2.8 replacement

[Riles of Smiles]

I just bought an 86 fiero gt and the car is in pretty good condition except for the engine which worked when I bought it but has broken down. I am pretty sure the engine is completely sludged up and from what I can tell the previous owner did not take care of it. I either need a rebuild or I could swap another engine in but have almost no money and need to know what the cheapest option is.

I am thinking about a 3.4 from a 90s camaro or firebird because its almost bolt in. I really don't want to put another 2.8 in though. Is it better and cheaper to put another engine in? Or should I rebuild it?

 

[Oreif]

A 3.4L swap is the easiest swap to do. You just need the block for the swap. Most folks find a 3.4L in the junkyard with low miles. Remove everything except the heads and block. Remove all the same parts from the 2.8L and install them on the 3.4L. When you are done you will have a 3.4L that looks like the stock 2.8L. The 3.4L has more power, better oil galleys, and a higher volume oil pump in it.

It cost around $900 for a good rebuild kit for a 2.8L. You can find a 3.4L for less than $500 and it costs about $90 for the gasket set to reassemble the 3.4L.