Well tonight I came up with an idea. I'm planning a 3400 swap in my 97 Sunfire, and a Getrag swap (2000 Sunfire parts car) into the 97 Sunfire. I have contemplated selling my Sunfire and buying a 95-99 Z24 and doing the tranny and engine swap, but it would require alot more work to get the 3400 bolted in.
Tonight, a friend of mine told me that he may sell his 97 Z24 after Christmas and he'd give me a good deal on it. I was thinking, could I take everything between the fenders, and in front of the firewall, from my parts car and put it into the Z24? This could make it alot easier to swap in the 3400 and tranny wouldn't it?

I dont really get what your asking.
the structures are Identicle all of the 3rd gens are, The whole front clip will bolt right on. I dont understand why you would think that the 3400 swap would be easier on a sunfire than on a cav.


01 cav w/01 3400 gam gt 4t45e

After reading and re reading , I think your referring to the stick trans mounts. Now that would be the difference between the structures. If the Z were a stick, that would possibly make it easier, but thats it.


01 cav w/01 3400 gam gt 4t45e

If your Sunfire and his Cav are both stick, the tranny swap will be the same amount of work. You will need to cut out the rear tranny mount bracket and weld in anew one and slot and trim the front mount. If your car is an auto, then yes, using the manual to start is a much better idea. I have done a 5 speed swap on a 3rd gen, not fun.

Technicly, you could do that, but how is doing a whole front clip swap going to be easier than what you're already doing?

I think I have some of you guys confused. I'm thinking, that almost all the engine mounts for the 3400 and the 2.2 are the same. What I want to do is take the whole front clip from my 00 Sunfire parts car (minus body parts), and put it into a 97 Z24, so that I have a 00' Getrag that bolts right up, and the 3400 bolts in alot easier than bolting it into the stock Z24 engine bay.

Nope, Z24 and Sunfire have the exact same mounting spots on the body. If you plan on doing a Getrag swap, you will need to modify the trany mounts on either car. Anything 95-99 will need the rear one cutout and the front one slotted and shaved down.
Lemme see if I can find a link for this.

Here ya go, I swapped in a 2.4, but I also did a getrag swap with it, so everything I did with the mounting etc will need to be done.
Getrag swap

I know about the mounts for the Getrag, but I thought that the 2.4 and the 2.2 had different engine mounts? So your saying, swapping a 3400 into a 95-99 2.4 will be no harder than doing the same swap with a 2.2 car?

Michael Antle wrote:I know about the mounts for the Getrag, but I thought that the 2.4 and the 2.2 had different engine mounts? So your saying, swapping a 3400 into a 95-99 2.4 will be no harder than doing the same swap with a 2.2 car?

The only thing that makes it simpler to swap into a 2.2OHV car is the fact that you don't have to change the tranny, because the 2.2OHV uses the same bellhousing as the V6 does. Even if you had to swap the frame rail mount and the tranny mount, it's still way easier to do that than the whole front clip. Doing a front clip takes some work to properly align it. It's not just bolt it up and go.

And yes, the frame rail mount is the same on all the 3rd gens. It was only the piece that bolts to the engine that's different.

If you have to ask then dont swap the front structures. You can cut the brackets off and reweld on the swap but thats it. There's alot more to changing a front clip with structure than you might think.


01 cav w/01 3400 gam gt 4t45e

I dont think he means swapping over the whole front clip, just basically doing a Cavfire conversion, which is simple, I do those in 4 hours these days, and thats doing both cars! lol

No, I was talking about the front clip swap, but I was only speculating.

No matter which car I do the engine swap on, the Getrag Tranny WILL be going in as well. So, this means if I do the swap on a 1997 2.4 car or a 1997 2.2 car, the swap will be no harder?

No difference at all

Ok thanks, that opens up my options a little.

Are you still looking for a car to do the swap? I don't know where you live, but I have a '97 Black Z24 5 Speed with 170KM that has a blown Engine (the previous owner ran it out of oil) here in Toronto, and I bought it to do an engine swap, but I found a great deal on a '98 Sunfire GT.


'95 Black Z24 - Stock with airbox removed
'99 Black GTP - CTPT61 @16psi, I/C, 94 oct, W/Meth,
TC, S/kit, 3.29, Cut-out, Cat Back, Magnaflow's,
GR2's, Eibach's, GMMP FSB, FBod Brakes, Cer Pads,
SS lines, C/D Discs, 17" Comp G's
12.63@118mph on Comp TA's!

NewfieZ wrote:Are you still looking for a car to do the swap? I don't know where you live, but I have a '97 Black Z24 5 Speed with 170KM that has a blown Engine (the previous owner ran it out of oil) here in Toronto, and I bought it to do an engine swap, but I found a great deal on a '98 Sunfire GT.

How much?

gtpsunfire wrote:

NewfieZ wrote:Are you still looking for a car to do the swap? I don't know where you live, but I have a '97 Black Z24 5 Speed with 170KM that has a blown Engine (the previous owner ran it out of oil) here in Toronto, and I bought it to do an engine swap, but I found a great deal on a '98 Sunfire GT.

How much?

I paid $600 for it, and I'm buying the sunfire so I won't be doing anything with it right now. Basically what I paid for it or best offer. I can get pics of the in the next few days, send me an email if you're interested.


'95 Black Z24 - Stock with airbox removed
'99 Black GTP - CTPT61 @16psi, I/C, 94 oct, W/Meth,
TC, S/kit, 3.29, Cut-out, Cat Back, Magnaflow's,
GR2's, Eibach's, GMMP FSB, FBod Brakes, Cer Pads,
SS lines, C/D Discs, 17" Comp G's
12.63@118mph on Comp TA's!

NewfieZ, you've been PM'd.