05 Saturn ion 2.2 l61 build (the journey to 400hp)

[05_ionS/C]

So a few months ago i bought a 2005 saturn ion sedan 2.2 l61 auto with full intentions of building it. Yes i know the down falls of it not being tuneable already so no need to tell me about the fact that tbe e16a ecu n stock tcm are not supported by hpt, and trifecta no longer offers tuning for these cars either. Also I am aware of other cheaper options to make more power, but my goal since the day i bought this car was to retain the 2.2 l61 gen 1 engine and make a 400hp street car. But i have the full build planned already planned out other than what i want tl do with the audio system. So the journey for 400hp 2.2 street car begins. Im starting with the under side of the car and full suspension build, brakes, wheels and tires, which i will begin to order Friday when i get paid. Full suspension build plans listed below.

Clean underside of car and paint gloss black with por 15
Clean and paint front subframe illusion purple
Zzp tubular lower control arms powder coated gloss black
Zzp ball joint heat shields powder coated illusion purple
Zzp front sway bar kit
Zzp 140mm adjustable front sway bars
Paint front knuckles gloss black
New Cobalt ss 5 lug front hubs
Zzp 12.25" brembo front brake kit
Goodridge stainless front and rear brake hose kit
Steering rack spacers
New rack and pinion and inner and outer tie rods
Paint rack and pinion and inner tie rods gloss black
Have outer tie rods powder coated illusion purple
Paint front calipers and brackets illusion purple
Ion redline rear axle beam
New Cobalt ss rear 5 lug rear hubs
Cross drilled slotted rear rotors
New cobalt ss rear calipers
Paint rear axle beam illusion purple
Red poly axle beam bushings
Paint rear calipers illusion purple
New Copper coated brake lines
New cobalt ss e brake cables
Zzp rear sway bar kit
New gas tank straps
Bc coil overs
AEM e85 compatible in tank fuel pump
Zzp billet engine mount
42 draft designs 5x110 to 5x114.3 hubcentric wheel adapters
Aodhan ds01 gold 18x8.5 +35 offset 5x114.3ug pattern wheels
Nitto neo gen 215/40zr18 tires with permanent white nitto tire decals
Purple spline lug nuts
Purpme valve caps


Once everything under the car is complete and finished and able to set it back on the ground i will begin collecting all my 5 speed swap parts. Im planning on using a f35 5 speed as i have a line on a full swap for under $200. But i will be upgrading most of it anyway.

Plan for the trans and drive train listed below

Fidanza light weight flywheel
Zzp stage 3 clutch kit
New throw out bearing, and pilot bushing
Zzp throw out bearing spacer
Zzp stage 1 axles
Zzp billet front trans mount
Zzp rear trans mount spacer
Zzp billet rotated rear trans mount
All new hydraulic clutch system
ion redline manual pedal assemblies
New shift cables
Short throw shift kit and short throw adapter
Zzp Billet shifter bushings
05 - 06 saturn 2.2 l61 manual engine harness to get rid of tcm and tcm wiring
Clean up and paint trans gloss silver

This is my starting point and current goals. Once this is done i will post the rest of my build plans

[05_ionS/C]

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[05_ionS/C]

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[05_ionS/C]

Curent mods are

-Lighting and electronics-
6000K LED head light bulbs
Purple LED front turn signal bulbs
Purple LED reverse light bulbs
Purple LED license plate light buib
Purple LED interior map light bulbs
Purple LED dome light bulb
Purple LED trunk light bulb
Boss audio head unit with Bluetooth

-engine n engine bay-
3" cold air intake
Cabon fiber air filter heat shield
Billet LS1 oil cap
Purple fender bolt kit

-not yet instslled-
Long tube header with catless mid pipe
New 02 sensors
New mls header gasket
New ARP header studs
New chrome 2.5" inlet/outlet high flow resonator
New chrome 2.5" inlet/ dual 3" outlet muffler
New 2.5" 2 bolt exhaust flange
2 weld on 02 sensor bungs (1 for down stream 02 and 1 for wide band sensor)
Jet performance MAF sensor
Purple 1/4" wire loom
Purple LED strips 2 for under dash for front floor, 2 for under seats for rear floor, and 2 for inside trunk
New valve cover gasket
New spark plugs

-ordering on Friday-
Zzp front sway bar kit
Zzp 140mm adjustable stabilizer links
Zzp rear sway bar kit
Zzp billet motor mount
Zzp ball joint heat shields
Zzp rack spacers
Zzp rear trans mount spacer
Zzp camber adjustment bolts

[05_ionS/C]

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The fiance loves the saturn as much as i do

[05_ionS/C]

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Idk what it is about this car that's made me like it so much but cant wait to start actually building and missing this car. Have so many plans. Can't wait to get the suspension and 5 speed swap done so i can move onto building the engine and doing the engine bay.

[05_ionS/C]

Ill be ordering stuff every pay as im able to until i have everything i need for a full suspension build and brake upgrades. Next pay i will be ordering my good ridge stainless brake hoses, and front and rear cobalt ss 5 lug hubs and possibly the wheel adapters. I want to get all the smaller cheaper stuff out the way so i can start saving for the bigger stuff like the coil overs, brembo front brake kit, and tubular lower control arms. But i will update as i get the parts and i may start a YouTube channel to show the build as im building it, and show people how to install the mods, and what kind of stuff needs to be done to do the mods, so stay tuned cause there is alot to come.

[05_ionS/C]

Also one thing that i forgot was that ill be doing the suspension, and full 5 speed swap at the same time, and while im doing the 5 speed swap, since ill already be changing the engine harness to a manual engine harness to due away with the tcm and tcm wiring and id like to reloom the harness in purple, ill also br purchasing and installing megasquirt ms3x system, which will control my ignition, and fuel. The ms3x will be wired in parallel with my existing ecm, as to retain all the factory functions, and accessories, such as my stock gauges, A/C, drive by wire system, cruise control, etc. But ill have the tunability of a full stand alone system and have complete control over my engine. After this is done ill be starting my engine build.

[ultravioletnk]

damn, i'm not much for the ions (they're gm delta cars with saturn's plastic body panels slapped on, but to their credit they did make a quad coupe version like the 3rd gen sc2s) but this is an interesting potential build! i'd love to see some pics of the suspension parts when they go on :3 and if you're able to get 400hp out of one of those ecotec things (don't get me started on the water pump being on the timing chain inside the crankcase) you should have a scary fast vehicle there!

[goaliemo]

Originally Posted by 05_ionS/C

Ill be ordering stuff every pay as im able to until i have everything i need for a full suspension build and brake upgrades. Next pay i will be ordering my good ridge stainless brake hoses, and front and rear cobalt ss 5 lug hubs and possibly the wheel adapters. I want to get all the smaller cheaper stuff out the way so i can start saving for the bigger stuff like the coil overs, brembo front brake kit, and tubular lower control arms. But i will update as i get the parts and i may start a YouTube channel to show the build as im building it, and show people how to install the mods, and what kind of stuff needs to be done to do the mods, so stay tuned cause there is alot to come.

Save money on the tubular control arms and get fe5s from a 08-10 cobalt ss/t.c.
Should've went with a mid length header. But I dont know what your engine plans are. So the longtube may help your end goal.

F23 is a better trans than the f35. Plus more plentiful.
If I ever decide to drive my redline again, it'll get f23 swapped.

I've done the 5 lug/fe5 swap on a sedan before. It was pretty simple

[rjc862003]

Originally Posted by ultravioletnk

damn, i'm not much for the ions (they're gm delta cars with saturn's plastic body panels slapped on, but to their credit they did make a quad coupe version like the 3rd gen sc2s) but this is an interesting potential build! i'd love to see some pics of the suspension parts when they go on :3 and if you're able to get 400hp out of one of those ecotec things (don't get me started on the water pump being on the timing chain inside the crankcase) you should have a scary fast vehicle there!

I doubt it highly GM did race testing on the 2.2's the stock powdered rods disintegrate at >280hp
a newer (06 and up) might have better rods tho
https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/tu...ecotec-engine/
400hp is completely possible but you need forged rods/pistons

[goaliemo]

Originally Posted by rjc862003

I doubt it highly GM did race testing on the 2.2's the stock powdered rods disintegrate at >280hp
a newer (06 and up) might have better rods tho
https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/tu...ecotec-engine/
400hp is completely possible but you need forged rods/pistons

You are correct. 280 is pushing it. And that's using e85 and methanol.
Cheap to build the bottom end

[Trexer]

Anxiously awaiting seeing some results of this project. I'd be happy to learn from your successes and steal them for my own, lol.

[Trexer]

Any progress?

[02 LW300]

Billy is very busy with many projects. Probably why he has not got back to this thread.

[SimbaUchihaa]

Originally Posted by 05_ionS/C

Also one thing that i forgot was that ill be doing the suspension, and full 5 speed swap at the same time, and while im doing the 5 speed swap, since ill already be changing the engine harness to a manual engine harness to due away with the tcm and tcm wiring and id like to reloom the harness in purple, ill also br purchasing and installing megasquirt ms3x system, which will control my ignition, and fuel. The ms3x will be wired in parallel with my existing ecm, as to retain all the factory functions, and accessories, such as my stock gauges, A/C, drive by wire system, cruise control, etc. But ill have the tunability of a full stand alone system and have complete control over my engine. After this is done ill be starting my engine build.

So, how did this project end up? The I never thought about using the ms2x, I've heard of the haltech but there's no plug n play for kit like for other Cara. Hmmmmm.

[Anduu]

Originally Posted by SimbaUchihaa

So, how did this project end up? The I never thought about using the ms2x, I've heard of the haltech but there's no plug n play for kit like for other Cara. Hmmmmm.

It has been over a year...let it rest in peace.

[SimbaUchihaa]

Originally Posted by Anduu

It has been over a year...let it rest in peace.

Not understanding the purpose of your post

[Anduu]

Originally Posted by SimbaUchihaa

Not understanding the purpose of your post

It means there hasn't been any kind of update in over a year and the project is likely dead.

Also it was a total pipedream to begin with.