I'm going to be laying down some of my hard-earned money and picking one of these up. Now, before I do, I was hoping I could get a few basic questions answered.

Of course, the '00-'03 non-supercharged SS's can be had for a couple thousand bucks less than their supercharged counterparts, at least in my area anyways.

I'm going to be almost immediately purchasing the Cartuning Performance Turbo kit, with a couple of other basic bolt-ons.

What is the difference between the supercharged and non-supercharged 3800 motors? Is there a compression difference? Because if there is, it'd seem that in the long run the supercharged version would benefit me due to its low compression to handle boost. I've seen on a couple of sites that there are packages for both motors.

Thank you. Oh, and a bit off the point here...I have a dirty confession to make. While I and my family have owned some very powerful RWD cars in the past(my father's big-block Chevelles, Super Duty Trans Am, small block Novas, nitroused LS1, stroker TA), I was able to drive a friend's Stage 3 SRT-4 and fell in love with it! Since then, I've always wanted a FWD Turbo car, but with an automatic and within a bigger, comfier car like the Monte! Its sooo different. I was so used to neck-snapping and the sensation of being pushed or thrown, but with a FWD turbo, its like being pulled.

 

3800 Series 2 & 3 90° V6

1995-05 3800 Series 2 SFI V6 vin K RPO L36

• 200-205hp @ 5200 rpm
• 225-230tq @ 4000 rpm
• 9.4:1 Compression
• FWD and RWD, balance shaft, crank driven oil pump, DIS, hydraulic roller camshaft, integral PCV, roller rocker arms
• cast aluminum lower intake manifold; composite/plastic upper intake (FWD); cast aluminum upper intake (F-body / RWD)
• 22 lb/hr injectors

1996-05 3800 Series 2 Supercharged V6 vin 1 RPO L67

• 240hp @ 5200 rpm
• 280tq @ 3600 rpm
• 8.5:1 Compression
• FWD, balance shaft, crank driven oil pump, DIS, hydraulic roller camshaft, integral PCV, roller rocker arms, M90 Supercharger
• 36 lb/hr injectors

Special notes considering the 3800 Series II N/A and SC engines: The series II 3800 is a redesigned version of the 3800 (Series 1) V6. The Series II and III blocks have a shorter deck height, symmetrical design cylinder heads & cross-bolted main bearing caps among most of the major differences they have with their predecessor. The Supercharged version of the Series II and III engines share the same crankshaft and heads as the naturally aspirated versions but the heads on the SC versions have bosses machined for injectors, and the crank is balanced differently because the SC versions have beefier connecting rods and pistons. The SC pistons are also of a special casting and have a thermal coating on their tops designed to reflect heat back into the combustion process. The pistons, connecting rods, and piston pins used in the naturally aspirated versions of this engine are NOT designed for use with boost and are significantly weaker than their supercharged counterparts. Other differences between the N/A and SC engines are the amount of counter-balance of the harmonic balancer, flexplate/flywheel, and balance shaft. All 3800 Series II and III engines are considered to be "externally balanced".

Hope this helps a little! Let us know when you do get your Monte, and post pics of it!

 

Thank you for the great info. While I would prefer the supercharged version, the prices for these cars just aren't right right now. I'm going with the N/A version, and doing a basic turbo option in the immediate future. Down the road, once tranny, some engine parts, and brakes are beefed up significantly, I'll try to hit the major stuff.

 

I would say to do an NA. Especially if you would just be blocking off the supercharger for the turbo anyway. As long as you keep a good scan, and don't go crazy with the turbo and KR you shouldn't hurt the engine.

The worst will be the tranny, but that would be bad if you had the 4t65e or the 4t65e-HD.