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Northstar 4.6 V8 in a Z31???


84z31

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i'm thinking about buying a guys car at work. it has been totalled out by his insurance company.

 

it has the 4.6L northstar V8. the motor has 215K mile on it.

 

all i want from the car is the motor. i know a lot of people use these in dune buggies.

 

i'm thinking it would be perfect for a Z. its all aluminum, 32V V8. it might weigh less then the VG30. and stock it puts out almost 300 hp.

 

does anyone know of a manual tranny that would bolt up?

 

they say the 60* bellhousing off a stick shifted camero works or a 700r4.

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The mileage is a bit high, I'd pass if I were you.

 

The Northstar is a wonderful engine, but they aren't rebuildable. There isn't enough iron in the cylinder sleeves to bore the cylinder holes enough to make them round again, and you can't replace the sleeves easily.

 

Look for something with less than a 100K on the clock.

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is it possible to get rebuild kits for the motor?

 

i really want to run one of these.

 

I'm sure you could piece a "kit" together with a GM gasket kit and new bearings, but your problem is going to be with ring seal. It is nearly impossible to get the cylinders to be round again, your new rings won't seat in the worn egg-shaped holes in your block, and it'll run like crap.

 

As I said, they are good engines, but you should get a running lower mileage one, and don't rebuild it. Drop it in, run it until it dies, then toss it and get another. They are a one-time use powerplant. Once they wear out, they're done.

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id be interested in knowing if there is rwd transmission that mounts to it. the starter is in a strange place, never unstood how those things didnt get cooked.

 

Depends on what you pull it out of. A FWD Cadillac, no, but there are third party kits available to hook them up to several popular transmissions.

 

The RWD Caddy's have a revised block to mate with whatever transmissions they offer. If you get one from a rear wheel drive Cadillac, just get the transmission too. Your life will be much easier.

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I'd seriously pass on that idea. We have those things come in at the shop and they are junk once a head gasket goes on them. Most of the head bolt holes will need to be helicoiled, parts are spendy, etc. With the time and money you'd put into your car, you are much better going with a more "tried & true" Chevy motor. It'll save you tons of money on the back end. The Aurora motor is the same way. Hope that helps.

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http://www.chrfab.com/

 

Has a lot of good info on the Northstar V8's...Might be worth browsing. The biggest problem is all the little things to change will add up very quickly. One of the biggest reasons I didn't go with this motor was you had very little after market support for even small generic items (water pumps, pistons, etc.) items that weren't massive $$$$$. Just my $.02

 

Tyson

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