Ive seen the 2.2 in s10s and sonamas, is it not the same engine that sits horzontally in my cavaliers bay? I am not a trained mechanic, u can probally tell by my grammar.... Lol.... Ya i said it. But if they are the same, the mounts, tranny and drive shaft should essentialy fit together(not going into length and width details) ill get the specs and compare when im not at work. Im just wondering on what all ye olde grease smeared folk know or think on the matter
You would have to completely redo the car to make that work. Where does the rear end and suspension from the S10 mount? Where are good mounting points in the cavalier bay to custom make your own new mounts? Where do you plan to run the drive shaft because the cavalier doesn't have a driveshaft tunnel to the back. Fuel tank?
"In Oldskool we trust"
As far as grammar goes, I am not sure what you're getting at. I see very little punctuation, run on sentences, and spelling errors. So I guess you're implying that we, the "trained grease-smeared folk," handle our verbiage a bit better. So thanks for that compliment. Granted, most of us are not grease monkeys. Many of us are engineers. Now, let's proceed to the thoughts and knowledge.
Well regardless of the rhetoric, I think you're on the right track. First, you need a heavily modified engine cradle, or a full custom solution for those mounts. That's going to take a toll on your suspension, so you're going to need custom front suspension right out of the gate here. That's already a chunk of change and if you have someone else do it, it's going to cost a couple thousand bucks AT LEAST. Using the engine and transmission together is a good start. You can essentially use whatever rear end (axle/differential) you want, as long as it fits PHYSICALLY and isn't overkill or underkill for your application. You'll need to weld and/or bolt some mounts for the differential housing. A custom driveshaft is going to be probably the easiest aspect of this project. You'll need custom CV axles for the rear or figure out a solid axle. You'll need to cut a tunnel for the exhaust pipe to be redirected to, since the most direct path to the back of the vehicle will be where the exhaust sits now, and that's where you'll want to guide your driveshaft. You'll need to modify your shifter or use a transmission that sits far enough back to gain access to a shifting mechanism, and probably either get a custom center console, modify your existing one, or ditch the center console altogether. This will require floor pan modification since the exhaust tunnel curves around the fuel tank, which will need to be relocated if the driveshaft is going to go there. Fuel cell maybe? Find a fuel tank that rests above a driveshaft to keep a filler neck option open for an OEM feel and mount it custom? There's some options there. You won't be able to use your stock I-beam axle. That's gotta go. Heat shields to prevent heat soak into the cabin from the exhaust pipe being placed under the driver. Or passenger. You'll need to cut the bulkhead to fit the transmission. How will that be reinforced? What about the floor pan that's getting chopped? How is that going to be reinforced? And if you're going through all this trouble to longitudinally mount a powertrain in an otherwise FWD car, why not do it with something that has more pizaazz? V8 swap? V6 swap even? Something with more potential?
Most of the RWD swaps you're going to find on a Cavalier are extreme. They have modified the frame of the car, reduced weight, custom engine cradles / suspension setups for the front, custom rear suspension, and custom eletronics. You won't be able to use your stock I-beam axle. You're going to need a new wheel hub for the RWD axle. Either way, there's going to be a butt ton of cutting, welding, and bolting, $$$$$. It's an intense amount of work, time, and money for a car with a $200 scrap value. This isn't a good DD project, not from a cavalier. An '83 Corolla would be a much better muse for an RWD conversion.
Indeed.
It might even be easier to start with an S10, remove the cab, bed, and everything else down to the frame so that only the drivetrain remains and then modify it as needed to fit the Cavalier's body. Might need to shorten the frame and lower the suspension. That path might work.
Brian
Haha! That's a Z24 with the Z71 suspension package there. Must be strange to drive a Cav being up high.
The beretta looks better, kind of like an old AMC Eagle.
For the Cav some extreme suspension lowering is definitely in order. Whatever extreme things those truck guys do to make lower their rides to make their beds practically drag on the ground might be the ticket for making the RWD S10/Cav mod look believable. Normally I really don't much care for those extreme truck lowering mods but if you are going to mod an S10 into a Cav then that seems the way to go.
Still... high or low - someone actually did it and that counts for something.
Brian
