Hello all. Not sure if this is the proper section to post this, but I deemed it the right one. I was just wondering what some good performance increases I could make on a budget. I was thinking about doing that sleeper CAI-style mod in the 5th gen thread, but I was wondering if anyone had other ideas. My car has a 3100 in it currently. On another note, my friend's dad has a Z34 5th gen that won't start, and he said he will give me the engine and other parts for an extremely cheap price. I was thinking about picking it up and modifying the heck out of it, then putting it into my car when it was finished...does that sound like a better idea than trying to modify my 3100? I also just want to get into modifying things and doing stuff from scratch. I am new to Monte's; I am used to Volkswagen's since that is what my dad had and was in an enthusiast group for a while, so that's all I heard about. Sorry for the long post, I am just looking for help on all this since nobody I ask seems to be able to answer me without either immediately shutting me down or telling me to save up and just get a new car.

 

What engine is in the Z34? If it's the DOHC then there's basically no market for modding, if it's the 3400 then it's virtually the same as your current 3100 but with larger LIM and UIM ports along with the throttle body, also there are larger exhaust ports on the 3400.

 

Actually, I'm not sure if it actually is a Z34, but he said it has the 3800 in it, so I assumed that's what it is.

 

ok imo i would check it out and see what type of engine it has to make sure what type of platform you probably want to get from him. after that you can build the heck out of a 3800 from the ground up if it is the 3800. if it is the 3400 it is a little aftermarket for it like my 3500. but doing a swap after a build is always a good feeling when it is done because the anticipation is always a good thing. i hope every thing will go well for you

 

Ok he said it is for sure a 3800. He said his dad will probably sell it for like 100-150 since they want to get it the hell out of there. I am assuming the tranny will come with it, and I will ask if I can take the PCM and harness and such too for a little bit extra (if they want more money for it that is). My mechanic friend tried to shut me down and tell me not to get it because it "won't be as easy as I think it is." Is that true? I mean I know it won't be like a walk in the park, but it's not going to be near impossible, correct?

 

There's actually quite a bit of stuff out there for the 3400 and 3500 but the price is high

The 3800 has quite a bit that can be done to it, it won't be too hard to do, if you get the engine and trans you will need the 3800 harness and pcm and other small things

 

Modding a 3100 has come up a few times. Aside from small things like the air box mod you mentioned, a 3100 just isn't really worth your time and money to work on. You'll end up spending alot of money for a little gain. 3800 on the other hand has a huge aftermarket parts availibilty.

instead of doing a swap why dont you see if you can just get the whole car unless theres something wrong with the body. Might be easier than swapping your car, and if its not starting i'd sort that out before you do anything.

 

Actually, buying the car from him is probably a better idea in all honesty. How much does a 5th gen weigh? He was going to sell the car for scrap, so I could figure out the weight and calculate how much it is worth for scrap and give him a bit more. He was only going to sell the engine for like $100-150 anyways so I think I might be able to get it from him for like $500-600. Does that sound right for a non-running 5th gen?

 

Alright, I talked to him and he said his dad will *most likely* sell me the car. If he does, I want to completely revamp the 3800 that is in it. Is there any place where I can easily find what parts I would need to/should replace to get the most out of the engine? I plan on turbocharging it as well, so I don't know if that changes anything. Everywhere I look there's like this part and that part, but it doesn't say what I all will need. I mean I get the basics like heads, exhaust headers, intake manifolds, injectors, downpipe, etc., but I don't know things like if I would need to replace the rockers and such if I get upgraded heads, or if I need to get one brand over the other, or if a certain cat brand is better than another. Sorry to be such a burden, but I am just wondering since I have been trying to put it all together in one place.

 

Yea you can throw a stroker kit on a 3800 and make it a 4.2, turbos, throttle body, ect... there was a gp with twin turbos that ran a 8.65 last I checked. So you can get a monte with a 3800 straight moving. Plus if you beat someone with your monte they will be like wtf?