Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

as this motor isnt going into a cobalt i figured its still very relevent info to many people on here.

goals- 400hp at the wheels and reliable enough for a daily driver in the summer months

the motor- 2.2l l61 ecotec from a 2005 cavalier.

parts already here:
-wiseco 8.9:1 pistons
-eagle H-beam rods
-fidenza flywheel
-gm performance adjustable cam gears
-level zero motorsports tri-flow cams
-level zero motorsports balance shaft delete kit
-arp headstuds
-custom turbo header
-t04b v-trim turbo

parts on order/planned
-gm main bearings
-clevite rod bearings
-arp main studs
-stainless valves
-gm/bates valve springs
-tial 38mm wastegate
-saab turbo intake, or custom
-spec stage 3+ clutch






engine support
-megasquirt 2 stand alone ecu, 2.687t4 firmware
-24lb primary injectors for idle and cruise
-60lb secondary injectors
-gm 2.2l ohv coilpacks/module


so by now im sure many are wondering if this motor isnt going into a balt, whats it going into

the car
-90 pontiac sunbird LE turbo convertable
-1st gen cavalier front end swap with custom front bumper
-custom air ride suspention, firestone bags and 2 viare 450 compressors
-91 cavalier interior swap with integra rsx seats
-92 z24 rear bumper and tail lights
-89 z24 sideskirts








we did the motor swap last winter. we are the first to complete an ecotec swap into an older gm fwd. it uses an f23 getrag and stock axles. we got tired of the problematic 2.0l turbo ohc motor and lack of aftermarket and had been talking about an ecotec swap for a couple years and decided what the hell. basicly we started with the knowledge of the stock axles worked in the f23 tranny, aside from that it was a motor and a car, just cut, welded, modified, wired, plumbed, ect till it was running. i built the megasquirt myself and wired the entire car. we did the entire thing, never once sent the car out for work. we didnt have that much luck with the stock ecotec boosted. it was fast as hell (i figured around 250hp at 13psi) but a couple tuning glitches and weak pistons and over the year ended up breaking 4 pistons. not satisfied with simply turning the boost down brings us to this project.

im just begining the engine build. after tearing down the last motor is showed the sleeves were in pretty bad shape and the crank needed to be turned .010 to make it useable, so we opted to find another block and crank. all i have done is ballhone the cylenders and de-burr the block and main girdle and drilling/tapping holes for the knock sensor and oil return.

ill be updating this thread with progress and more pics throughout the build. comments/opinions welcome

RedBaseBolt

I'll give you points for being creative. Thats for sure. I remember the 2.0L sunbird motors. My friend had a grand am with that motor in it. It broke every other weekend and only sucked back 94 octaine. It was a beast though running 13 psi with no intercooler.

IonNinja

wow very nice, not a big fan of verts but I like the fact that its not just a show car...

how involved was swapping to the 2.2 ohv ignition? besides getting the distributor and plugs, what else was needed?

also kind of a goofy question but I wonder, since MS has complete control over fuel and ignition...does the factory ECU throw a ton of CELs?

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

the factory ecu in that car, well, isnt in the car anymore. the only thing it would have controlled was the speedo, and with some inginuety we got that working without the ecu. the car is completly rewired, i spent 100 hours just wiring it. there is nothing that resembles any stock computer in this car.

the 2.2l ohv ignition was no problem. the pre 07 2.2l use a 7x crank trigger, the same as used in the 2.2l ohv. hook the crank sensor to the ignition module, computer to that, no big deal.

the 2.0l sohc was a beast. broken all the time but running it was ausome. without a chip it wouldnt run more than 12psi (fuel cut at 12psi).

ill get some more pics of the eco thios weekend. i have the block debured and cleaned up, rotating assembly is going to the balancing shop tomorow.

IonNinja

wow, yeah thats a little more time that I can afford to put into a DD

okay so essentially, this is a direct swap that could be done with the factory ECU still in place? hmmmm, although if you're going this route you'd probably be going standalone anyway.

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

you can do it with a factory pcm. the crank position sensor sends the signal to the pcm and the pcm fired the coils. with the 2.2l ohv ignition we used (94 and older) the crank signal is hooked to the coil module, and all the pcm does is controll timing. you actualy dont need a pcm input to the coil module (just 12v+, ground and a tach signal to the pcm) for the coils to fire, you just have fixed timing. i know 95+ 2.2ohv went to sending the crank signal to the pcm, so that may work for you, im not sure.

IonNinja

cool, thanx for the info

good to know possible options other than the Ford EDIS

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

bit of an update. i picked the stuff up from the balancing shop today. surprizingly the crank was very close to correct balance as it was, however the rods and pistons were out a pile. my balancing guy is very pickey, most guys balance to +/-1 gram, my guy does down to -/+ 0.1 grams. there is reasons to be this fussy, not so much in a motor like this but in some of the other high horsepower stuff ive built.

the block is now prepped. i de-burred all the sharp edges, drilled and tapped for the oil return for the turbo, drilled the block for the old style knock sensor (used with the megasquirt), ball-honed the cylender walls and got it painted



its actualy cast iron grey, the pics look more like a light ford grey. it will look much better after i get the clear on it.

i also pulled the head apart today so i can get it cleaned up. the head is from an 02 malibu, not that it makes a difference.




hoping in the next week or so ill get my equipment back to cc everything. for anyone curious ill post combustion chamber volume and piston volume. im still waiting on bearings and main bolts, should have that early in the week though

osiris

Nice work!

That's gonna be sweet when done!

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

i finally got my barett back and got to cc-ing the motor

stock piston- 2.25cc
wiseco "8.9:1" piston- 7.75cc
combustion chamber with stock dished valves- 52.25cc
stock intake valve- 1.75cc
stock exaust valve- 0.25cc

with the stock stock .020" head gasket it puts me at 9.24:1. now depending on the dish of the valves i get compression could go up or down. also, turbo tech racing has a .040, .045 and .051" thick cometic head gaskets, so i can adjust compression up or down if need be. so after doing this, i now know wiseco 8.9:1 pistons put you at 9.24, right were i wanna be. i also know im pretty acurate as the stock pistons put me at 9.99:1.

TurboTechRacing

iTrader: (24)

Very nice work

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

shortblock is now mostly together, just need to install the balancxe shaft delete bushings, put the water pump chain on and install the oil pan. pics to follow

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

complete short block





im actualy still waiting on the bushings for the balance shaft delete, once i get them ill post pics. im now waiting on the bates 94lb spring kit and the stainless valves. i also have porting to get done now. itll probly be a while before i have a big update on this.

Sinbird

balance shafts bushings and balance shaft dlete kit is installed, valves were in portland OR as of last night Scratch that out for delivery! looks like i might be goin south to pick it up tonight

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

ok well not so long since the last update, but this is a big one, the valve train and balance shaft bushings have now showed up.

balance shaft delete kit


stainless valves, bates 94lb valve springs, titanium retainers and spring seats.


intake valve new/old


exaust new/old


spring seats and retainers, new/old


springs new/old


for some reason i had this pile on my bench


yea thats right, i was doing some weight reduction on the head. actualy, my dad, who has been building race motors for over 30 years did it, and while he was at it he improved the ports. here is the intake



and the exaust


im going to have to either build or buy a valve spring compressor for this head, as i have a huge c-clamp designed for valve springs with 350+ lbs on the seat, so its a bit on the large side.

rob561

lookin good

IonNinja

good work, I like where this build is going

i didn't know the stock HG was .020"
i see I may have slightly dropped compression as I have a .040" cometic HG installed right now.

cobalt_driver

very sweet!

Leafy

All that engine... and no Fiero to put it in? That's what I would be doing, good job though guys.

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

4 cyls shouldnt be put in fieros, those cars can make use of a large amount of torque, v6 or v8 or fail

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

cylender head is now together. ended up having to build my own valvespring compressor as i could only get a snap on one for an ungodly amoutn of money. worked alright aside from a slight design flaw smashing me in the face (litteralty).




not a whole lot to see. head gasket should be hear tomorow and hoping this weekend ill be wrapping up the engine building portion. still need to modify the turbo manifold for an external wastegate, waiting on the clutch.

Leafy

You can Make a large amount of Torque with an LSJ or any other boosted ecotec, ALOT more than any of the 60 Degree pushrod V6's can make. It's also possibly the lightest GM FWD engine they make these days. It's perfect for the 2500-2750lb Fiero.

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

you can make a lot of torque with an lsj, too bad its all above 5000rpm like any 4 cyl. ive seen some 3400s making some rediculous power, 350hp is perfectly atainable with a stock motor and a proper sized turbo at 10psi, been done in the early j-bodies quite a few times. i know in an early j-body you can do a turbo 3400 making 350hp for around $2500, ya cant beat that. ive ridden in a turbo eco fiero, at 15 psi it really didnt impress me, it was quick, but the 4.9l caddy fiero ive ridden in was a hell of a lot faster.

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

been a while since ive updated, just figured out the last pics i took were still on the camera.



that was getting the cam specs (level zero motorsports doesnt give cam cards, so nothing to go by). calculated the centerline with stock cam gears then set it up with the adjustable gears. to anyone just throwing on adjustable gears, the marks really mean nothing. by setting the gears to 0, without degreeing the cams you will be way out to lunch.

ill take some more pics tonight, the motor itself is finnished. im now fitting the turbo manifold with a tial sport wastegate and building a new downpipe to delete the flapper valve internal wastegate. ran into an issue, finding out that the turbo we are using isnt a standard ford 5 bolt t3 downpipe flange, rather being a large frame t3 (looks the same, just bigger), so the proper flange is a few days away yet.

ok got some new pics






waste gate is mounted, just gonna make a support bracket for it. i need to finnish welding up the wastegate-downpipe peice, and of course need the downpipe flange and build the new downpipe.

on a sidenote, the clutch should be here in a couple days. went with a spec stage 3+, should get the job done.

now that he is a vendor, i gotta put a big thanks out to karo from allecotec.com, he has been a big help with getting parts for this entire build. his stuff is top knotch and great to deal with.

KyleMinnis

interesting...