3800 engine swaps

[yellow3800]

I'm just poking around the board as I sometimes do.  I found a few closed threads about engine swaps.

just reminding everyone that I'll help walkthrough any 3800 swaps out there.  I did ALL the work on mine.

Andy
amckevitz@yahoo.com
now has 15k miles!  um, I don't drive much.  

[IsaacHayes]

Hey! long time since I've seen ya post. Do you still have that "weak" ole series 1 3800 in there or do you have a L67 in there now?

Only thing that I have a question about the swap is motor mounts. Everythign else is pretty straight forward (excpet finding wiring diagrams to hook up your gauges). What did you do with motor mounts?

[yellow3800]

Yeah I have my moments! lol  I responded to one section of a forum last night.

I did mine the hard way - future planning for high hp and tq from an l67 at a later date and took an entire subframe and put it underneath the car.  Yes, I had to align it all, probably the hardest part.  The mounts were already in the subframe; 4 of them, one on each corner attaching on the bottom of everything.  I have added a single strap on top also.  No beretta rails are left.  I had to cut the front and back of the subframe from the donor car to fit it under the beretta and actually used the two what I called "lilly pads" that mount on the exhaust sides under the car [rear attachment of the orig. beretta frame rails].


I still have the 1988 3800 in it.  IT WON'T DIE.  These engines are bulletproof!  trans, eh, we all know! grrr.  I just can't justify removing the l36 for an SC.  Even though I'm confident I could do it in a weekend and less than $1k for eng/trans.  I don't want to rip into a car that works.  Who knows,  if I ever get the itch to tear into it, I might.
It crosses my mind if I were to do another one if I'd subframe it, or keep the stock beretta rails and reinforce them.  I sway to keep the original beretta rails because the alignment would not need to be done.  I'd probably take the donor [3800] mounts and weld them to places on the beretta rails.

The lemons track widened severely during this conversion.  IT is great in turns, and because the front track is wider than the rear [which also got spaced out about one whole inch total with rear disk] I think the car would oversteer in all turning events, especially at 40mph, where I won't play with it on a public road for obvious reasons.  While this is HELLA good, going that magical 73mph creates some aweful airflow harmonics that shakes the door panels.  at 130mph, I NEED A SPOILER because I swear the back wants to slide around due to the smaller track [acting like an airfoil].

one more thing - if you see links embedded in my message DO NOT click them.  I did not put them there!

Andy

[Conscious]

I am very curious can you pls post recent pics. I searched and have seen a name lemon something so I am assuming your are the same person. Why are there only a handful of these engines in berettas? Also why just a natural aspirated just asking because I don't that many ppl that swap 3800NA. My dad has a fiero so I see a lot of nice swaps I can count the NA 3800 I have seen, therefore the question  
Finally do you have problems with the car, based on your comments.

[IsaacHayes]

Andy, Hmm. interesting. Sounds like the hard way to do it!! So I guess your trans is from the donor car. What trans is it? I doubt it's the 4T65-E, I know for sure it's not the HD. Is it the 4T60-E? I have that stock in my 94..

Do you drive it at all on public roads? You haven't tried a sharp turn at 40mph? I would think the only problem is the rear breaking loose, but if you have 205mm tires at least I'd say you'd be fine. I run 205's but sticky ones up front right now and the rear at max psi, and it's great to do 90* turns at 35mph. The rear just aligns it'self where it needs to go. But it doesn't wrap around. Now if you want to make it more neutral, (I like stiff & loose rear end as it helps like I stated above w/fwd) you could put some 225mm tires in the rear or wider than your front tires and that should help.

Did you ever think that your custom ground fx (nice job BTW) are causing the wind resonance on the doors and causing your rear end to float? You'd be amazed at what force just a small shape from some flimsy metal/plastic can create at speed...

Links in your message? why would that happen? lol

[rweatherford]

The "lemon" has been around almost as long as I have.

[KFLO 93 GT]

I saw the lemon in person at Milwaukee in 03.  Got to see it go down the drag strip too.  Hella neat car, that is for sure.  I got to park next to it in the group shot.  Andy and I clear in the back corner.  That was some tight shizz.  

Andy, have you done any new mods with the car since then?  I rarely ever see you post, so it begs the question.  I also feel like I heard a rumor that you were going to Pittsburgh for the fest this year?

[Conscious]

Does any one have pics   thks

[zach82]

Yep, Lemon Juice was one of the first swap cars I ever saw back in Louisville at BFest '01.  

Still one of the cooler swaps I've seen because it was a groundbreaker for our community.

[Conscious]

Ok I am so confused now  

Who started the first 3800 swap into a beretta? or who has the oldest documented (sp) swap?

and I noticed another thing on this board, is it an unspoken work? there is this thing about "doing work by myself" why is that important?!? Nobody shoot the noobe, just a curious observer.

Finally pictures anyone, search miles and miles no pics?
There seems to be 2 other members with 3800 berettas. I saw a supercharged one and I am looking for a turbocharged one as well. I hate secrets!

[89GTZ]

(Conscious @ Mar. 24 2006,13:26)Q
U
O
T
EOk I am so confused now ÂÂÂ

Who started the first 3800 swap into a beretta? or who has the oldest documented (sp) swap?

and I noticed another thing on this board, is it an unspoken work? there is this thing about "doing work by myself" why is that important?!? Nobody shoot the noobe, just a curious observer.

Finally pictures anyone, search miles and miles no pics?
There seems to be 2 other members with 3800 berettas. I saw a supercharged one and I am looking for a turbocharged one as well. I hate secrets!
As far as I know Andy had the first 3800 swap.  Although I'm not sure how far behind nocutt was.
Here is a list of who did what first, correct me if I am mistaken.

Andy - First 3800 swap, series 1
nocutt - First 3800 swap, series 2
white93l67 - First 3800SC swap, series 2

Andy's Lemon pre 3800

For more pics to go www.beretta.net, events, previous events and browse through the Milwaukee pics.  None are labeled, but you should be able to find some of Andy's car there.

[zach82]

Yep, man looking through all those pics brings back some memories.  Who could ever forget Jack's pile of junk at the strip, the 80mph trip down to the Mammoth Caves, or Gor's foil skirt?  

Holy cow I didn't realize how fat I was back then until I saw those pics!  I think I weighed about 260 back then, I'm under 200 now.

Anyway, on topic... here's one of his engine

[IsaacHayes]

Nice fits in there with room to spare!

[rweatherford]

NOT!

[Conscious]

Zach thanks for the pics, so I am assuming this pics are not current.
It will be nice for ppl to start a thread and answer questions you know I am trying to learn too.