Daewoo!

Hello. I just bought a Daewoo Nubira 1.5L DOHC. The idea is to make it into a track car with a bunch of middle schoolers. Does anybody have any information on hotting one up? I'm having a difficult time even finding information about them. So far, here's what I know.

Good: Four wheel struts, four wheel discs, abs, relatively lite weight. Good access to most of the mechanical bits. Haven't had a chance to really thrash it, but the handling seems pretty good so far.

Bad: No torque, horrible throttle response, super squishy engine mounting.

Why a Daewoo? Other than the fact that you probably got it for like... a dollar.

mndsm wrote: Why a Daewoo? Other than the fact that you probably got it for like... a dollar.

Because I'm in Korea and the car is in excellent shape for the equivalent of 800 bucks. Oh, and it's hard to find stick shift cheap cars here, so the Daewoo was a minor score on that part.

Let me specify. 75,000 miles, one small dent and the AC needs a recharge. > 800 bucks.

MrBenjamonkey wrote: Because I'm in Korea....

Best reason to buy a Daewoo ever!

I'd say tune it up and put good brake pads on it would be a start.

Turbo?

Do they have junkyard turbos in Korea? That's usually the quickest and cheapest way to make power.

Yank the A/C. Track cars don't need it lol. Also, yeah, if you're in Korea, that makes it a LOT easier to get one of those.

Haha, yah, I thought so too.

Tommy Suddard wrote: Turbo? Do they have junkyard turbos in Korea? That's usually the quickest and cheapest way to make power.

I could find a junkyard turbo ... hmm. Interesting. Don't know how long a turbo would take to grenade the 1.6 mystery motor, but interesting.

mndsm wrote: Yank the A/C. Track cars don't need it lol. Also, yeah, if you're in Korea, that makes it a LOT easier to get one of those.

Probably going in the trash, I'm also looking for a spare hood I can hack to pieces making an Evo style reverse scoop and a big hole for the cold air intake.

Weren't Daewoos based on ancient Hyundai stuff? If that's the case, ancient Hyundai stuff is all MORE than ancient Mitsu stuff. THAT could make for an interesting little bugger.

Daewoos weren't ancient Hyundai stuff... they were current Opel stuff. Daewoo is GM after all.

The DOHC in your Daewoo is an Opel DOHC. Same block architecture as the SOHC engine foisted upon us in the 80s GM J-bodies.

I'd love to find me a Lanos, myself. Nubiras were 2.0l in the States, if I'm remembering right.

I actually drove a Nubira on one of Daewoo's test tracks in Korea. From what I remember, the rear end was a little prone to snap oversteer - kinda unexpected (and fun?) in a fwd. Linking/Unlinking the swaybars would be an interesting experiment, as would cutting the springs. US spec cars got the bigger engine, but yours might respond to hacking away at the intake and exhaust - it will sure sound a lot better anyway. Fun times ahead!

Have you decided yet how you are going to benchmark performance? Acceleration and braking should be pretty easy, but handling will be tricky to quantify objectively without some sort of handling circuit.

Knurled wrote: Daewoos weren't ancient Hyundai stuff... they were current Opel stuff. Daewoo is GM after all. The DOHC in your Daewoo is an Opel DOHC. Same block architecture as the SOHC engine foisted upon us in the 80s GM J-bodies. I'd love to find me a Lanos, myself. Nubiras were 2.0l in the States, if I'm remembering right.

Hmm, that makes sense. I was thinking it might be some sort of miniature Ecotech. Don't know much about the 80s J-bodies. How bad a disaster is my little "screamer" likely to be?

nderwater wrote: I actually drove a Nubira on one of Daewoo's test tracks in Korea. From what I remember, the rear end was a little prone to snap oversteer - kinda unexpected (and fun?) in a fwd. Linking/Unlinking the swaybars would be an interesting experiment, as would cutting the springs. US spec cars got the bigger engine, but yours might respond to hacking away at the intake and exhaust - it will sure sound a lot better anyway. Fun times ahead! Have you decided yet how you are going to benchmark performance? Acceleration and braking should be pretty easy, but handling will be tricky to quantify objectively without some sort of handling circuit.

I haven't found a place big enough to really push on the handling, but I've been pleasantly surprised by the grip and balance during "vigorous U turns." And yah, definitely going to do some intake exhaust hacking, the sounds right now are amusing because they're so asthmatic.

As for the benchmarks, I was planing to set up a figure eight with some set distance as a handling benchmark. Acceleration would be 0-60 kmh or so and braking 60-0 kmh.

I live in a geographically small city with 2.5 million people, so space is kind of at a premium unless I want to drive quite a ways.

not sure how much wrenching youre wanting or capable with the youngsters involved, but a stock rotating assembly ought to be able to handle 6-8 psi without much complaint - retard the timing a few ticks and if you can gain access, install a thicker/extra head gasket to reduce compression a little, run it on higher octane fuel if its available, and look into larger fuel injectors to cover the fuel needs of the boosted motor. Should net you double digit HP gains for less than expected money. biggest headache I would imagine would be finding/fabricating the manifold.

Adding lightness can go very very far for a small car as well. Kick the AC to the curb, and since tires are the only part of a car that actually contact the road, use the best you can find. Good luck and take pics!

If it's a 1.6, it may be the same 1.6 used in the Aveo, which is basically a rebodied Lanos. There should be info on it out there.

http://daewootech.com/forum/index.php?sid=51bfd953115b692d9d9eebe588ab6ce3

I'm sure it's probably the same 1.6L that we got in the Lanos. The 1.6L and the 2.0L were based on the same block and pretty much interchangeable. The 2.2L (used in the Leganza) however will not interchange. That engine is the same Euro GM/Isuzu engine that's in the US Rodeo, and uses the GM Metric bell pattern. I'd say try to source the 2.0L, if they used them there.

zomby woof wrote: http://daewootech.com/forum/index.php?sid=51bfd953115b692d9d9eebe588ab6ce3

That's it, everyone out of the model pool, the internet is closed.

1) gut it (keep whatever is necessary to maintain street legality in Korea) FREE POWER!

2) make it stop (pad upgrade?)

3) make it handle (sway bars, cut springs, spring kit, coilover conversion kit, camber plates, etc...)

4) tires, tires, tires

5) Add power, MegaSquirt, clutch, LSD, i.e. expensive mods, I wouldn't start here just because you have to have alot of other things in place to make it reliable or noticeable. 1-4 are guranteed to help and be budget friendly...

MrBenjamonkey wrote:

Tommy Suddard wrote: Turbo? Do they have junkyard turbos in Korea? That's usually the quickest and cheapest way to make power.

I could find a junkyard turbo ... hmm. Interesting. Don't know how long a turbo would take to grenade the 1.6 mystery motor, but interesting.

It won't grenade if you feed it enough fuel along with the boost. 8 psi should wake it up nicely.

I just want to take a second and thank you all. This is the only internet forum I've ever heard of that will both take my interest in hotrod Daewoos seriously and come up with solid suggestions for improving.a Nubira. Y'all kick ass.

Wait... so if Daewoos are cousins to the much maligned chevy Aveo..... how hard is it for you to get an FI 2.2 ecotec? Rumor has it that's nearly a direct swap, in the same vein as the old b6t/festiva trick.

MrBenjamonkey wrote: This is the only internet forum I've ever heard of that will both take my interest in hotrod Daewoos seriously and come up with solid suggestions for improving.a Nubira.

You haven't spent much time in the Reader's Rides section have you? Just because most enthusiasts steer clear of danger in the form of difficult vehicles to mod/restore/repair/keep running/keep from rusting out from beneath them, doesn't mean most on this board wouldn't run headlong into all the aforementioned problems...with a smile on their face and a wrench in their hand...

MrBenjamonkey wrote: Y'all kick ass.

No sir, YOU kick ass, afterall, who in their right mind would try to convince their school to let them buy and hot rod a Daewoo with a bunch of kids to engage, teach, and have fun!