First gen Lumina questions

[1990BerettaGTZ2.3L]

So I'm gonna need some help on this one guys since they are not so plentiful anymore, I'm thinking about buying this clean as hell 91 or 92 lumina z34, literally looks like it came off the showroom floor there isn't even surface rust underneath, but she's in the salvage yard no motor but has a trans, well I asked how much for the car and the guy said 6-700, so I'm like oh man I need this car!!. But one problem it's an auto, I have a connection on another same year z34 in a junkyard so I'm good there, I need some connections on a complete manual swap kit though from a junkyard car in talking trans and all if you know of any shift cables pedals and engine harness possibly computer too because of the manual trans not sure if automatics are plug and play, I've always loved these cars as I love my berettas since they are similar in some designs, but if someone could help me piece this together with some leads that would be sweet can't wait to get this car and put it back to its glory I've always wanted one but they are always too expensive and too rusty this one is still like new don't even know why is at the junkyard to be honest kind of weird there's no motor but trans is there but oh well

[speedy]

never seen a junkyard that will sell you the entire car, they got any gtz's? if i can walk out the door with a complete quad z for $600.00 i would be happy.

[Koots]

I can't give you any specifics other than I really like the older W and A-Body cars (Pontiac 6000, Celebrity and Cutlass).

I'd like to have a Z34 of my own, especially one without it's 3.4 DOHC so I wouldn't feel bad about changing it. I'd definitely want a 3800 in there to replace it or a 3400/3500.

[1990BerettaGTZ2.3L]

No Gtzs but I was hoping to find one they got about 8-9 different beretta parts cars mostly 94-up but I think there's 1 or 2 older models ones an 89 I think the other is a 92 or 3, they also have a rotted to crap first gen cavi convertible I think is a Z24, but they also have a second gen z24 convertible to actually 2 I think coupe and vert then 1 newer 3rd gen Z, I need to go back cause one of the tetras is a manual but has the 2.2L

[Rettax3]

Wow, that is an awesome find. I would love to have a Lumina Z-34, yeah, they look like big, mean Berettas!

The 3.4 DOHC LQ1 is actually a very good engine, most people don't know how to drive it (because of the much higher red-line) to get the most out of it, and the timing-belt sucks (it isn't that hard to do, so long as you have the specific cam-holding tools to do it) as all timing belts do, but at least it only runs the top half of the engine. It will run rings around an 'E' code push-rod 3400... Sorry Koots. But, a 3800 wouldn't be a down-grade, either.

As far as the manual trans part of your project, the Getrag 284 that belongs in that car is too hard to come by, if you found one count yourself lucky, so look for a Muncie/Getrag 282. The clutches for them are a pull-type, and are hard to find and cost 2-3x as much as one for a 282. Even the Isuzu 5-speed (like from a 2.0 or 2.2) should be fine if you aren't hammering on it all the time. Avoid older Cavalier 282 transmissions though, because the VSS (Vehicle Speed Sensor) is incompatible with the Z-34's speedometer. If one of those Z-24s has the digital instruments though, I would be very interested in buying it from you (I put one of the 'wrong' transmissions in my '90 turbo 'Retta, so I don't have a speedometer in it right now. I had a Z-24 digi-dash for it, but it won't power-up, and I can't find another digital cluster around here, I've been looking for a year now). You can use CV joints from a '90 or earlier Pontiac Grand Prix 2.8 or 3.1 five-speed car, even if you can't find one of those, Auto Zone or Rock Auto should be able to hook you up with new half-shafts. Shift-cables SHOULD work from any Beretta/Cavalier/Corsica/Tempest/Skylark/Grand Am/Grand Prix/etc, etc, etc of the right year-group, just make sure the cable-ends match the attaching-points on whatever tranny you get.

never seen a junkyard that will sell you the entire car, they got any gtz's? if i can walk out the door with a complete quad z for $600.00 i would be happy.

Two of my cars were in the scrap-yard's processing area, waiting to have their gas-tanks punched before going out to the yard to get picked-over. I bought each one of those for $300 or $350. I also sold the owner's son the bumper and grill off of my old AMC Javelin SST for his AMX -I made a big joke about it at the time, because I was the only person I knew that bought cars from, and sold parts to, the junk-yard!
Keep us in the loop on this, I'm waiting for pics!

[1990BerettaGTZ2.3L]

Speedy I think you live in the wrong part of the state all but one junkyard I know of will sell you a whole car so I guess I'm lucky livin over here

[ChevyRacer78]

i have a 94 Z34 with the 3.4 dohc an im runnin into alot of problem findin parts for the z34 model an every garage says they wont touch it but they will put a nother motor in