swap, they sure aren't going to let you tear the front half of your engine down.

IMO, if you're bored with the car- stick an aftermarket muffler/tip on it, and do a cheap FWI/CAI- and call it a day. It'll sound better, be a little more fun to drive- and won't cost a ton of money or take a bunch of labor either.

I hate to say it, but they may have a point- tearing an engine down to the short block is a pretty big project- do you have any experience with major mechanic projects like that? Even doing the SSM90 swap isn't really a beginner job, there is still quite a few things you could goof up that could make the car run poorly or not at all. They're probably afraid that you'll mess the car up and not be able to fix it again?

IMO, I wouldn't go that route. To the OP- how old are you? Since you have a car, that means you're probably at least 16. So that means at most you'll have only 2 more years living at home until you finish high school right? I imagine they're also not charging you rent, or for food/utilities/etc. If that's the case, then I'd just hold out and save up til when you get out of high school- get a job, your own place, then you can do what you want to your car (assuming you legally own it- otherwise add 'pay off your car' to that list).

If they're providing so much for you, IMO its rude to say 'screw them' and do what you want- you'll have plenty of years as an adult on your own to do and buy whatever you want. Because they won't be able to have any control over what you do when you're 100% self-sufficient.


-edit- thinking about what TheMonteMan said some more- what about buying another car straight up? Obviously there are quite a few cars offered with the exact powertrain you want. Unless they have some stake in the monte you drive (ie they own all/some of it), then I don't see why you couldn't sell your car and buy the car you want assuming you can afford it. Unless you have some ridiculously high mileage- I don't see why you shouldn't be able to pick up a used late 90's GTP or something without too much extra cash on top of what you could sell your car for.

 

Thanks for all the advice and input!
If my parents done let me top swap or do the ssm90 kit, I think I'm just going to do the exhaust including headers and everything back, then just do like one or two other performance things and call that good. And when I get out of the house I plan to either buy a car and trick it completely out, or buy a kit car.

 

I was bored with my NA, so I just got some modifications on it that will carry over when I do a turbo build.

The only parts I am losing are my CAI and my Downpipe.