Which setup should I do?| Grassroots Motorsports forum |

mrdontplay Reader
4/28/09 6:56 p.m.

I'm building a chevette for autoX/road racing/street antics

Should I put in a 3400 v6 or do something a little different and do a turbo/megasquirt setup with the 1.6. I would shoot for about 150hp

EvanB Reader
4/28/09 7:13 p.m.

Supercharged 3800

mrdontplay Reader
4/28/09 7:23 p.m.

Which of the two?

EvanB Reader
4/28/09 7:37 p.m.

haha out of those two I would go for the 1.6

Xceler8x Dork
4/28/09 8:02 p.m.

I think one model came with a V6. Probably a 2.8 but it might be a better starting point than a 4 cyl for a V6 swap.

P71 Dork
4/28/09 8:38 p.m.

I'd start with a 1.6...

...Miata

ReverendDexter HalfDork
4/28/09 9:24 p.m.

No replacement for displacement. I say do the V6 for now, then build yourself a junkyard turbo setup, or make a custom intake manifold and find a T-bird supercoupe supercharger.

confuZion3 Dork
4/28/09 9:45 p.m.

ReverendDexter wrote: No replacement for displacement. I say do the V6 for now, then build yourself a junkyard turbo setup, or make a custom intake manifold and find a T-bird supercoupe supercharger.

AMEN, brother. Go big FTW!

mrdontplay Reader
4/29/09 3:11 p.m.

I want to shut the hood without a hole in it.

internetautomart SuperDork
4/29/09 5:51 p.m.

3500 V6 (latest iteration of the 60* V6)

John Brown SuperDork
4/30/09 6:45 a.m.

60* 3900 V6 is also from that 2.8,3.1,3.4,3.5,3.6 series of engines as well.

I love the sound of a properly exhausted manual trans 3.4L V6, look into a Camaro donor.

patgizz Dork
4/30/09 10:44 a.m.

3400

the FWD motor has better heads than the F body one, they(heads) are aluminum instead of iron, and it is all roller.

the s/c 3800 is a boat anchor weight wise especially for such a small car.

mrdontplay Reader
4/30/09 2:22 p.m.

Wish I had enough chevettes to do every swap I wanted

Nashco SuperDork
4/30/09 2:54 p.m.

As mentioned, the 3400 (FWD) is probably the best 60* on a tight budget. You can get them at a U-Pull for <$200 and if you wanted the harness, computer, fuel pump, accessories, etc. you'd still be in it under $500. You'll have more power, more torque, and less work than the turbo/megasquirt 1.6 option...but perhaps not quite as much fun driving depending on your tastes.

If you were open to other engine swaps and liked the idea of a boosted I4, I'd suggest Ecotec (start with the NA 2.4, upgrade to an aftermarket turbo setup in the future?), but it sounds like you have two clear paths you want to pick from.

Bryce

mrdontplay Reader
4/30/09 2:59 p.m.

ecotec is my #1 choice but it's also $$$$. RWD engines are easier to swap in.

mad_machine SuperDork
4/30/09 3:18 p.m.

hmmm.. sounds very tempting. A fast chevette that can handle would blow a LOT of minds

mrdontplay Reader
4/30/09 3:24 p.m.

Thats the plan With the V6, t5, fiberglass bumper, move some weight around and delete some stuff it should be damn close to 50/50 weight distribution. Everyone expects a drag car, I wanted something diffrent. Watch for the "project folgers" build thread

Nashco SuperDork
4/30/09 4:41 p.m.

mrdontplay wrote: ecotec is my #1 choice but it's also $$$$. RWD engines are easier to swap in.

You can get a RWD 2.4 Ecotec (from a Solstice/Sky) for $600 or less according to car-part.com, obviously those are too new to show up in U-Pull yards. What kind of budget are you on?

Bryce

John Brown SuperDork
4/30/09 4:58 p.m.

2008 Engine Chevy Malibu 2.4L VVT,FWD,MN5 0 A F50089 $Call Schram Auto and Truck - Lansing USA-MI(Mason) E-mail 800-462-9292 / 517-694-2154 11

2008 Engine Chevy Malibu 12603560,2.4L,MN5,AT ,4SP,FWD,NOTES 0 A F50120 $Call Schram Auto and Truck - Lansing USA-MI(Mason) E-mail 800-462-9292 / 517-694-2154 11

2008 Engine Chevy Malibu 16804207,2.4L,MN5,AT ,4SP,FWD,NOTES 0 A F50120 $Call Schram Auto and Truck - Lansing USA-MI(Mason) E-mail 800-462-9292 / 517-694-2154 11

2008 Engine Chevy Cobalt 12603466,2.4L,LE5,VV T,MN5,NOTES 0 A F50113 $Call Schram Auto and Truck - Lansing USA-MI(Mason) E-mail 800-462-9292 / 517-694-2154 11

2008 Engine Chevy Cobalt 12603466,2.4L,LE5,VV T,MN5 0 A F50113 $Call Schram Auto and Truck - Lansing USA-MI(Mason) E-mail 800-462-9292 / 517-694-2154 11

2008 Engine Chevy Cobalt 12603467,2.4L,LE5,VV T,MN5 0 A F50113 $Call Schram Auto and Truck - Lansing USA-MI(Mason) E-mail 800-462-9292 / 517-694-2154 11

2008 Engine Chevy Cobalt 12603468,2.4L,LE5,MN 5,NOTES 0 A F50113 $Call Schram Auto and Truck - Lansing USA-MI(Mason) E-mail 800-462-9292 / 517-694-2154 11

2008 Engine Chevy Cobalt 12603468,2.4L,LE5,VV T,MN5 0 A F50113 $Call Schram Auto and Truck - Lansing USA-MI(Mason) E-mail 800-462-9292 / 517-694-2154 11

2008 Engine Pontiac Solstice 12599675,2.4L,STARTE R BOLTS X-THREAD 0 A F50073 $Call Schram Auto and Truck - Lansing USA-MI(Mason) E-mail 800-462-9292 / 517-694-2154

The FWD one is the same as the RWD one as well. Look into 2.2L Cobalt engines also

mrdontplay Reader
4/30/09 5:18 p.m.

Nashco wrote:
mrdontplay wrote: ecotec is my #1 choice but it's also $$$$. RWD engines are easier to swap in.
You can get a RWD 2.4 Ecotec (from a Solstice/Sky) for $600 or less according to car-part.com, obviously those are too new to show up in U-Pull yards. What kind of budget are you on? Bryce

The colorado transmission is pretty expensive. I'm a reatreader so my budget is very small

Nashco SuperDork
4/30/09 6:08 p.m.

mrdontplay wrote:
Nashco wrote:
mrdontplay wrote: ecotec is my #1 choice but it's also $$$$. RWD engines are easier to swap in.
You can get a RWD 2.4 Ecotec (from a Solstice/Sky) for $600 or less according to car-part.com, obviously those are too new to show up in U-Pull yards. What kind of budget are you on? Bryce
The colorado transmission is pretty expensive. I'm a reatreader so my budget is very small

FWIW, I would use a Sky/Solstice trans, that way you have the bellhousing, engine, trans, etc. in one shot. You'd probably be into it for about $500-1000 more than getting a 3400 and mating it to a Camaro trans, though.

Bryce

MrJoshua SuperDork
4/30/09 6:30 p.m.

Miata 1.6 and trans with Megasquirt and turbo in the future. 250whp isnt impossible.

mrdontplay Reader
5/1/09 4:29 p.m.

I think a solctice transmission might put the shifter in the back seat