Project: LS1 Chevette

[romulus22]

This is something I've talked about doing for years. Just never had the motivation or space to do it.


Starting off with a pretty solid '85 chevette with a killer 60 hp and 3 spd auto.





I got the car for pretty cheap and was just going to DD it for a while as it ran really good. But with today's highway speeds and my driving style I was only getting 21-25 avg mpg. No since driving a turd if it doesn't get killer mpg.

Here comes what I've been wanting to do for a while.
Good running driving '00 SS, just a little worse for wear in the cosmetic dept.



Pulling the engine the easy way,



All cleaned up



Today I got a little spare time and pulled the chevette engine, the sucky way.



And just dropped in the LS1 to check what I'm going to need to move.



I have a new oil pan on order and will need to massage the firewall and trans tunnel. Once I get the engine sitting lower and further back I will work on mounts.

So..... That's what i'll be working on for a while. Wish me luck.

[limestang]

Way cool!!! I look foward to seeing the finished project.

[RC10resto]

Your a brave man

[Diamond Dave]

I owned one of those Chevette's for a few years, drove the piss out of it and bought a parts car to keep it running.

This is going to be fantastic. Good luck!

[CruzinCustomz]

Nice project! That was my first car in high school.

[markbt73]

I love it! Keep it looking stock, though. The ultimate sleeper.

[jwscab]

how long is the driveshaft? about a foot long?

I suspect the hardest issue you will face is the rear tires.

[mk-Zero]

Wow, cool!

[jwscab]

oh yea, the rear is a little rinky dink thing too....are you narrowing the camaro rear to stuff under there?

[RC104ever]

It's an interesting project, that's for sure. My question is why? No offense, they were never desirable cars so why spend so much time and energy on converting it? (I know, I know, because you can)

I suppose its right up there with my dreams of converting a K car wagon in a similar fashion one day, lol

[romulus22]

The main reason for the LS1 is the power and efficiency of the engines. My old '02 SS was putting down 315 to the wheels and they were only rated at 325 to the crank. To get those numbers out of a carb engine there's no way ill get the fuel economy. I will be using a narrowed ford 9" with probably 2:73 gears or around that. Those highway gears in a car that will barely top 2000 lbs will be a 30mpg car.

The reason as to why other than because why not. It all comes down to power to weight ratio. It will look as close to stock as possible except for better tires. Another reason its staying auto is for easier launches at the strip. With a cheap set of slicks the car has the potential to be a mid 11 sec car and will be a monster on the highway. And what better that to do it in a plain Jane chevette.

[Coelacanth]

What are your plans for braking & suspension? All that power & added weight on a Chevette chassis with econo-box steering & braking sounds anything but safe. The donor Camaro was meant to handle it...the Chevette, not so much...

[jwscab]

even better, it's brown.

if you can use something other than a ford 9", in that application, you will be better served, although it's probably pretty cost effective with how many of them there are. just big and bulky and with your overall weight and HP, it's not really necessary.

[romulus22]

Stock suspension, stock brakes. Doesn't have to be safe to be fun. But in seriousness, this car won't be in a racing situation the stock brakes can't handle. A stripped down alternator only Alum LS1 might way 100 lbs more than the stock iron block 4cyl. The suspension will handle fine.

As for the rear end. The sole reason I'm going 9" is the cost. By time I rebuilt the Camaro rear I would be more into it than the 9". And I like the simplicity of the changeable center section of the 9" for future gear changes. When I say rebuild I'm talking narrowing. And 3:42 gears in a small tire lightweight car would be overkill. This will be a highway cruiser more than a race car.

[romulus22]

Working a lot of OT lately but making a little progress when I can. I have made it to the point of having the engine and trans fit in the car and under the hood no problems.






I was unhappy though with how high the nose of the engine is so I finally bit the bullet and bought a welder for the house so I can do more at home. I just finished notching the crossmember, lowering the steering rack is next. Then the engine and trans goes back in for mounts.