This engine swap has been something that i have been wanting to do to my saturn since ive had it, but i wasnt sure if it was possible. Found this video a guy uploaded about 5months ago. Its a 1995 SC2 with an LSJ (Ion Redline/Cobalt SS) engine swap. Check it out I think i need to start saving for this swap. What you guys think???

 

Hmmm -- Wonder if I could drop that into my SW2 ????

 

I think its possible to drop it into any FWD platform saturn. Now how easy it is, that may be a different story. I dont know enough about engine swaps to do this myself. I would have to take it to a custom car shop and have them do it for me. But the guy that did this said it cost him about $1500 to do the install. I dont think that included the engine though. Looks like imma have to take a trip to a salvage yard and see if there are any functioning Ion Redlines or Cobalt SS laying around, and use it as the organ donor. You can have 205hp with the supercharger or 260hp with the turbo, and we havent even gotten into upgrades

 

ION engines are not a direct swap into S-cars..not the 2.0, not the 2.2, not the 2.4. Cost will be well over $1,500 because everything must be custom made to do the swap, not to metion all the parts needed.

 

Ehhhhh i was hoping that wasnt the case.. hmmm well who knows, if i still have my SC2 a year or two from now and i have the money I think i might just do it. I think that it would be a nice swap to do considering how lightweight the Sc2 is

 

Swaps require fabrication to see to it things that don't fit, some how do and hook up to other things that make the car move like transmission linkage and throttle linkage and all the plumbing and then there is the electronics involved in having stuff happen.
To my way of thinking that is hard enough to do well and have everything work using a some what compatible engine. Such as two different engines that are used in the same car OEM so that you can find parts that would actually work and fit. Or be a heads up fabricator and completely knowledgeable as to electronics and what is needed. And that some how I would think assumes that everything is going to work or you can deal with some things not working.
Front wheel drive cars have engines and transmissions mounted on a cradle that bolts to the frame or body of the car with usually about 4 mounting bolts. I would think fabricating something that allows the whole cradle to swap would give the electronics included and the wiring to run the engine leaving little more than transmission linkage to have to be fabricated. But on an S series Saturn you have a communications link to the engine management computer with the Body/dash board computer so things like interior lights and dashboard (all digital no matter what the gauges look like) will actually function correctly.
I dunno, it seems to me $1500.00 out of pocket is a bit light to pay some one else to fabricate a conversion of this nature.
I have built my share of modified cars but I have always used compatible (sort of) parts which meant a parts car in a wrecking yard pretty much supplied me with parts that fit and worked.
I am now doing my first and probably my last major modification putting a middle 90's Mercury Marine engine (yes mercruiser) in a 1976 AMC Hornet using an also Middle 90's automatic transmission.

Mounts, radiator hook up, A/C install, transmission linkage and wiring modifications all have to be made. I will loose the use of the Speedometer and all gauges. I think anyway and I am not sure there is any compatibility with the gauges. The speedometer has a number of solutions but they are electronic and are going to cost in the area of about 4-5 hundred to solve.
A/C, power steering and cooling modifications all have had to be made. I just can not see $1500 covering the nut on the video presentation, paid to some one else to do the work and fabrication and still have everything work.

And there is NO bolt in engine conversion that can be done on an S series Saturn.

I dunno. To my way of thinking, the S series engine is not a bad one and if I had the kind of money I think it would cost out of pocket to do a major change over which require huge amounts Fabrication I would instead use it to build a killer engine out of a DOHC Saturn engine instead and I already know it will fit with out a problem.

 

hmmm you bring up good points there.. im still kinda new to the S-series engines and i learning as i go. I know its a great engine but it seems like performance parts are hard to come by, if not impossible to get unless they are custom made. For now i just want to stick with making it handle good with springs, tires, rims, strut bars etc. I dont think i can make the car any lighter, its pretty much made of platic anyways. I thought about forced induction, but i wouldnt wanna waste it on an auto transmission. I like to take my car on back roads and canyons so im not worried about power as much as i like handling

 

Post more pictures, like motor mounts, trans mounts, radiator, undercarriage, struts/spindles etc.

 

Darn I saw you signed on. Thought you were here to post more pictures and video's of "your" SC2 with the 2.0L SC engine in it.

SC=supercharged

Maybe GM did a recall on the combination