Hello all. I've tried searching, but didn't come up with any good results. I have a 2000 cavalier with the 2200 ohv. Im not looking to swap for an ecotec or a 2.4. I want to build a decent N/A LN2 maybe make 140whp or so. I couldn't find any build threads on the LN2 with prices and places where parts were bought. I'd imagine I'd have to crack open the bottom end and get some higher comp pistons, and possible some stronger rods. How much power can the stock rods handle? Any other info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Darren
Infantry!!!
Stock rods are fine, stock pistons would be usable as well for 140. Have the block shaved so the piston crown is about .010" out of the hole (-.010" deck height), have the valve seats ground for +1mm valves, polish up the piston face and chamber, port the head out (mostly just the exhaust side), and get a nice cam grind in there. If you port your own head and reassemble your own motor, you're looking at about $1000 for a complete rebuild (after performance parts). Set aside another $500 for HP Tuners to free up all the ponies possible.
As far as "where to buy":
Valves - carcustoms
Cam regrind - crane, comp, etc
There are a TON of posts regarding this motor, start reading.
Here's a good start.
fortune cookie say: better a delay than a disaster
Yeah, if you searched, you didn't do a very thorough one... there's threads about this right on the first page of this forum.... Notec gave you another very good thread to start with as well
If you want to go NA, remember that the keys to building power are portwork (probably the biggest chokepoint of the entire engine is the stock head), cam selection (second biggest choke), and compression.
Patriot Performance has a very reasonably priced CNC-ported 2200 head, but unfortunately they do not provide any valvetrain support for the LN2 like they do the Ecotec. The links in the post that Notec linked you to will help with that.
You also have the option of pulling your head, or purchasing a spare from the junkyard, and bringing it to a local machine shop to have it ported. Make sure however, that you ask around about shops and really shop around before you invest with one. Make sure they have a flowbench, or access to one, and make sure they are willing to give you the before and after flow sheet to verify that they've actually improved the flow of your head. While the Patriot piece gets pretty good flow numbers, I have a gut feeling that an experienced porter will be able to extract even more.
As Notec pointed out, you also have the option of attempting to port the head yourself. There are some obvious targets and impediments to flow that even amateurs like us can find and remove, and if you do a google search on "head porting" or "standard abrasives" you will find a few good writeups on what to look for. However, since the majority of us don't have a flow bench in our home garage, you may be limited to marginal gains since you can't actually verify that what you're doing is improving flow or not, or by how much. I'm not saying not to try it (hell, 2200 parts are cheap and plentiful), but you should be aware of these things before undertaking the operation.
One of the key's to unlocking power is to move your peak torque higher in the RPM band. This is accomplished through camshaft selection, and I won't pretend to be well versed enough on the topic to instruct you there. Keep an eye out for threads and posts by MadJack, as he is the reigning cam guru around these parts. Also keep in mind that more RPM means the need for a revised valvetrain, stiffer valvesprings, better rockers, possibly stiffer and/or different sized pushrods, and modified lifters (see SlowOleJ's LN2/LT1 lifter hybrids) to prevent valve float.
140whp is certainly attainable NA on this engine, and you most likely don't even have to touch the majority of the valvetrain to do it (not that it would hurt). Nitrous Nate made I believe 130whp and 143 lbs/ft of torque on a 10:1 compression, ported head build with a stock cam, stock sized valves, and stock valvetrain. A cam, depending on its configuration, can easily net 10-20 more hp, possibly more depending on how wild you're willing to go.
There are other examples of NA contenders, like Byron who ran deep into the 13's in an NA full drag sunfire. By backward calculating using his car's weight and trap speed, he was making in the somewhere between 170-190 wheel hp. Scrufdog (who's car now belongs to one of my fellow members of Jersey GM) was making 170ish whp NA as well. Both of those cars were before the advent of HPT, and Scrufs car at least, had quite a few things limiting it (like using a ported stock exhaust manifold). Both cars were also 3 speed automatics. Figure on 190-200 hp at the wheels had they been stick cars.
We've so far seen a stock LN2 bottom end hold up to 244 whp, and whisperings of even higher than that, turbocharged. The problem with predicting durability is that RPM is often more to blame on engine failure than power is. Now, 140 is probably well attainable within the realm of the stock rev limiter, but as you start to go higher than that things will fail faster if not properly squared away. Since you'll have the motor apart anyway, my advice to you is that if your budget allows, pick up forged pistons and rods as well, rather than shaving the block or head to attain a higher static compression ratio. Have the entire bottom end balanced by a machine shop before reassembly. Not only will you have a stronger, more reliable engine, but the forged parts will be lighter than stock and will help to free up even more power. If you're operating on a stricter budget, however, I am not saying that I believe Notec's suggestion to shave the head/block is unsafe or a bad idea, and it does certainly come cheaper than a fully built and balanced bottom end. My personal preference however is to build as well as possible as long as you can afford it.
Well, i was supposed to be asleep an hour ago so that i can be back at work tonight, so I'm going to end this here. Good luck and hope that helps!
Arrival Blue 04 LS Sport
Eco
Turbo
Megasquirt
'Nuff said
Wow. Thanks for the posts.....thats exactly what I was looking for. Those threads didn't turn up in my search for some reason. Thanks again....time to read.
Infantry!!!
Scarab (Jersey Jay 1.8T) wrote:rather than shaving the block or head to attain a higher static compression ratio.
Shaving the block is as much to get the quench to appropriate levels as it is to raise the compression
From what testing has shown on other similar motors, figure ~5bhp for every .010" quench is decreased, not to mention it helps prevent detonation. You can shave the head to further raise compression, as the valves sit so far into the head on 98+ motors, there is no worrying about valve clearances.
fortune cookie say: better a delay than a disaster
