Cavalier project

Alright, I know some of you will laugh at this but I need some help. I have a 2001 z24 cavalier and I also happen to have a 1970s (not sure exact year) ford e150 van. Obviously if I go through with this project it will take a massive amount of work cutting, welding, weight distribution etc. What I am wanting to do is pull the motor from the e150 and put it in the cavalier. I know it sounds stupid but it will make a fun toy. So here's what I need help with. What kind of transmission would I be need to use for this. I am wanting to cut up the cav and mount the motor behind the front seats. Like a mid mounted engine. That's the only way there would be room. As on now I'm only interested in rwd but I want it to be a manual transmission. What I was thinking would be to mount the motor and Trans and link the tranny directly to the rear differential and lose the drive shaft. Is this even possible? Aside from the obvious as I stated before, what would be required in the way of transmission shifting assembly read differential etc. Thanks for the help!

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SkinnyG's V8 Pontiac Firefly

Quiz next day.

To do a mid engine you're looking at $$$$$$ desert racing transaxles, or a 4x4 truck trans and T case with the transfer case in the trunk feeding the rear diff with the front output. Running a normal trans with the diff behind it (e.g. C5+ corvette transaxle) will be way too long.

I understand the line of thinking that makes you want to use what you have around, but I think in this case that using the ford engine will definitely be one of the more difficult and costly aspects of an already difficult and expensive undertaking. My best guess is A v8 mounted longitudinally ahead of the rear axle in a cavalier won't leave room in the passenger compartment for a driver. The old ford van engine is a big heavy, weazy, underpowered hunk of cast. It would need built to make even respectable power. I think if you are deadset on a v8 in there put it up front like so many drag racers have done. If you really want to mid engine the cavalier swap in the powertrain from fwd car into the rear. A supercharged 3800 from a grand prix or Buick would be my weapon of choice. There is a guy on here doing that with a handbuilt open chassis that is pretty cool. But if it were me I would sell the cavalier and the van and buy an mr2 or a fiero. That will be cheaper, easier, ready sooner, and unless you are an amazing fabricator it will be a better finished product.

I agree with the others here, your intentions are noble, but your forcing a square peg into a solid space where there isnt even a hole yet. I have a soft spot for that generation of Z24, the missus had one when we first were dating, and it was a blast with the 5spd manual. Really peppy. Ive wanted to wake one up for many years now. That said, its a small chassis with a small engine bay, and an equally small passenger compartment, so big V8 lumps will not be your friend. A GM 3800SC is an excellent choice, as would be a Nissan VQ, or maybe a Honda F20C with boost, all mounted up front with a shaft and all.

Please keep us updated as to whatever you decide, but sometimes the stuff at hand isnt the best stuff to use...

a mid engine caviler has been done before, but its pretty much a tube chassis with cavi panels on it. I think mid engine would be possible in the stock chassis but it would have to be transverse.

Having previously owned a 98 Z24 cavy, I fully endorse you taking a sawzall to it with reckless abandon. After exhausting sufficient anger, simply throw the carcass away. I commend your idea of combining what you've got, but as others have already pointed out, you're going to dump way to much money and effort into making it actually happen with what you've got. J-body was a junk chassis, engine, with a very fragile manual trans. There is no reason to punish yourself with actually trying to assemble this. Since the Van is full frame, I'd just leave the engine and trans in that, and cut away as much body as possible. Maybe weld on a tube roll cage area over the driver/passenger area. shorten the frame, knobby tires, Cam the engine, and Slap on the longest travel suspension you can junkyard find and hoon.

Thanks to everyone for your input. I didn't think I'd get much honestly. So just a little background, I am a Jr in college and am hardly ever home. I have been teaching myself everything about cars since i was about 13 and this womt be my first overhaul. Also as being a college student I'm pretty short in cash at the moment but that soon won't be an issue. The cavalier I have I planned on stripping down completely basically completely rebuilding. I don't plan on it even being recognizable as a cav. I wanted to use the 351 Windsor from the van because it was my dad's old van and he has be been able to use it in forever and he gave me the van. I fully plan on modding it out like crazy. As of now that's the plan. My reasoning for the mid mount was for better weight distribution and because I thought overall it would be easier and more effeciebt than mounting it up front. Would I even be able to fit the 351 and the tranny up front? I haven't been home in almost 6 months and don't have measurements to see if things will actually fit. If you guys have any more ideas that would be great. Thanks so much!

Why not just build up the van and make it all cool?

Honest questions. You say your never home, i assume thats where the van and cavalier are? How do you plan to do that? Plan what, maybe 500+ hrs to do this job?

Next, do you have a welder, oxy torch, knowledge how to use them and E36 M3 ton of scrap metal around?

Have you ever done something this extreme before?

Sorry for the blunt questions but they needed to be asked so you can realize whats really ahead of you. I hate to be a debby downer but this is something that is really far fetched and i think you will be so much happier and capable with tricking out the van so you can actually use it instead of having two cut up and broken cars.

This is off of me and im sorry if i sounded rude. Theres been plenty of members here that have done crazier things (skinnyg's firefly and that dudes mid engine mini pickup) but they are both very knowledgeable, had the tools and produced results. Just dont want to see you over your head and scrap both cars which could have been decent vehicles.

chiodos wrote: Why not just build up the van and make it all cool? Honest questions. You say your never home, i assume thats where the van and cavalier are? How do you plan to do that? Plan what, maybe 500+ hrs to do this job? Next, do you have a welder, oxy torch, knowledge how to use them and E36 M3 ton of scrap metal around? Have you ever done something this extreme before? Sorry for the blunt questions but they needed to be asked so you can realize whats really ahead of you. I hate to be a debby downer but this is something that is really far fetched and i think you will be so much happier and capable with tricking out the van so you can actually use it instead of having two cut up and broken cars. This is off of me and im sorry if i sounded rude. Theres been plenty of members here that have done crazier things (skinnyg's firefly and that dudes mid engine mini pickup) but they are both very knowledgeable, had the tools and produced results. Just dont want to see you over your head and scrap both cars which could have been decent vehicles.

I appreciate the concern. I have the tools and know how to cut and weld. Also have a buddy that owns a scrap yard and can get metal to work with. I'm home for the summers, I'm a college student. So I have time during the summer to work on it. I understand it's a beast of a project and going to take a huge amount of time but I'm prepared for them. I thought about going with the van but the entire body needs replaced and it could be cool but I'm wanting to build basically a racecar. Also one of the places I work is at a body shop so I have that experience. I'm also using this as a learning project to learn more about fabricating and creating something completely custom. Like I said before I have stripped down and rebuilt a few cars before just never anything this extreme.

You should figure out tranny before you remove a single bolt. I simply can't think of anything that would let you run that motor in a mid-engine layout that wouldn't cost a small fortune.

Front-mount is a different story. Easiest way might be to shorten van chassis to cavalier wheelbase, strip out cavalier and mount cavalier body on van frame. Those mere 6 words would take hundreds of hours to do.

jfryjfry wrote: You should figure out tranny before you remove a single bolt. I simply can't think of anything that would let you run that motor in a mid-engine layout that wouldn't cost a small fortune. Front-mount is a different story. Easiest way might be to shorten van chassis to cavalier wheelbase, strip out cavalier and mount cavalier body on van frame. Those mere 6 words would take hundreds of hours to do.

Thanks! Didn't think of using the van frame. I will figure out the measurements and see what I can do.