3800 Why do 3800’s get hated on in the US while Aussie guys make em scream?
- Thread starter SHKENBK
- Start date
Arnt most of the Australian ones rwd, that’s probably the biggest difference, the trans isn’t garbage and you can actually use the power the engine is capable of making, it’s not the motor it’s the platform they decided to put it in for the us
The life cycle these cars went through is pretty interesting. When they were new, they were nice looking, sporty, family hauling cars that could be easily and cheaply modified without the wife noticing. With a few bolt ons it was easy to walk ls1/lt1 cars and mustang gt's.
Then people that had money were maybe the 2nd owner and weren't afraid to use it. 500-600whp setups, but they got super tired of putting new transmissions in them.
Then came the era of no money. If you didn't buy the car for $500, you overpaid. The object was to keep it running on a few cylinders so you could get to the gas station, throw in $10, and make it to work.
Now it's basically a mixed combination of people that have money and those that don't.
Then people that had money were maybe the 2nd owner and weren't afraid to use it. 500-600whp setups, but they got super tired of putting new transmissions in them.
Then came the era of no money. If you didn't buy the car for $500, you overpaid. The object was to keep it running on a few cylinders so you could get to the gas station, throw in $10, and make it to work.
Now it's basically a mixed combination of people that have money and those that don't.
I came into it at such a weird time riding that roller coaster, I bought my car October of 2005 and it's a 2001, and I got it from the OG owner.
So you had those initial bolt-on "only" cars where it was mindfucking to go past a downpipe/pcm/3.4 pulley and not just be full send with that setup.
Yep. Back then when these cars were new I was in the Military and had a 4V Cobra. I loved that car back then. Since then I’ve had several of those. Several F bodies. Several DSMs. Etc.
I just got bored with those after owning so many.
They have never been popular down here in Texas. I would’ve loved to had a GTP beat me back then. I always liked them.
They look great they just don’t work well with the amount of power they are capable of making, fwd sucks for trying to go fast and the transmission they cam with is the fwd equivalent of a 10 bolt
Seems like it was also some what regional. When I left Chicago for NC in like 2004 Grand Prix where everywhere. You could tell the ones with some love if the lower back Pontiac had reflective letters..lol Someone would post up and we could get 20 + cars together on a few hour notice.
But got to NC and i was the only GTP in Raleigh. Took like 2 years to get a gathering and we got like 12 cars from all over the state. People where super excited to actually see another GTP.
But got to NC and i was the only GTP in Raleigh. Took like 2 years to get a gathering and we got like 12 cars from all over the state. People where super excited to actually see another GTP.
I'M going to get hate for this answer...
It's because the L67 rules and everything around it sucks.
The Aussies have built the shit out L67s because they came in a great chassis with tons of aftermarket support. Ours only came in FWD with a roulette wheel transmission and a very comfortable but heavy/large car. They simply have a better build platform than us. A W-body can be a fun and reliable daily driver with just a few upgrades, but you can't expect it to be fast nor a corner carver. I don't think I'd ever go too crazy with a FWD 3800. A PAU with a smaller pulley, intercooler, and tune would be the perfect cruiser in my opinion. Anything more than that is just ruining the cushy driving experience and pissing reliability away. That's just my opinion though.
As for the L36. Nobody cares unless you're a die hard. Let's face it. An NA 3800 car is just a solid beater. The F-body 3800 is not popular because it's only NA and you could get the same car with and LS for just a little more. It's really a no brainer unless you have thick skin and your goal is just to build the shit out of a 3800 with RWD. That price gap is widening fast though which is why I think the ebay/amazon turbo kit for V6 F-bodies was produced at a prime time. I still think the F-body 3800 enthusiasm is higher than it's been in a long time. Too little too late though.
I think you have the wrong idea about the Australians. Their 3800 scene was strong but it died off harder than ours. Mace seems to be about equivalent to our Intense racing since they haven't developed anything new in years and they keep dropping products. They don't have aluminum heads because they came from the same foundry as ZZPs. If you look at the Australian 3800 facebook group called L67Torque, you'll notice that most of those guys really aren't doing anything bananas either. Just like the US, it's only a few die hards who are out there running 8s and 9s. The rest are just doing "skids" in their in 2-300hp moomangs.
The 3800 enthusiasm is making a pretty impressive return, but the good ol' days are over.
It's because the L67 rules and everything around it sucks.
The Aussies have built the shit out L67s because they came in a great chassis with tons of aftermarket support. Ours only came in FWD with a roulette wheel transmission and a very comfortable but heavy/large car. They simply have a better build platform than us. A W-body can be a fun and reliable daily driver with just a few upgrades, but you can't expect it to be fast nor a corner carver. I don't think I'd ever go too crazy with a FWD 3800. A PAU with a smaller pulley, intercooler, and tune would be the perfect cruiser in my opinion. Anything more than that is just ruining the cushy driving experience and pissing reliability away. That's just my opinion though.
As for the L36. Nobody cares unless you're a die hard. Let's face it. An NA 3800 car is just a solid beater. The F-body 3800 is not popular because it's only NA and you could get the same car with and LS for just a little more. It's really a no brainer unless you have thick skin and your goal is just to build the shit out of a 3800 with RWD. That price gap is widening fast though which is why I think the ebay/amazon turbo kit for V6 F-bodies was produced at a prime time. I still think the F-body 3800 enthusiasm is higher than it's been in a long time. Too little too late though.
I think you have the wrong idea about the Australians. Their 3800 scene was strong but it died off harder than ours. Mace seems to be about equivalent to our Intense racing since they haven't developed anything new in years and they keep dropping products. They don't have aluminum heads because they came from the same foundry as ZZPs. If you look at the Australian 3800 facebook group called L67Torque, you'll notice that most of those guys really aren't doing anything bananas either. Just like the US, it's only a few die hards who are out there running 8s and 9s. The rest are just doing "skids" in their in 2-300hp moomangs.
The 3800 enthusiasm is making a pretty impressive return, but the good ol' days are over.
I love modern classics and most of what I like is the obscure, ridiculous cars. I owned a Tesla P85D a few years back and after that, I was ruined for speed. It gave me a true appreciation for cars that weren't necessarily fast but were special in some way because I knew I wouldn't find anything faster than that. So in that sense, I'm really grateful for the P85D.
I did.
True story.
I think this is what I was trying to say. You mod this insanely capable and reliable engine and at the end of the day you're pumping money into a junk car (sorry 90's GM quality) with rusted strut towers that couldn't handle on it's best of days and will snap an input shaft if you sneeze. For the time, you could put up with these shortcomings but now? You don't have to anymore. The modern enthusiast can really have it all.
Tell me about it. Our tuned 2020 Explorer ST (twin turbo with a 10 speed and AWD) is surprisingly quick! Guys who have these are saying just the tune alone gets it into the mid 12’s. It gets mistaken for the police a lot and folks have a tendency to either move or slow down to the speed limit when you’re behind them. It can be annoying.
I wish my 3800 ran like this thing does!
Just @ me next time your gonna remind me that I'm wasting my time ?
Also, holden got a 6.0 t56 ute. We got absolutely screwed over here as far as fun stuff and there's no reason they couldn't have made the rs camaro with an l67 and the same trans other than they're dicks.
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