I had an 87 with the 5 spd., and an 81 X-11 before that. Wonder how hard it is to find engine parts for a 2.8L these days.
Someone one here kinda wanted one of these.
I would love to hear this "rod knock", if it goes down the road great. Self diagnosed? I bet dropping the pan and sliding some new bearings in there would cure it. But is it worth the ask for a broken car?
Pretty common new but a unicorn ow. Can't remember the last time I saw one.
wow...looks like a great 3800SC swap candidate for a wild sleeper.
Wow, dang. Yeah, a unicorn for sure.
It can be saved. (I hope).
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Looks really solid in the pics. Hard to give it a value. Some might pay more than a same condition iroc-z, most wouldn't give half the Camaro price
Do we think it’s just bearings? If that’s it, for $2500 this seems like a good price.
I test drove one of those new in High School with a friend. He ended up getting a Mustang GT instead, probably a good choice. IIRC, a team raced the hatch version because it had better aero, when is the last time you saw one of those?
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
Or, just swap a 3400 into it in a weekend....
Twice now, I have come across a Beretta GT on the road, in great shape. Just like this, white with red trim and those mesh wheels. It has a blue intoerior so an interesting Red.White, Blue vibe.
akylekoz said:I would love to hear this "rod knock", if it goes down the road great. Self diagnosed? I bet dropping the pan and sliding some new bearings in there would cure it. But is it worth the ask for a broken car?
I bet dropping the engine out and sliding in a 3100 would make the thing really zing. Much much better engine and the electronics should be easy to swap in.
These cars are absolute garbage. I bought one new, and it was an unsellable pile in less than three years.
If you try to make an autocross run, you will overheat your power steering fluid and only have power assist about half the time, with no predictable pattern.
The seats will break. They won't actually break, but the stamped steel "frame" in the lumbar area will just begin to tear away and offer little to no support. Your youthful back will be in constant pain, 24/7.
It will rust very quickly in all kinds of places, in spite of every bit of effort to keep it clean, dry and waxed.
I'd rather be struck by one of these cars, than to own another one.
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
Probably why they're unicorns now.
Woody (Forum Supportum) said:These cars are absolute garbage. I bought one new, and it was an unsellable pile in less than three years.
If you try to make an autocross run, you will overheat your power steering fluid and only have power assist about half the time, with no predictable pattern.
The seats will break. They won't actually break, but the stamped steel "frame" in the lumbar area will just begin to tear away and offer little to no support. Your youthful back will be in constant pain, 24/7.
It will rust very quickly in all kinds of places, in spite of every bit of effort to keep it clean, dry and waxed.
I'd rather be struck by one of these cars, than to own another one.
I dunno. When my wife was my new girlfriend many moons ago her older sister gave her a 1986 Sunbird - a badge variant of the Cavalier. It was 8 years old at the time. It had been run so low on ATF that it wouldn't move. We dumped a bunch of fluid in it where it was abandoned (at her pizza delivery job) and drove it to my house. I did a transmission filter and fluid change and my wife daily drove it for quite a while. It was zippy, nimble, and fun to drive. It looked good too.
It lost a battle with a Jersey barrier and wasn't worth fixing, but it was an enjoyable car while it lasted. I am well aware that I'm looking through rose-colored nostalgia glasses... 😂
How hard would it be to stuff a supercharged 3800 in one? Asking for a friend.
In reply to Woody (Forum Supportum) :
Mine worked great for the nine years I owned it, and it was five years old when I bought it. The only reason I got rid of it was as a trade in for the truck I bought to haul my race car around with.
How about swapping a 2.4L Ecotec or a 2.0L turbo from any of a number of current GM fwd cars?
In reply to racerfink :
Ecotec may not be terrible, depending on how much it shares with the Quad 4.
The only 2.0 turbo that would fit without gobs of effort would be the Opel 2.0 turbo that came in the Sunbirds and the Skyhawk T-type.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:akylekoz said:I would love to hear this "rod knock", if it goes down the road great. Self diagnosed? I bet dropping the pan and sliding some new bearings in there would cure it. But is it worth the ask for a broken car?
I bet dropping the engine out and sliding in a 3100 would make the thing really zing. Much much better engine and the electronics should be easy to swap in.
Should also be a good time to add a 5- or 6-speed, yes?
I know that these cars are absolutely terrible vehicles. I remember riding around in these rattletraps as a kid, and how they were hopelessly cheap and awful in terms of build quality and performance. But I can't help myself from wanting one. They look great, and I would imagine with some sort of engine swap, they would be entertaining as a 2nd vehicle that you don't have to depend on.
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