hey ya'll, im new at all this pretty much cuz this is my first set of wheels.  my dad hooked me up with this firebird for free, he loves them, so he bought one for me, might as well take it right? it's a V6 3.4L '95 Pontiac Firebird with about 110,000 miles...it runs and everything, but i'm just not sure whether a firebird like this would be worth the tuning? someone got any suggestions on whether i should work on it ( and what to work on ) or whether i should just ride it out and try to buy something else in the near future. and, if ur talkin about whether i want it fast or for show, well, pretty much both. want it to look nice, at least on the inside and some body kit, etc. also, nice sound system, of course.  thnx 4 any help  

Firebirds look nice when they're blasting huge HP get yourself a new engine because 110k miles is not worth tuning, but there are a plethora of different options when it comes to aftermarket crates that you could drop in. Get a nice engine and a nice super charger, that is if you have the cash to do so...  

yea, i was thinkin the same thing right there, but cost wise...would it be worth it? i mean, by summer i could scrap the cash...as long as it wont fall apart on me, lol. how much you think that could run me w/ labor? i know it wont be cheap, but just for the engine im know id have to get the whole computer for it fuel lines etc.  

Bah, the V6 is junk, and the 4th gens are a pain in the ass to swap engines. If you want a fourth gen, look for a Trans Am, or if your on a budget, look for a 3rd gen.  

yea, thats what i thought...i originally wanted to add to it and replace the engine, but i think im gonna just sit this one out till the summer and look for a Honda Accord v6 i was lookin to get, idk, i'll c wat happens, cuz if i get one from an auction, then i could save some $$$  

yea, but does anyone know how much it might cost to just get a v8 put in there? labor and parts?  

it would cost you more than it would to just go buy an lt1 4th gen.  seriously, you can buy a 95 lt1 car for $5K.

you got this car for free, and your dad probably bought you the v6 to keep you out of trouble.  i'm guessing you're young, and a free car is more than most people get so respect it

i would not be thinking of any kind of engine swap.  (btw the answer is in the thousands for a swap; its more than just the engine).  use it as a learning car.  get some performance brake pads and replace them yourself.  if you have a few bucks to spend get some suspension components.  and a good set of tires.  then go autocrossing.  just dont spend too much on it; save your money for the next car (or school).  my first car was a v6 3rd gen btw  

I have no idea about domestic, but at our shop we swaped a 2JZ into a trans am w/o much trouble. The only tricky part was wiring and the engine mounts were fabricated at the shop, but over all the swap was clean. Our labor is free though for you to get the same amount of work done id say about 3-5k for the install plus another 2-4k in parts and then of course the 4k for the engine if you got the money it is one bitchin ride...  

LT1s are a little cheaper, but an LS1 would be what you want. Just for the engine your looking at 3-6k, and it will need alot of other parts, wiring, exhaust, mounts etc. It would be cheaper just to sell it and buy a V8 LT1 Camaro, maybe even a high-mileage 98-99 LS1 car.  

rip that pos v6 out a stuff the biggest v-8 you can put in that [censored]
chevy crate engin for 5k from jegs doing the work urself FREE  

With all this talk of "swapping", why do it in a heavier chassis thats difficult to work on, and more expensive? A 1983-1992 F body (Camaro/TransAm for the domesticly uninformed) can be had for extremely cheap, and is alot easier to work with, especialy if your starting with a carbureted model. Not to mention parts for an older small block Chevrolet are alot cheaper than those for a GenII or GenIII small block, and can yeild the same hp and torque gains if not more.  

^^ turd-gens flex like hans n frans.  plus, sure you can buy an 85 t/a and build yourself a 450hp carb'd tree fiddy but... 8mpg friggin sucks.  ellis will do that and get double the milege, and mid 20's on the highway to boot  

They flex a bit especialy with T tops, but that isn't somthing some subframe connectors can't fix. And you can get more than 8mpg with a carbed small block. Realisticly, I can't see why a 400-450hp carburetor engine can't get 14-15 miles to a gallon, I know people who have done it plenty of times before. Having an overdrive trans like the 700-R4 will help if you have a slush-o-matic.

Hell, my DSM gets horrible gas milage when i romp on it all the time, and it's a FOUR CYLINDER!  

yeah, 14mph on the highway if you're lucky.  my stock turd gen 305 got about 15 combined mileage.  horsepower takes gas, and horsepower+carbs takes ALOT of gas  

not true about carbs if u tune on right u can get the same gas mileage as a fuel ijected vehicle