I like to think I could fit in up front still. I will be pressed for space for sure, but I definately do not want to put it in the rear of the car. What are you swapping in to your conversion, and where are you mounting your radiator?

I found a picture of the LSx engine in the year one conversion, but it is so stuffed and the picture cuts off where(if at all) the radiator is mounted in the bay.

 

You would still have serious issues making it fit. The Colorado/Canyon engines are 4 and 5 cylinder versions of the one used in the Trailblazer. As someone who has the redheaded, orphaned stepchild of the GMT355 trucks, You would be better off sticking with the 2.4L Ecotec engine. The 2.8 and 3.5 engines suffer from valve seat problems. I'm assuming that the 6 cylinder engine has the same issues, given that it uses the same internal parts throughout.

 

Buy a SS!! 6 cyl. gives you approx. the same HP in a much larger package. Not to mention all the work and $$$ it would take to make it fit and run well. Your "sleeper" would be much slower than the SS!

 

I am not putting a colorado/canyon 5 or trailblazer 6 cylinder in there. I am aware of the problems on both. I wouldn't touch either with a 10 ft pole. My theoretical sleeper will make enough power to drag around 5 or 6 ecotecs, but that is not the point. The point is making this idea work..(again).

I see that YearOne used the rack off of a 4th gen f-body and the rear end. Essentially firming up my idea that by doing a brace you can basically make the rear end of the car into a camaro.

 

Stuff a fat block in her.....close off everything 'bout midway in the rear seat area......put your rad in there with fans.....chop the 9",add an adjustable 4 link and don't forget the parachute. Screw the electronics. The SS is nice but before I'm done in this world I'll have a mid 60's Chevy with a fat block, again!

 

1) I have been there and done that when it comes to stripped out bare bones racing.

2) By the time I am done on this earth, chances are I still won't have owned a Big block chevrolet.

 

Someone beat you to it....namely Canepa Design/So-Cal/GMPP. Of course, this one has a longitudinal EcoTech up front driving the rear wheels instead of a V-8. However, depending upon tune, this engine was reported to deliver between 800 and 1,000 bhp.

An early styling model of the car......


It was did around 240 on the salt. It was wrecked and is being reportedly rebuilt. My favorite HHR, and I will commission something similar one day when Bill Gates donates money to me. ;-)

God Bless, Marc

 

It would be interesting to see someone do some serious chopping and install an Impala SS front-drive V-8 setup in an HHR. Of course, I doubt it would be much faster than an HHR SS. I recall an issue of R&T where someone modified three Miatas: one with an upgraded four, one with a Mazda RX-7 turbo engine, and one with a 302 Ford V-8. Interestingly, they were not far off each other in performance. There is only so much usable horsepower a platform can take. Way back when, I recall the Mopar gurus allowed that the Road Runner/GTX body could handle a big block or Hemi best. The Cudas/Challengers couldn't launch as well with their platform. God Bless, Marc

 

what about the solstice those are rwd and it would still have the lnf.

 

The solstice rear IRS was talked about in a few previous posts. What is LNF?