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Chevy 2.8L ???

18436572

New member
Just now planning my project, any help/advice would be much appreciated!

My buddy has just pulled out his 2.8L from his Camaro and is willing to sell- complete with accessories and electronics. I believe I can get a plate from Kennedy, but here's my question:

Is that VW tranny going to handle that motor, or should I hunt around for a 4-cyl donor?




Just a side note: How similar are the Fiero's 2.8L to the Camaro's? I know there is a lot more information out there for the Fiero motor, and if they are the same, I may be able to utilize what is already out there

Just remembered one more: I still have the remains of my once beautiful Corvette (C4, 1987). Much of this car is destroyed but it looks like the rear end and control arms/axles are still good, worth keeping for the Sterling? It may not be worth it as the rear end is set up to accept the drive shaft- not sure it would help anything for this style of car???

Here is an example if you aren't familiar with the Corvette's "batwing" (picture doesn't show the tie rods)
1987 Chevrolet Corvette Suspension Install Photo 8
 
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Brett Proctor

Well-known member
I have a couple of questions first.

1. What chassis do you have in your sterling(custom , Type1)??

2. What motor is in it now??

3. what year vw Transmission is in it now and if you do have a VW tranny is it a bug or bus
tranny??

4. What year 2.8L is it??

5. How much money are you willing to spend(be honest)??

Later
Brett
 

letterman7

Honorary Admin
Hi, and welcome to the forums! Brett has the correct first salvo of questions. In any conversion involving a VW Beetle pan, everything must be considered. Since you mentioned the Vette rear suspension, I'm automatically thinking you have a Bug setup. Since you do have a Vette parts car, if you can afford it I would certainly think about a tube frame and graft both the front and rear suspension pieces to it. Doing a tube frame would enable you to easily convert to a watercooled engine without the hassle of trying to make one work on a Bug chassis.
That said, there have been many conversions using the 2.8 onto a Bug transaxle that guys have been running on the dunes (seems to be a common theme here...). If you don't beat on it, you'll be fine. That means starting out in second gear and not hammering on the clutch. The drawbacks, of course, are cooling (finding the suitable location for the radiator(s)), the extra weight of the engine hanging off the back of the car and the overall space that it's going to take up. Plan on bodywork if you do this conversion - it ain't gonna fit under the covers.
As far as the motor being the same as the Fiero - yes, for the most part it's the same engine... the one that kept catching fire *laugh*. If you're set on a conversion, a four banger is a far better choice. There are many topics on the Subaru conversion, which really makes sense in terms of size versus horsepower. The venerable Pinto inline 4 is another popular conversion which easily fits in the compartment, and there are still lots of upgrades for that engine available... once you find the engine!
 

18436572

New member
Thanks for the info!

I pretty much spent my budget just getting the car back (long, long story).

I plan on starting sometime over the winter, so I will be gathering as much information as I can first.

I will find out what exactly I got under the body- I'm actually a Corvette guru so ALL of this is new to me.

I can imagine that the Subaru motor may be out of my price range, even by next summer. The 2.8L was an idea because a friend had it and he would have given it all to me for about 100 bucks! I have some time to plan though. If not the 2.8L, I would more than likely look for an entire donor car (4-cyl), for a few hundred.

Thanks again for the input, will be back with the rest of the info soon
 

18436572

New member
What about tubing a cage to the existing framework, and using both the motor AND tranny of a FWD (4-cyl) in the back? The first thing I would wonder about (besides dimensions) would be the axles of a FWD car (pivot for turning L and R) I'm sure thats not a "deal-breaker".... any thoughts? I don't think I've seen this done...
 

18436572

New member
That was extremely helpful!

I would like to make the Sterling decently quick (maybe mid-12's for it's weight) and still be able to take it on drives (HWY use). I assume I can do this easily by converting to a FWD motor/tranny, but I will see if I can dig up some info on the cost between that or just building the 1600

Thanks again
 

letterman7

Honorary Admin
With these cars, it will always be more economical to keep it with a VW powertrain. A well built 2332 engine will perform just as well as a small watercooled four banger without the added hassle of cooling. If you're brave, throw a turbo on there and hang on - but expect to rebuild the motor at 20K miles. The price differential for the performance is negligable; you might be able to cobble together a watercooled layout cheaply, but in the end you'll pay for the cooling complexity. There are some drag Bugs out there with 1932's and smaller running low 13's... it's all how you build 'em.
 

Jay Laifman

New member
I have an '87 Fiero GT V6 in my Sebring. There are many things I love about it. Admittedly the only thing I don't like is issues with the exhaust that I'm addressing now - and raising in another thread.

We were able to get a Kennedy ring/adapter to bolt it up.

We had to take out the intake and flip it around and flip the cam around.

We pulled the full wiring harness, computer, etc, and slowly worked our way through the set up, including AC (which needs updating), cruise control, etc.

It is heavier back there, no doubt! But it runs very smoothly.
 

1/3RDOFF

New member
O.K. I'm new to the Sterling/Cimbria, as far as owning one(finally).

?1. I see the flipping of the intake, but how did you flip the cam as the drive gear is on only 1 end?
?2. have you given any serious consideration to using the whole fiero drive train? It should be a simple task? Other than frame up.
?3. Have you thought about a V-8? Such as a Caddy 4.9. They r very cheap in the yards now. I respect
your budget issues also.
?4. Do you still have the GT rear deck lid? Is it for sale? How much? Shipping could be an issue. A
fiero radiator will fit in the front box area, laid @ an angle. Use the fiero coolant tubes also. Just ideas.
good luck-Rick
 

Jay Laifman

New member
I remember we flipped it. But my dad was doing it. I don't recall the specifics.

I'm not sure what you mean about using the Fiero drivetrain. I have no idea how the Fiero transmission would ever bolt up to the car. And I if I recall, the engine is horizontal in a Fiero.

The engine was just a tad high for the rear deck. So I cut it and built a scoop of sorts for it.
 

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1/3RDOFF

New member
WOW!! That was some work. looks like the motor was turned 90 degrees, the top plenum was swapped end for end, tube extended for EGR to feed back to bottom of plenum. Can see why exhaust is/was an issue to feed out back. Is the coolant fill cap & thermostat @ the top of the cooling system? I
ask cause if not, air will be trapped/nearly impossible to chase out.

What I meant by using the complete fiero drivetrain is that motor/transaxle & K-frame can be adapted, aligned & welded to the VW frame end. Then the drive axles & etc. would have been in position to fit up
the strut towers & etc. Just a tho't. Each has their own gig-gotta respect that.

Got to ask; does the car have any significant over/under steer? Hope it runs well. Rick
 

Jay Laifman

New member
Here is a picture of the exhausts. By the way, the leaks on the road below the car are not from this car. This engine does not leak.

The water, radiator cap is above the water pump and everything else.

Well, when you add extra weight to the back, things happen. But I don't notice it in daily driving, and just respect it when pushing hard.

Yes, it does run very nicely, except for the sound.

On the picture, to the left of the muffler, you can see first the rusty looking pipe coming down. That's straight out of the exhaust manifold. The other two pipes are the heater pipe and the radiator pipe.

The muffler itself is a center in, side out, muffler. I can fit about 18" long there. I can go higher though. So, with a center in, side out muffler, the exhaust first goes straight up the middle, hits the back end, turns to one side, flows back, hits the front end, goes across the back, then up and out the side.


+<<|<<+
|.....|.....|
|.....|.....|
|.....|.....|
|.....|.....|
|,,,,,+>>+
|
\/


Where the exhaust flow first hits the center of the back side of the muffler, you can see where the heat rusts/damages the metal. If that makes sense.

View attachment 4586
 
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letterman7

Honorary Admin
*hmmm* Still can't quite wrap my head around what's going on there, Jay. I see two mufflers, not one. Do you have stock exhaust manifolds or headers? Personally, if it were me, I'd have two downpipes heading towards the front of the car with a 180° bend to bring the pipes back to the back. Between the downpipes I'd have a crossover fitting, and that alone will help reduce the exhaust noise. Without actually being there and seeing firsthand, it's really difficult to figure out a system that will fit. But it seems to me if you can send the pipes forwards a ways and let it curve back to the rear you'll open up some area for a longer (quieter) muffler.
 

Jay Laifman

New member
Actually what you described is EXACTLY what I have. A clarification may be in order though. This does not have Fiero exhaust manifolds. Those put the pipes in the wrong spot. Instead, this has Firebird exhaust manifolds. They position the pipes in the "front" of the engine (front, towards the front of the car). The larger (looking rusted) pipe going down is coming straight out of the "front" of the Firebird exhaust manifold, it then rotates directly into the muffler. And, what you can't see, because it's blocked by the down pipe itself, is that there is an H pipe that goes under the tranny, and to the pipe on the other side.

The other side has the exact same thing. The Firebird manifold pointing forward, dropping straight down, connected to the H, and then straight to the other muffler.

FWIW, I have read that the firing order of the GM V6 means that a cross over pipe does not smooth out the exhaust like it would in a V8. I don't think that is actually correct - and I'm not removing the H pipe. But, I have read it more than once . . . on the internet.
 

Jay Laifman

New member
I am adding another version with some edits.

The red curved line, with the red arrow pointing to it, just to the LEFT of that red line is the pipe coming down off the exhaust manifold bolted to the head. There is one like this on both sides.

To the RIGHT of the green line is the heater water pipe, coming down from the engine, and going forward.

To the RIGHT of the yellow line is the larger coolant pipe itself.

Along the pink line, is the H pipe going over to the muffler on the other side.
 

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