I have had the fortune to own a Chevy and a Pontiac , so I've been able to compare the OHV to the OHC engines. I've found the stock 2.0 to be a reliable and easy engine to work on, but with a pretty mundane power curve. Mine has the iron block and head. My significant other has a 98 Cavalier with 2200 OHV w/iron block& alum head , and it too has been easy to work on , but not too exciting , but gets us where we are going.

The stock Brazil 1.8, however , feels more zippy & exciting, despite the fact that specs state it has less horsepower and torque that it's 2.0 OHV cousin.

It is definitely more complicated to work on. I thought I'd post a pict I found on the web of this 1.8 OHC. Even with the cam carrier & head removed, you can't even see the starter!! All you can get a glimpse of , is the solenoid!! The large pipe directly over the starter connects to the water pump that is driven by the timing belt. And of course if that belt breaks , well, so does your engine. since it is an interference design.

By contrast, the starter on the OHV engines are just behind the cooling fan, and the water pump is just under the alternator with 4 bolts and is as easy as a rear wheel drive vehicle...and that's really saying something!!
All our vehicles have had very reliable transmissions. I consider all the J-Bodies to have as bullet proof automatic transmissions as you can get in this day & age.

It is interesting that unless you've had an opportunity to experience both at the same time, you wouldn't know the differences, I'd just thought I'd share some of it with you!! :-)

....and to remember many years ago I would work under the hood of a Chevy Chevette, and be raisin' hell because it was "too tight under here to do anything but tear up your knuckles" ....oh how things have changed!! LoL

I thinks from the looks of that cam belt cover in the picture , that engine is a 2.0. The starter is just as bad in the 1.8 tho.

Yep, I had the pleasure of doing a starter recently on my 84. I went from the bottom, everything was pretty easy except the top bolt. Had to do that one like 1/16th of a turn at a time - that one took 3/4 of the time.

I am thinking of putting a turbo from a Ford 2.3 on my bird so I may have an extra turbo in the near future