I have a 2001 Monte Carlo ss 3800 n/a .. ive been looking around for engine swaps . i originally wanted the 5.3l ls4 , doesnt seem to have alot of performance upgrades besides a turbo kit from cartunning . to be honest seems steep for the asking price for their kit.and somewhere 8psi to 12psi and pushing 475 whp. i have done research on the 3800 , much better area for parts concerned . potentially can support 720 at the crank turbo charged, i have seen a 3800 powered grand prix W/ 2.4l whipple push 584whp .. not understanding why for a ls type motor ( ls4) why so under powered?? their must be some kind of mods to do to the ls4 to increase more power other the cai,exhaust,.. i kind of wish the ls4 could match the 3800 in potential. i have the doe,i know what needs to be done to the drive line , i need power any one give me some ideas thanks..

 

The LS4 has your typical LS mods, cams (with extra work to remove dod) different intakes, turbo, headers and so on. You can make power with them just fine, but no matter what engine, the transmission is the problem in these cars. Once you get to around 500whp you're going to have a hard time keeping the transmission together.

That said, if you want to go the LS4 route, the best bet is to sell your current car and buy one with an LS4 already in it, swapping just wouldn't be worth your time and effort. If you want to stay with a 3800, you can do a top swap or an engine swap to the supercharged L67 version.