If you would attempt to define the word sleeper what would you come up with? Myself, I would simply say that it's a car that gives people the "what!?" look as there car along with there pride and confidence is left in the dust. Years ago very little was needed in order to plaster an expression of disbelief on that of a overzealous driver. Slap a turbo on your little motor and you would have all the laughs you could handle.
It was easy then, but times have changed. People are taking four cylinders seriously now. The sport compact scene is no longer a new thing, and it is becoming more and more difficult to drop a jaw. There are plenty of culprits to the crime, mostly it’s due to exposure but there are others meanness. For one you’ll find that when you attempt to achieve set look. The car that falls into your crosshairs is another 4cyl, and its damn near impossible to get the desired reactions unless there driving something along the lines of a production line rally car (Evo and Subie). Other reasons stem from the fact that the main ingredient to a confused prey is the unknowing of what your "packing". Show me a knowledgeable tuner that isn’t at least weary of a whistling deceleration, and I show you my primary targets. finally there is one of the most deadly of all sleeper killers (and ironically the one that helps maintains them) and that is factory support. Visit any message board or any news sight and you’ll find the most respected and revered cars of the month are the ones that are being advertised. People are lemmings and they will believe what they hear. If the talked about car of the month is the new Gti, you can bet that the same people that are reading the articles will not have nearly the same reaction as if there was never any coverage. As we move on it becomes obvious that owning a fast 4cyl is no longer the only ingredient to a sleeper. There are other key components that must be added to achieve the “looks” that we so desire.
Enter Jbody. Take a trip back to every conversation, every magazine and every piece of media that you’ve watched. Have you ever once heard someone talking about the deadly potential of the cavaliers? It doesn’t happen, hell even talking about sounds weird. You wont see us in magazines, you wont see us in movies (no the sunfire on the lift in 2f2f doesn’t count), and you sure as heck wont see it being commercially backed by GM. what’s more is that Jbody's have potential. Most of the engines that come in Jbody’s have the ability to due what you ask of it. But there is one thing over all else that set our cars apart, the underdog effect. Tell someone that you have a turbo sunfire with 300 HP and they well be more then glad to race you with there stock srt-4 or there mustang for more then pride. The tuner mind is a narrow mind. People only hear what they want it wont matter to them that there racing a stronger lighter car. Every bone in there body is expecting them to win.
So I say to my fellow Jbody owners, remember that the true sleeper has been an art that has managed to escape the compact scene for years. Many a platform has gone to the dark side of tuning towards commercialization and there are very few true sleepers left. But the Js will always be there with there squeaky suspensions, just waiting to ruin another drivers day.
~Jason
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boobs now with Riboflabin"
Im a level 32 joedm newb flamer.
You want a sleeper? Not to hard if you really think about it...
Bone stock base model Cavalier with an Ecotec....
Drop the engine, fully build it up and slap on a nice size turbo. Setup a water to air intercooler system under the hood and leave the STOCK exhaust system on the car. Have a 3 inch down pipe with an electrical cut out on the car and from the 3 inch have it go back down to the stock 1 7/8 piping out the stock muffler that it comes with.
Leave the stock rims on the car with the hub caps still on. Get better suspension and you are set. Leave it at stock ride height as well.
No intercooler to see, no fart can out the @ss end of the car, nothing but pure power under the hood.
Oh yeah, dont change anything on the car "looks" wise either... no system needed in the car either... no one would ever know what hit them when they see the car....
Sneeky Sneeky......
Its exactly what I will have come spring, a completely stock Sunfire GT, only lowered, mild exhaust but stock tips and tint. Even stock rims! The rest is "underneath".... gotta lover a sleeper! (3800 SC swap)
or instead of spending a bunch of money on a cavalier, sell it and put that money towards a descent car.
i had a cavalier, it was turbo, it was quick for a cavalier, then i bought a new car and realized with all the money i spent on the cavalier, i could have been driving something that didn't feel like a tin can driving down the road, something that doesn't rattle and squeek, and something that has 10x the potential and easy to make go fast for less than a cavalier, and that was about when i realized why people make fun of cavaliers, because they are the crapiest newer car money can buy and to make them respectable you need to spend way too much on it
i had a overal good learning experience with the cavalier but for anyone who wants to go fast, don't waste your time, save the money you would spend on the jbody and buy a real car
take it from someone who learned the expensive way
95 cavalier with grey bumpers and a w41 under the hood... it would be ugly as sin, but it'd shock the hell out of some people.
^^^
Damn straight. That'd be the king of sleepers
I agree you totally
although i have a pretty much stock 05 cavalier, i was at the track 2 weeks ago and beat this young kid in his turbo audi A-4, the track anouncer even said something like "wow, the cavalier takes it at a 16.089 to a 16.750"
the kid, who had obviously no clue how to drive with his 2.8 60' and .516 reaction, was gettin mocked for getting beat by a cavalier, i felt bad for him lol.
THis is defenitly good
Quote:
John Lenko
95 cavalier with grey bumpers and a w41 under the hood
well theirs my next project J/K i still think an old 89 with an eco and rwd would be a serious sleeper just roll the back fenders shove some 245s and an 1in drop they will never see you coming. That was my original project "project 245" my friends named it couldn't finish it with my funds. Long story.
ehhh, a towncar with a supercharger.... :-p
._____________________________.
Causa latet vis est notissima
DIY Clear 03+ Headlights
the last paragrah is my favorite
"
boobs now with Riboflabin"
Im a level 32 joedm newb flamer.
you want a sleeper?
try an escort
a wagon at that
or any wagon that does not have wrx in it
You mean a 2g vert with a roll cage and fat slicks..... a 5" cowl hood...... with the front bumper cut out and nothing but intercooler poking out... a 4" downpipe coming out the side of the front bumper..... that's not a sleeper?
Darn... I thought i was special.
Cardomain|
Myspace
if you pust a 5" cowl hood on a sunbird i will laugh at you
dodge colt with a eagle talon motor running 21 psi- my brother
fully built 2200-TO4E T3/T4-HP tuners-373hp @18psi
I think a w41 would be wicked in a metro.... it could be a pretty low buck build up
^^^^YUGO All the way man. Hell, just changing out that shifter for a short throw would do you some good in the Yugo.
Those turbo 1990 dodge caravans!
Lui
sleepers are cool.
Team GREEN
JimmyZ, those are some real sleepers!
saw a pontiac 6000 with a 3800 SC in it last year, factory paint.
all the guys with motor swaps in the early hondas i almost expect it now
14.82 @ 97 mph
looks.
