Guess a Chevette is My Next Project!!!

OK, got some pics. Guess I'll start with an engine shot.

Too bad you can't see the engine for all of the hoses and wires...

Dropping this bad boy is going to be a chore, at least in the back.

Another shot of the rear setup.
 

It's a weird setup. Two links, a track bar, and some sort of support for the front of the diff to keep it from moving. It's funky. Nothing at all like I've seen before. I didn't get a shot of the front of the diff.

I got the tank back in and got the carb parts cleaned. Hopefully I can get a bit more done tomorrow, but somehow I think work is picking up and we're going to be working some long hours. I think 14 hour days are going to be the norm for a while.

from looking at the pick of the rear I would do like lou did with the Lemans and cut the bottom out of the spring perch on the axle and put a patch about 3/4" in it to drop it.  It looks really difficult to work on.

I was looking at the picture of the engine bay. (you got my mind going on what could be done to that car) just opinions or ideas as to what could be done to it, by no means are these suggestions as to do what to do with your car. Because after all its YOUR car lol.

I know its an econbox but first thing would be ditch all the smog controls. Pull the engine and discard it.

Engines I think would fit with no problem, all are 4 cylinders with rwd transmission:

Honda F20c (from S2000 redline is 9000) only comes as manual
Nissan SR20DET (From Nissan Silvia can get them dirt cheap and are factory turbo) can get with manual or automatic transmission
GM ECOTEC (From Solstice or Soltice GXP) can get with manual or automatic transmission

With these engines there are tons of aftermarket parts for them and standalone engine management systems and they are all affordable. (inexpensive)
For lowering, competition engineering coilover set up, some fabrication required. (sarcasm)
The F20C is very potent when turbocharged, the factory internals hold up to 15lbs of boost the other engines can hold 20lbs of boost easily with a good tune.

Could you post a picture of the interior?

You say the suspension is like non other you have seen?

I think it my have a torque arm attached to it on the front because it has the 2(lower control arms) and a panhard bar.

If I swap in a different motor it will more than likely be a Buick V6, hopefully in aluminum block form. It might be a cool drift car with 250-300 Lbs-Ft of torque. I could go for an Ecotec; I really like the Quad4, so that's definitely a possibility I like the light weight aspect of that swap.
 
I'm going to stick with the stock 1.6 for now. I've never had one and I think it will be a cool engine to work with. I'm certainly not going to spend big bucks on the innards, but I can probably get 100 Hp out of it with a good exhaust, a better intake, and a pair of used Webers, or maybe a pair of 2-jets considering the low-buck nature of this phase of the project. I might have to make the intake manifold, though. Since it's going to be less than 2000 Lbs. it should be a fun car with 100 Hp.
 
One reason I was considering turbocharging it is that I can probably get a nice used K04 out of a Turbo 1.8 Audi or VW for next to nothing and build up a header for it. I can certainly build a pressure box for the intake side.
 
The automatic tranny is definitely coming out. I'll probably go with a T-5, but I gotta find a rusted out manual Chevette so I can get all of the parts I need for the swap.
 
As far as the suspension, no torque arm. I have owned more Monzas, Sunbirds, and other H-Bodies than I can remember and this suspension is not like theirs. There is some sort of a saddle that holds the front of an extension they put on the diff, but it's not a torque arm.
 
I thought about doing Lou's lowering trick but the lower spring buckets also have some other parts attached. It's an odd shape so it would have to be done with someone who has excellent cutting skills. I'm not sure how to deal with the front but it was used in the Fiero with some minor changes, so that shouldn't be as tough.
 
At this point, as close as it is to winter, I plan on getting it going so someone in my family can drive it. I'll probably collect parts for it over the winter. I need some body parts as it looks to have taken one for the team at some point. It was fixed but you can tell whoever did it did a 100-foot job; you can't tell it was repaired if you're 100 feet away. I think I'm going to have to tear it down to bare bones to get it where I want it.
 
As far as interior pics go...

The hatch space is pretty cool. This:

Covers a nice, big space:

...that can probably house a battery and a pair of subs once the spare is "recycled."

not a fan of subs being mounted in  the floor but there is a lot of real estate down there with that rear tire. the ash tray in the seat back is different.

As far as the subs go, there will be a box in there and I prefer 8" subs so it won't have to be huge. I don't thump. I am a musician, after all...

I'm not going to keep the spare or the jack. I'm also going to mount the battery in there, as well.

i dont like the thump either, i prefer to keep my hearing. In my mustang I installed Infinity Kappa 6 1/2" component speakers in the front doors, Kappa 5x7 in the rear and 1 Infinity 10" sub in the truck. I have 2 amplifiers mounted in the trunk on custom brackets. The amps are a Reference series Infinity and 1 small Alpine mono amp to push the sub. I put a junction box in the trunk and capacitor in with the spare tire. I kept the tire though. That audio combination is the best I have ever installed in a car and several people have commented on it that have ridden in the car. Its just enough sound for yourself and if that punk with his sloppy bass pulls up next to you you have plenty of treble, mids, and lows to drown his out completely.

Well, I spent a bit of time working on the Chevette yesterday and today, but not as much as I'd like to have spent. I took the radiator out to make some room and it looks like that's the reason they parked it. I have to get it over to a radiator shop next week. I hope they didn't overheat it and warp the head. OTOH, I pulled the spark plugs and they don't have any oil or anti-freeze on 'em. In fact, they look reasonably normal. Looks like the thing was running a little lean, though. I shot some WD-40 in the cylinders to help the rings free up when I get to the point of turning it over by hand. I took a look down in the cylinders as best I could and they look alright. I am going to take it to the car wash for a squirt tomorrow and then I hope to get some more pics now that I can see the engine.

OK, I'm about sick of 80 hour weeks and 30 hour pay! I was making almost as much when I was working at the packing plant back in the 80s. I gotta find a company that isn't afraid to pay their employees for their skills.

I'm just getting tired of having to work six days a week and having neither the time or the money to move my family out to our own place, let alone do my personal projects. I was hoping to get in a good half day at least on this car but I had to work a full day instead of half a day. Guess I should be glad I have a job, but my family is getting tired of living in my parents' house and I'm about to my wit's end trying to keep my family happy, keep my obligation to help my parents now that they are old, and try to have a bit of time for myself.

One of the reasons we moved here was to help my mom out with my dad since he's developing symptoms of Alzheimer's. My mom can't handle him alone since she's got some long-term health problems, too. My wife and kids have been getting the groceries, doing the cleaning, ect. while I've been working. My dad is always suspicious of my wife for some reason. He thinks she's spending all of his money. He's also getting me confused with a friend of the family, too. I don't know how my mom is going to handle him by herself when we move.

Guess I really don't have a point, just a bit of a rant. Sorry.

I'm thinking about putting a rear end from a late 80s-early 90s F-body in this thing so I can convert it over to a torque arm setup and get a stronger rear end in the process. It will also allow me to go with GM 5-lug wheels which are plentyful. Also, there are plenty of Camaro/Firebird big brake kits. There's a wrecked Camaro close to one of our pits and it looks to be complete. I need to find the owner and see if he's willing to part with it.

Another option would be to use a GM H-Body rear, which I may have if it didn't get stolen, and use some S10 axles to convert it to 5-lug. I was saving it for my 80 Sunbird, but I think scavengers have been attacking it and it's now a long-term project.

Since the front end is what the Fiero used, converting that to 5-lugs will be as easy as buying Fiero rotors or, more likely, a Fiero big brake kit...

I don't remember for sure but doesn't your Chevette have a torque tube under it? I'm pretty sure it does as the first one I saw the bottom off reminded me of an early 50's or older Chevy pickup.

No, it has an extension on the front of the diff, similar to a torque tube, but it terminates in a sort of a saddle bolted to the body. There is a drive shaft going from the tranny to the extension. I'll try to get under the car to get some pics, but I probably won't have time for a while.

Holy cow! I can't believe how tiny these brakes are! The rear cylinders are about the size of a magic marker! More pics are in order. Single piston calipers on the front aren't much better. Ooh, boy! Stopping this thing is going to be a challenge!

Well, I didn't get to do anything to her this weekend. I had to put CV axles on my Grand Cherokee AGAIN!!!! My fault because I got the last set from a salvage yard...

Anyhow, got it up in the air and got the axle nut undone and the hub was worn clean through on the driver's side. What was going to be a quick $100 fix turned into about $400 because I needed both hubs. No lost time because the hubs have to come out whether or not you replace them.

The new master cylinder for the Chevette came in today ($30) so she's going to have all new brakes. Got the wife to hand the radiator off to the best radiator guy in town (not the one that constantly smokes dope) so that problem should be solved. Single core, go figure. What am I going to do when I double the awesome 63 HP the engine puts out?

 I'm supposed to have Friday and Saturday off this week because my brother (the one that's not in prison, I don't want to know...) is supposed to be here. We're going to try to get my parents' estate in order, meager as it is, so we don't have to probate it down the road. My dad turns 80 next year but his brain is going, so we need to get it done while he's still with us mentally.

Maybe my brother will find it in his heart to help me push this Chevette into the garage so I can get it out of the rapidly cooling outdoors.

About the only parts I know I need to get it running as-is are a battery, some tires, and some belts and hoses. I'm going to do some work on it tomorrow if I have a short day. The wind is supposed to be blowing around 35 MPH and, while you can pull a 30" end-dump trailer in that kind of wind, when you raise the box 30' in the air to dump the load, it turns into a sail...

Maybe I'll finally get the carburetor back together.

Wish me luck!

Single row radiator huh. Try an honda civic radiator, they are small and compact and I believe are a 2 row.

Might have to look into that. I also think I have an extra radiator from a V8 Sunbird laying around here somewhere.

Got off work early today but it's too rainy and cold to do anything outdoors. I gotta find someone to help me push this pig into the garage!