You can buy yourself a nice LS1 Firebird for 8K, I would suggest just buying an LS1 Firebird instead.

 

lol well if I can just do a swap and save money I'd prefer that.

Whats a good cost estimate for the kind of swap I'm talking about?

The bird I have has a great body and sound system, would like to stick to this shell if at all possible, sure as hell not giving it to the wife, even if it is slow

 

I think Bob's right, sell the one you have, combine the money you get for it with the $8000 your prepared to spend and get a rockin' firebird. You could easily get one for under $8000, then use the extra money for mods. With a V8 platform you can make more HP than you can handle. Just an idea.

 

Have you done any mods to your V6? I had my single exhaust replaced with a dual Magnaflow exhaust, a Jet chip installed, and a K & N air intake installed as well. While it's not up to V8 power, I do notice a gain of 25 HP. I've inquired about doing a swap as well, and I've talked to a guy who could do it for around the $6500 range give or take.

 

If you could find a wrecked 98-02 4th Gen (Firebird or Camaro) with the engine and tranny intact, it might possibly be the cheapest way to go, with the best results. Still a lot of work, with a new K-member, front springs, radiator support, PCM with full harness, upgrades to the fuel system to supply 58psi, new 1-piece driveshaft, etc.

Then there's the rest of the drivetrain. Do you have a limited slip differential and rear disc brakes now? If not, you will need a complete rear axle assembly our of a V8 4th Gen.

Using an engine/tranny out of an LT1 4th Gen (93-97) would simplify things, but you still need to change the K-member and front springs, driveshft, PCM, wiring harness. It just eliminates the issues with the fuel system.