Engine Transplant for 88 LeMans

[CarSick]

Some of you may recall that I have a 88 Pontiac LeMans with:
Front and Rear SAAB 900 Turbo Suspension and Brakes
Low Miles (~25k Miles now) 1.6L Engine
Automatic to 5 Speed Manual Conversion

I now wish to add some power so I was considering an engine transplant from the locally obtainable Leganza or Nubira cars. I'll probably be buying a whole wrecked car since buying parts piecemeal costs a lot. I doubt I could find a manual transmission version of either of those cars.

It looks as though I would need a 2.0L engine mount from a LeMans. But I wonder whether my 1.6L flywheel will no longer fit the crank bolt circle on the 2.0L/2.2L engine's crank bolt circle. I had that issue with the Lanos flywheel (probably from a 16v) not having the same bolt circle as the LeMans. I ended up using a LeMans flywheel/pressure plate with a Lanos clutch disc to match the input shaft splines on the Lanos 5 speed transmission.

Is there a recipe for this transplant?
I also wonder about engine tuning. On my Mustang I can change the ecu parameters at will. Can that be done with the GM processor?

[PrecisionBoost]

Hey, sorry haven't been on in a while.
I would not transplant a Nubira or Leganza, I would go straight to the 2.0L Sunbird engine ( 8V Turbo ) as it is more compatible with your wiring loom.

So I am confused about your questions, what transmission/gearbox are you using ? Auto or 5spd ?

Tuning is not plug and play, there are some guys that can modify the 2.0L C20GET ECU for you, but for the most part everyone goes standalone or piggyback management.

Trust me when I say that the Lemans with an 8V turbo is very fun and very fast and there are just a small list of modifications required.

With respect to the C20GET engines, don't be worried about mileage, even with 100,000 miles on it there will still be plenty of life left.

The only sticky part is the turbo, you might have to replace it as at that age they are typically having problems.

One person I know used a Chinese made GT28 knock off turbo from ebay and it lasted for several years ( they are about $250 )

So that is my opinion, even with the stock pressure/ecu the car was making 50% more power than what your making now.

With the Chinese GT28 the boost is naturally 10ps, so it made around 170hp with an inexpensive front mount intercooler installed.

No modifications are required to run this boost, it will be quite happy all day long.

Once you pass 10psi and jump into the 12-14psi range the stock ECU will handle it, but a slightly better clutch is required and you need to upgrade the fuel pump ( walbro ) which you may have already done if you converted to a Lanos engine.

At this range the stock ECU is still happy ( allows up to 1 bar =14.7psi ) but you are best off with a boost controller to ensure that you don't spike over 14psi and get into a fuel cut situation.

Some guys add bleed valves to the MAP sensor to fake out the ECU, which can let you push 20psi, but that is where you start breaking things and it gets more expensive.

Honestly at 10psi it is really really fun.

At 12-14psi it is usually 200hp and 250lbft of torque which in this light of a car is like a Mazdaspeed 3 or better.

Needless to say I suggest the 10psi as it is the best bang for your buck.

[CarSick]

An original factory 1.6L engine is in the car right now. I converted to a 5 spd MT and did a small amount of wiring. 4 wheels disc brakes.

I have looked for the Sunbird GT Engines and they are hard to come by. When I have found them, the seller wants $1,000 for the engine with lots of miles on them. That is why I was looking at Leganzas. I bought an 8V turbo manifold from eBay, so I could find a 2.0L 8V engine and try to make it a turbo.

-- Bob

[Davinci_360]

Just to clarify, do you have the factory LeMans 1.6 SOHC engine WITH a 5 spd MT from a Lanos , or the factory Lanos 1.6 DOHC engine & 5 spd MT ... ?

I will have a bad/core N/A 2.0L 8V Lemans engine available once I finally complete my C20GET (Sunbird Turbo) swap ... it could be yours if you can't find your own C20GET.

[CarSick]

I have:
Factory 1992 LeMans 1.6L SOHC 8V engine
2000 Daewoo Lanos S Sedan D16 5 spd MT converted to an F16 to work with the clutch cable
2000 Daewoo Lanos S Sedan Half Shafts which miraculously mated to SAAB front hubs
1992 LeMans Clutch Pedal Assembly, Rod Shifter, Cable, etc.
1997 SAAB 900 Turbo Front and Rear Suspension and Brakes, 16" SAAB Viking Wheels, Brkae MC, Brake Booster, Wilwood Prop. Valve
1988 Harness to 1992 Distributor rewire
1991 Manual Steering Rack conversion
I think I'm running the Automatic Trans 1988 ECU, but I also have a MT ECU. I didn't notice any difference in operation

[Davinci_360]

Ok, so you've got the little SOHC Lemans 1.6 mated to a converted Lanos 5 speed. I can understand why you'd want an upgrade. I've owned 2 Lemans with the 8V 1.6, and while they're peppy little engines, they run out of steam real quick with only 74 HP!

Out of curiousity, how difficult was it to swap the cable clutch mechanism onto the D16 Lanos gearbox?

I'll be doing this as part of my C20GET swap, but in reverse - I'll be putting the F16 gearbox into a Lanos, and swapping the hydraulic mechanism onto it.

Don't give up on looking for a Turbo Sunbird - it took me about a year of searching Craigslist daily to find one, so they are getting rare.

Also, somewhere in my garage, I do have a motor mount bracket that Garrett (gseturbo) made for me - it will mate a 2.0L engine to the Lemans/Lanos chassis. I may be willing to part with it, as I don't think I'll need it - I've got a 2.0L Lemans GSE and it already has the proper bracket in it.

So, on a whim, I just did a quick search on http://www.car-part.com and found a core 8V turbo Sunbird engine for $150 in Idaho! That could be a starting point for you ...

[CarSick]

Thanks for the tip.

Yes, it's easy to swap the clutch fork lever between hydraulic and manual while the trans is disconnected from the engine.

[Davinci_360]

I didn't think it would be that hard to convert the shift fork - thought I'd ask someone who has actually done it, though.

I forgot to ask where you're located, but I looked through your other posts, and you mentioned California. The closest turbo Sunbird I could find was this:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/5545354487.html

It says no out-of-state inquiries, though ... of course cash always talks!

Actually, there was one advertised in the SF Bay area, but the guy was asking like $7500 for it ... ridiculous!

Anyway, I keep checking up on this thread, so if you need any help, I'll do what I can!

Good luck!