"Bozi Tatarevic" (hoonable)
09/04/2014 at 11:01 • Filed to: None
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"Bozi Tatarevic" (hoonable)
09/04/2014 at 11:01 • Filed to: None | 8
| 6 |
With the recent GM recalls many of the vehicles have lost value and gone down in price. This is unfortunate for current owners but provides for cheaper prices for potential buyers. One of the vehicles that is affected by this is the Pontiac Solstice and its twin, the Saturn Sky. Seeing these models going for as low as $6500 in good condition and even seeing a few pop up with sub $5000 prices with blown motors I have started thinking about the next swap. This one will be a bit out of the box again and will turn the Solstice into a 2JZ turbo beast.
The Donor
The Solstice is a great donor that has many positive factors going for on top of the great prices. As I have !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the Solstice manual transmission is a Toyota-sourced unit that can bolt up directly to a 2JZ using the 1JZ bellhousing. This makes the swap a great deal easier. The Solstice also weighs about 300 lbs less than a stock Supra TT so even in stock form it will be very quick.
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Starting The Swap
Once the vehicle is sourced, the next step is the engine. The 2JZ-GTE VVTi engine is available from many importers for $1500-1800 coming out of an Aristo. The engines usually come with ECU and harness which helps us to save funds on the swap. The wiring harnesses can be merged between the two motors to run the engine. The transmission can be setup with the help of the following: 96-01 Chevy Blazer Clutch Plate ($300), 7MGTE Supra Pressure Plate ($200), and 1JZ Bellhousing ($300).
Making it Fit
Looking at both motors and crossmembers it seems the first obstacle is the oil pan as the Aristo motor has a front sump oil pan which would interfere with the Solstice crossmember. To solve this problem we can swap on an oil pan from a Lexus SC300 with the 2JZ-GE motor which is rear sump. Comparing the 2JZ and Solstice engine mounts we can see that they have similar proportions and with some modification we can reuse the 2JZ mounts in the Solstice.
Next Steps
The next steps would be researching how the signals get to the cluster and how all of the accessories can be integrated to retain power steering and AC. WE would also need to set up an intercooler and modify the exhaust to fit. Overall, this is a a swap that could be accomplished for less than $10,000 including the cost of the car if working on your own and it open up a world of possibilities for upgrades to the 2JZ. The only limiting factor in this setup is the rear differential which would be fine for this stock swap and even with upgrades going up to 400 ft-lbs but if that level is breached then we would need to consider something like a Ford 8.8 IRS.
Check out more in the series:
Power for Pennies: How To Score a 500HP LS Engine for FREE
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Power for Pennies: Build a 400hp Chevy LS Motor for Under $1200
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ihm96
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/04/2014 at 11:22 |
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I always love these articles
Nothing
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/04/2014 at 11:39 |
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Seems I'd have to venture out of my area to get anywhere near that price point. Locally, they're still in the $12k and up range. Even $12k was only 1, most are $15k and up.
michael bleggi
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/04/2014 at 11:42 |
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I love this series
Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
> Nothing
09/04/2014 at 12:12 |
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Sounds like you are only looking for the GXP ones, try looking for a base.
BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> Bozi Tatarevic
09/04/2014 at 14:26 |
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I fucking love these articles :)
Now I'll do my pet thing to do with engine swaps, try and work out what it'll do to the weight distribution :)
The base Pontiac Solstice weighs 1329kg (~2930lbs) and has a perfect 50/50 weight distribution.
The 2.4l Ecotec in the base Solstice weighs 136kg (~300lbs) and a fully dressed 2JZ-GTE weighs in at 269kg (~590lbs). Turbos and capability to withstand epic levels of boost come at a cost, and that cost is weight.
So, if all of the rest of out components add no or negligible weight, and all of that added weight sits on the front axle, our 2JZ Solstice should weigh in at 1462kg (~3220lbs) and have a 54.5% front distribution.
Not bad :) could probably be brought down to a 52-53% front distribution with things like weight relocation and lightweight bits up front.
Leaving it at stock power levels, it should be 325bhp and 222.3bhp/ton. That's pretty damn close to E46 M3 specs :) definitely a sweet-spot
Oh, and this compares to a stock MkIV Supra TT of 1642kg (~3620lbs) and 197.8bhp/ton.
Dave King
> Nothing
09/05/2014 at 23:31 |
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If even the base Solstices (Solsti?) cost that much, you might even look into finding a Saturn Sky. They can (in most cases) be found for a fair amount cheaper simply for the (completely arbitrary) reason that they're not the Pontiac, even though they're both functionally identical to each other.