Going sleeper

Im gunna look basically stock exept for some graphics and exaust. I will have around $600 to spend. Ive already decided that i am going to get Headers and a full exaust and a home made wai so basically i have $100 more dollars to spend. What should i do? Oh yea i have a 2003 Ecotec Cavalier.

Hmmm.... $100? I'd suggest a thinner head gasket to boost compression ratio and then track down your local boneyard to hunt down bigger GM injectors and fuel pump. I'd think that a Malibu or a 4cylinder Grand Am would be a good place to look.

....do you even know what a sleeper is?

not modding your car very much doesnt make it a sleeper. slapping gay ricey graphics all over your car doesnt make it a sleeper either. a sleeper is a car that looks stock and is FAST. if all you do is exhaust and header it wont be a sleeper just because it is close to stock because it will also be slow.

....do you even know what a sleeper is?

not modding your car very much doesnt make it a sleeper. slapping gay ricey graphics all over your car doesnt make it a sleeper either. a sleeper is a car that looks stock and is FAST. if all you do is exhaust and header it wont be a sleeper just because it is close to stock because it will also be slow.
:nono: :lol: I meant to say i maight be putting graphics on it. I was typing in a hurry. Thats not all i plan on doing. But in a couple years i plan on doing a turbo.

if you put a single graphic on it then it wont be a sleeper. it has to look stock. some faggy lightning bolt or japanese writing or MUGEN symbol will make it rice, not sleeper.

if you put a single graphic on it then it wont be a sleeper. it has to look stock. some faggy lightning bolt or japanese writing or MUGEN symbol will make it rice, not sleeper.


I disagree alittle. The lightning bolt or graphics dont make a car rice or is it faggy. Some cars just need the help of graphics or the stickers just to make the owner drive it everyday because of the shitty stock form. I may be doing black tribal from the front to the back to help that viper red paint to show out alittle more. Along with a column of stickers on each front door panel(turbo xs, greddy, etc, all the manufactures i actually bought things from). I wont be a sleeper, who actually cares if you have a fast sleeper. Within a week ill be hitting the 13's with the new turbo(hopefully, gst's with similar mods are hitting 13's with ease). But if this puts me in the ricer catagory, well my rice tastes better than yours...

I would agree that putting any graphics would not make it a sleeper. A sleeping is a car that doesn't really look like it is fast but it is. Adding graphics give the illusion of speed.

i'm sorry to say but till you rebuild the engine and put a turbo aka blowing over $6000 just for the engine at least the cav will not be a sleeper....


you should put the money you have and try to iprove the handling then take it to some autocross courses...there you only need skill and handling...power is usualy much less important on those courses

I don't think thats a sleeper since the graphics will make most people think your fast (if they watched fast+furious this is the conclusion most people draw sad to say). The best sleepers are like my car (87 grand national) no one expects the rust bucket to haul ass but if I had a noisy exhaust and "ghetto pro-street" down the side than they'd think twice about racing me or be too busy laughing to race me.

I don't think thats a sleeper since the graphics will make most people think your fast (if they watched fast+furious this is the conclusion most people draw sad to say). The best sleepers are like my car (87 grand national) no one expects the rust bucket to haul ass but if I had a noisy exhaust and "ghetto pro-street" down the side than they'd think twice about racing me or be too busy laughing to race me.


sorry but anyone that knows anything about cars will spot your grand national a mile away...even disguised as a regular regal...i would still be suspicious.....


so imo grand nationals are not the best sleepers....too notorious

ahhh what are you thinking............no gay graphics eww yucky. No no don't you know anything about cars? Import stickers don't make your car go faster son. lol comon now. And you don't even know whata sleep0r is gosh you need a role model............ I gota sleep0r i gota 86' with a shitty paint job and the hood is spray painted black so its grayish lol everyone laughs at it but its ok. i love it and plus they don't laugh once they race me. And everything in the engine is stock like all my headers and pistons and shit its all stock everyone thinks its slow at first. I gota question tho.............. what do you suggest should i make it look nicer like get a new paint job and get the windows re-tinted and get some nice rims and new tires? or should i just keep it sleep0r style? because i use to want to get it fixed up nice but now i'm kinda likeing this sleep0r shit becuase everyone thinks i'm slow so they never wanna race me and they get all cocky but then at the end i always beat em. so whatcha guyz think?

ahhh what are you thinking............no gay graphics eww yucky. No no don't you know anything about cars? Import stickers don't make your car go faster son. lol comon now. And you don't even know whata sleep0r is gosh you need a role model............ I gota sleep0r i gota 86' with a shitty paint job and the hood is spray painted black so its grayish lol everyone laughs at it but its ok. i love it and plus they don't laugh once they race me. And everything in the engine is stock like all my headers and pistons and shit its all stock everyone thinks its slow at first. I gota question tho.............. what do you suggest should i make it look nicer like get a new paint job and get the windows re-tinted and get some nice rims and new tires? or should i just keep it sleep0r style? because i use to want to get it fixed up nice but now i'm kinda likeing this sleep0r shit becuase everyone thinks i'm slow so they never wanna race me and they get all cocky but then at the end i always beat em. so whatcha guyz think?


so when you say 86 i presume you mean a corola gts aka trueno right?

EC0T3C.. Who cares if it's not a sleeper, turn your car into rice that bites back :) Nowadays it seems anything with a sticker, wing or a new set of rims is rice. Of course, a cavaliar isn't the best choice to do that with :( But, if you want that bit of extra kick in the car, then go ahead :) And with the extra $100. Send it to me :)

i'm sorry to say but till you rebuild the engine and put a turbo aka blowing over $6000 just for the engine at least the cav will not be a sleeper....


you should put the money you have and try to iprove the handling then take it to some autocross courses...there you only need skill and handling...power is usualy much less important on those courses
:lol: I laugh at that quote of money. Turbo kit= 2500 for more than 10psi, Forged internals= 700, Lightweight flywheel/ clutch assembly= 600, Exaust= less than 200, suspention mods= ~500, and pully system= ~150. Add that all up and you have ~4650.

And if you give me the money for that ill have a 12 second car.

:lol: I laugh at that quote of money. Turbo kit= 2500 for more than 10psi, Forged internals= 700, Lightweight flywheel/ clutch assembly= 600, Exaust= less than 200, suspention mods= ~500, and pully system= ~150. Add that all up and you have ~4650.

and could you install all that stuff yourself? i SERIOUSLY doubt that you could. so you have to add much labor costs. and as another note, a turbo system aint shit unless you tune it so you have to figure in a couple dyno runs... and you arent going to get an exhaust system for less than 200 unless its total ass.

and could you install all that stuff yourself? i SERIOUSLY doubt that you could. so you have to add much labor costs. and as another note, a turbo system aint shit unless you tune it so you have to figure in a couple dyno runs... and you arent going to get an exhaust system for less than 200 unless its total ass.


Haha you have no idea what kind of connections i have. Trust me on this one.

ECOT3C, I'm afraid too many trips to the dragstrip have made you blind to what that engine is really capable of.

The engines in the FACTORY SUPPORTED GM compact drag cars- I repeat FACTORY SUPPORTED- are Ecotec in block alone. In order to drag large power levels out of that engine you're looking at cams, ported head, bigger valves, polished billet crank, radical twin plug ignition, huge aftermarket injectors, custom intake manifolds, and open headers.

And that's if you're willing to live with NA power levels which will still only be in the area of 300hp. And I'm here to tell you that 300hp NA four cylinders DON'T last in day to day driving.

Friend of my father's had a 330hp NA Neon twin-cam. Thing was wicked fast, but spent most of its time in the shop with blown head gaskets and broken valvesprings.

I'm with Neutrino, start working on making that Cavalier lighter and the suspension somewhere in the realm of competent (trust me, one good rushed corner will show you how much body roll, chassis flex, and understeer is inherent to the Cavalier chassis) and go autocrossing. Otherwise be prepared to drop a lot more than a few-hundred dollars.

Besides, you've still got to face the fact that you're fighting an uphill battle. The book price on your Cavalier is about $17,000. Give me $17,000 and I'll come back with a Porsche 928S4 that'll stomp your Cavvy into dust in a straight line and in the corners. Plain and simple, you've been overcharged for an underperforming economy car. Don't waste your time trying to match numbers with professionally built factory drag cars, save your cash and invest in a proper sports machine.

And if you give me the money for that ill have a 12 second car.


Again I have to say SHOW SOME PROOF. Give me a timeslip of another cav thats in the 12's with those mods. Everyone who says they have a 12 sec car surely dont run 12's at the track. You just rambled some things you think might get you a 12 sec car. And every diffrent turbo set up give totally diffrent hp outputs. So putting a turbo on your car wont nessessarily give you 1 sec off your 1/4 time. Just like all those mods wont get you a 12 sec car.

Besides, you've still got to face the fact that you're fighting an uphill battle. The book price on your Cavalier is about $17,000. Give me $17,000 and I'll come back with a Porsche 928S4 that'll stomp your Cavvy into dust in a straight line and in the corners. Plain and simple, you've been overcharged for an underperforming economy car. Don't waste your time trying to match numbers with professionally built factory drag cars, save your cash and invest in a proper sports machine.
Hmm look again at it. I only paid just over 11k for title and licencing and the car it self. I dought you could find a car that its 11k new and it would stomp my cavy.

no one said stickers make you faster, they were talking about the image it gives out, i don't see anything wrong with sporting the companies that made my car what it is today, hell at the strip i see muscle cars with there stickers of there sponsers all over them so thats not rice
its just sporting or maybe even showing off in a way
and designs, i see no diff in vipers with two big stripes going from front to back, or the old muscles with flames of fire all over them, than the imports that put dragons and other kind of stuff on them also.

Yea of course most people will recognize the national as being fast but alot of people mistake it for being a delta 88 (I have no idea why, I could see maybe a monte carlo..), and catching a glimpse of it on the highway its hard to spot unless you were close enough.

I agree it isn't a complete sleeper but it looks like less of a threat to most people than a newer flashier car, just for the simple fact that younger guys who aren't that into older cars won't know what it is and think its just some old buick.

Again I have to say SHOW SOME PROOF. Give me a timeslip of another cav thats in the 12's with those mods. Everyone who says they have a 12 sec car surely dont run 12's at the track. You just rambled some things you think might get you a 12 sec car. And every diffrent turbo set up give totally diffrent hp outputs. So putting a turbo on your car wont nessessarily give you 1 sec off your 1/4 time. Just like all those mods wont get you a 12 sec car.

Sure his mods= hybrid cam and turbo.

http://projecteco.com/Videos/SpdRcr%20vs%20Rocket.MPG

he ran a 12.87

11k new, you're right. It's a bargain basement price for a new car. But, realistically speaking for those of us who make our wages wrenching on cars day in, day out, new cars are ridiculously expensive. Smart used shopping will always land you in a good car for good money.

So, you can take 11k and buy your Cavalier new. I'll take 11k and buy aMk II Supra (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2441142402&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting)
http://i6.ebayimg.com/03/i/00/dc/06/58_3.JPG
and I'll meet you at the track.

I'm very willing to bet you I'll win.

Heres the time slip http://www.j-body.org/members/timeslips/3409/

My SHO is the ultimate sleeper! Everybody thinks its just a Taurus! Would a Taurus go 0-60 in 6.7 seconds stock? I love seeing the faces on everybody when I redline that thing at 7000 RPM and all the smoke that comes out of my dual Pipes :lol:

Heres the time slip http://www.j-body.org/members/timeslips/3409/


LOL you see that 60 ft time? He HAS TO BE RUNNING SLICKS. And hes probably a professional driver. Are you? no, so with that same car youd probably run a low 14, high 13. Like I said, just because you have a 12 sec car dont mean your gunna run a 12 sec time at the track.

ok so we have a video in which we cannot even see the time, a cavalier that we have no ideea what mods it has and a random timeslip from an unknow z24 with unknown mods


and trust me when i put those numbers i was unedrestimating.....a good bottom reinforcing job its very expensive...i love your 700 estimate...yes with 700 you can get a set of cromolly rods that it is....add to that the price of new pistons, crank, sleeves the labor and a full balance job and you have spent around 3k to get a properly built bottom end

then spend another 1500+ on a proper head job

and then comes the turbo kit and trust me at 2500 you either are getting a POS turbo or its incomplete....most 2500 kits in my experience don't come with an intercooler

then comes tuning....which will set you back at least 1000$ for all the dyno pulls and to custom burn a cpu or pay money to get a piggyback or stand alone

and this is the way to properly turbo an engine to get serious power....you can do it cheaper and get a rod trough the block

LOL you see that 60 ft time? He HAS TO BE RUNNING SLICKS. And hes probably a professional driver. Are you? no, so with that same car youd probably run a low 14, high 13. Like I said, just because you have a 12 sec car dont mean your gunna run a 12 sec time at the track.
wrong again, street tires.

Yeah, you can run 12s on street tires on a FWD, but that is about the limit before you need to get some slicks.

Also, trust us on how much it is going to cost you to do this and do it right. I can tell you that the engine work I am planning to do on my car will be about $7,000 and my car came turbocharged from the factory so it isn't going to be some $5,000 job for your car. I guess you could do it for that price, but you wouldn't be doing it right and your asking for problems.

ok so we have a video in which we cannot even see the time

But if you count the time from the launch to about the time he hits the line. It's around high 12s to 13s.

I know what you are saing and maybe its true we are a bit harsh....but we are just trying to show him what really needs to be done to make a car fast...its a lot of work and its expensive...

sometimes some people make it sound like its a piece of cake but a lot of those people often are good mechanics and have their own shop or really good relations with one

fact is that it takes a lot of time and effort to prep a car right

If this is your only car you may want to think twice since you'll be without a car for possibly a long time, and if anything happens to it such as the engine becomming too unstable to be a daily driver its a bit of a waste of a car. But if you can do it, more power to you, good luck.

Damn it. You caught my post before I edited it. :lol: I was a bit cranky then. I know you have to set him right and I think he might know it takes lots of money. Atleast now he does. But now that he's been told, maybe help guide him to reach what he wants. Everyone that has modded cars starts out not knowing much about cars. They need to start somewhere. They might make outrageous claims and stupid comments (like I and some of you might have done before you knew much about cars). People aren't born with knowledge and must learn. So teach them. But teaching about things in a harsh matter does not help.

On an unrelated note. Neutrino, does autocross run anywhere near the Canadian border and Ontario?

On an unrelated note. Neutrino, does autocross run anywhere near the Canadian border and Ontario?


auto-x runs a lot of places....there is a good chance there is something close to you....

on the autox FAQ i ppsted there is a link with all the divisions....see it you can find out one close to you...then just go to that divisions site(link will be provided) there you'll find all the meeting places and times


and you were right we are sometimes a bit hars but we have so many people making the same claims that i guess we got a bit alergic


but anyway for ecotec...if you really want to get some details and specifics about turbos come in the forced induction forum inside the cars in general there are some very knowledgeable guys out there like slutty patton and saab johan

The good news is that your ecotec is a stout motor, and actually capable of some serious power. The bad news is that you need to buy a turbo (Don't buy an S/C they suck). Of course buy an intercooler too. Keep that $600 and save some more money. A LSD would help out too.

Im in luck. www.cavalierconnection.com wants to use my car as a test dummy for n/a applications. They want my car for a couple days to put a cai on and a headers. Total cost= price of materials. :biggrin:

Im in luck. www.cavalierconnection.com wants to use my car as a test dummy for n/a applications. They want my car for a couple days to put a cai on and a headers. Total cost= price of materials. :biggrin:


Me too, markmitsubishi wants to sponsor my car. All I have to do is pay for the parts and labor and im in...! Can you say HOOK UPS BABY..! Oh wait, something dont seem right...

Me too, markmitsubishi wants to sponsor my car. All I have to do is pay for the parts and labor and im in...! Can you say HOOK UPS BABY..! Oh wait, something dont seem right...



LOL....:grinno:




btw is that the same Mark Mitsubishi that wanted to rip that guy off ebay?

LOL....:grinno:




btw is that the same Mark Mitsubishi that wanted to rip that guy off ebay?


No im not sponsord or do I take my car to SCOTTSDALES RIP OFF MARKMITSUBISHI....they are the ones who ripped that guy off. I take my car to Glendales MARKMITSUBISHI and went to school with the service manager(and his mechanic is his roomate). So I get discounts on labor and thats about it. But all in all the shit is still expensive. And with that, thats the only reason I keep my car. Because I get semi cheap labor prices/ and I have the hopes of a descent looking sports car convertible running decent 13 second 1/4 miles times with minimal mods.

btw is that the same Mark Mitsubishi that wanted to rip that guy off ebay?

:lol:

Got to love ebay and all it's scams :) Of course, you get some true ones.

But anyways. Before you go and do the sponsor thing. I recommend you be carefull with the sponsoring. Try and get them to sign something that says, "if any damage is done to the car, I, ___________ and my company, _________, will pay for repairs to make the car like it was when it came into our garage/shop/establishment or pay for a new car, whichever is cheaper." Or else read the contract they give you if they do have one. Your car is a dummy car, so there going to do stupid testing things to it. If they are not liable for any damage, they can screw your car over.

It's a perfect way to try things out on cars with no strings attached. So read the contract or get with a lawyer and draw one up !! i'd hate to see you get a cavaliar back that has an engine blown to shits.

can anyone inform me what a cai is?

Yea i'm just responding to whom ever wanted to know what kinda 86' i got its a Nissan Z 300zx 86' btw. :grinno:














"all hondas are like tamponds every pussy needs one"

Yea i'm just responding to whom ever wanted to know what kinda 86' i got its a Nissan Z 300zx 86' btw. :grinno:














"all hondas are like tamponds every pussy needs one"
"And everything in the engine is stock like all my headers and pistons and shit its all stock everyone thinks its slow at first."

"In a quater mile i run low 10s at 163 mph i'd told you now you tell me since you so fast."


:sly: So your car has stock internals and traps 163 in the 1/4 mile? :screwy:

And everything in the engine is stock like all my headers and pistons and shit its all stock everyone thinks its slow at first.
All your headers ha intresting seeing as you can only have 1 set or a pair plus headers are not stock they are after market stock is big cast iron exhaust manifolds.

I think AF should have a stupidity mod, who would be charged with the important duty of closing threads like this one before they can damage the reputation of AF, and the intellect of people reading these threads... :icon16:

I think AF should have a stupidity mod, who would be charged with the important duty of closing threads like this one before they can damage the reputation of AF, and the intellect of people reading these threads... :icon16:
If i could, I would :p

11k new, you're right. It's a bargain basement price for a new car. But, realistically speaking for those of us who make our wages wrenching on cars day in, day out, new cars are ridiculously expensive. Smart used shopping will always land you in a good car for good money.

So, you can take 11k and buy your Cavalier new. I'll take 11k and buy aMk II Supra (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2441142402&indexURL=0&photoDisplayType=2#ebayphotohosting)
http://i6.ebayimg.com/03/i/00/dc/06/58_3.JPG
and I'll meet you at the track.

I'm very willing to bet you I'll win.

Geez next to no miles on that, I know I can get a MkII for about 3k Canadian with 160km's on it, I'm seriously thinkin' about it too since I will have about another 4k to get a 7mgte and a few mods (Ie metal head gasket :biggrin: ) and suspension and then have a nice little bullet-proof decently fast daily driver.

Building small engines to make big power is NOT cheap. The prices these guys are talking about are spot on.

Now, every part in your engine has a limit. If you want to do it on the cheap, you can set up that engine to get plenty of power for not very much money, but you would need to know EXACTLY what you are doing, understand every component of that engine, how it works, exactly how far you can push it before it'll snap, how long you can 14 psi of boost on 100 octane gas before you start melting the stock pistons, etc.

If the connecting rods are strong enough, you just might be able to do a rebuild with forged low compression pistons, a good head gasket, convert to a cheap EFI setup like the Megasquirt system, get a new ignition controller to retard the timing under boost, buy the turbo manifold, get a turbo and intercooler from a junkyard, have all the plumbing and 3" exhaust done by a muffler shop, and be able to belt out 12 second 1/4s with a stripped interior and a slipping clutch.

It can be done, but you need to REALLY know what you are doing, and it's a gamble every time. Stock components made for a naturally aspirated engine may not hold up under the stresses of forced induction, when the engine is making twice the torque at the same speeds.