I need advice on replacing the engine on Riviera 95 SC

I want to ask your opinion.

I purchased the Riviera 95 without engine. From the powertrain there was only a gearbox, without a torque converter, working or not - it is not known, from the words of the seller working.
In Siberia (where I live), very few American cars, the options may be the following:
1. Buy the engine L27 from Pontiac Bonneville 1992 - 1995 with the car
2. Buy L67 supercharger from Pontiac Bonneville 1993 (there is one car for sale)
3. Buy an engine from Cadillac Seville 98 with a transmission
4. Another engine that can go to riviera 95

Which option do you think is better?

Alexey_Z wrote:

I want to ask your opinion.

I purchased the Riviera 95 without engine. From the powertrain there was only a gearbox, without a torque converter, working or not - it is not known, from the words of the seller working.
In Siberia (where I live), very few American cars, the options may be the following:
1. Buy the engine L27 from Pontiac Bonneville 1992 - 1995 with the car
2. Buy L67 supercharger from Pontiac Bonneville 1993 (there is one car for sale)
3. Buy an engine from Cadillac Seville 98 with a transmission
4. Another engine that can go to riviera 95

Which option do you think is better?

Post the prices and the mileage/KMs on each one -- otherwise we are guessing

In your earlier thread I already posted something about places to just get engine. Did you see that, and do you want more details?

Engine L27 costs 500 dollars, running about 150 thousand miles
The L67 engine with a supercharger costs about $ 1,000, running about 180,000 miles.

I am not sure that the engine mounts from Pontiac Bonneville will be suitable for riviera 95.
On my car was a motor with a supercharger. Wiring corresponds to this motor.
I believe that N/A engines are more reliable than engines with a supercharger. Is this true or am I wrong?

Alexey_Z wrote:

Engine L27 costs 500 dollars, running about 150 thousand miles
The L67 engine with a supercharger costs about $ 1,000, running about 180,000 miles.

I am not sure that the engine mounts from Pontiac Bonneville will be suitable for riviera 95.
On my car was a motor with a supercharger. Wiring corresponds to this motor.
I believe that N/A engines are more reliable than engines with a supercharger. Is this true or am I wrong?

My Series II engine with supercharger has 364,000 miles and has never had the heads off.  I did pull the supercharger and replace bearings and coupler, but when I made the replacements they were better than original.  In another 2-3 years I may have to rebuild the snout, the seal eventually goes.  

There were so many Series I engines made with supercharger, you ought to get one of those.  Either the best you can find used, or *any* and plan on rebuild yourself.  This line of engines (3800) from GM was superb. Not very complicated - not high RPMs - but very durable with proper maintenance, which isn't all that much, and attention to ancillary things that can go wrong like a spark plug wire (bad wire will kill a coil which will make 2 cylinders misfire which will mess other things up).  

Really I think your most cost-efficient move is a "junkyard pull" of engine and transaxle and I think then your only headache will be the shipping/customs from USA. I do not think I would take any of the choices you listed because it really should not be that difficult to get the right engine and transaxle.

As for the engine mounts, not sure how much that matters because most of the mounts attach to the transaxle anyway. The engine more or less floats there, except the passenger side front mount.

Alexey_Z wrote:

3. Buy an engine from Cadillac Seville 98 with a transmission

Isn't that the Northstar V8?  While the Aurora had the detuned version of the Northstar, I'd guess you'd have more trouble than you want making that engine work in the Riviera. I've also heard that it has reliability issues. I'd pass on it. 

I've always read that the supercharged 3800 is more reliable than the NA 3800 because the NA motor has a plastic intake manifold that tends to warp and dump coolant into the engine.  The manifold on the SC motor is metal.  

My SC motor still runs like new, no problems at all.  My sister had a car with the NA 3800 and the plastic manifold did warp on it.

At least they corrected that plastic intake on the series lll, my 2005 lacrosse with the 3800 has a metal intake.

srjen1 wrote:

At least they corrected that plastic intake on the series lll, my 2005 lacrosse with the 3800 has a metal intake.

Very interesting, I wonder if it fits the earlier 3800's?

Jack the R wrote:

srjen1 wrote:

At least they corrected that plastic intake on the series lll, my 2005 lacrosse with the 3800 has a metal intake.

Very interesting, I wonder if it fits the earlier 3800's?  

There is a cheap way to find out (if Abaddon can't simply tell us) - a PNP near me has a '04 and '05 LeSabre.  Intake manifolds of whatever sort (manifold *or* plenum) cost about $30.- including core. Given what GM *did not* change on the 3800 from series I to II, maybe there was a similar lack of change on the S III hard parts and it fits. There are probably several in a PNP near you.

I'd give u the engine out of my 95 Riveria, has 122k on it, no transmission, I stole it for my other 95.