Chevrolet Chevette - Beyond Commuter Duty

Beyond Commuter Duty

Being a low-cost, lightweight, and readily available compact, Chevettes occasionally find their way onto dirt track racing or drag racing. The Chevette's rear wheel drive, and compatiblty with many common GM components, made upgrading for racing and performance purposes easier than many subcompacts. In Europe, where the Vauxhall Chevette HS was successful rally car, a common swap is the lightweight Rover V8 engine, requiring somewhat extensive fabrication. Common in the US and also requiring extensive fabrication is the GM 60-Degree V6 engine and the Chevrolet Small-Block engine. In 2000, Hot Rod magazine swapped a 500 cu in (8,200 cc) Cadillac engine into a 1980 Chevette. The Family II Ecotec engine is also suitable and can be fitted with sidedraft Weber carburetors in place of the engine's standard fuel injection system.