400lb.-ft. from a 3.8 EFI turbo?

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Sean

New Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2003
How much money would be required to raise the power output of an all-aluminum 3.8L EFI turbo Buick V6, while maintaining long-term reliability (I'm not bulding a race-car). I'd buy a used, late-model unit (89 TransAm?) and perform all the assembly work myself.
I'm hot-rodding a 1973 Opel GT and prefer to install an engine that is small enough to fit in the existing engine bay. It'd be cheaper to get 400lb.ft from an LS1 - which I may end up using - but I'd rather spend another grand or so and avoid cutting the unibody.....

Thanks,
Sean
 
these motors are all iron ..not alum.

but still not too heavy cause they're small.

just about stock they can put out 400 ft/lbs

LS1 will never make the torque these turbo 3.8's make
 
Not to mention you'd be puttin a Buick in a Buick which is a good ting.Actually,you would be hard pressed to find a better motor.
 
Where are these "Cheap LS1's"? If you can put a running LS1 in car for less than $4K, Tell me where and I'll buy it.
 
400 ft lbs is childs play. They made 355# from the showroom floor at 14psi. At 20# boost on an otherwise all stock motor you can hit 400.
 
I got 417 lbs/ft at the rear wheels....17 psi, 100 octane, street chip w/20º timing, stock turbo, intercooler heads and cam w/o alky. Bolt ons only....RJC power plate, adj. fuel press. reg, 009 inj's, hotwored walbro 340, THDP, 2 1/2 " exhaust, no cat, Big Mouth CAI.

Not hard to achieve at all.

Steve
 
UNGN, it might be rare to find an LS1 cheap cheap but my dad just bought a 2000 LS1 longblock for $1000. the guy is getting a new engine built so he sold his current one for cheap. the LS1 needs wiring harness, accessories, ignition, and oil pan though.
 
Took me about 5 minutes to get 400 lb.-ft. from my stock car when I bought it 3 (?) years ago. Oh yeah, I forgot - it took $50 for the chip too.

I think a more challenging goal would be 500, but that's pretty simple as well.
 
Sound sweet so far, but what are the outside dimensions of a typical turbo setup? If I go with something other that the BIG LS1, I want to get away without cutting the unibody.
Are aluminum heads an option with a 400lb-ft producing turbo 3.8?
What does a complete 3.8L weigh - with iron heads? How about with aluminum heads?
Is a manual 6-speed available to mate to this block
 
to answer your questions in order, i dont know, yes but not needed, dont know, dont know, and yes but it requiries some fabbing i think and due to the low end power/revving of the 3.8 a manual tranny slows them down quite a bit. ive heard of people putting manuals into 12 second cars, thereby making them into 16 second cars. you can do it if you want but will probably kill many clutches and ben only one of a handful that have done it. i would ASSume that the TT setup would be sorta symetrical. just take the measurement from the left side of the turbo to the middle of the T-Body and duplicate that onm the driver side of the engine. should get you sorta close IMO. aluminum heads can be put on anything from a stocker to a fully modded car. they arent needed and are overkill for 400 ft lbs. as well as twin turbos but if thats what you want, thats you. get all the basic needed mods for your engine (pump, hjotwire, scantool, FPR, boost guage) and get an alky kit, KN and dump and run 23 psi. sure to make over 400 ft lbs while spending less than $500 in actual HP mods. i dont remember a stock LC2's weight buit i wanna say like 100-150 lbs lighter than a SBC. an LS1 is aluminum though so it will be lighter than a traditional SBC. dont got a clue what a LC2 w/alum. heads weighs.
 
Originally posted by Sean
Sound sweet so far, but what are the outside dimensions of a typical turbo setup? If I go with something other that the BIG LS1, I want to get away without cutting the unibody.
Are aluminum heads an option with a 400lb-ft producing turbo 3.8?
What does a complete 3.8L weigh - with iron heads? How about with aluminum heads?
Is a manual 6-speed available to mate to this block
Click to expand...

You can get the T/A Performance all aluminum blocks now. Very pricey, but they have unbelievable potential. Sounds like weight is an important consideration. Do a search here, lots of info on the new aluminum blocks.

Same with the manual tranny. Been discussed a LOT. Concensus is that it just doesn't work with the Buick mill. Good luck.
 
I would bet that an LS1 would actually be more compact than a turbo 6 setup when you take into account the turbo, intercooler and piping. You can put an LS1 in tiny cars like a Miata. That's a tough trick for a Buick turbo 6 without cutting sheet metal.

Not to be rude, but Do you know what an LS1 is? They are available in 97 and up corvettes and 98 and up camaros and firebirds.

A non TTA, '89 trans am would have an L98 (If you found a good one), which is a Boat anchor and three generations removed from an LS1 (after L98, its the LT1 then LT4, THEN LS1).
 
UNGN, id have to disagree. the L98 has some very good points. with the low end this guy is looking for it could work but it does die out at 4K. my dads 87 Vette is fun to pull out into fast moving traffic:) my dad just bought an LS1 and i saw it and i would agree with you, it is thinner than i thought. maybe thinner than the LC2, maybe not.
 
Originally posted by turbo buicks
UNGN, it might be rare to find an LS1 cheap cheap but my dad just bought a 2000 LS1 longblock for $1000. the guy is getting a new engine built so he sold his current one for cheap. the LS1 needs wiring harness, accessories, ignition, and oil pan though.
Click to expand...

$1000 for a long block is a loooong way from a total setup. By the time he buys an intake, 8 coils, wiring harness, tb, accessories, blah blah, he will have $3000 or more in it.

An L98 would not be a good choice to put in an Opel IMO, unless you put a cam, heads and headers on it to get it to rev. An LS1 is light years ahead of an L98 in performance.

A stock L98 runs high 14's low 15's in a Camaro, while an LS1 runs low 13's. 1 1/2 second difference
 
ya i know what ur saying but the L98 makes good low end power, thats all. my dads got the intake and TB. he needs wiring, ignition, accessories, etc. no its not cheap but compared to paying 40K-50K for a new Vette this is much cheaper.
 
UNGN, actually, the l98 is only two generations away. LT1 then LS1. an lt4 is just a variation on the LT1. you can technically 'bolt on' components from an lt4 to an lt1 and make it an lt4.

is it possible you're thinking of the DOHC lt5 from the zr1 corvette?? if so, remember that was a mercury marine built all aluminum engine. an lt1/lt4 had an iron block and aluminum heads (on fbodys and vettes, caprices and the like got iron heads).
 
My dad is doing the same project with an Opel GT. The car will have to be cut. The stock tranny and rear has to go and an auto is the only way to fly with the turbo motor. The Buick motor is pretty wide plus it doesn't look like the tunnel under the car is wide enough for an auto tranny but we'll see. The front end looks perfect for a big intercooler and the two scoops near the hood would make for a nice cold air setup. There is a guy on here that swapped a hotair GN motor in an Opel, maybe someone has a link.
 
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