thinking of picking up a 90 SC

midwestdsm

Registered User
I'm thinking about picking up a 1990 SC with the manual trans. Seller is local and says the #2 injector went bad, causing it to run lean and now has damage to the piston and cylinder wall. The car is supposed to be fairly straight, and he wants like $500 for it although I could probably pick it up cheaper.

Knowing nothing about SCs, I really don't know what I am getting into here. I've had DSMs for about 4 years now, and although I love them, I've always wanted something RWD with forced induction, and this seems like a fairly cheap way to do it. How much of a money pit is this car going to be? I'm assuming at least a grand to get the motor rebuilt, but beyond that I don't really know, and I hate to go into these things blind. Are all the 3.8s interchangeable? Like if I just picked up a longblock from another SC that was a 94 or 95, would it be a direct swap? If one of you guys could, just help me out a bit here with some info on these cars, thanks.

:confused:
 
For the love of god don't do it !!!! These cars cost 5 times in repairs more than you expect.. Do a Search on harmonic balancer and transmissions b4 you get involved with s/c's. :D
 
remember, I come from a background of DSMs. I am used to cars that break down on occassion, and also with severe transmission failure lol.
So are the 5-speeds that weak? And what about the HB, are they really prone to going bad?
 
ok, well after talking to my buddy who works at a speed shop, I've been informed that not only will a rebuild be costly, but these cars are notorious for warping heads as well. I think I'm going to steer clear of them and stick to DSMs.
 
Are these cars expensive to maintain, Yes. Are they fun when running, Yes. I picked up my 90 XR7 5 speed when i was 16, sold it then found it a few months ago and bought it back. im 20 now, and i will not ever sell my car and i mean NEVER. I am rebuilding my motor right now and i think its only costing me about 3 or 4 hundred for it. I am doing it myself and reusing the heads, pistons/connecting rods, and a few other things. I would encourage you to buy it. These cars are few and far between and not every body has a SC. But thats jus the way i see it. If i was you, pick it up, enjoy it, and hate it all at the same time. Many people foresee these cars value to increase in the next few years as do i. Pick it up, its not a bad price, even if you dont want to rebuild it, you could see it off for parts and make a nice little sum of money while doing it.........


Derek
 
Once you get to know the car technically, it's not so bad because you will know the key areas to address and fix before they break. if you don't have higher than average sensitivity to detail with a little automotive engineering R&D, you will likely end up cussing the car out and junking it. it will try to die on you- all sc's do this. you will jump thru some big hoops before you get that thing running good- we all did. i had a '92 sc that ran good for 3+ years with no real running problems, but that was after every weak point was addressed. but now that i think about it, that car did have a bad head gasket, and i think i drove it all that time with one (that's amazing to me) because it pinged almost all the time with coolant bubbling but no loss of power though- it ran strong and hard. if you get one, change the head gaskets (mandatory, if not a new motor).
the one i have now (a '90) is pretty nice- as you can see in my sig, but i'm still working on a few small quirks.

the AOD's are ok, but the 5spds are more fun and a little less trouble.

another thing, if you buy the sc, stay with this forum for tech advice- you are going to be lost without it (it will save you ALOT of time and money).
 
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my 1990 SC

I bought my 1990 SC 5-speed two Novembers ago. I picked it up for $1400 CDN inclduing delivery and a full tank of gas (darn near). #3 rod was bent due to coolant leaking in on top of piston from blown hg. Being I have strong automotive background from my dad, I decided to buy it, and rebuild the motor. I went .020 over on the cylinders with Sealed Power teflon-coated pistons (much like stock). Now I wish I would have ported the heads and went with bigger valves but I kept it all stock as it was my first automotive engine rebuild/overhaul. Car runs great but h.b. gave troubles. Replaced it, and now car is "jerking" under acceleration and "conks" out when trying to start. Once it is running, it runs great. It will even take a 5.0 Mustang on a good day. Now tranny synchros are gone and will be doing those this winter. As you can see, you hate em and you love em. I think these are good cars.

Brett $2300 CDN on rebuild, $450 CDN redo both front seats.
 
If you buy the car spend only the $500.00 or less, you'll need the rest to bring it up to pristine condition. I acquired my car from a friend who couldn't pay his rent; essentially the car was $400.00. Only thing wrong besides the badly bent radiator support was a hole in the oil pan, a hole as big as a .50 piece. It’s fun and make sure to peel out hella hard after the engine break in.
 
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