I realized that putting all that money into a fwd car with a twist beam axle sort of became a silly conception. As much as I loved doing what I was doing it got to the point that when it was almost said and done with I realized ( epiphany mode here ) that all that money could've been spent on a rwd car with good weight balance.
Such is life with learning on your fwd car that in the end would only mean it's still a Cavalier.
I'll say that all the work and 'engineering' that was done has opened up the doors to knowing enough about the overall picture of the automobile that the next venture will be something that is exactly what I want.
We all grow up in the car world and that's something that has to happen to all of us over time. My realization came when I finally discovered how much fun it was to really drive a car with stick shift and enjoy all the aspects of rowing the gears. Having an auto-tragic tranny in my Jbody dealt a big blow to me once this was discovered and hence my disdain for all the effort into something that really and honestly cannot be completely driven in the state it is in.
All the work and a complete shutdown of all the neural nodes that give pleasure to driving a car and all because it wasn't a stick shift.
Do the tranny swap you say? Sure but why put more into it where my plans have changed to something better with rwd and excellent balance.
I will say one thing though that the Cavalier is what got me into all aspects of everything I've learned about cars from suspension, engine, tranny, and to tuning with software that takes it a step higher.
JBO has been there for the majority of the praise that comes with learning about all this and I thank you.
Now it's time to move on and take what I've learned and apply it to what really matters. DRIVING
Maybe that's what we call growing up I guess.
Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO! 
Asking older members hey? I'm an old ass member
I finally realized that a FWD J-body is not worth all the money I was putting into it. I have a cammed sunfire that can hang with mustangs that just sits in the driveway unless I need to go somewhere in the summer time where gas mileage is a concern. I was planning on building it into a Auto-X / drag car depending on the weekend and changing wheels, tires, suspension setups accordingly. Then I realized how @!#$ty the izuzu 5-speeds are. Ill continue to use my car as a "decent gas mileage" car with a screwed transmission until I cant fix it anymore, but when it finally dies I'll replace it with another cheap but reliable (stock this time) car.
Since I stopped wasting money on the J-body, I have been able to support my motorcycle addiction 10 fold while putting thousands away into savings. The younger guys at work drool over my sport bike and there isnt a day that goes by that I regret the time and money I have into it, and my old bobber, although being JDM, is the envy of a lot of wanna be biker HD owners. Personally I dont care about such things, I do it because I love bikes, but the only reason I can do it at all is because im older and smarter.
But to more accurately and generally answer your original question.
J-bodies are a old dying out model.
The ricer scene is finally dying off (thank god)
The economy sucks.
The people that can actually afford to mod cars are usually older now adays and put there money and time into things worthwhile or that are more expensive, and a J-body isnt either.
On the same token, older people usually know how to more wisely spend thier money (but not always), thats why you dont see sweet ass Cavaliers anymore like you used to.
I used to say that if I won the lotto that I would finally finish my Sunfire just to do it, but now that I've gotton older, I would just donate it to charity.
How's this to ad a little spice! I'm in the process of building a rear wheel drive jbody..! Now as silly as it sounds to most, I believe that it's the way that gm should have made the cavalier.. All rants aside, I am actually working on this. Only thing I don't have is a super clean 2door 3rd gen. That's what I want to build it into. It's a major project, but I have the shop at home and the bit of brains it will take. Up in the air is what I'm doing for a rear end.. And I've come to the conclusion and the fact that rear independent is the way to go, means more work however, I am fortunate to have a best friend with a vast parts collection..! The drive train will be a 5.3 chevy vortec from 99-2002. 5spd transmission custom drive shaft. Etc front end will be a heavy mod including mid to late 80's Camaro parts.. Custom fire wall brake booster relocation, custom tunnel. Chassis will include some modding and tube framing aswell. My thought is what are people gonna do when a cavalier is drifting sideways past a 240sx. Hate it or love it, it will enter it's own category. Cheers!
"Yes I am aware cut springs are hack!".
zrods wrote:How's this to ad a little spice! I'm in the process of building a rear wheel drive jbody..! Now as silly as it sounds to most, I believe that it's the way that gm should have made the cavalier.. All rants aside, I am actually working on this. Only thing I don't have is a super clean 2door 3rd gen. That's what I want to build it into. It's a major project, but I have the shop at home and the bit of brains it will take. Up in the air is what I'm doing for a rear end.. And I've come to the conclusion and the fact that rear independent is the way to go, means more work however, I am fortunate to have a best friend with a vast parts collection..! The drive train will be a 5.3 chevy vortec from 99-2002. 5spd transmission custom drive shaft. Etc front end will be a heavy mod including mid to late 80's Camaro parts.. Custom fire wall brake booster relocation, custom tunnel. Chassis will include some modding and tube framing aswell. My thought is what are people gonna do when a cavalier is drifting sideways past a 240sx. Hate it or love it, it will enter it's own category. Cheers!
I'd prefer to see a turbocharged eco. I'd love to do this too, but the time/welding skills/money escape me at the momeny.
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). So the innovations are there, maybe just not as obvious as yours are. 
