91 century engine swap
silentdarkness1317
02-22-2006, 12:53 AM
ok so i have a 91century and i unfortunatly have the 2.5 engine. i am a speed fanatic to put it lightly. seeing as how this is still my first car i want to keep it but turn the granny car it is into an unexpected racer. i'm lookin for a slightly easy swap that gives this p.o.s. some real balls. anythin thats a good boost and i can throw some upgrades on as well. any help, advice, and even criticism is appreciated. (good luck tryin to tear my hopes down too) i have a body kit lined up, rims, and im goin to gut the interior once it gets warmer outside and i dont have to drive kids to school every morning. hopefully somebdy can give me some great advice. thanks to all. -Adam aka Izzy
GTP Dad
02-22-2006, 09:53 AM
Welcome to AF!!
Any swap is possible if you have time, money and determination. What I suggest is that you purchase a shop manual to see what engines came stock in your year Century. Once you find out that will give you a basis to start from. When you change engines from a 4 to a V-6 you will need the engine, a new wiring harness, computer, possibly fuel pump and transmission also don't forget the exhaust system and a host of other parts. If the engine you are trying to install came from the factory in other Century's the parts will be easy to get at the local wrecking yard at a reasonable cost. Good Luck!!!
Any swap is possible if you have time, money and determination. What I suggest is that you purchase a shop manual to see what engines came stock in your year Century. Once you find out that will give you a basis to start from. When you change engines from a 4 to a V-6 you will need the engine, a new wiring harness, computer, possibly fuel pump and transmission also don't forget the exhaust system and a host of other parts. If the engine you are trying to install came from the factory in other Century's the parts will be easy to get at the local wrecking yard at a reasonable cost. Good Luck!!!
stoned_pimp420
02-22-2006, 11:11 AM
First off Welcome to AF!!!! I own a 90 century and well as far as advice goes you need to visit http://cgi.a-body.net/forum and create an account there, their are some great people on that forum and will gladly give you as much help as they can, although it is a sort of slow forum but like I said VERY helpful people on it.
Also you said you had ordered a body kit, WHERE FROM and WHO MAKES IT? I've driven myself stupid tryin to find one for mine but I've had no luck with it.
I have the 3300 in mine and I must say it isn't all that fast but runs very well, you can take the route that I took on my old century before I flipped it, upgraded injectors, custom fuel rail, Dynomax exhaust, and a few other things that I can't remember right now.
Also you said you had ordered a body kit, WHERE FROM and WHO MAKES IT? I've driven myself stupid tryin to find one for mine but I've had no luck with it.
I have the 3300 in mine and I must say it isn't all that fast but runs very well, you can take the route that I took on my old century before I flipped it, upgraded injectors, custom fuel rail, Dynomax exhaust, and a few other things that I can't remember right now.
silentdarkness1317
02-23-2006, 12:45 AM
thanks for the advice. however im lookin to hopefully get a newer engine in like a 98 superchaged 3.8 or so. and about the body kit i got one for a mustang and modified it. fiberglass is awesome for modifications and stuff BUT!!! when it comes time for winter the cold can cause it to crack and warp so either take it off or keep it garaged well. anywho, yeah like i wuz sayin tho, i'm lookin for somethin bigger and a little... ok more than a little faster lol. if worse comes to worse i'll comepletely redo the whole doghouse. i know i'll have to change the computer and all and i wanna get a newer engine also cuz theyre programmable unlike mine. the gauges and everythin im just gonna build my own cluster. i think i'll be able to pull that off on my own... hopefully. well keep everythin comin. under 24 hours i got 2 replies so hopefully it'll keep up. thanks for the comments.
stoned_pimp420
02-23-2006, 09:38 AM
You could also go with a northstar V8 or 3.4 L V6 and juice the hell out of it, 3800 Series 3 S/C is also a great choice. but all of these require a totally new harness and ECM, it's all in the money, The options you have are in DIRECT relation with how much money you are willin to spend.
silentdarkness1317
02-24-2006, 01:12 AM
i didnt think of those. however, i dont exactly have THAT much money right now. i read northstar and thot holy shit i didnt think of that! lol. it does sound VERY good tho. i do believe that will take some money saving to say the least. thanks!
GTP Dad
02-24-2006, 01:12 PM
Regardless of which way you go it will cost you some money. To put a 3800 SC in the car or a northstar V8 you are going to need the following: Engine, transmission, wiring harness, fuel pump, PCM, radiator, axle shafts and motor mounts. It will cost you several thousand dollars to complete this swap. You could purchase a used GTP or Regal much cheaper than you will be able to do this swap and you would have a lot more time on your hands to enjoy it. Just a word of advise!!!
stoned_pimp420
02-24-2006, 09:44 PM
GTP it's just the point of having a sleeper that is so disguised that noone would want to race you because they think of humillation until you put pinks on it, and own their car.
GTP Dad
02-25-2006, 08:51 AM
I understand what you are going for but is it financially viable. I the old days it wasn't hard to drop a big block into a car with a smaller V8 to make the car a sleeper but today with the complexity of the cars and the engine electronics that job gets much harder. Also the fact that front wheel drive transmissions are not capable of handling the power that you intend have you must replace the one that came with the car to one that is designed for the engine. A sleeper is nice but it will take time and a whole lot of money to make it possible. I wish you luck and a lottery win in the near future!!!!
silentdarkness1317
03-10-2006, 01:36 AM
hey everyone, thanks for all your input and advice. i did some research on my "iron duke" engine and realized it wuz also found in fieros and even a few jeeps so i found some parts and tips and figured for now i'll keep my poopie 2.5 since i'm bout to spend $200 on some street wheels(they might be stolen but i dunno and dont really care) so im gonna stick with whatever i get my hands on. if you ever come up with more advice and info just reply and i'll be sure to read. thanks again for all the help!
Automotive Network, Inc., Copyright ©2025