I will be the first to admit im not the most knowledgable about cars. But ima shoot out my questions to you guys to get an answer. All of these questions are pertaining to my 2002 Chevy Monte Carlo SS

1. What is the biggest engine I can put in my car, which one will give me the most horsepower.

2. What is the max horsepower I could have for my car, and how do I get to that level.

Now one crazy questions I know your going to laugh when you read this but I am dead serious. Is it possible to convert my automatic to manuel.

 

lol, ive seen people swap in v8's before the 2006 monte carlo ss came out with the fwd 5.3l. the made there own transmission and everything. you cant convert auto to manual without some serious custom shop, too pricey to have it done. haha

 

The limits to what can be done as far as engine swaps, transmission swaps, and horsepower are only limited by your bank account. Anything is possbile with enough money, but at some point, it doesn't make much financial sense.
That being said, how much are you wanting to spend on upgrades, and we can point you in the right direction as far as power. Also, welcome!

 

The easiest thing you can do for your car is buy a turbo and install that, along with a few supporting mods, around $3000 and a good tune, you will easily double the HP in the car.

Converting to a manual is very very difficult, and I only know of one W-Body car that was successfully converted. But a well built and tuned transmission is all you need.

 

x2 for the turbo

 

X3 for the turbo...

 

www.zzperformance.com

Look under Grand Prix (same engine and such)

ZZP Z3 Turbo would be the one you should look at for ease. Z7 for upgradeability.

 

wow so the last few days ive been trying to find the post.. ive made... and it didnt show up.... i hadda go to my email to find my post how lame....

Cash wise I know a brand new 5.3 ls engine for the 02 montecarlo costs 11-13k
so lets say i have roughly... 20k

I know its not sensible financially but its not for financial gain or resale value its for the love of the car model... as crazy as that sounds..

 

If you're going to go with the 5.3 litre engine, you may as well sell the 2002 and get a 2006 or 2007 Monte Carlo SS and start from there. Because you'd basically be spending your time and money to convert your '02 to an '07.

If you like the looks of the 2002 better, you can swap the front clip (hood, fenders, bumper, and lights) of an 06/07 to look like a 2002. And it would be less labor intensive than an engine/tranny/computer swap in your 2002.

As for converting to rear wheel drive for a manual transmission, ChibiBlackSheep is right. Many people have thought about doing that. But that is getting into some serious work. The floor pan of the 2000-2007 Monte Carlo's weren't designed to accomodate a RWD transmission. It would require major work to the floor pan, and your interior (center console and rear seat wouldn't fit anymore).

Personally, if you got the 3.8 litre 3800 Series II engine in your 2002, I'd go with the others suggestions. Turbo. Plus, the 3800 engine has tons of stuff available for them. You're only limited by your budget.