ok i have a 95 Cavalier 2.2l with 98,000 miles, This spring i need to do the head gasket. It has an external leak on the drivers side.

I want to rebuild a head and crap to put on when i do that.
I know there is plenty of info on here what to do to it and stuff i guess im asking what head should i choose to recondition?
This is what i have: 1995 s-10 199,989 miles when i totaled it. Ran strong, no engine noise.(I know i have to switch the cooling thing and crap)
or a 1996 Cavalier(pretty darn sure its the same) with i was told had 134,000 miles that i never heard run and there is a freeze plug missing and i see rust in the block?
OR should i just get a head from somewhere else???
Thanks for input

You're probally better off buying a reconditioned or new head from clearwater, that is... if you need one.

What's wrong with the head you have now?



Did I mention I drive a 2000 Lumina now?-----wigm-tuners.org member

yeah just have ur current head checked out by a machine shop and have them surface it then put it back on.

nothing wrong with it just want to have one to do like basic porting and crap to it as my car is a daily driver and want no down time.

Order a Patriot Stage-I head from J.C.Wittney & Co. It'll flow better than stock and you'll be ready for when you add a header & stuff. Go with the 4-2-1 type header with this head, as a header builder I know of got an estimated 160hp with this combo that included a good CAI system.


Go beyond the "bolt-on".

Nick i'm sorry but 160hp out a older 2.2 or let alone 2200 with a pratriot had or a all out ported stock head that would flow better than the patriot. With a cold air intake and exhaust isn't even possible. 160hp at the fly or the wheels. Even with a tune i don't see either 2.2 having more than 130 or 135 at the fly.

Now if it were a built bottom end, cam, roller rocker, A good port job not a stage one head,intake, exhuast, light weight pulleys, a good tune and a 50 shot. That should yield atleast 160hp probably more.

To the OP,

Take the '96 head to a shop and have it cleaned and pressure tested. If it checks out okay, then do the P&P (if you're new to P&P, follow the S.A. Motorsports porting guide). Get the +1mm stainless steel valves and a set of valve springs (LSX or Comp Beehive for SBC) and have the shop surface the head and do a three angle valve job. Don't get the roller rocker arms till you decide what you want to do for a camshaft. The freeze plug can be replaced. A good shop would pull it when they clean it anyways.

While you're at it, pull the cam out of the '96 block and if it's usable, get it reground to a good performance profile, to meet your application. I've come up with a number of different profiles from many different cam companies, the are plenty to choose from. Get a Melling M-98 (or equivalent '93 & older) oil pump, for increased pressure and slightly higher volume. A new timing set would be good to do at this point also. Take a weekend and pull the motor, replace the cam, pump and head along with the appropriate gaskets and head bolts.Using the parts from the '96 will keep you from having to wait on the machine shop to do their work, while the motors apart. Drop the motor back in and enjoy!

You can also take the intake plenum/TB off the '96 and get a TB from a Quad4. Have a machine shop fit the 56mm throttle blade from the Quad4 into the bored over LN2 Plenum/TB.

With the cam head work and all the external bolt-ons, 160 flywheel HP is fully possible on the stock bottom end.

Thanks for all the information. I did know the majority of it by searching and stuff but i didn't come across that TB from the quad 4 before. Pretty sure i would have to pull the motor to get the clearance to get out the cam correct? I guess i could do that along with the pre 93' oil pump. I would just build the 96' and swap it in but don't wanna take a risk on that bottom-end. I can go a week with out my car while it is getting worked on.
Now next question is (might be stupid) but do you have to pull the crank to get the oil pump out? The only motor i ever rebuild was 2.0lohc from a Sunbird and i know that is totally different so.
I just want to do this right and not halfass so i can go another 100,000.
Thanks again for the input.

Phoniex: I believe they mean the flywheel, since the engine was shown on a stand. I can only figure that it had just come off the dyno, so...


Go beyond the "bolt-on".

I wasn't saying to use the whole '96 motor, just pull the parts (head and cam) and rework them and do all the swapping work over one weekend.