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Alternator Swap

T

travisgold

New member
Hi, I am wanting to buy a 1997 GTP for $850 all it needs is an alternator, can I use a Alternator from a 4.3l Jimmy on it, I have one brand new in box never been used. Local parts stores want $240 for a 3.8l Alternator, and I really want this car. Motor is the 3.8l S/Ced variant of the 3.8l
 


different alternators
how many miles on car, whats the condition of it?
i meen 850? im guessing it has more to it than just an alternator. be prepared to be throwing alot more money into it that that

that being said they are good cars just take alot of parts to get them there, but once everything is fixed(if you make it that far without killing yourself) you will be happy with your purchase
 
Coleslaw said:
different alternators
how many miles on car, whats the condition of it?
i meen 850? im guessing it has more to it than just an alternator. be prepared to be throwing alot more money into it that that

that being said they are good cars just take alot of parts to get them there, but once everything is fixed(if you make it that far without killing yourself) you will be happy with your purchase
Click to expand...

300,000km and its mint, it has been inspected, runs great.
 
you could go to pick n pull or something and get one for 30 bucks or check cl parts section. any fwd 3800 gm car will work. i've seen pretty much brand new alternators at the scrap yard. i would, however, put one on before you buy the car just to make sure. its not hard to do. take the belt off and 4 bolts including the bracket that is bolted to it. unhook the power. 20-30 minutes and you're off.

you'll need a 15mm for the belt the alternator. a 13 mm for the bracket. and a 5/16 for the battery. maybe a 10mm for the power cable that hooks to the alt. and a screwdriver to unhook the plug that goes to the alt.
 


I would be installing it 7 hours away from my home haha, I have to hitch the Greyhound out there to grab the car, install the Alternator and drive it back home. By the pictures its a beautiful car, and only reason I am considering a high miler is that my Silverado had 351,000km when I bought it and it still is running at 429,000km, and this one went through a full inspection.
 
then you shouldn't take any chances and buy a new alternator. and you are crazy:th_laugh-lol3: but i admire that. you will need a socket set and bring an adjustable crescent wrench for the bolt that bolts the bracket to the alternator. i can't remember if its a 13 or 15 mm but it is a long bolt and the nut can't be reached with a standard socket. or if you have deep sockets that will work just fine.
 
Shiftingshaddow said:
then you shouldn't take any chances and buy a new alternator. and you are crazy:th_laugh-lol3: but i admire that. you will need a socket set and bring an adjustable crescent wrench for the bolt that bolts the bracket to the alternator. i can't remember if its a 13 or 15 mm but it is a long bolt and the nut can't be reached with a standard socket. or if you have deep sockets that will work just fine.
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I am bringing my entire toolbox in my backpack haha this car is everything I've wanted out a GP 2 door, black, fully loaded. I also love the 3.8l platform my 97 Firebird had a 3.8l mated to a 5spd that was a great car to bad it was totalled. What are so mods I can do to this GTP to make it nice and fast. I'd like to give my buddies 1980 Z28 a run for his money.
 


well if his z28 is stock and you have a gtp you should already beat him pretty handily, i would imagine. 70's and 80's cars sucked. bad. 80's looked cool on the outside, though.

first, get your car running right. get your vacuums up to par. fix any leaky gaskets. do any maintenance it needs.

but if you want to mod, start where everyone does. make your own intake. there is a write up in the how to section that i followed. you would never believe it would be that easy and cheap.

A)get a downpipe with u bend delete.
a)get a plog
b)other exhaust mods (ceramic crossover, ported rear header (debatable), cat back)
B)get headers. have fun installing.

go with headers if you are going to go further than the next few steps

get smaller pulley. you should be able to go to a 3.4 with the above steps and possibly a tune, colder plugs, and colder t stat. these are all debatable and maybe a car by car basis. 3.5 you should be able to do stock.

smaller than 3.4 you will for sure need headers and a host of other things and for sure a custom tune and probably some transmission investments if you race it a lot.

and i'm telling you as one friend would another.....make sure the car you are buying has a working overdrive gear (4th gear). you will be disappointed if it does not. go 70 mph and make sure the rpms are right around 2000. if they are 3000 the car has no overdrive. a lot of these are driving around and the drivers don't even know something is wrong.

i guess you are only paying 800 bucks or so maybe it won't be as big of a deal to fix or pay to have fixed.
 
Shiftingshaddow said:
well if his z28 is stock and you have a gtp you should already beat him pretty handily, i would imagine. 70's and 80's cars sucked. bad. 80's looked cool on the outside, though.

first, get your car running right. get your vacuums up to par. fix any leaky gaskets. do any maintenance it needs.

but if you want to mod, start where everyone does. make your own intake. there is a write up in the how to section that i followed. you would never believe it would be that easy and cheap.

A)get a downpipe with u bend delete.
a)get a plog
b)other exhaust mods (ceramic crossover, ported rear header (debatable), cat back)
B)get headers. have fun installing.

go with headers if you are going to go further than the next few steps

get smaller pulley. you should be able to go to a 3.4 with the above steps and possibly a tune, colder plugs, and colder t stat. these are all debatable and maybe a car by car basis. 3.5 you should be able to do stock.

smaller than 3.4 you will for sure need headers and a host of other things and for sure a custom tune and probably some transmission investments if you race it a lot.

and i'm telling you as one friend would another.....make sure the car you are buying has a working overdrive gear (4th gear). you will be disappointed if it does not. go 70 mph and make sure the rpms are right around 2000. if they are 3000 the car has no overdrive. a lot of these are driving around and the drivers don't even know something is wrong.

i guess you are only paying 800 bucks or so maybe it won't be as big of a deal to fix or pay to have fixed.
Click to expand...

Okay right on! I think it may be faster, I did beat him in my 84 z28 and I also beat him in my 3.8l NA firebird and my 02 silverado/ I mainly want to beat him since loser buys the other a&w and I love their root beers and onion rings.
 
Shiftingshaddow said:
well if his z28 is stock and you have a gtp you should already beat him pretty handily, i would imagine. 70's and 80's cars sucked. bad. 80's looked cool on the outside, though.

first, get your car running right. get your vacuums up to par. fix any leaky gaskets. do any maintenance it needs.

but if you want to mod, start where everyone does. make your own intake. there is a write up in the how to section that i followed. you would never believe it would be that easy and cheap.

A)get a downpipe with u bend delete.
a)get a plog
b)other exhaust mods (ceramic crossover, ported rear header (debatable), cat back)
B)get headers. have fun installing.

go with headers if you are going to go further than the next few steps

get smaller pulley. you should be able to go to a 3.4 with the above steps and possibly a tune, colder plugs, and colder t stat. these are all debatable and maybe a car by car basis. 3.5 you should be able to do stock.

smaller than 3.4 you will for sure need headers and a host of other things and for sure a custom tune and probably some transmission investments if you race it a lot.

and i'm telling you as one friend would another.....make sure the car you are buying has a working overdrive gear (4th gear). you will be disappointed if it does not. go 70 mph and make sure the rpms are right around 2000. if they are 3000 the car has no overdrive. a lot of these are driving around and the drivers don't even know something is wrong.

i guess you are only paying 800 bucks or so maybe it won't be as big of a deal to fix or pay to have fixed.
Click to expand...

Where did you find this info? You might be able to run a 3.5 if you have a good tune and 92+ octane with 105s and a colder tstat even then you might see kr. The smallest pulley I would run on a stock l67 is a 3.6 and you would probably still knock.

Sent from my mobile office.
 
slick2500 said:
Where did you find this info? You might be able to run a 3.5 if you have a good tune and 92+ octane with 105s and a colder tstat even then you might see kr. The smallest pulley I would run on a stock l67 is a 3.6 and you would probably still knock.

Sent from my mobile office.
Click to expand...
i'm not going to find quotes but from couple vendor sites and a few people on here at least.

have i done it? no. i went to 3.4. has someone done it and messed something up? sure. doesnt that happen on stock pulleys sometimes?

but he doesnt need to mod to beat any of those cars.
 


travis, if you want to mod then do a bunch of research. you are really going to take a chance no matter what you do, in my opinion. i learned a lot reading this board and people here helping me along that know more than me. however, there is still conflicting info from even the most knowledgeable people which leads me to believe it really depends on the car you have in the end. what works on one might not work on another. slick2500 questioned my 3.5 pulley info that i've gotten from research. we should all appreciate that people are looking out and i would hate to steer anyone wrong.
 
Im not questioning your 3.5 pulley info just saying that I would much rather play it safe than risk it and besides we should back the truck up and the first thing he should get is a scanner if he doesn't already have one.
 
i used torque app today for the first time to check mine for knock. i didnt think it had any but checked it to make sure. that app is really cool. only 5 bucks. the obii transmitter was only 25.
 
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