Pretty sure these guys watched the video on RU-vid to learn how to rebuild this lol. Theres another 3.8 rebuild video on here where the guy torqued the means front to back.
Did a similar build on my '99 GS. Full Comp Cam kit, double roller timing chain (CR balance shaft removed- balance has to be dead-nuts), Mahle pistons- bumped compression ratio, powered metal rods (GM factory forged rods starting '00-'01), intercooler, ARP stud kits, Cometc head gaskets, slightly worked heads, headers...you'd be surprised at how torquey these 3.8L are!
Wondering if you do side jobs rebuilding 3.8 Motors would love to bring my GTP to you and watching your videos would like to get in touch with you if possible
I did enjoy the video. Great job on the the rebuild 👈😎👉. My 76' Buick Regal 3.8l just broke the 💯 thousand miles😎, 42yrs in the making. The engine still has the factory blue paint. Everything under the hood is 95% factory original. ✌️out bro😎
I just got one of these. I do home health care and unfortunately a client died and the daughter sold me the father's car which has been gone for many years now. She sold me a 99 Buick Park Ave ultra supercharged with 60k miles. For 500$. Yeah best deal of my life it runs great although it does have a issue with something electrical. The rpm gauge jumps up n down idk. But I'm really liking it. N seen ur rebuild. I think I'mma have hubby get to work lol..ty for the imput
4.24.24. ⚠️If the Tachometer is jumping up and down, and the vehicle stalls, it’s more than likely it’s your crankshaft position sensor needs changed. They are known to go bad and that’s one of the symptoms🎯
Nice work. I've got a 91 sc bird with low miles. I was a Ford tech back in the day and i love rebuilding engines. I appreciate seeing you go through yours.
I don't know the gear ratios but the 3800 V6 definitely has = some high power ignition timing, when it kicks in it's like a V8. But it doesn't steer as good lol. THE 2000 Monte SS is good. could use better braking calipers and 17" tires. The Impala is a Great four door. Two doors are a little limited.
The BUICK 3800 series 3 is an excellent engine , I've owned a couple of them and they run great withe M90 EATON roots type supercharger , I love the fuel economy and decent power it puts out , great video your car should scoot along nicely for sure , nice job 👍
Had a supercharger Pontiac Bonneville ssie with the supercharged 3800. The bottom ends on those engines stock are beefy. That engine never stopped pulling. Went over 200 miles & hour. 160 on the dash. Car actually scared me. Just kept pulling.
Did you guys do the proper torque sequence on the main bearings and cylinder heads? Also, did you check the main and rod bearing clearances using plasti gauge or dial bore gauges?
just one thing to add to your engine building prowess. the camshaft should go in before the crankshaft assy. its much easier to guide the cam through the journals. other then that nice build. looking forward to seeing it completed.
awesome video mate! these engines are really popular here in australia too! they were fitted to our holden commodores which is unique to australia. maybe check some of our wacky cars out.
Awesome video bro thumbs u p I also have a 3800 series 2 I'm rebuilding and u gave me some ideas I could work utilize in my build just hoped u could posted a list of all the add ons u installed
Wow, looks good! Going to be building a 3800 supercharged engine for my Fiero eventually. It has one in there right now that has 220k miles. Want to rebuild a lower mileage one with some mods.
i noticed you guys used no rtv in some important places, like the oil pan for one, just a gasket will leak. the pan bolts should also have thread sealant on them, those bolts go right into the block and oil splashes on the threads. the bottom two inches of the timing cover gasket, rtv both sides of the bottom where it would meet the pan, same for the rear cover. the timing cover bolts and the 4 long water pump bolts also need thread sealant or they can leak coolant on ya. i did all this on my 3800 and 2 years later not a drop of any fluids are to be found. i didnt hear any talk about a machine shop for the block. hope it was sent off to one, or you might have just built a 200 mile engine. or less in some cases. take the crank out and these blocks twist, bolt all new stuff in there and its rappin rodney pretty fast if its not had the crank boar align honed
I'm not a fan of overuse of RTV. The places that needed it got it. I did use sealant on bolts that required it such as the long water pump bolts. So far the Only leak I've had was from one of the heater coolant connections where the previous owner used too much RTV and I didn't quite get it all cleaned out.
As far as having it machined, I was rebuilding and engine that didn't yet have a problem, but had very little bearing left and was close to failure. I did very carefully inspect the block and all I did to it was a basic cylinder hone with a hand drill. I did use a re-maned crank and all new internals. So far it has made it 600 miles and is still doing fine.
some make it, some dont, best of luck. 600 miles you might have a keeper. the oil pan will leak give it time. its just a thin smear on the block and pan needed, along with the pan bolts, bottom of the covers are a common oil leak, why the rtv there, once again, its just a thin smear. them rear cover bolts should have loctight on them too. they have like no tq value, and im sure you noticed they came out really easy.
I replaced the oil pan and rear cover bolts with better ones that could be torqued higher. I thought I remember the oil pan bolts being blind holes, but I'll keep an eye on them for leaks. Nothing yet tho.
You can put them in either order of crank or cam first. If you need to, put the cam in first but there is no reason why you HAVE to put one in before the other.
Nice! But when u rebuild a motor, I don't play dance music through it, it's METALICA ALL THEY WAY! You have OCD just like me! Clean parts, well lubed camshaft, etc... Good job! You could eat off of any part of that engine! Did u forget one bolt for the waterpump??
1:07 - jazzy-jammin' tune sounds like something from racing / rally driving game menu music from years ago.... ToCA, Touring Car Challenge or Ridge Racer, IIRC.
Did anyone else notice the valve covers are on the wrong side....oil filler should be on the drivers side or on the front so you can put oil in easier..you dont want it on the back like they have it...did it myself..unless it going in a Fiero
Interesting build, almost interesting channel, maybe if you’re 17 and just got your first Buick handed down from grandma. Needs more content I was interested in the 3800 rebuild but after assembly it fell flat. Why is there no dunno video? How much power is it making? Lots of emptiness
I know this video is a little old, but I'm getting ready to swap in a 3800 series 3 supercharged v6 from an 07 Grand Prix GT into my 01 firebird. Getting the engine for $250, with a little less than 100,000 miles. Plan to do a rebuild kit - just to be safe, 180° tstat, colder spark plugs, 3.4 inch pulley, N* throttle body, headers, cat back exhaust, and a tune. Might add the intercooler later, after seeing how things run. From what I've read I can use my harness, and computer - with a tune. Only problem I have to address is fitting the supercharger. Plan on using an elbow pipe to avoid cutting into the firewall. Wish me luck! Or any advice is appreciated.
Why 180 TStat???? You should go 160!!!! Anything hotter than that is simply too taxing on the cooling system and engine. Thats part of what causes engines to overheat is cooling temps being allowed to run too darn hot. 160s are the way to go. Your engine will thank you and will last many numerous miles longer because of a 160. And dont anyone give me flak about this. I know what I am talking about. Hope that helps.
I freshen up/ rebuild alot of 3800 but the supercharged 05+ model I have 2 and are both misfiring after heads intake oil pan and inspection . Can't seem to pinpoint . But I didn't see any rtv on lower intake corners? Am I doing something wrong?
hi good vid. ive got a question. do u remember how the com lobes run? does it go exh.intake.intake exh. need 2 know hav custom rods 2 different lengths. any idea.
All the forums I read the said the 3800 isnt rebuildeble without a damn good machinist....truth or myth? I got a 3800 I can rebuild just dont want to risk it if the information is true
I think people say that since it just isn't cost effective to rebuild them when used engines are so cheap. For example, the split pin crank means that balancing actually costs more than a v8. But it is true that you have to be very thorough with the machining. You can't skip stuff to save money, and all the tolerances need to be checked carefully. That said, I got away with not having my block machined because it had not yet failed and and I checked the block over very carefully to make sure it was still in spec. I'm a machinist (not an engine machinist) so I had access to precision inspection tools. I did this as more of a learning experience than anything else, and went into it knowing it might not work out. I'm inclined to agree with others that it isn't worth spending $1000+ to rebuild something that you can buy for around $600.
I have never dry sumped a 3800 or any engine before so Im not a great place to inqure from. Might want to start on a 3800 forum of some sort and google.
Some Australian cars came with it installed like that, it was called the ecotec v6. Some Camaros/Firebirds had the 3800 series 2 NA, so you can either swap one or use the transmission from one. You also have to modify the supercharger since the inlet points towards the rear of the engine.
Im getting a chevy impala ls 2008 and i was wondering if you could fix a v8 engine in the car because i want to do an engine sway and put a supercharger on it do u think it will fix?
I 0wn a couple of Grand Prix`s about how expensive how expensive is it to do a supercharging installation from ground up I have a few ideas I have for one of my Grand Prix GTs
Where did you get your pistons. Are they forged. Also what timing chain roller and cam did you use. I am building an l36 right now and cant find reasonable forged pistons.
Would a setup like this work on a 4.3? There seems to be an obvious issue with the throttle body and distributor being in each others way. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
This blower won't bolt upas far as I am aware. The Buick v6 family does not include the Vortec 4.3 you are talking about. There might be a Weiand blower kit or some other aftermarket brand that you will have to find as I don't know what is available for your engine.
The 4.3 is basically a 350 V8 less 2 Cylinders. So no relation to the 3.8 Engine family. And yeah there are supercharger kits for the 4.3 but I have and will stay N/A on my 1996 4.3 S-10 SS which is making about 265 Horses with the mods I have done so far.
To install a supercharger? For a top swap you would also need the supercharger pulleys/mounts and an SC crank pulley. Since the injectors go into the heads on the SC engine, you would either need heads from a supercharged engine or a modified intake with a modified rail like the kit ZZP sells. Then finally, a 2 bar MAP sensor and a PCM re-tune.
Some Guy superchargers also rob mega hp, heat the air charge up big time (can't intercool) and have crap power gains. Size the turbo right and you will woop a supercharger and get more mpg.
Compression on N/A engine I've read is too high for top swap supercharger. I'd love to just do this to my regal but I got a complete drive train for 500 with computer and harness. Tell me otherwise if I'm wrong. 97 regal going to be s/c with fresh rebuilt 4t65e-hd tranny.
Yes kinda. They are both 3800 Series 2, so the block is identical. However this is the supercharged version, so the heads, crank, rods, pistons, cam, etc are slightly different.
Machinist has told me that the crank, rods and pistons are forged and the heads are different. Tell me otherwise. Just asking. You've been there before, obviosly. I'm in North Colorado bought a SC motor tranny, and harness, computer for 500 bucks. Has 140k on it. Going in a 97 regal LS
3800SC compared to 3800NA? Yes the rods and pistons are slightly different. That's mainly just due to the compression difference, but the rods are a little better and the wrist pin is larger. Series 2 rods are all cast not forged, series 3 rods are powdered metal forged. The crank is identical except for maybe balancing differences due to the pistons/rods. Only difference in the heads are the holes for the fuel injectors since they don't go into the intake with a supercharger. If running the supercharged pistons/rods you must use the correct flex-plate and ballancer or have the rotating assembly balanced.
Not sure if it was identical from the factory, but they are definitely compatible. Everywhere I checked listed the same part for the series 3 and the series 2.
300whp is some work to achieve supercharged, turbo no problem. I've heard a lot of people say that the stock lower end is good to 600, so I don't think anything too extreme is required rebuild wise. On mine (the one in the video), I did use series 3 connecting rods and they seem much nicer than the series 2 cast ones.
Dominic Florer it'll still be a while before I do it. do you mind if I contact you when I do? I've done work on cars but it will be my first engine rebuild.
summitsvift hahahah do a it! yeah. . . The later gm Dustbuster vans had the 3800 an it would be cool for someone to do a factory supercharger install on one maybe turbo?