Building a road race car is no easy task. However, doing it with a Chevy Aveo makes things, should we say, a lot more complicated. Last month we gave you a first-hand look at Jason Whitfield's Super Lap-prepped Aveo, showing you the initial tear-down of the car from stock form to chassis prep and bringing us to the engine build portion. What was once an eco-friendly, joke-inducing car has now become a street and track force to be reckoned with. Still laughing? Well, we've heard all your jokes, so save them or keep them coming-but without a doubt, this car will rock your world.
Here's a quick recap of what went down last time: Jason and his crew, Whitfield Racing, strapped the Aveo down to his in-house DynoJet, where the car made a blistering 82 hp. Then the Aveo was taken for a stroll down the 1320 to see how it would do there; again, blistering in at 19.2 seconds (yes, cue laugh track). The car was stripped down to the bare chassis, inside and out, mostly to remove unnecessary weight. Keeping the car in relatively streetable form was one of the main objectives so a lot of the stock parts were retained; parts that weren't needed ended up in some LA dump.
While preparations on the inside of the car were being made for the rollcage install, the crew set out to drop the motor into place using three new custom motor mounts to place the LSJ in the Aveo's shoebox-sized engine bay. Shameless plug: Whitfield Racing now stocks these mounts so anyone else who's ballsy enough to try this swap can now do it with ease. Normally, the front end of the Aveo does not require Michael Jackson-type surgery; however, it was cut and modified to accommodate the engine of the Aveo's much bigger brother, the Cobalt SS (LSJ). So now that you're caught up, let's move on!
Although the motor's already in, Jason said it had to come back out. It's not because these guys are dying to work 16-hour days, but to ensure that each piece they design can be removed, modified, test-fitted and then removed again for a 100-percent perfect fit for final installation. Knowing the motor is going to fit tighter than one of OJ's gloves is great, but it was time to feed Popeye some spinach, so Whitfield called on Steve Moore from General Motors, a guy who knows a thing or two about building GM engines and transmissions. The factory Cobalt SS (LSJ) long block was torn down completely so that Moore could work his voodoo magic, taking an off-the-shelf 200 hp setup using Diamond pistons mated to the stock steel rods and crank. The reliability factor is very important so the oil pan was modified for increased windage and the head was secured to the block with upgraded head studs. To up the boost, the factory supercharger pulley was exchanged for a Stage 3 (76mm) pulley and a two-pass intercooler was also added. Upgraded injectors were thrown into the mix to ensure adequate fueling and the MEFI engine management was installed for tuning.
Making more power is cool, but if you can't optimize it on the track, it's as good as useless. So Steve Moore of GM stepped in once again to modify the transmission, which required him to install shorter gears and add a limited slip differential to help put the power to the pavement as it exits corners while racing at Super Lap Battle. Testing was also done on the stock clutch and proved the need for increased clamping force, so Luis at Clutch Masters was called in from the bullpen. Luis suggested a Carbon Twin Disc setup that would offer the Aveo increased performance. You can say what you want about this being an Aveo, but it's pretty impressive that these production pieces hold that kind of power increase.
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