Swapping my 2.2 ecotec to a 3.8 supercharged motor HELP!!!!!!!

[streetsoldier03]

I wanna swap my motor out to a 3.8 supercharged motor.....L32 or L67...i just wanna no what i need to do to get this done. im thinkin i might have to get new axels or better one but i dont no if i should get them fitting the sunfire or the motor ??????? Any advice helps thanks...

[Classicrocjunkie]

If your asking these questions, this swap is way over your head. It requires a complete re-wiring of the engine bay, PCM, custom subframe and upper motor mounts and 4l60e transmission or a 00-02 getrag for the 2.2OHV motor.

[jakegday]

still, a pretty badass idea tho..

man, this cavalier section sure has gone to sh**... i remember 5-6 years ago there were tons of new posts on a daily basis... there was a group of like 10-20 of us on here every day that always had all the answers.. guess these cars are just dying off.

[J-Ri]

I realize this is kindda old, but I read it before looking at the date...

Don't swap engines, just supercharge the one you have. My car (see signature) will beat every stock supercharged 3.8L I've raced (legally, on a drag stip, of course). http://www.summitracing.com/parts/NAL-17800003 That's just the first google shopping result for "GMPP ecotec supercharger", shop around, you might find a better deal. That's what I have on my car, and I love it (thanks Cody! ). I did add a smaller pulley (more boost) and a charge air cooler (more, colder air), but that was about an extra $200 combined (with parts from e-bay). If you install them at the same time as the kit, it would take just a couple more hours. I believe GM also has a tune for stage 2 and stage 3 Cavaliers (for smaller pullies and coolers), but if I remeber right, stage 3 disables the A/C electronically. Look into HP tuners for tuning, it was about $700 when I got it, but well worth it if you get this kit. If you'd like, I'll give you the tune I did for my car, but use it at your own risk. You can blow the engine if it's done wrong, mine's been fine for 35,000 miles, but you never know.

IMO, a DIYer with pretty basic tools could install it in a weekend (took me about 8 hours taking my time, but I'm an automotive technician, and that was on a hoist with just about every tool imaginable.

The Ecotec is just about all aluminum (light) , and the 3800s are just about all cast iron (super heavy). Cavaliers have a lot of understeer anyway, I wouldn't go adding hundreds of pounds in front of the front axle.

Of course, increasing the air intake on a 3800 would surpass the performance of an ecotec, but if you do what I did, you'll have about the power of the L67, and just a little less than the L32. But remember, if you build something to be really fast, you want to be able to stop and turn well, having an extreemly front-heavy car isn't good for anything but straight-line speed.