alrighty, i have a 99 cavy, its just the auto with the 2.2 ,, as base as any cavy can get, and im getting sick and tired of all these stealths and saturns at my school with fart cans and fancy chrome set ups....... Does anybody know how i can get cheap power out of my car?!?!? i dont want anything fancy, no chrome ( YET), no turbo charger(YET), and i dont want to tear the whole motor apart (YET) i just dont simpy have the time or money for that, so does anybody know what can help? i was thinking of maybe getting e3 iridium spark plugs, Bosch wires , performance coil packs and a cold air intake, but does anybody else know of any ways of getting power outa it? Thanks!!!


ok i have a third gen cavy, its a 99 auto with the 2.2 , its as base as a cavy can get, and im getting tired of the kids at my school running around in stealths and neons saying they have more power ect. , does anybody know how i can get cheap power out of my car?? i mean i want to get performance coil packs and a cold air, but what else can help that wont take an arm and a leg, and a year for a home mechanic to do?!?!?!?

I'm sorry man but to get any power out of your cavalier that you will actually be able to feel it's going to cost.
You gotta pay to play.

coils, wires and plugs will only make your car run better, they won't make a BIG difference power wise. Intake will add a few hp but nothing crazy. What is your budget like? Boost is probably the only way to wake up a ln2/2200... Your best bet if you want any performance is to sell the car and buy a z24 or if you can afford it, a 03-05 ecotec. With the ecotec, you can add on a supercharger pretty easily/cheap. There is also a supercharger for the 00-02 LD9(Z24) that can be a small/cheap power adder. The Z24 or ecotec will even be a lot more responsive to mods. Even stock, they are both a better starting line.


2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

Only way to get cheap power out of a 2.2 without getting into the motor is spray.
I would save some money and do a swap, as mentioned, or a turbo and some P&P work.
No matter what, you're going to want to tune it as you build, so factor that into your budget.
The items you list are also going to be things you want when you do one of the things I just mentioned, because power adders are going to do better with a solid ignition system.

The bottom line is that you have a base model with base performance. You're not going to chase down those cars with some cheap upgrades.

Maybe you could get small gains from lightened pulleys like in the FAQ here www.j-body.org/faq//21/ there was another article on these but I couldn't find it on my phone. Also the B&M shift plus is like $30 and though I doesn't add power if you have an automatic trans it will clean up the shifting. You could also get some exhaust upgrades too those can be somewhat cheap depending on where you get the parts.

Probably though suspension/handling mods would be best for you.

Also what do you consider as cheap? Finally keep this in mind you can get cheap parts but you always get what you pay for


2002 Pontiac Sunfire SE Sedan 2.2l Ecotec 4 Speed Auto.

Cheap power?
Sell the econobox and buy something with a V8. 99-04 Mustang GTs can be had very reasonably now, starting in the mid $4000s (99+ got the "Power Improved" 4.6 v8 at 260 hp instead of 215). 4th gen F-body v8s START at 260 hp (LT1) and go to north of 300 (LS1). Earlier LT1s can be had for < 5000 as well.

And this is coming from a guy who had 2 supercharged Z24s. On my first one, by the time I bought the car, added the GM S/C and a full suspension, I could have BOUGHT a decent V8 car. Granted, the build-up over time was easier to budget and LOTS of fun, but the end result was the same. Good performance for ~$10,000. (6 for the car, 4ish for the go-fast goodies, all back in '05/06 or so but still).

The LN2 is not going to make "cheap power." If you even perform marginal maintenance it will run nearly forever, and not burn much gas, but short of relatively drastic mods (read: Boost or Nitrous) you won't see much more "go" than stock.

Ultimately, got to pay to play.


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Sleeper style, they don't see it coming that way.

ok, well ive been thinking hard about this, im just going to fix up my cavalier basic wise, get my 2.2 running strong and find a 5spd cavy with a blown motor and do an engine swap ( hope i can do that ) ,, Good idea ?? so if anybody know any cheap 5 spd cavys for sale just hmu, and honestly if id own a v8 it would have to be a pickup, like my old 2000 silverado. And thanks for not beating on my car everybody!!! this little cavys starting to grow on me lol


got 99 problems and my cavys not 1

If your planning a motor swap to a different motor, you may "in most cases" need the trans that came with the engine as there is different bell housings, I believe the 2.2 and some v6s share the same bell housings. But just a heads up, there's more info in the library at the top of the page about tranny swaps. .


2000 Cavalier Z24 5spd - Intake, Dynomax muffler, Hawk Pads, Powerslot rotors, Sportlines/Koni reds, Neon Coil, MSD 8.5 Wires - **SOLD**
2014 Kia Forte Koup SX 6spd - 1.6L Turbo - My new car
2015 Kia Sorento EX V6 AWD - Wifes Car

The 2.2 and 2200 engines are a 60 degree bellhousing. Like stated above its the same as the 2.8, 3.1, 3.4 engines. Not sure about the 3.8 and im sure the 3.3 falls into the 60 degree catagory as well but dont quote me on that. Your 2.2 isnt a big power house engine but i have owned a cupple in s10s and got a decent little bump out of doing a cold air, msd coils, accel wires, rapid fire acdelco plugs, header and exhaust. And im sure you could get some kinda chip some where. I know a company called venom makes a box cant remember what its called. 400 something, and cost about $400. But i had that box on a 4.3 s10 with a 3in lift and 31s and saw a half second 1/4 mile increase same night back to back runs with the box on over off. Not sure how your 2.2 would benifit but just trying to throw some ideas at ya. It will take some cash to make it a power house but it does have aftermarket support and is possible. And of course anything you do would benifit from a real tune by a pro. If it were me tho keep the 2.2 car as a dd and if you wanna have a fun car pick up a 2.4 car or ecotec car. But that is just me. There are plenty of bad ass built 2.2 cars out and about. So do what you truly feel is what you wanna do. We can all point you in the right direction. As stated above you gotta pay to play!


I Love My J ♡

Please don't chip your car all you are doing is asking for knock. If you want to get a flash tuner fine the good ones will work but you're still paying $400+ and for that you could do some pretty good handling mods.


2002 Pontiac Sunfire SE Sedan 2.2l Ecotec 4 Speed Auto.

cody nobbs wrote:The 2.2 and 2200 engines are a 60 degree bellhousing. Like stated above its the same as the 2.8, 3.1, 3.4 engines. Not sure about the 3.8 and im sure the 3.3 falls into the 60 degree catagory as well but dont quote me on that.

2.8, 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.8, and 3.9 all share the same bellhousing pattern. Forget the 3.3. It stands alone in almost all aspects, and there's no power from it in factory form, nor is there any aftermarket support for it. The 3.5 VVT, 3.8, and 3.9 are all higher-skilled swaps with more fab involved. The 2.8 and 3.1 MPFI are OK, but would do better with 00+ upper end swaps. The best drop-in swaps here are the 00+ 3100/3400 engines. You can get the mounts from me, and if you get an 00-05 J-body with a 5-speed, you can do the swap with fully compatible electronics. The only fab involved at all with this swap would be a downpipe. The N-body one can be modded, but it's better to just go custom, as the N-body one is a dual-wall unit (pipe-within-a-pipe).

^^^^^^the 60 degree gm v6 god has spoken!!!! As i was typinqg my post i was thinking, damn, i know im forgetting a few engines. I knew mr.quick would save the day i have never been much of a 2.8, 3.1, 3.4 fan. Even tho my little brothers 2.8 stroker sounds nasty as hell. Mr.quick seems to know his @!#$ about the gm v6s. You go that route with a 2nd car and want a v6 swap thats the man to talk to.


I Love My J ♡

If you're going to go to the trouble of buying a body sans engine for a swap, do yourself a favor and get something RWD, unless you just HAVE to have a J-body.

Like this:
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/4389892176.html

That's just BEGGING for an LSx swap.

Or, if you like trucks better, an S-dime with a running v8 swap already
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/4375506660.html

Build what you like for sure, but there are WAY better platforms to start from than a J-body if your goal is performance.

Now, if you're in it for the lulz...then, build away. I recommend a 3800 super charged series II at least (series III is throttle by wire, but I think you can get around that by swapping some parts in from the II).


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Sleeper style, they don't see it coming that way.

Squisher, it's called doing something different. Some people actually like the look and/or feel of these cars, but want to build something more unique. Not everyone wants to have a "typical" performance car. Some people like the challenge of taking something ordinary and making it stand out. You're in the wrong place if you don't understand that.

Mr. Quick wrote:Squisher, it's called doing something different. Some people actually like the look and/or feel of these cars, but want to build something more unique. Not everyone wants to have a "typical" performance car. Some people like the challenge of taking something ordinary and making it stand out. You're in the wrong place if you don't understand that.

I've been there, look at my garage if you doubt it. I've owned 2 tuned Js. One full suspension, GMPP blower and other goodies, the other just had the blower before I realized that if my goal was performance, then I had the wrong car. Don't get me wrong, 200 HP in a cavvy is LOADS of fun, they're light and with the right suspension bits very tossable.

If the goal isn't overall maximum performance, and just something "fun" to drive and surprisingly quick to other folks, then build what you like - I say that as a former J owner, and Fiero mechanic.

He asked about "cheap" power. "Cheap" power isn't something that happens in a J, and that's the long and short of it.


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Sleeper style, they don't see it coming that way.

power out of no platform is cheap. Period. Lsx engines in my mind are god! But they sre no were near cheap to build plus a 4th gen fbody isnt cheap to buy eather or and lsx car. Fast intake mani $1000+ then the tb to match. Headers are expensive and so are cams exc. exc. V8 s10 sure s10s are cheap and sbc parts are easy to come by and not too expensive but even still it cost a good deal of money to build one thats fast and fun and isnt just a burn out machine. At the end of the day it comes down to what you want to build and what you like. I love my z24 and i have owned it all trust me. Fiero gt had it, ls1 z28 been there, irocz, ws6 1LE gta, 84 z28 been in the third gen fbody world alot more than i listed. Have owned 17 s10s one was a modded durango on 31s that slayed fox bodies. Had a gtp as well. Even put my time in the honda scene. Lifted trucks as well. My z24 is car #40 and i love my car! People all have different opinions and there are 500+whp js. It kills me how people come on here and try to push people away from the jbody platform. And then


I Love My J ♡

Wounder why nobody makes parts for our engines. Supply and demand. Sorry accidentally hit post. Let the man build a j!!!! Stop being a dream crusher!!


I Love My J ♡