J-body newbie here...sort of. - Newbies Forum

Forum Post / Reply
You must log in before you can post or reply to messages.
J-body newbie here...sort of.
Monday, August 26, 2013 7:45 PM
Hi!
I recently picked up a 2000 Cavalier LS sedan for my kids to drive. I've been a car guy for many years and always leaned toward Dodge/Plymouth vehicles, including 4 Neons ('95, '97, '01, '03), but found this Cavi w/ only 45k miles for a great price at a local dealer.
So, it's my first J-body car, although my wife and I owned a '77 Skyhawk (H-body) back in 1988 and she owned a '76 Skyhawk prior to that.
I'm just starting to learn about some of the quirks of the Cavi: rear defroster not working, OEM stereo upgrade challenges, dash cracked...and I'm hoping to be able to wrench on the car without it being too much of a hassle and looking forward to getting some good advice from the resident J-body experts.

Re: J-body newbie here...sort of.
Monday, August 26, 2013 8:09 PM
Rear defrost is almost always a melted green plug down behind the carpet on the drivers side.

The oem stereo can be upgraded very easily with a geo tracker harness. You lose your chimes but is much cheaper and easier. Check the audio forum for details.

The dash....well they crack. Find a wrecker with a good one and swap them out. Or a easier way is a cover made by coverlay.
http://coverlaymfg.com/lookup.html?PartTypeTree=Dash+Board+Cover
Re: J-body newbie here...sort of.
Monday, August 26, 2013 11:46 PM
My radio harness was $35 with a chime box from amazon.




On the inside my car looks like a fighter jet.
Re: J-body newbie here...sort of.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013 1:27 AM
Philly D wrote:Rear defrost is almost always a melted green plug down behind the carpet on the drivers side.

The oem stereo can be upgraded very easily with a geo tracker harness. You lose your chimes but is much cheaper and easier. Check the audio forum for details.

The dash....well they crack. Find a wrecker with a good one and swap them out. Or a easier way is a cover made by coverlay.
http://coverlaymfg.com/lookup.html?PartTypeTree=Dash+Board+Cover


^This all sums it up well.

J's are pretty easy to work on once you're familiar with them. I think the 2200 motor is a bit inconvienent to work on in its placement ofthings (not oil filter change friendly to someone with adult sized hands lol)...though I may be spoiled of the convientient and accessible layout of the ecotec, but over all tthey're simple cars to work on.






Re: J-body newbie here...sort of.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013 5:09 AM
EVILution (KGMs FrankenCav) wrote:though I may be spoiled of the convenient and accessible layout of the ecotec.

Until you supercharge it, lol.

Anyway the beauty of that motor is that your kids will have a hard time blowing it up as long as it has some oil in it. And if it blows a timing chain, you just put a new one on. I have a soft spot for that motor since my last 2 J's had it and took more abuse than any other motor I've had.



"In Oldskool we trust"
Re: J-body newbie here...sort of.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013 6:04 AM
So it's a non-interference design?
That's cool and it reminds me of the old Chrysler 2.2/2.5 engines. I shredded the timing belt once in my old Shelby Charger during a drag race. I towed it to my buddy's shop and was back on the road in less than an hour.
Re: J-body newbie here...sort of.
Sunday, September 29, 2013 3:08 PM
the 2200 is based off the big block chevy. not alot of ppl like it compared to the ecotec and that "quad4" which i dislike with a passion.
Forum Post / Reply
You must log in before you can post or reply to messages.

 

Start New Topic Advanced Search