08_Slowbalt

I want to build a L61 motor and I want to do it right. I am mostly from the Nissan camp, I am currently trying to put a S15 SR20DET into a S13 hatch, I am looking to make close to 400 hp with that car. I am not new to 4 cylinder cars but I am new to chevy. I have done lots of research and I cannot find enough information on this subject. If 1.8L honda motors can spool a turbo to the tune of 700hp and feats like that then whats stopping me from building a 500hp street/strip cobalt. I think that the 2.2L motor has the displacement to do more than that amount but I want to know if anyone has done this before? Has anyone done a build like this, no I do not want just a ZZP turbo kit and call it a day. Is the reason that I cannot find any information on this because it cant be done and the after market support is just not there?

kxrida2000

iTrader: (12)

if u have the money go for it.....im at around 400-410 and have a good amount of room to improve but its plenty enough for me

08_Slowbalt

is ZZP going to be my best place to go to for valve train components. I am glad to see you mod list because I have been looking for some of these parts you have listed and had trouble finding them.

conerboner

iTrader: (4)

I have the build book for 250-400 and 400-600. If you have Adobe reader i can e-mail it to you. just pm me your email address. I'm doing a mild build this weekend.

kxrida2000

iTrader: (12)

the biggest thing i found out is dont use clevite, gm bearings are just as good...valves and springs i got from turbotechracing...retainers i got from zzp

if u need to know anything else let me know

08_Slowbalt

My email address is jackf.ward@gmail.com I'd like to have those build books, I know that to each man his own but I'm not trying to do bolt ons or a 2.4 mani I'm trying to try to do a serious build, mainly because I've never done a real build of my own although I've worked with plenty of motors and I plan to build my SR20 when I approach 400hp but the internals stock can handle up to that so I'll be okay for a little bit.

08_Slowbalt

Thank you cornerboner for that awesome build book. This answers all my questions your the man.

Brags

The 2.2 has lots of potential, but it ain't gonna be cheap

Do_WorkSS

i saw a 1200 HP 2.2 L61 on Pass Time the other day

08_Slowbalt

I fully understand this, I don't plan on just throwing together an engine but Brags your mod list is very impressive and I like seeing that guys on this forum have done these things to cobalts like what I am trying to do. The stock SR20DET motor can handle 400hp on the stock pistons and rods but the turbo, which is a Garrett T28, is only good for 350hp so I plan to go to T30 later on down the road. Well I decided that rather than sell it why not give my slow ass cobalt some juice, plus I just rolled 70k and its only a 08 model. I have been wanting to do a motor build and I think this would be a nice chance to do it. I have no particular deadline and I am under no pressure to really get this done so I can work at my own pace and make sure I get it all right the first time. It will be nice to think that I can have a built motor waiting to be dropped in if my cobalt ever kicks the bucket. Which that it self could be a while since that motor has, to my knowledge, has never seen conventional oil. I'm still researching right now and doing my homework on this and you never know I might have to start work on something else and lose sight of this project because of more pressing matters but I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Thanks to everyone on here, this really helps a lot.

stenguyen1

iTrader: (2)

Follow my build thread and you can see that i'm building my 2.2 engine from bottom up.

08_Slowbalt

I read a lot of your thread and that also helped a lot. I have one pressing question that I cant find an answer to and that is will a L61 out of a Cavalier work in a cobalt? I mean if I started out with a cavalier crank, block, and head, and built from there would it drop into a cobalt? I suspect it would but before I buy anything I want to be sure.

Brags

OP you have a good start being an 08, 07+ have the Gen II block with stronger sleeves, good to over 500 hp with a proper tune. But your gonna def need rods, pistons and alll the other little goodies. Def recommend ported head for l61

newt

iTrader: (2)

There has been a few BIG HP 2.2L61's built. HAHN Racecraft built a 6XXwhp 2.2L61 Sunfire that was still streetable and another guy on J-Body.org built a near 600whp 2.2L61 Cavalier that was still streetable.

Biggest differance between us and the Honda guys is that they are willing to spend more money to make big power, although there is more aftermarket support for them.

With the J-Body crowd the biggest thing has been tuning, the stock computers run Alpha-N and streetablility starts to suffer big time when you get into the big numbers.

That all being said, the only thing stopping you is time and money, if you have both of those then 600-700whp is 100% possible.

kxrida2000

iTrader: (12)

Won't work...I bought a cobalt a guy tried to put a cavi motor in and it wouldn't run...so as far as I understand it wont work

newt

iTrader: (2)

Cavalier motor won't work in a cobalt cause the crank trigger on a j-body is 6+1 and a cobalt is 56 or something. Basically the computer has will have no idea what position the crank is in, which is the most important reference for the computer.

The reluctor ring is built into the crank, so swap out the cavalier crank to your cobalt crank and your good to go, or you can run an external trigger wheel.

08_Slowbalt

Okay so I would need a crank. This is where I've been needing to get information from, I know the 07 and up have the GenII blocks but I have a local guy with a completely disassembled J61 he is selling from a 05 cavalier. So far I gather that the Block and the Head are the same correct? so his block and head will work if I build it for my 08 Cobalt? Brags brought up a good point but I don't plan to build my 08 motor but a 05 cavi motor. Except for the sleeves are the blocks pretty much the same? The turbo that I plan to put on this car is good for 350hp but I figured that while I'm building from the ground up why not spend a little extra time and money at first to leave room for improvement? My first goal was 500hp but that was just a general number and a jump off point for research for me. The only thing I was really trying to avoid was having to resleeve the block.

Brags

Personally I think you'd be bettet off building another 08 block. Just adds a lot more variables going with j61. I think in ling run would wind up being cheaper. Doesn't mean can't be done, but don't think it has been done