Getting a v6 auto 1999 red firebird saturday

No I have not

Super excited regardless of people's opinions of v6 auto

Its not the auto that concerns me ir the fact its a six.

Its just.....that v6....late 90s early 2000s gm v6 series engines.....everything about it sucks. Low power. Heavy. Unreliable. Cheap maintanance but youll be fixing it alot so it stacks

Owned
>3600
>3500
>4.3 vortec
>first gen 3.6l

Holy shit...i cant believe anyone could defend them.

The damn 4.3 weighed more than the 5.3
IT WAS THE SAME BLOCK WITH 2 CYLINDERS MISSING.

Its your choice but damn.

For a trans am. An ls1 can be beat for reliablity for the price.

I dont know you at all but i tell you.

I woundnt do it.

And this is from someone that has dealt with all gm v6s for years.

If itndoesnt have a supercharger or turbo(s)
Avoid gm v6
>not including the amazing new 3.6l they came out with recently. Things a powerfull tank of an engine

Well I do appreciate the info

I'll keep that in mind

No you won't

I will actually, doesn't mean I won't get the car but I'll have a better idea of what I'm getting myself into.

I'm trading a 4x4 for it, so if it breaks I'll live.

4x4 beater car*

Not to be an asshole or anything...

These stains on the guys driveway should tell you what your getting into...

Could op just put a supercharged 6 in it then? Would be sweet with the manual

why the shit would you want a v6 fbody
the only reason people buy those is for the v8
interior is shit
rear axle is shit
stock suspension is shit
dont get a v6 fbody there are better cars for the money

I dont think gm ever made a stick v6 3800.

Idk if the computer with think the transmission is trying to invade poland or some shit instead of simply shifting into 3rd.

Tranny swaps are a lot more expensive than people think. Especially on modern cars.
Poor guy would be 4k in before he realizes he coulda just bought a 5.3 junkyard v8 and droped in in for less.

Cheapest ls swap ive seen was no joke 700 bucks.

5.3 block out of a van converted and shoved into a bmw 3 series.

Im talking zipties and glue dropped in.

Do the brakes. Full tune up, plugs, wires, cap, rotor. Oil change, air filter. Fix anything broken.

Changing engine or trans is going to be downright stupid and financially retarded if OP can not totally do the labor himself.

What I would do if I were OP.

1. Rear end gear ratio change, this will net the best gains but will reduce top speed but you'll never be going that fast on the top end anyway, 4.10 gears for best acceleration.

2. Standard bolt on shit, CAI, headers, under drive pully etc....

Beyong that you could kinda cheaply do a 50 shot of nitrous but then you are trying too hard.

If it were me I'd do the rear gear ratio upgrade and standard bolt ons and leave it at that.

Don't waste your money man. I have the same car but it's a 2000. Your suped up v6 will barely beat an LS1 and unless you do it yourself a T5 transmission swap will cost almost as much as the car's value. Just wait and save for a V8 Firebird/Trans Am/Camaro, especially one with the T56(6 speed) manual. You will save a shitload of money and time.

>v6
no

Holy fuck why bother?

>V6
>muscle car

why bother? you can easily get a V8 for cheap

>5 speed swap

Kid, do you even know how much work that requires? Life isn't like a Forza game where you plug and play.

Anytime I hear someone saying they want to engine swap or tranny swap on a 20 year old car, I KNOW they're teenagers because I was the same way about my old Celica.

>Getting a v6 auto 1999 red firebird saturday
>146k miles.
Nice, welcome to the club! They're (the fbody cars) is a marvelous platform to modify, the sky is nearly the limit on what you can do with them and parts are relatively cheap.
>I know to do anything serious to it i need the 5 speed swap but what can I do to make my car faster without the 5 speed swap?
Whoa buddy, who told you that? How do you plan to compete with the car? While with autocross it would be beneficial to have a manual, all the fastest on the drag strip and most stoplight drags run an auto. Also, instead of 5 speeds, why not 6?
>What can I do in the meantime till I can afford the swap...
Cruise, plan what you want to do, register on ls1tech. Nice deals to be had on the fb groups too.

V6 muscle car lol are you a girl?

this meme needs 2 die

you might be able to find a ls truck engine, but no fucking way you are getting a proper ls1 t56

most yards pick ls1 camaros/birds clean b4 they enter the yard
they end up selling the engine and trany for way more money locally or online

>this meme needs 2 die
Yeah, it's years old and untrue.
What you need is a $1200 ly6 from a truck or van. 385hp on regular, 9.6 (I think) compression ratio, 6.0l, rectangular port (ls3 style) head
>you might be able to find a ls truck engine, but no fucking way you are getting a proper ls1 t56
Yeah, most I see are around $2600 and up

Bro I'm gonna do you a favor and tell you don't spend any money on it. Just keep it running. For how much you are gonna put in it to make it as fast as an ls1, you can buy higher mileage f bodies for less. The v6 auto is the most least desirable of the 4th gens. Any decent ls1/t56 combo that is complete will be at least 2k. Plus the harness and k member are different. And then I'm sure since it's all out you should do some minor refreshing. Just clean it up, save a few grand and sell the v6 and pick up a v8 body. Hell, you could probably part it out and make decent money if you had the time/space.

Get a v8 manual. Stop being a dumbass. Stop trying to trade and pay cash, poorfag

used T56's go for 1500 bucks. new for 2500. LS 5.3 truck motors fetch ~500 bucks complete. a bit more if you go for the LQ4/LQ9 motors. once you get all that in there and get it to work(fuel lines need to be made, fuel pump needs to be upgraded, FPR needs to be replaced (unless it's on the new motor), crossmember is likely to need fabrication. mounts and entire k member needs to be fabricated. wiring is going to change(for the worse unless you go carb), will need a larger radiator, and none of your guages are going to work. aside from that , easy swap.

>V6
That's hands down unmodifiable maybe a CAI but that's it get an ls1 instead

well said

Welcome to the f body family. Like said, go register on LS1Tech. They'll help you out with any questions even with your V6.
As far upgrades go... Not much. I don't know as much about your 3800 as my 3.4L V6, but neither or our engines are really loved. Below are two good websites for engine upgrades. I just bought some stock wheels to replace my aging (and expensive) Drag Radials.

Useful Sites:
LS1Tech
milzymotorsports.com/
wot-tech.com/cylinder-heads-c161.html

Get proper wheels. If you already have them, keep them.

You can save up for an original V8/Manual car. You will thank yourself in the future.

I'm not saying that to trash on you your car, but it's what you're really looking for without the BS, time, and money that goes with a swap. If you're not doing the work yourself it's going to cost you arguably around what you paid for the car. All to end up with a V6 firebird with a 5 speed swap.

I know these are older cars that have probably been bagged pretty hard but there's gotta be some clean ones around.

There much more support and aftermarket if you choose to go that route for the V8 also.

I don't particularly like these cars to be honest. Although I was working for a Hyundai dealer a few years ago which had a WS6 with less than 100,000 kilometers, it was a fun car to drive and I had a blast with it but it's not something I could see myself owning. Best of luck whichever route you go

T56 won't bolt up to a 3.8