"-Amateur" (amateur)
03/06/2014 at 00:46 • Filed to: None
0
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"-Amateur" (amateur)
03/06/2014 at 00:46 • Filed to: None | 0
| 22 |
Nobody ever suspects the Chevrolet Beretta, and that's the beauty of it. It's the most versatile tuning platform ever created for those who want the ultimate bang for the buck performance. It's the car you never knew you wanted!
Let's kick it off with a flashback. This car roamed the earth from 1988-1996, I'm sure many of you remember seeing these cars back in yer high school days. Hell, you probably owned one and it was the worst car of your life!
Hop on craigslist and you can easily snag one of these in the ranges of $300-900 for a car with running issues or rust. $900-1800 in decent to good shape. Look at paying $1900-2500 for a meticulous example.
These cars came in a slew of flavors. Here's a down and dirty car spotters guide:
Beretta GTU:
They only made these cars in 1988-89. It's part of GM's race on Sunday sell on Monday mantra. They only came in 3 colors (white/red/black) and only had a 2.8L V-6 (120hp/160tq) with a 5-speed stick or 3 spd auto. They have the tighter suspension of the GT, but only adds the flashy ground effects package to the table.
Because racecar?
Beretta INDY 1990 only:
Insto-facto, the Beretta was the pace car for the 1990 Indy 500 and this commemorates that. It only came in teal or yellow and has a stroked out 3.1L V-6 good for 135hp/180 tq with either the 5spd or auto configuration. It's a rare one with oly 4500 ever being produced for the public, and with that, only 1500 in yellow.
Because racecar??
Beretta GTZ:
Made from 1990-1993, it was quick car and also the most unreliable of the bunch. Could be had with a high output I4 (180hp/160tq) with a 5 spd manual only or a lesser V6 block/auto in 1993 as optional. Also had the best handling package of THEM ALL!
Beretta GT:
Produced 1988-1993, specs are the same as GT/Indy minus the ground effects kit.
Beretta Z26:
Made from 1994-96. It's a tricky one as the 1994s could be had with the high output I4 and 5 speed combo while the 95/96 only came with the newer 3100 V-6 and new 4 speed auto.
Beretta Base:
Made all years, nothing special about this one. It had a basic run-of-the-mill suspension that sucked soooo much. You like understeer, plow, and bodyroll? It's got you covered bro. It came with either an auto/ 5spd pushrod 4 banger (120hp/130 tq) or the 2.8/3.1/3100 V-6 depending on the year.
The cool things about these cars is that they were galvanized which is a big reason why they're still alive today. Look for rocker rust rot and the rear spring perches as these are the trouble areas.
That's all cool and whatever, but these cars are slow! What's a brother to do to make some go-go for cheap?
Tuning
Cram some replacement displacement! GM with its engine whoring has made it so easy to swap in a bigger motor for the DIYer. So you buy the car for $1000 bucks. Throw in another $500 at a decent motor from a different GM car, add a weekend with some beer and done. These are all Beretta engine bay shots for the record:
Turn that stock 3.1 (135hp/180 tq)/3100(155hp/185tq) into a 3400 (170-185hp/190-210 tq) from the likes of a Malibu, Alero, Grand Am, Aztek, Impala, and a bazillion other doners. Bam, instant power jump.
More power you say? Let's cram a GM LX9 3500 block in there (196-201hp/213-221tq):
Equal to that would be a 1990 Mclaren Pontiac Grand Prix turbo 3.1 conveniently fitted into a Beretta (205hp/220tq):
Wait, You want even more power?! Let's cram in an L67 Series II Supercharged 3800 in that bay (240hp/280tq). It's a tight squeeze and you would need to add some reinforcement bars to the chassis to handle that twist, but it can be done!
Match that to a car that only weighs between 2700-2900 lbs, with a short 103.4" wheelbase and you're looking at a pocket rocket on the thrift.
Want some better braking? Sure you do.
You can junkyard salvage some brake parts from a GM n-body/f-body, add some Corvette dual piston calipers and presto!
Brakes are now da big brakes.
Don't like the stock rear drums? not a problem. Snag the disc setup from a junkyard Neon/Daytona and you're golden with a hint of machine work to make the square peg fit on the round hole:
Or just splurge on Wilwood 4 pistons if you no longer want to be a "bargain-hunter" :
There is nothing more to teach you, at least you learned something new today and maybe will give that passing Beretta a second glance. Imagine the possibilities for pennies on the dollar!
Photos were courtesy of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and their respective owners
puddler
> -Amateur
03/06/2014 at 00:53 |
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don't you know how hard it is to put a peg on a hole?
hethoughtofcars
> -Amateur
03/06/2014 at 01:01 |
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but............wrong wheel drive? I would seriously lean towards a ZX2
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-Amateur
> puddler
03/06/2014 at 01:02 |
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If the matrix taught me anything, it's that anything is possible as long as you believe!
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-Amateur
> hethoughtofcars
03/06/2014 at 01:10 |
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Sure you get the ZX2's superlean lightness, modern safety equipment and peppy rev happy engine but you're missing out on fatty torquey motor swaps; I like ZX2s too, they make some great autocross cars!
Milky
> -Amateur
03/06/2014 at 01:11 |
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Supercharged 3.8 … thats a whole lotta weight hanging out where I don't want it too.
themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> Milky
03/06/2014 at 01:17 |
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My dad had a beretta Z26 when I was growing up. I want one with the supercharged ecotec 4 for that very reason. It would keep the weight BETWEEN the axles and still be a liveable, torquey motor. It would be an absolute screamer at autoX events.
samssun
> -Amateur
03/06/2014 at 01:25 |
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Taking a FWD car and performing an engine swap to end up with ~200 hp seems like about the biggest waste of time possible. Didn't the Civic crowd spend last decade doing this with their b16/b18 foolishness?
Scary__goongala!
> -Amateur
03/06/2014 at 01:32 |
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I feel like the right trim model would be a decent rallycross beater
jmart
> -Amateur
03/06/2014 at 01:52 |
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the beretta looked way better than the cavalier in my opinion
HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
> -Amateur
03/06/2014 at 02:11 |
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around here we just call them Rust Buckets.
Storz
> -Amateur
03/06/2014 at 07:04 |
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The GTZ with the HO 4cyl was seriously cool for its time. Lets not forget about these beauties from early 90s GM either...
Achieva SCX
Oldsmobile Quad442
BKRM3
> -Amateur
03/06/2014 at 07:56 |
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My first car was a Beretta base automatic with the 3.1. I still have nightmares. Also, the HVAC smelled like there was a dead animal in it, even though there wasn't. We named the dead animal Willard.
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-Amateur
> Scary__goongala!
03/06/2014 at 14:27 |
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Dat Bodyroll
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-Amateur
> samssun
03/06/2014 at 14:30 |
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I agree that it's not very practical but that doesn't stop every carmaker in the world from doing it, i.e. Focus ST, Mazdaspeed 3, Honda Accord, and a zillion others making too much power for its own good.
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Scary__goongala!
> -Amateur
03/06/2014 at 16:43 |
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it wouldn't be a 90's GM product without it. sill looks like cheap fun tho:]
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Storz
> -Amateur
03/07/2014 at 06:58 |
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I owned its bigger brother for a while as well, an early 90s Lumina Z34. It was actually pretty quick having I think 220hp and was also available with a 5spd manual
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-Amateur
> Storz
03/07/2014 at 14:58 |
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Lucky, all I had back in the day was just the Lumina Euro 3.1. I really really liked the big windows and visibility those cars had...the interior gaps and quality, not so much.
Misterfu02
> themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
03/09/2014 at 16:47 |
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I'd rather have the LSJ engine in a Beretta rather than a Cobalt.
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jmart
> Storz
03/09/2014 at 20:14 |
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How was that engine? I wanted to put the DOHC 3.4 in my old fiero
evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse)
> -Amateur
03/10/2014 at 01:13 |
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Dat base model.
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evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse)
> -Amateur
03/10/2014 at 01:16 |
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The GTU supposedly pulled .92 g on the skidpad. Gotta swap that suspension into a Grand Am GT some day.
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Storz
> jmart
03/13/2014 at 10:15 |
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Way under rated and powerful! Honestly it was a screamer, I don't know why they abandoned it and went with the silly 3800 in everything.