06 SS with a 3.5?

2578 Views 15 Replies 5 Participants Last post by N3wb187, Jan 23, 2019

N3wb187

Discussion Starter · Jan 20, 2019

I have an 06 Impala SS that for some reason has the 3.5l instead of the 5.3l that the vin says its suppose to have. I feel I got screwed in this deal.

My question would be what would be required to swap it back to the ls4 motor that was originally in the car? Is it worth it?

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hatzie

· #2 · Jan 20, 2019 (Edited)

Since you say the 8th digit of the VIN is C ... I'll assume you didn't get taken by the PO swapping SS headrests onto Leather seats and SS badges on the trunk and doors.

It's a lot of trouble to swap from or to the LS4. I doubt someone would've gone to the trouble of replacing the LS4 with the least desirable V6.
You may have a dodgy vehicle that someone swapped the VIN plate on.

Look for the covert VINs and make sure those match the one on the dash.

The SPID in the glovebox and the LH door jamb are the first places I'd look but those are fairly easy to change.

There are several covert VIN locations on the car that Law Enforcement look at when doing an inspection for a stolen vehicle. The other places to look are in the spare tire well, behind the bumper on the rear panel, and on the inner fenders but I'm not positive on those locations.

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N3wb187

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 20, 2019

Yeah all the vin numbers match on the car so somebody had to have gone through the trouble to swap that motor out. I haven't ran the history report on the vehicle yet but I'm assuming it was in an accident and the insurance paid to have it swapped over. And then the guy traded it off bc it was a trade in at a dealer. The car is completely clean. the motor that's in it I can tell is used but it's got new wire harness, plugs, wires, radiator, and coolant hoses. And it wasn't done by a backyard mechanic too clean for that. Done professionally.

TheProblematic2013LTZ

· #4 · Jan 20, 2019

I have to agree with the mentioned points, no level 1 crook is going to change out motors. But there are a plentiful of SS vins or even a way to copy one, and a boatload of Chinese SS accessories including the badging and rims. There cold be a very rare occurrence as some shop builder got the 5.3 backwards and stuck in a V6 or GM put in 3.5s in early SS models but that seems rather unlikely and comical. How much did you pay for this vehicle, was it ever stolen, or totaled by insurance? If you payed 3-4 thousand and the body is in great shape I'd say you got the short end of the stick but the stick is made of gold. Match all vins to the window and see if you do have an Impala SS with appropriate mileage on the motor but there's a 3.5 in it, that be more unique then an old broken down V8 SS.

If I'm not mistaken there's several vin numbers as mentioned, hood, fender wells, the block maybe or the underside of the car, window, doors, glove box, OBDII may even tell you, and of course there may be a sticker in the trunk underneath the carpeting. The reason being for so many is because of your problem, many cars were stolen and rebuilt or swapped vins and soon US Insurance or Police required manufactures to place multiple vins to verify that is the car.

To answer you question it may not be worth you time to switch over the motor, 1-4 thousand is what your going to pay for the motor. You're then going to have to rebuild the drive train because that old 4 speed ain't going to last as well as the C/V system. You'd probably need more than you would think, even the current ECU for the 3.5 may need to be upgraded or reprogrammed. However, now that I think about it if the vins are matching to an SS perhaps the motor failed and the owner replaced it with the 3.5, it would have been cheaper and a direct replacement.

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TheProblematic2013LTZ

· #5 · Jan 20, 2019

TheProblematic2013LTZ said:
..If you payed 3-4 thousand and the body is in great shape I'd say you got the short end of the stick but the stick is made of gold...

To answer you question it may not be worth you time to switch over the motor, 1-4 thousand is what your going to pay for the motor. You're then going to have to rebuild the drive train because that old 4 speed ain't going to last as well as the C/V system. You'd probably need more than you would think, even the current ECU for the 3.5 may need to be upgraded or reprogrammed.

Just read that I caught your post after mine.

N3wb187

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jan 21, 2019

TheProblematic2013LTZ said:
I have to agree with the mentioned points, no level 1 crook is going to change out motors. But there are a plentiful of SS vins or even a way to copy one, and a boatload of Chinese SS accessories including the badging and rims. There cold be a very rare occurrence as some shop builder got the 5.3 backwards and stuck in a V6 or GM put in 3.5s in early SS models but that seems rather unlikely and comical. How much did you pay for this vehicle, was it ever stolen, or totaled by insurance? If you payed 3-4 thousand and the body is in great shape I'd say you got the short end of the stick but the stick is made of gold. Match all vins to the window and see if you do have an Impala SS with appropriate mileage on the motor but there's a 3.5 in it, that be more unique then an old broken down V8 SS.

If I'm not mistaken there's several vin numbers as mentioned, hood, fender wells, the block maybe or the underside of the car, window, doors, glove box, OBDII may even tell you, and of course there may be a sticker in the trunk underneath the carpeting. The reason being for so many is because of your problem, many cars were stolen and rebuilt or swapped vins and soon US Insurance or Police required manufactures to place multiple vins to verify that is the car.

To answer you question it may not be worth you time to switch over the motor, 1-4 thousand is what your going to pay for the motor. You're then going to have to rebuild the drive train because that old 4 speed ain't going to last as well as the C/V system. You'd probably need more than you would think, even the current ECU for the 3.5 may need to be upgraded or reprogrammed. However, now that I think about it if the vins are matching to an SS perhaps the motor failed and the owner replaced it with the 3.5, it would have been cheaper and a direct replacement.

Yes all vins have matched so far I'm going to try the obd2 port I'll take it to my job at autozone and hook the code reader up and see what vin shows up there.

I know I got the short end. I'm mad at myself for not looking under the hood but in my mind no one would have swapped the v8 for a v6. I know I never would have. Also plan on running a vehicle history report I think it was in an accident and maybe the insurance messed something up or maybe like you said maybe the mechanic working on it mixed up the 5.3 for the 3.5 somehow and didnt want to admit his fault and made it work.

It's for my wife she still likes the car. It runs great! She says she wouldn't mind me switching out the motor back to the ls4 so that's something I can do.

12 lt

· #7 · Jan 21, 2019

N3wb187 said:
Yes all vins have matched so far I'm going to try the obd2 port I'll take it to my job at autozone and hook the code reader up and see what vin shows up there.

I know I got the short end. I'm mad at myself for not looking under the hood but in my mind no one would have swapped the v8 for a v6. I know I never would have. Also plan on running a vehicle history report I think it was in an accident and maybe the insurance messed something up or maybe like you said maybe the mechanic working on it mixed up the 5.3 for the 3.5 somehow and didnt want to admit his fault and made it work.

It's for my wife she still likes the car. It runs great! She says she wouldn't mind me switching out the motor back to the ls4 so that's something I can do.

Don't think I have ever bought any car or truck without pulling dipsticks and checking over the engine. While I agree you should have checked it better, if the seller lied to you and told you it was an SS, you may have some recourse, especially if it came from a lot.

Far as someone swapping from the v8 to a v6, only a few reasons I could think of, possibly a total loss with the engine damaged, flooded car with bad engine that someone had the replacement.

No way gm built the car as an SS with a v6. Check the 8th digit like hatzie posts above and verify the car has the wrong engine.

N3wb187

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 21, 2019

I've checked and rechecked all the vins and it was the letter c which is for the 5.3. And yes you're right I knew better and should have checked under the hood. But I didnt all I got to do now is run a history report.

TheProblematic2013LTZ

· #9 · Jan 21, 2019

Since all vins match I'd think someone purposefully put in a cheaper engine or put in the wrong engine after the factory build. Best chance to find out would be your history report, and if it doesn't say what the shop did, look at how long the car was there for (an engine replacement would be a week or two) or how long service intervals where between mileage. How many miles are on this car if I might ask? Anything below 75-80 thousand would be rather suspicious for a 2006 sedan, in my mind.

A factory mistake isn't impossible though, not the best example but visiting the Corvette plant in Kentucky someone had put a yellow rear bumper on a white car and it past through the entire shop like that before final inspectors found it.

N3wb187

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 21, 2019

It's got 236k on the body. And the entire body is too clean for those miles which makes me think accident and it was fixed up.

TheProblematic2013LTZ

· #11 · Jan 22, 2019

If that Impala was in the northern States there would be no body left after 236. I wouldn't worry about what engine or body work it has by then as long as it doesn't break, means you don't have to do major work for some time. Check on your cleared codes too from OBDII, see if it was in an accident since there is bound to be a OBD test failure and a code. However, KKB states that a reasonable price depending on condition would be 1-5 thousand for a 236,000 mile 06 SS. Technically it be an LT or LTZ but it's an SS on the vin. If you paid a reasonable price for the car and the body and mechanics are great for a 13 year old car with a newer motor then I think you've got a great deal, horsepower is overrated anyways.

Scrappy

· #12 · Jan 22, 2019

TheProblematic2013LTZ said:
horsepower is overrated anyways.

You smokin' da crackpipe? lol

Kind Regards,

-JDT

12 lt

· #13 · Jan 22, 2019

N3wb187 said:
It's got 236k on the body. And the entire body is too clean for those miles which makes me think accident and it was fixed up.

Best guess here with that high a mileage would be that a prior owner blew the 5.3 and the tranny was also shot or bad. Went with a cheapest possible swap.

Seller should have disclosed to you that the car did not have the engine the car came with.

TheProblematic2013LTZ

· #14 · Jan 23, 2019

Come find me with all that horsepower when it's $4.67 for regular.

hatzie

· #15 · Jan 23, 2019

My SS gets 24mpg hwy...

N3wb187

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jan 23, 2019

Unfortunately I think the seller had no idea that it was not a v8 under the hood. He gets his cars from the dealer he works at and then sells them cheap for people around tax time.

My wife also still likes the car either way so it dont bother me that much but it still does. She said that maybe down the road we will swap it back. That's why I asked what's part of that process it not something I can't do myself so that won't be a problem either.

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