1994 3.4L camaro build

**adrenalinejunkie** · 05-06-2009, 03:05 PM

hi im new to the forum and figure you guys would be best to go to for advice. im 17 and have one v8 rebuild (with help) under my belt. after that truck rebuild was finished i decided time for a car. i traded for a v6 camaro. now that engine is blown. rod threw the side of engine block.. need i say more?

summer is coming and i would like to do a rebuild(needless to say i have to find another block too) on a 3.4L engine. i know what skeptics will say but yes im sticking with the 3.4L. it has untapped power and i would like to break into it.

That being said my plans for the engine include forged internals (so i can boost and/or NOS it at my leisure. the problem is i can't find any forged or high horsepower rebuild kits for my motor. needless to say this is a big prob. i had no prob finding valvetrain packages with hardened pushrods for it but noone seems to make an aftermarket internal kit. Another prob is finding the right injectors. i found some but didn't like them. any suggestions there? i will be staying and updating this post thorughout summer and seeking seasoned advice.

i only work parttime right now because of school so budget is limited.. help is appreciated but if your just here to tell me move to a v8 don't waste the finger movement. with my figures and designs (depending on if i can get forged internals) i should be able to push 500HP easily out of this engine.

This is my daily driver also. thank you very much. have a great day.

**67rsss** · 05-10-2009, 07:14 PM

Well, not sure about 500hp coming out easily or reliably, but look about and you will find that the 3400 top end swap, some upgrades to the fuel system, and a stand alone computer system will take you a long way towards having a more powerful and reliable engine. I think everyone has posted in your other thread however...

**67rsss** · 05-11-2009, 06:12 PM

A few pics of my youngest daughters build (just so you know we have played with a 60* V6)...

Even with that terrible intake tract, 'Tink' put down 142rwhp/199rwtq on a Mustang Dyno. I can't prove the pacesetters help any with power, and they fit poorly, but they sure do make plug changes easier!!!!!

**adrenalinejunkie** · 05-11-2009, 06:53 PM

lol i guess i shoulda clarified. i was talking 500hp out of the motor. not rwhp. and it looks pretty good. i have done some reading about the 3500 swap like you suggested and it made for a good read. but im in need of clarification. and since you did it i thought you could help. did you have to take the fuel rail and injectors off of the donor car too? because in the pics it looks like you have the stock sfi unit on. are you hiding the upgraded fuel rail and stuff under that?

**67rsss** · 05-12-2009, 05:40 AM

She is still considering the swap, we have a local guy with a 3.1 firebird knee-deep in the swap right now. She wants to do it too, but hasn't made the financial nor emotional commitment to ripping the electronics apart and building up a system with better tune-ability. We have considered just upgrading to an OBD-II system, not sure how much effort that is over using a Mega-Squirt though. But she is managing Tennis right now, and then the Tennis camps start in a few weeks...

500hp at the flywheel is definately ambitious, and definately a forced injection application. You a good wleder? if so, you really want to be thinking twin turbo... Oh, that trans, D/S and Rear end are toast, upgrade those and you suspension first. Buy one of the many rear suspension upgrade kits including LCA, P/H, Torque Arm, shocks, new bumpstops, etc. Then upgrade the front suspension, and get some subframe connectors welded in. Once you have a driveline paid for, installed and working well, THEN build your 500hp dream. It sucks to build an engine the rest of your car can't handle. Been there.

**Iyyob** · 05-12-2009, 07:13 AM

^^^ He Speaks the truth ^^ and research before you buy i got my full polly ES kit and i still dont know what not to put on the rear for safety. if u do ur motor 1st ur gonna have suspension breakdown after breakdown and that can be very bad. also might wanna look into brakes also i did the ls1 rear and cts-v fronts.... remember ur breaks/suspension were made to stop and control 160hp not 500

**adrenalinejunkie** · 05-12-2009, 01:34 PM

wow im definately glad you guys are on here. when your 17 all you think about is "going fast" lol great points about the suspension and brakes guys.. looks like as always im gettin into more work than previously anticipated..

what im thinking now is that i need to start (like you said earlier) with the 3400 swap/motor rebuild (bcuz my old block has a hole) bigger injectors and computer upgrade. then when i have it running as it is my DD i will work on the rearend/suspension. THEN i will worry about my supercharger (as i think im gonna go with that opposing TT as i have no welding abilities) i think the strong points of this build will definately be the internals/3400swap/valvetrain/etc. if my research holds true that should throw me up and around the 275 if not 300 HP mark.

question. when i do the 3400 swap do i have to swap computers at that point or can i wait till a later date? and im still not sure if i can put the camaro SFI unit back on top of the 3400 intake manifold with just larger injectors.. any ideas?

**Iyyob** · 05-13-2009, 06:17 AM

The 3400 has sfi, but that's not what u need to worrie about the 3.4 has I think #16 or #17 injectors and its hard for the to correctly provide the correct amount of fuel in a efficent way when u get past the 160hp mark (stock hp) so u swap out our injectors with the 3400 or mabe even bigger like #21s. And if u do ur top swap before u do forced induction u will have to run very low boost unless u rebuild again. And yes u will need to drop the 200-400 for mega squirt its what tells ur motor how much fuel to spray so ur not leaning out or running to rich. I think I skipped somthing ...

**67rsss** · 05-13-2009, 07:00 AM

Not sure if you can make it fit under the cowl, but the 3500 swap would also be cool! Either way, you are going to need to drop compression with the swap. That means different pistons. You will need a different computer, and should get different injectors. you will need the fuel rail from whatever swap platform you use. Also, make sure when you picka cam that it has the casting for the cam sensor. Not all of them do.

**Iyyob** · 05-13-2009, 08:20 PM

Ya forced showed how u can change the bracket in the rear so squeeze the 3500 that's what my plans are

**Forced_Firebird** · 05-17-2009, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Iyyob

Ya forced showed how u can change the bracket in the rear so squeeze the 3500 that's what my plans are

Huh?

3500 plenum won't fit under the cowl with a stock height engine (4th gen f bod).

The engine will run fine on pump gas with as much as 12.6:1 (maybe more, but 12.6 has already been done), but you will definitely need a tune and a good cam made for high compression.

I mentioned in your other thread that we can now get custom cams and have designed some cams specific for this application. The Aluminum heads and Comp ...918 springs, you can see crazy lift numbers (into the .600's) but all the off-the-shelf 660 (60 degree v6) flat tappet cams are made for the iron heads that need machining to see anything close to .500".

**slow-v6** · 06-02-2009, 05:13 AM

Why not do a 3800 swap? Those motor can be had for 200.00 and they net you 40more hp and 25 more tq then the 3.4 stock vrs stock!! Its alot easier then a V8 swap and starting at 200hp and doing a turbo will be cheaper and easier to reach you goal!

**Stephen Griner** · 06-02-2009, 12:19 PM

I would probably do the LSX swap. I would get a built rear end, a T56, and a LS1/2/6/L92/LQ4 BLAHBLAHBLAH. If you have a good body and like the car and your wanting to do that much why not just go for gold.

**slow-v6** · 06-02-2009, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by Stephen Griner

I would probably do the LSX swap. I would get a built rear end, a T56, and a LS1/2/6/L92/LQ4 BLAHBLAHBLAH. If you have a good body and like the car and your wanting to do that much why not just go for gold.

I can tell you from experiance that it feels better having a 450hp V6 then it does having a 400hp LS1! High HP LS1's are a me to car, but a high hp V6 is something different. My foundest memory was beating down a 04 Bolt on Z06 from a 30 roll in my little V6 firebird. after the race the driver says "man My LS1 is fast". I dont get beat to often by Formula's "!! Then I just laughed and said " its to bad this is a base model firebird with a 3.8 V6!! I dont get beat to often by Z06's"!! Priceless.

**Stephen Griner** · 06-03-2009, 06:35 AM

Originally Posted by slow-v6

I can tell you from experiance that it feels better having a 450hp V6 then it does having a 400hp LS1! High HP LS1's are a me to car, but a high hp V6 is something different. My foundest memory was beating down a 04 Bolt on Z06 from a 30 roll in my little V6 firebird. after the race the driver says "man My LS1 is fast". I dont get beat to often by Formula's "!! Then I just laughed and said " its to bad this is a base model firebird with a 3.8 V6!! I dont get beat to often by Z06's"!! Priceless.

That is pretty funny, but the general idea is that if you do all that work to the v6 and do the same amount of work to the v8 you are going to be faster with the v8. I had a 94 3.4L Firebird and am somewhat fond of those cars. But I am very fond of the LS3/L92/LS7 type setup. I think a LS3 or L92 cam and bolt on car done right will put down 500RWHP.

**Stephen Griner** · 06-03-2009, 06:45 AM

Originally Posted by slow-v6

I can tell you from experiance that it feels better having a 450hp V6 then it does having a 400hp LS1! High HP LS1's are a me to car, but a high hp V6 is something different. My foundest memory was beating down a 04 Bolt on Z06 from a 30 roll in my little V6 firebird. after the race the driver says "man My LS1 is fast". I dont get beat to often by Formula's "!! Then I just laughed and said " its to bad this is a base model firebird with a 3.8 V6!! I dont get beat to often by Z06's"!! Priceless.

You got any timeslips on that setup your talking about? I would like to hear more about your setup too. Turbo? Fast cars are fun no matter the means of making it fast.

**67rsss** · 06-03-2009, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by slow-v6

I can tell you from experiance that it feels better having a 450hp V6 then it does having a 400hp LS1! High HP LS1's are a me to car, but a high hp V6 is something different. My foundest memory was beating down a 04 Bolt on Z06 from a 30 roll in my little V6 firebird. after the race the driver says "man My LS1 is fast". I dont get beat to often by Formula's "!! Then I just laughed and said " its to bad this is a base model firebird with a 3.8 V6!! I dont get beat to often by Z06's"!! Priceless.

I am calling you out. I am ALWAYS hearing about high horse V6's.Get some pics and some video footage of the car at the track.

**slow-v6** · 06-03-2009, 05:38 PM

You can call me out all you want. I sold the car back in 2005. I have pics but no video's of it anymore. My old roomate lost all the footage of it running and dyno's. Never made a good pass at the track do to breaking 5 speed trannies or rear ends . This is what it had done to it..

3.8 bored .020 over with Diamond forged and coated higher compression pistons ( 10.2:1) from the stock 9.8:1. 3.8 III Forged Factory Rods, Polised stock crank. Supersixmotorsports Stage 1 heads and intake package bought from magnus. They now have all kinds of stages but back in 2004 they only had stage one port jobs. The cam was a Comp 210-220 534/547 lifts and a 112 L/S which was a pretty big cam for the 3.8's back then. I had comp springs with titanium retainers, intense racing light weight pushrods, comp lifters and arp everything. That was pretty much the motor. Spec stage 3 clutch with a one stock 5 speed ( stupid). Aluminum D/S, bolted to a T/A covered 4.10 10 bolt ( stupid). Weld pro star skinny fats. Whisper lid, WS6 ram air lid and hood, Rksport header and 3 inch exhaust with a Flowmaster 80's muffler. Compucar wet kit spraying 125 shot. oh and the car weighed in at a hefty 3340 with driver!! Love those base model F-bodies with a little diet!! My WS6 weighs 3500 without driver!!

My other screen names of other LS1 sites is 1998silverbird or Slow-V6.

Here is my F quik page. The V6 was the silver firebird. he one pic at the track is when I broke my tanny off the launch. 1st pass at 2005 Pontiacs in the park. I had only 3rd gear left which I was able to drive home with!! Got awsome gas miles that day!!
http://www.fquick.com/slow-v6

**67rsss** · 06-04-2009, 11:36 AM

Damn. Another one that is gone... The only fast V6 I have seen around here, in person, with my own eyes is a GNX.

As for screen names, mine is 67RSSS no matter where I go.