sordid said:

What's a built cavalier?

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Pj97GST said:

I don't know if I'd consider lambo doors a pro, but hey, to each their own.

I think that above all else, besides the mechanicals, tackling the rust should be priority #1. $1200 isn't a bad deal on a 2G, but if the rust is severe enough, you'll easily double that price just trying to repair it.

Best advice; Take your time and have a solid plan on where you're going with the car. Prioritize the must-do's and the need to do's before the want to do's. It's easy to get deep down the rabbit hole once you start buying and modding. If you don't address the must do's and the need to do's, you'll just have a modified rust bucket.

Have fun with it!

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2gGst98 said:

Nice man glad to hear about it. I got mine 4 year ago, and just now starting to put my *want to do's on Not quite done with the need to do's but their no too important

It always seems when you think your ready you can make something else better or cleaner or it just breaks .

But good luck with the build, 160k on a well maintained motor is ok for a nice DD non rust bucket. I'm at 145 and will get going for 300ish by May

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bmxfelon420 said:

Lambo doors would be kinda nice on a DSM if they were installed properly, they swing open quite far so it'd make it easier to park that way. I wouldnt mind them someday, I have to get a wheelchair in and out and the door just being completely out of the way would be a plus for me.

Yeah judging on what you posted i'd go through and try to get everything back right. When people cut corners in one area, they have typically done so in ALL areas. Be careful of that. Also, dont run a Maf translator. They're just a giant pain in the ass. Get ECMlink and just get their cable for a GM MAF. It's a thousand times easier and more accurate. I literally bought it, plugged it in, changed a box and hit save and the car ran just fine. It even has an auto adjust feature to help you set up airflow compensation.

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FilmerDude said:

Sweet dude!

Yeah they're a bolt on kit so it would be easy to go back if I ever need to but I wanted to install it for parking sake because my girlfriend likes to hit other cars in my DD and plus if I'm in a tight space it'll work out. Yeah there seems to be some cut corners but it's mostly little stuff that ricers do. The motor actually runs quite well so there shouldn't be too much to mess with besides some good maitenence and fixing the rust.

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-Gates Timing and Balance Shaft Belts Awesome choice, although I'd probably just eliminate the balance shafts if you arent opposed to dropping the pan to do so.
-All other maitenence and tune up stuff
-Paint front bumper
-Clean it up
-Redo all the stereo wiring
-Apexi SAFC 2 I'd go with ECMlink instead, it's just a better way to tune in every way
-Apexi turboback exhaust Mentioned this above
-Stock taillights
-GM MAFT setup ECMlink sells a cable to connect the GM MAF straight to the ECU
-Boost Controller If you'd like this can be done in ECMlink as well pretty easily
-FMIC Good idea, the VRSF one is nice
-Powdercoat some stuff Aqua
-O2 Dump
-Coilovers Do a bit of research here and make sure you have the camber correction for the rear and if needed front

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bmxfelon420 said:

Good deal. Also I dont know if i'd spend the money on the Apexi exhaust, from what i've heard the top tier exhaust for our cars is the Thermal R&D. Personally i'd just get whatever exhaust from Ebay and change mufflers if you dont like the muffler, I personally got the SRS and it was $300 and i think it sounds nice.

But yeah, budget wise I think the build is a little skewed. I'll post your list and things that i'd change.



The only things I would mention that you have already not are a 3" downpipe (try to find one with a 3" flex section if possible), bigger injectors (stock 450s arent enough for a 16g), fuel pump (a Walbro 190 and rewire kit would probably be fine). You can also get a Walbro 255 but your fuel pressure regulator may or may not be able to handle it. If it cant, you'd want an aftermarket one. The AEM or FuelLab are both great choices, and I know Extreme PSI has a kit that comes with the lines and fittings needed as well.

Other than that I think your list is pretty good. I'd also look around the boards for the tutorial on how to make grounding wires. Our cars have terrible grounding factory and can use some help. I know someone also bought an NRG ground kit that was very nice looking.

Oh one more thing, I'd recommend some nice gauges. To start you want oil pressure and boost at least. A wideband would also be helpful so you can learn how to tune yourself. I'd get a quality name brand gauge, at least AutoMeter for the first two, and for widebands Innovate makes great widebands that are easily hooked up to ECMlink for logging.

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bmxfelon420 said:

That's an awesome deal! I'm glad you arent trying to shortcut a bunch of stuff. You'd be surprised how many people want a HUGE turbo, HUGE cams, but try to run it on stock ecu, and cheap lowering sleeves on blown struts. With oil and boost leaks. Definately post up some pictures when you're working on it

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Anachrome said:

I bought a 90 talon tsi awd, for like a grand. I knew it had "some rust". Crawling under the car, the spot where you would jack up the car with the tire jack, is 100% rust. The unibody is bent upwards under the passenger side, and the driver side control arm has a hole big enough to push 2 fingers into. I basically decided at that point to just swap the motor ( runs great) and transmission into another 1g dsm shell. Shells for our cars are fairly cheap, so if your rust scares you, thats what I'd recommend. I won't even mess with performance until I've got a 100% solid body underneath me, .

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FilmerDude said:

UPDATE 2/24/2015

So I've been slowly working at my build and have had a craigslist post up of my car just for the heck of it. Obviously overpriced for $3k haha but today some 16 year old wants to trade me a mint 2001 3G GS 5 speed and $1,700! I only paid $1,200 for mine so that is a GIANT profit! There is a couple of 1G's in my area for around that price that are in good condition and mostly stock. So my plan might be to get rid of my 2G and use the cash he is throwing on top for a 1G and sell the 3G to throw into the 1G I would get. Just a thought really but he is coming to look at mine in mid March so I'll keep everyone posted if anyone is even interested in my build journal .

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95GSTowner said:

That sounds like a great deal that you can make a lot of $$$ from so I say do it. btw I applaud you guys up north that are willing to take on rust projects

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