supercharging the 3800

ok, i have a 2000 camaro with the 3800 series II. now i was sitting around the shop the other day and somebody said that chrysler was cutting costs on its amplifiers for speaker. apparently the 250 and 500 watt amps are the same thing, just a small factory solder acts as a switch between the two. so i was thinking, maybe GM is doing the same with their motors. there are alot of 3800 supercharged, adn alot naturally aspirated. so i was wondering if anyone knows if you could just bolt on a super and not have the engine blow up in like 2000 miles. i know usually you have to swap out pistons and stuff like that, but if i dont have to, then im definatly going to super that thing LOL. thanks!

6 psi is a safe measure, i once heard these motors can handle 9 psi with normal wear and tear with, but more then that requires new things, and upgrades.

6 psi? is that what the supers on most of the stock 3800's are running at? (like the grand prix gtp's) one more thing, how much horsepower can i look to gain with 6-7 psi? and is the computer on my car gonna go crazy with it? thanks for posting!

dont GTPs have around 230 or 240 with a supercharger

A 6 psi supercharger is able to give almost 80-100 hp. The gtps have a different type of supercharger, if you get the powerdyne blower supercharger, makes more power.

The new SS monte's and impalas make 280. They got same engine. And they are fast as hell. ( ridden in one)

oh i thought that sounded a little weak for that much boost

hey thanks everyone for replying! so basically any 3800 motor can handle a super then right? the old GTP's had 260 hp, adn the new ones have 280. but that was just an example. i just wants to know whether or not i can make this thing super'd without swapping parts. thanks again!

A '04 Impala SS can beat a '00 GT mustang....I will testify to it...(but then it is a mustang....)

Yeah the GT's are overrated :nono:

correct me if im wrong but i was thinking about doing that to mines and without building up the engine i found that for the money you put into that project you werent going to get much of a gain at all. all my buddies have v-8's some supercharged and one with a turbo and for the boost you could get without bombing the engine in a 3800 they told me it was a wast and just spray it (which im now about to do) i dont think your gonna get much gain out of a 3800 with a turbo, or a s.c. unless u do the buildup. but the bottle never fails... 100 shot on a stock engine as long as u aint doing it all the time i found to be ok and u get alot of boost!

GTP supercharger is not worth the time effort and moeny to swap, would be much better off getting for example the Powerdyne kit. There are also turbo kits out there. IIRC the powerdyne can bolt right on and it, gives 6 psi boost but of course building up the motor wil give more power andmore peace of mind.

those gtp's and ss supercharged monte's area actually low 15 high 14 sec cars... not extremely fast. but they feel real fast to the uneducated...

you cant just throw forced induction onto a motor that wasnt designed for it. first of all, you cant just bolt on a GTP charger. from my understanding, the two setups (grand prix and the like and camaro) are completely different. not to mention the cost involved in matching up computers and harnesses and sensors. plus you would need to build the rotating assembly to handle the higher temps and pressures associated with forced induction.

if you want a charger for your 3.8 i believe (but am not sure) that there is a bolt on system out somewhere. if you want i can try and find it or you can just run a search to find one...

eh, ok. well, you guys convinced me outta it. im not gonna super the thing. its got 70K miles on it right now, so thinking about it makes me wanna say nah. methinks the thing will die around 200K, and by then ill have the money and know how to rebuild the thing, or swap in a v-8. thats the big question now (after it dies of course)... drop in the v-8, or rebuild the 6 it has in it now, 'cept with enuf performance parts to make it FAST. my astronomy teacher at school has a 87? grand national with a decked out 3.8 that runs 9.8's. so i dunno. sleeper camaro? haha. but then again, v-8's just plain sound and feel better. opinions?

guy i know had his GTP runnin 13.8's with only a shift kit, pulley, ecm program, and gutted cat.

ahhh, the eternal camaro question: v-8 swap or sell and buy a v-8 car. different opinions for different people but the way i feel about it is practically: it doesnt work. too much money to do a sixer swap to a v-8. by the time youre done with the swap you will have spent more money than it would have cost to go out and buy a v-8. however, if you have the money and will power it can be done. especially considering that there arent many options on building up the 3.4 or 3.8

especially considering that there arent many options on building up the 3.4 or 3.8

I disagree :jump3:

:icon16: Imo I think the 6er has plenty of speed for getting your butt around town. But if you are one of those people who really like racing and want to make the V-8 Beast for the weekends and track, then yeah the 3.4 and teh 3.8 arn't all that hot to 'build up'. CSB have way more potetial. :) But just to get you around my lil 3.8 is quite zipping and to be honest i dont think i'd need more then what it has.

for now ;)