"Stuffing" a NorthStar

[Stadawim]

Yeah, we all know (especially since that GXP thread is so close as of right now) how tight it can be to put this beast in a Bonnie. But should i do it? I'm asking for more advice. My brother in law bought one rebuilt almost a year ago to stick in a project Fiero (for giggles and guffaws) but decided against it. Now it sits with nothing to do but take up space in his garage. So he asked me if i'd like to put it in my ride. And we've been considering it... And considering it... I mean, we could do the work but would it be worth it?

[harofreak00]

I'm confused.

You have an SSEi already, so why would you "stuff" another 3800 in there? What car are we talking about?

BTW, the 3800 isn't stuffed in the Bonneville at all... when you put it in a Sunfire its stuffed. The N* on the other hand....

[LeSabreUltra]

Uhhhh...lol.

If you're talking about putting it in your trunk it would be a tight fit but I think it could be done, though you may have to ride with your trunk open.

If not then I honestly have no idea what's going on here.
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['96Bonnevillel67]

I think he means swapping the GXP Northstar into his '00+.

[00Beast]

Putting a N* in an SSEi is like going backwards. If you want a N* bonne, get a GXP. Otherwise mod your SSEi and you'll be waayyy better off.

[wjcollier07]

The only valuable aspect of that backwards equation...is if you managed to make a 3800 work with the 4T80E...otherwise, stick with the 3800.

[crash93ssei]

Putting a N* in an SSEi is like going backwards. If you want a N* bonne, get a GXP. Otherwise mod your SSEi and you'll be waayyy better off.

100% opinion. There is no real reason to say that doing a N* swap is going backwards.

[willwren]

I'd call it backwards. The SSEi in stock form outperforms the N* in almost every way. Add a couple easy mods and it outperforms easily in every aspect. Mod the N*? Good luck.

[ChilinMichael]

Not to mention the inherent failures of a N*, plus the price of the motor itself and the complexity...which leads you to the point of good luck modding it. It would be going backwards, except of course for a better exhaust note....

[Stadawim]

Yeah, i meant the Star. Scuse, i was tired - i work weird shifts. I corrected. In any case, the general consensus seems to boil down to not being worth it. Which is essentially what i thought, as i wanted the 00-03 models over the 4-5s anyway. Just kinda wondered about that V8. It IS a little tempting.

[willwren]

Run your car stock against a GXP at the track and you'll change your mind.

[00Beast]

Well, a stock GXP is a bit quicker all around than a stock SSEi, but it takes less than $500 in mods to put the SSEi ahead. Considering that a GXP is still in the $10k range, and 03 SSEi's are at around $8000 for a near-mint car, you're ahead with an SSEi, if you want to go fast. Plus there are no mods other than nitrous for a GXP, unless you want to do custom work, or pay to have it done. SSEi's have tons of mods available for going fast.

[willwren]

Ed, you're a bit off on that. We know stock times for a GXP at the track, and have for some time. They're lacking by a margin against a stock SSEi.

Plain and simple truth is that the GXP vs. SSEi at the track is advantage SSEi stock for stock every single time. We've known this since about 2 months after the first GXP known hit the track, and we've been following it ever since. Even if you ignore INTENSE's own posted times here, it's obvious.

If you search, you'll find the posted GXP 1/4 times and understand what I'm talking about.

[tan96ssei]

i second the motion stick with your 3800 the mods are plentiful and getting rid of that intoxicating whine is a cardinal sin.

for the reading impaired getting rid or a turbo or supercharged car= ->

[00Beast]

Ed, you're a bit off on that. We know stock times for a GXP at the track, and have for some time. They're lacking by a margin against a stock SSEi.

Plain and simple truth is that the GXP vs. SSEi at the track is advantage SSEi stock for stock every single time. We've known this since about 2 months after the first GXP known hit the track, and we've been following it ever since. Even if you ignore INTENSE's own posted times here, it's obvious.

If you search, you'll find the posted GXP 1/4 times and understand what I'm talking about.

Could've been the drivers, but when we "compared" cars, Andrew's 05 GXP was just a bit quicker than my modded SSEi, especially from a roll.

[harofreak00]

Ed, you're a bit off on that. We know stock times for a GXP at the track, and have for some time. They're lacking by a margin against a stock SSEi.

Plain and simple truth is that the GXP vs. SSEi at the track is advantage SSEi stock for stock every single time. We've known this since about 2 months after the first GXP known hit the track, and we've been following it ever since. Even if you ignore INTENSE's own posted times here, it's obvious.

If you search, you'll find the posted GXP 1/4 times and understand what I'm talking about.

Could've been the drivers, but when we "compared" cars, Andrew's 05 GXP was just a bit quicker than my modded SSEi, especially from a roll.

I agree with Ed, Bill. Unless you have more on hand experience than us, track times don't mean much. My GXP was even, if not quicker than Ed's slightly modded SSEi from a stop and roll.

[willwren]

You're the only exception to the rule that we've seen posted to date. I bet you know that if you consider the times posted to date.

The N* is a freeway passer, and nobody will argue with that. But the L67 gives the SSEi the stoplight racer crown, hands down. If you even give it a tossup stock for stock, you have to consider modability, and at that point, the N* isn't even part of the equation.

[ChilinMichael]

At a track you can launch the same car 5 times and get 5 different times, my car from a roll at certain speeds that were just right kept up with a Mark 8 for a very decent amount of time, I find it all relative and take a look at the bigger picture at hand. The V8 could quite possibly be faster stock for stock (and you'd hope so with the price difference), but, for a lot less than that price difference the SSEi can own it badly, and then some. Different cars also will win better at different speeds...

*edit: Once again, GOOD LUCK modifying a Northstar. No thank you.

[00Beast]

My Dad and I will have to do some "comparisons" at some point, to end this debate, lol.

[ChilinMichael]

It'll never end Ed, you know why? Every car off the assembly line isn't exactly the same speed, one GXP off the line might be 6.5 while another is 6.7, same goes for an SSEi, condition of the cars, mileage, replacement parts used (such as sparkplugs) all come into the equation and will inevitability make this debate endless...if you want a *dang* good exhaust note and a good v8, go for the GXP....if you want to save on money and be able to go faster than the car originally was intended for without spending a few mortgage payments...buy an SSEi. Infact, the moral of all this is...get whatever you want. That's right, it's your choice!

Personally, I was going to do a N* at one point in my 95, it would have been so original, nobody can argue that point. But once I found out what it would cost and how far I actually could go with it, yeah, it's Series III L32 all the way for me.