Series 3 Engine Swap into 97 SSEi

[b97SSEi]

hey guys.

I'm looking into building an engine and tranny for my 97 SSEi. I will be doing a turbo and intercooled set-up and also running methane injection.

I found a really good deal on a Series 3 L32 that comes complete with tranny, pcm, and wiring harness.

I was wondering if a Series 3 will swap right into my 97 SSEi which is obviously a L67 Series 2, or will it require custom mounting. Or do you guys think I should just keep looking for another L67 and tranny?

[sandrock]

It'll bolt right up with no modifications. PCM wiring, on the other hand, will be a major PITA. The DBW setup will require the gas pedal from the donor car and all its associated wiring, and you WILL need the donor cars trans control module AND the body control module due to the PCM needing CAN (Controller Area Network) links. You are better off converting to a Northstar TB and running it via TB cable.

Transmission side of things....The 4T65 was internally changed quite a bit, and electronically changed too, for the 2004 model year. Meaning a 2003 and older PCM will not run it correctly. Now here is the glitch...Bonnevilles didn't come supercharged after 2003. Meaning, you can't obtain an L67 bin file from a Bonneville that will also run that particular transmission. To get around that, you can use a bin file from either an Impala SS or from a Monte Carlo SS (2004 or 2005) as they used the same PCM type the Bonnevilles used.

And now, ANOTHER snag. You will want to use H-body wiring, BUT...the PCM pinouts changed drastically between 1997 and 1998 models with the PCM redesign. So, there are two option open to you. The first would be to locate a 1998 or 1999 Bonneville L67 engine and PCM harness. You will, however, have to repin the firewall connector as those changed positions as well. Option 2...keep you current harness, and repin the PCM connectors. Easiest way to do that is to locate just the blue and clear connectors from a salvage yard, strip them down completely, and go pin-by-pin using the 1998 pinout chart...or rather, the pinout chart used for the Impala/Monte Carlo PCM you will need. Repinning isn't hard to do with these connectors, as I have had to add a few wires to a recent project I did.

So, in summary...that powertrain, with an 04/05 non-CAN W-body L67 PCM, N* TB...OH, and reuse your current fuel rail, since you don't have returnless injection.