GM 3.8 V6 Interchange?

Maverick · Post by **Maverick** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 7:02 pm

Got a question I'm trying to answer for my brother. Hoping someone has the answer.

Bro Willy is planning to build a hot rod starting with a Toyota pickup and a fwd 3.8 Olds engine. Can anyone tell us if a fwd 3.8 block will bolt up to a rwd 3.8 tranny, e.g. from an S10? He has some good fwd Olds 3.8 engines and will go shopping for a rwd tranny if there's something that will bolt up to those engines.

Thanks.

Post by **TireSmoker** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 8:32 pm

Jim, the 3800 engines and the 60-degree V6s 2.8/3.1/3.4 etc) share the same bellhousing bolt pattern. The only place the 3800 engine was used in RWD was the 4th gen F-bodies.

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/-104555 ... ost13.html

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/genera ... ional.html (good info seems to be spread throughout the thread)

-Dave

Maverick · Post by **Maverick** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 3:59 pm

TireSmoker wrote:Jim, the 3800 engines and the 60-degree V6s 2.8/3.1/3.4 etc) share the same bellhousing bolt pattern. The only place the 3800 engine was used in RWD was the 4th gen F-bodies.

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/-104555 ... ost13.html

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/genera ... ional.html (good info seems to be spread throughout the thread)

-Dave

Thanks for the poop, Dave. That's what we needed to know. Jim

GMJohnny · Post by **GMJohnny** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:36 pm

Here's a hot tip to go along with that....Get a supercharged 3800, it's way more fun!!!!! ( I have one with supercharger, one without. Guess which one I drive, and which one She drives !!! )

Basement Paul · Post by **Basement Paul** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 9:54 pm

I have one with a supercharger too, and it could be yours!

-BP

MostMint · Post by **MostMint** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 11:21 pm

GMJohnny wrote:Here's a hot tip to go along with that....Get a supercharged 3800, it's way more fun!!!!! ( I have one with supercharger, one without. Guess which one I drive, and which one She drives !!! )

you drive the older one

GMJohnny · Post by **GMJohnny** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:36 am

I drive the "more experienced" one.

Basement Paul · Post by **Basement Paul** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 9:35 pm

Here's the whole set up...

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/pts/1296812729.html

-BP

Maverick · Post by **Maverick** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:07 pm

Basement Paul wrote:I have one with a supercharger too, and it could be yours!

-BP

Paul, good deal but Bro Willy is doing this VERY low budget. He's using the Olds engine 'cause he has a few. Jim

Fred32v · Post by **Fred32v** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 4:14 pm

We would expect Willy to post progress on his project as it progresses.
Sounds like a fun thing. Needing pictures.

Maverick · Post by **Maverick** » Fri Jul 31, 2009 6:03 pm

Fred32v wrote:We would expect Willy to post progress on his project as it progresses.
Sounds like a fun thing. Needing pictures.

Hi Fred,

That would be good but not likely. I seldom get pictures of his projects. He's thinking of moving the body back and lowering it over the frame. I'll let you know when I get any progress reports or pictures.

Jim

Maverick · Post by **Maverick** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 1:19 am

We're not getting anywhere on finding a transmission for Willy's project. The more I look at internet info the more confused I get. Think our questions are too basic for the sources I'm finding. Maybe someone can help get us started with some facts on the transmission-to-engine bolt pattern(s).

Can anyone tell us what RWD automatic transmissions will bolt up to the 3.8L V6? (I don't know which V6s are 60 degrees) Do all the GM V6s use the same bolt pattern? i.e., would any GM RWD V6 AT be a candidate? If they're not all the same, which are common with the 3.8L? Is the 3.8L bolt pattern the same as the small block V8s? i.e., could we bolt a V8 RWD AT to the 3.8 V6?

One thing I THINK I learned is that the electronic GM ATs didn't appear till '92. Right? We want to avoid them.

GMJohnny · Post by **GMJohnny** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 6:55 am

Maverick ... The 3.8 litre is a Buick motor. It should have a Buick / Olds / Pontiac ( BOP ) bolt pattern. The only odd-ball tranny is the Chevy. My belief ( although not gospel ) is that any BOP trans should bolt to that 3.8 as it was in the Grand Nationals and many other mid sized GM cars of that era. Some of the later GM trannys had a pattern for all of the motors. I had a 90 Buick wagon with a 5.0 litre Olds motor, but the trans ( electric lock up converter) could hook up to any of the GM blocks. A standard turbo 350 should bolt to that block, but a 4 speed auto may be a better option. Most Mint hooked up an electric 4 speed trans to one of his rides as a retro fit and it was not too difficult to do. 442.com should tell you a bunch about the Olds gearboxes. Also, my 87 442 had an electonic 4 speed in it, so you may have to look back to mid 80's for a non-electric trans. Good Luck, GM

Post by **TireSmoker** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 11:50 am

John, that's not right. The 3800 does *not* use the BOP pattern. It uses the "metric" pattern, although the early pre-3800 Buick V6's (from the 70s-early 80s) did use the BOP pattern.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GM ... g_patterns

Maverick,

Your best bet is to look for an AT from a V6 Camaro/Firebird. Whichever V6 engine the donor has should work with the 3800.

-Dave

Maverick · Post by **Maverick** » Wed Dec 23, 2009 12:34 pm

OK!! Starting to get somewhere. Thanks.

http://members.shaw.ca/betterthanyoutoo ... tterns.htm

TireSmoke.org

GM 3.8 V6 Interchange?

GM 3.8 V6 Interchange?

HELP!!!