Junkyard motor

[travelair]

The mighty Lumina has been sitting in my garage since September with a thrown rod. Twice I have decided to junk it but now I need a cheap set of wheels. How much should I offer a junk yard for a 3.1 from a '96 VIN M? What other years will drop in? The top end is fine with only 63,000 miles. Should I look for a run out and rebuild it or one with low miles that needs nothing? I have seen engines on Ebay for $750 but that is way too much for this heap and none of them are near Houston.

I just know that a major city like this must have lots of wrecked GM donors lieing around in yards. Ya'll should see the way they drive here.

[jeffcoslacker]

I wouldn't pay more than $200-$300 for a good 3.1, they are so common. If for some reason I was swapping, I'd also look for a standard 3.4 (not the DOHC) and consider that upgrade if I could find one reasonably priced. Should be a direct swap, might need the ECM and harness from the new engine.

[travelair]

Thanks for the advice. If it was a car I cared about I would upgrade to the 3.4 liter. But having never swapped a motor before I think I should keep it as uncomplicated as possible. I have decided to search for a 3.1 with low miles for around $200 - $300.

[jeffcoslacker]

Damn man, I didn't mean to steer you wrong, but I did some hunting in NC salvage yards, and the cheapest one I've found so far is $450, and it's got over 100,000 miles.

I think if you can't find anything at a yard, look in the paper for part-out cars.

[jeffcoslacker]

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=426174

See if his motor is any good.

[jeffcoslacker]

Nevermind. He's 400 miles from you. Thought it might be closer.

[travelair]

Thank you for your concern and time you spent looking. I don't know why they're so much money either. The car has lots of Granny dings and the only straight panels are the hood and the roof. It would take too much money to make it nice and maybe I should just junk it. I am so "on the fence" about the whole thing. It drove fine and the AC was very cold. I replaced many common items before the motor let go. I even replaced the lower intake manifold gasket.

I just want a cheap/reliable set of wheels.

[7T9Shark]

Originally Posted by travelair

Thank you for your concern and time you spent looking. I don't know why they're so much money either. The car has lots of Granny dings and the only straight panels are the hood and the roof. It would take too much money to make it nice and maybe I should just junk it. I am so "on the fence" about the whole thing. It drove fine and the AC was very cold. I replaced many common items before the motor let go. I even replaced the lower intake manifold gasket.

I just want a cheap/reliable set of wheels.

I'd vote for dropping a low mileage boneyard or rebuilt into it. Luminas are a pretty solid car. Even mine up here in MN is not showing any rust, yet it has 133K miles. Where will you find a reliable good driver for less than $2K?

When mine 3.1 blows, I'm going to drop a 3.8 into it. They are gutsy, bulletproof mills. Should be an easy swap, seeing as how they came with 3.8's for the last couple of years of their life.

I hear what you're saying about keeping the swap simple, and don't blame you.

[tblake]

No, I dont think its going to be an easy swap for ya man. I also live in MN, and have a 2001 Lumina sedan, the last year for them, and it has the 3.1. I would love a 3.8, but after reading the posts, I dont think everything lines up with the swap. Although I could very well be wrong. Hate to burst your bubble.

[jeffcoslacker]

Well, I know since I've been on this board there has been a couple of Luminas that ran that were selling for around $1000, so I'd keep looking here. Maybe you can find one with a blown tranny that someone doesn't want to fix, and have a parts car as well. It really irks me that they are getting this kind of money for a MOTOR, when the car it's in isn't worth much more than that. And there was so goddam many of these built, they should be almost giveaways.

I've seen anywhere from $450-$1200 for these. They's better give me the whole damn driveline for that kinda money. I want the eCM too