I wasn't sure where to post this since I have an Intrigue,but here goes. I wanted some opinions on top swapping my '98 Intrigue with a 3800. The main problem that I am seeing is the tuning of the PCM. Can anyone out there tune a top swapped Intrigue? This car is my daily driver,so it cannot be down for an extended time. Has anyone actually succeeded in doing this swap with good results? Any input is appreciated. Thanks. Mark
I believe dhp and hp tuners support a 98 intrigue. For a top swap you'll need the heads, blower, LIM, fuel rail, injectors, harmonic balancer, idler pulley, tensioner pulley, ignition coil bracket, and some odds and ends I'm sure I'm forgetting.. Plus all the various gaskets and fluids. Figure on $600 minimum... if you do your shopping at a junkyard.
That doesn't count a tune and then since you're running a higher compression bottom end you'll likely have a significant amount of KR without doing some supporting mods (TR55/TR6 spark plugs, a 180* tstat, headers, etc.) Total budget may be closer to a grand when you're all said and done. And then there's the transmission to account for... the non-HD trans has a weaker differential which is stressed on launching... by top swapping you're adding 50 horse but more like 80 torque... something to consider, you may have to start saving for a trans.
To cheap out a bit, you could buy an offset pulley from ZZP (their SSM90 pulleys) and run a single belt setup. That would save you the trouble of pulling the balancer, finding some pulleys, or replacing the ignition bracket... I got a friend who's running a 3.5 pulley on a single belt and doesn't have any belt slip.
PM me if you want and I can make a more complete write up with how we did it