Clearly, there is room behind the driver seat for an entire FWD powertrain. Leaving plenty of room up front to work in a suspension re-do and a fuel cell.
Clearly, there is room behind the driver seat for an entire FWD powertrain. Leaving plenty of room up front to work in a suspension re-do and a fuel cell.
RossD wrote: My swap of choice would be a turbo Ecotec with whatever manual trans works with the shifter layout (Canyon/Colorado or Solstice/Sky).
This. Although for cheapness and simplicity I'd probably stick with a 2.8/3.1/3.4 V6. Plus that was a hot swap way back when I had mine. Plus it could be an all GM swap with some research since GM did it back in the 80s. GM V6 Chevette
Not sure I see the reason for the hate? RWD, light body-shell, double a-arm front suspension. The styling of the shell is somewhat bland, but certainly no worse than say an early VW Rabbit. I see more of a blank canvas than anything else.
My own recollection is that they were bland and slow, but hard to actually kill.
A GRMer should be able to work with that foundation.
They had without a DOUBT the worst brakes of any car made since the 70's. If you add power, you better upgrade the brakes.
NGTD wrote: They had without a DOUBT the worst brakes of any car made since the 70's. If you add power, you better upgrade the brakes.
If you just want to drive it at all you better upgrade the brakes 
There's a reason there isn't an underhood shot. 102% of all chevettes made rust the upper strut towers out and end up with dents in the hood from the shocks poking through.
Absolutely terrible car. I grew up in a family that owned 4 of these from new. What horrific, terrible pieces of trash.... and remember, I'm the local GM fanboi here. The best thing you can make out of a chevette is a trash run.
Zomby Woof wrote:NGTD wrote: They had without a DOUBT the worst brakes of any car made since the 70's. If you add power, you better upgrade the brakes.There's large doubt. Drive an 89-94 3cyl Metro I don't generally keep old magazines, but I still have this article. Part two
Zomby, I will take your word for it. I have no interest in driving a 89-94 Metro but Chevette brakes are god awful.
Bobzilla wrote: Absolutely terrible car. I grew up in a family that owned 4 of these from new. What horrific, terrible pieces of trash.... and remember, I'm the local GM fanboi here. The best thing you can make out of a chevette is a trash run.
And this is the exact reason these hunks of steel need to be fixed...
Wally wrote:
it's a shame we never got the good versions of the chevette. I almost think that GM wanted that car to fail here
Chevette brakes are a caliper swap away from being identical to BMW 2002 brakes, and the Impulse had rear disc brakes. The only difference between them and Opels is that they used a single piston caliper in a sliding bracket instead of dual piston calipers, and any Opel upgrade (like the 4-piston BMW or Catera rear calipers) bolt right on.
I don't remember the brakes being lousy on mine. Maybe it was the early ones.
A friend of mine has built 4 of them, starting with the an original 4 cylinder turbo car, moved on to a 4.3 swap then of course went ahead and put a small block chevy in it. after he sold it he built another smallblock car with a single turbo. its torn apart for a cage after a scary ride at the top end of the track. All were built to drag race wich seems common with chevettes
Friend of mine years ago had one with a 327 dropped in it.. Loved to tell the girls he had a vette... chevette..
A hot rodded one still sounds like fun to me today.
Zomby Woof wrote: I don't generally keep old magazines, but I still have this article. Part two
I find this article funny. The dude scrounges up a vast array of parts to build a particular spec powertrain, radically cuts up and reinforces a unibody structure to mount the engine as far back as possible, completely changes the rear suspension by cuting donor leafs in half and everything but then bemoans not having held out for a diesel starter car because of its slightly stiffer front springs..... one of the easiest things to cobble together.
I can't let this go on. Those of you who owned Chevettes, and defend them, are wrong. They were frightening pieces of E36 M3 with lousy brakes, no power, no structural integrity and treacherous handling. Those of you who haven't had one, and think they could be transformed into something cool, just move on. Not gonna happen. Those who suggest an Opel version was somehow a magic car that had all the good sucked out of it, get over the German fetish. Germans build E36 M3 too.
I feel better now. I've done my part to save the world, and can sleep soundly in the knowledge I've done my best.
A friend of mine had a chevette in high school. I had a RWD GLC at the time. I remember driving his car once and it was about the most terrifying experience because it was so bad, but I chalked it up to his particular POS car and not necessarily Chevettes in general, but after reading this thread, maybe I was too generous.
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