Well lets put it this way he is getting the whole lsj car for 1700 dollars so let the debate go on...and lsj would be a better platform than le5 so unless you can build the le5 for less than 2000 i dont see built motor any cheaper..

 

lol o no thats not the intended road by any means, as a matter of fact I was pretty hesitant typing it lol

 

If you or someone you can afford to pay is a hell of a fabricator, go for it!

 

thats actually debatable. the extra displacement and variable cam timing is actually quite a bonus. supercharging a 2.4l has been proven to work well, some forged pistons and better rods and you could for sure push the eaton m62 to its limits, it would even take everything a tvs could throw at it.

if i were doing this, id buy the parts car, grab the supercharger setup and part the rest out. the lsj swap is whatever, although id sell it off and use the money to put into the 2.4l. the tranny swap is going to be the difficult part, your going to need to source parts from a g6 gxp to make it work. id honestly keep the automatic.

 

On all the malibu forums ive been able to find is that all the automatic transmissions in the malibus wont hold any power and are dropping them left and right

 

The LNF motor is way better than the LSJ, you should swap in a LNF instead.

 

Whats the year of your car? and positive you have a 4 speed?

I recommend doing a turbo install instead of swapping motors depending on the year of your car

 

Then build the trans

 

The oppurtunity is to buy an lsj car and not an lnf also its an 08 malibu with a 4 speed

 

so now you guys are saying build the motor build the transmission and then boost it..there is noway its achieved for under 6k dollars

 

whole cobalts ss lsj=2000 dollars
built tranny built motor and then boost=?

 

Your LSJ swap will not just cost 2000 dollars.....

 

A 2.4 can handle a stage 2 m62 setup. If funds are tight and cheap is what you seek boost is not for you.

 

Still a stock 2.4 with just valve springs can handle boost just fine.

 

I was thinking putting a s/c on my 06 malibu that has a 2.2. not trying to threadjack but glad to see someone else has the same idea

 

the whole car i can pick up right now for only 2000 dollars so what else will i need from there?
axles?
What else?

 

08 = weak rods

 

Swapping an LSJ AND manual transmission into an 08 Malibu is a massive undertaking. First thing youre gonna need to realize is that its illegal. its against federal law to install a 2007 engine into a 2008 vehicle.
Next you need custom exhaust as there was never an ECO powered manual trans Z body
Then youll need an F40 transmission out of a G6
Youll also need the G6s axles
shift cables
shift control lever
Brake pedal assembly
Clutch pedal assembly
clutch master cylinder
transmission mounts
Then youul need an F40 bellhousing out of a Saab 9.3 2.0T
The you need to drill all the holes for the shift cables and hydraulic clutch setup
Then youll need to custom make a center console or swap to a G6 complete dash and console
You need figure out how to rewire your reverse lights
You need to rewire your vehicle speed sensor and tune for different setup
You need to rewire your transmission shift interlock
You need to figure out if you want to wire in a clutch switch

Then Once all thats done, youre just gonna install all the M62 stuff onto your LE5 because youre out of your mind if you really wanna put an LSJ in a 2008 Malibu. Theres no upside to it

 

Explain to me how its against federal law and also why you have to switch transmissions?

 

How do you specifically know all 08's have weak rods without looking at a casting #?

 

I don't. But 08 was the magic year for cobalts

 

The reason I'm wanting to swap is because the 2.4 is a ridiculously weak motor and by swapping, the motor has potential. Forged pistons and rods for the 2.4 are 1200 dollars alone without any other parts. Granted, they are rated at 800 hp, but i can run decent hp out of the lsj motor with only a cai, exhaust, minor bolt ons and a more aggressive tune. I'm not trying to make a race car, i just want something people have never seen before, will always remember and something that will be respected. Also, i too want to know how is that illegal?

 

What? Forged rods that can take 3-400 hp car 250 bucks for a set at your dealership. Just need to make sure you tell them its an 06 or 07 2.4. Even that with your goals of the LSJ the LE5 would make more torque and still handle the power if you just put those mods on it along with the blower off the LSJ.

It is illegal by federal law to install an older engine in a new emissions controlled car. But they have not problem doing same year or newer into older.

 

Will be much cheaper to turbo/s/c the 2.4 and build it a little if you are really worried about blowing it up. The 2.4L block is superior. You could swap the rotating assembly and toss some boost at it for far less effort than an LSJ swap, and the built auto would be better than the fragile LSJ manual transmissions anyway.

 

You are all missing the point though. Its not a point of having the fastest gen 7 malibu in the world, its just customizing. Uniqueness is the key