Building the Baddest V Pontiac Solstice - Hot Rod Magazine

[GXPinKC]

The World's Baddest Pontiac Solstice

The engines swap is a tradition in hot rodding and HOT ROD magazine. Cadillac V-8 and Buick nailheads in Model A and B Fords were commonplace in the early days, and the musclecar was born via the concept of the engine swap. Anyone over the age of 35 remembers V-8 Vegas, Monzas, and Pintos, lightweight economy cars that were easily made to go very fast with a healthy small-block stuffed in place of the stock four. And let's not forget the V-8 Datsun 240/260/280Z, which combined Chevy V-8 power with the little sports car's inherent handling abilities.

Although the government and environmental activists make it increasingly difficult to wedge big engines into little cars that didn't come so equipped, we still can't help but look at most new cars and wonder how to stuff bigger or more powerful engines in them. When the Pontiac Solstice made its debut over a year ago, with an Ecotec four under the hood and a rear-wheel-drive platform, that was the first thought on the mind of each HOT ROD staffer. So, discussions began with General Motors Performance Division (GMPD) about how we could do it. What resulted was an agreement for GMPD to help us engineer the engine swap and sort out some of the more difficult details.

Over the next three issues you will see our efforts to build this car. In hindsight, the level of effort expended in order to create and refine this machine was perhaps over the top for the average backyard enthusiast, but the end product is, as the goal required, the World's Baddest Solstice. And the information we include in this three-part series will make it easier for anyone to do it at home, even if not on such a grand scale. As you will see in this story and the other installments, we used primarily GM production parts, and a lot of them bolted in with a minimum of fuss. Where they didn't is where things kinda got carried away, but as you'll see, you don't have to go as far as we did to have a fast V-8 Solstice.

What do we plan to do with this car when it's done? Everything and then some. Optimism says it'll be at as many of the HOT ROD events in 2006 as possible, including the Top Speed Shootout (Maxton, North Carolina, April 1-2), Pump Gas Drags(TM) (Memphis Motorsports Park, May12), Power Tour(TM)(June 3-10), and Drag Week(TM)(September 11-15). If you go to one of these events, you can check out this car in person-assuming, of course, that we don't crash it. With the amount of labor, time, and money that went into this thing, that would be bad.

Hot Rod's LS7 Pontiac Solstice Nears Completion

Finalizing the Buildup and Taking Advantage of the GM Performance Division Capabilities to Tune our LS7-powered Solstice.

Last month we presented part one of our buildup of the World's Baddest Magazine Project Car, the HOT ROD Solstice. Doing the modern equivalent of the V-8 swap, we decided to stick a big engine in the four-cylinder Pontiac Solstice to make it a hot rod in the purest sense. No common V-8 would suffice, of course. GM's recent horsepower bonanza known as the LS7, the 505hp monster powering the spectacular Z06 Corvette, is now available as a crate engine, so when deciding which engine to stuff in the little Pontiac, we eschewed more commonplace choices and went straight for the jackpot. And to up the ante even more, we added a Hot cam from GM Performance Parts (GMPP) and tri-Y headers to allow the engine to blast out roughly 600 hp. The car will weigh less than 3,000 pounds when it is completed and ready to run, so it'll be fast.

Last month we ended with the car as a rolling chassis in need of bodywork, final paint, final assembly, and, of course, final testing. This month's installment will go into all of those finishing details, but we are saving the full-on track thrash for next month. We have a few performance bogies we're going after, and the full-court press is on to make the car perform beyond expectations.

Now a word about that body; the stock Solstice is plenty sexy, so visually there really weren't any major changes to the basic shape or size. But our number-one goal was brutal speed, which meant that anywhere we could shave weight, we would. The drivetrain swap, rollcage, and other stuff we did to the car added about 700 pounds to it, so we went looking for ways to take weight out in other areas. That led to the decision to go all out and create a complete carbon-fiber body, and while we were at it, we did custom front and rear fasciae to give it a more aggressive appearance. The rear view turned out especially spectacular!

In the first installment, we completed all the major fabrication to the point that the car was a rolling chasis. Before the body was painted and installed, the undercar chassis was wiped down with paint thinner and painted semigloss black. The entire car was then taped off so the rollcage coud be painted.

To reduce the overall weight of the car and add to the cool factor, Specter Works in Troy, Michigan, (248/583/9559) built some carbon-fiber panels for the HOT ROD Solstice. Both the carbon hood and decklid retain the stock mounting locations to simplify installation and usage.

Yes, a complete carbon-fiber body is beyond what most people would do, but the real story here is in the details. The blinding red Solstice body panels were carefully assembled on the chassis with a little tweaking of the body mounts and shimming to make everything fit tightly together. On the front and rear carbon-fiber fascia, sheetmetal mounts were created and temorarily glued to the body to determine initial placement. Once the location was locked in, the mounts were permanently epoxied to the panels. This two-step process makes the body-mounting procedure a much more enjoyable adventure. The engine fits pretty well, and most of the parts used have GM Performance Division's engineering staff to make it all work at a ten-tenths level, but a V-8 Solstice is truly something a capable hot rodder could do at home.

Check out part two and start taking notes on how to build a V-8 Solstice of your own. And make sure to tune in next month when we give you all the nitty gritty performance numbers.

GM Performance Tune-up

When the car was completely assembled, it was shipped to General Motors Proving Grounds to be run hard, hung up wet, and tuned up to top capability by the GM Performance Division in preparation for HOT ROD to thrash on it. If there was one thing we enjoyed watching, it was the GMPD team setting up the car to handle on a road course, street driving, and a dragstrip.

The engineers in this group are excellent drivers and ran the HOT ROD Solstice brutally hard to get everything working properly. As far as getting to an optimal chassis setup on a car that has no tuning in it, John Heinricy, director, GM Performance Division, said it best. "The best process for tuning the suspension is to set the shocks at full soft, drive the vehicle in both slow- and high-speed situations, then set the shocks at full stiff and drive it again. This way you'll know if there is enough adjustment in the shocks to attain optimal handling in all conditions. Then you can go back to the soft shock settings and add just a little damping to make sure the springs, sway bars, ride heights, tire pressures, etc, are 'right' to achieve a good balance. Adjust these before working the shock adjustments to attain the final tuning, "Heinricy said.

Roll Your Own

Last month, we showed you a lot of the details around the exact GM part numbers you'll need to know to build your own HOT ROD V-8 Solstice. This month, we'll add just a few part numbers to that list.

DRIVETRAIN AND SUSPENSION PN
ENGINE
LSV-8 small-block 17802397
ENGINE COMPONANTS
LS7 GM Performance Parts Hot Cam TBA
LS7 dry-sump componants
oil tank 12603281
hose, engine to tank 15210122
bolt, hold-down for hose 1151578
hose, engine to tank 15210117
BRAKES
Solstice GXP master cylinder 10345965


HOT ROD LS7 Pontiac Solstice- American BadAss
The Most Wicked Magazine Project Ever Runs 10s, Stops From 60 mph in Less Than 100 Feet, and Pulls Over 1 g on the Skidpad.

We knew it would be fast. We promised you, that it would be fast. And ya know what? It's fast. Damn fast. Back on street tires, the HRM Solstice blasted from rest to 60 mph in 3.32 seconds despite prodigious wheelspin. It also generated a breathtaking 1.05g on the skidpad, ran 74.9 mph through the slalom, and managed a quarter mile best of 10.99 seconds at 132.25 mph.

The HOT ROD Solstice was born out of the hot-rodding tradition of the engine swap. Stick the biggest, nastiest engine you can in the smallest, lightest car, and go destroy everything else on the street. The combo plate with the new Pontiac Solstice and the unbelievable 505hp, 427ci small-block LS7 from the Corvette ZO6 was just too tasty a meal to pass on, so HOT ROD conspired with GM Performance Division to figure out how to cook it. We showed you most of the build details in the last two issues of the magazine, but it all boils down to this month, when we put it on the ground, cinch the harnesses, mash the throttle, and give it the torture test.

When the car was nothing more than an idea, we bench-raced a few goals that would be difficult, but not impossible, to meet. We wanted it to run 10's. It should pull more than 1 g on the skidpad without resorting to slicks. It should go through the testing-standard 600-foot slalom faster than any production car. And it should out-stop everything short of an IndyCar. The HOT ROD Solstice delivered, and how. But first let's recap what this car is.

The Solstice competes in the marketplace primarily with the Mazda Miata, and it does so very well. The stock engine is an Ecotec four-cylinder, and the chassis is set up to be sports-car tight but still comfortable for the average consumer. Those with a need for more speed can opt for the GXP Solstice that for '07 adds a turbo and stiffer suspension. And it you're looking to go road racing or autocrossing, the Club Sport Z0K option is nearly track-ready and currently available. An LS7 is, of course, not an option, but that didn't stop us.

We tested the LS7 crate motor in the Feb. '06 issue, and it made 519 SAE-rated horsepower out of the box. With 1 3/4-inch headers and the GM Hot cam, it cranked out 600 hp at 6,800 rpm and 526 lb-ft from 4,800 to 5,200.

Now, the payoff:
As installed in the HOT ROD Solstice, with tri-Y headers and full exhaust tucked under the car, it makes 585 hp and 540 lb-ft.

Working closely with GM Performance Division, we stripped a base Solstice down to a bare chassis and took measurements to determine what was necessary to stuff a Gen IV small-block into the car. It was surprisingly easy to make everything fit, but we went to extra lengths to make sure this car was as perfectly balanced and engineered as it could be. We're a long way from the days of slapped-together V-8 Vegas, and especially since GM was involved, this car had to be done right. The GM engineers used sophisticated math data to determine many things, such as how to build the exhaust to allow maximum ground clearance and how to set up the suspension for optimum handling with the altered weight-distribution the finished car would have. The entire project involved much more than just shoehorning in a small-block and calling it a day. The end result is a very well engineered car that works as designed and has few, if any, compromises.

A 15-gallon ATL fuel cell replaces the stock tank, and it ate up all the luggage room, so we finished it with a nice aluminum panel.

The rollcage was designed for maximum interior space, so the bars all have compound curves in them. Most of the interior panels were also custom-made (some in plastic and some in carbon fiber) to look stock but fit with the cage.

The exhaust fits tightly under the car. It's all 3-inch stainless steel tubing, and the 95dB circle track-style mufflers are from Burns Stainless.

The Firebird dragstrip had not been sprayed with VHT, which certainly didn't help our launches. The Solstice was impossible to launch without wheelspin, and it spun the tires through three gears on every pass.

Custom billet wheels were made to mount the 315/30R19 BFG Drag Radials. The tires were aired to 17 psi.

The engine is a stock LS7 (which you can order as a crate engine from GM Performance Parts), but we added a GM Hot cam, a set of tri-Y headers, and a complete exhaust system with burns mufflers. The final dyno numbers were 585 hp and 540 lb-ft of torque. Backing it is a T56 six-speed from the Chevy SSR pickup, and the rear differential is the stock Getrag independent centersection with Cadillac STS-V 3.23:1 gears and a Corvette Z06 clutch pack.

The Suspension hangs on essentially stock Solstice components but uses top-of-the-line parts, such as Ohlins coilover shocks and big Brembo brakes. The suspension calibration is another area where GM's engineering expertise shined through, as the car was good right out of the box and needed only fine-tuning when it hit the test track. A stock Solstice weight just under 3,000 pounds, and the drivetrain swap added about 700 pounds to our car's girth, so a lot of thought went into a weight-loss program. The Jenny Craig solution was many carbon-fiber body panels, plenty of lightening holes drilled where there were no structural issues, and the removal of anything that was deemed not absolutely necessary. The stereo still works though! The final, ready-to-run weight came in at a shocking 2,880 pounds split 52/48 front to rear.

After some shakedown time at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix with GM Performance Division's Mark Stielow, the Solstice was ready to be instrumented and documented. Firebird allowed us to do all the testing in one place, as it provided a quarter-mile dragstrip with lots of runoff room, a skidpad, and an area to set up a 600-foot slalom and a 60-0 braking test. All of the test data were collected with a highly accurate V-Box, which uses GPS data to precisely log time, speed, and distance.

The skidpad was the first test. Any production car that generaters more than .90 g on a 600-foot skidpad is considered a very well-handling car. Numbers higher than full g are reserved for big-money exotics, purpose-built cars, and full-tilt race cars. Motor Trend's comparison test of an '06 Z06 Corvette and an '05 Porsche 911 Carrera S delivered .95 g for both cars. On Michelin PS ll treaded tires, the HOT ROD Solstice generated 1.05 g.

"The Solstice felt very neutral and controllable on the skidpad, and it was easy to get it into a slight tail-out attitude for the best max lat numbers," Stielow said.

After the skidpad, we tested the braking. We knew those big Brembos in the sub-3,000-pound car would halt it in a hurry, and man did they ever. Entry into the supercar 60-0-mph braking club is usually earned at 110 feet, but the Solstice kicked that number's butt with a 60-0 distance of a mere 95.62 feet. Without the seatbelts, it would literally throw you through the windshield.

What are your comments and observations?
Sincerely, GXPinKC

[drawee]

Wanna trade?

[GXPinKC]

No, because that much power would definitely get me in major trouble. I wouldn't be able to trust my foot. Way to much temptation!!!

[Robert Prague]

Um... If I ever run into that with my 400CI Bonnie, I'M HEADING FOR THE HILLS!!! KEEP THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!

[Bratman]

I want to see pictures, what issue of H R does this cover... Carbon Fiber body restyle, how'd that look?

[drawee]

Originally Posted by Robert Prague

Um... If I ever run into that with my 400CI Bonnie, I'M HEADING FOR THE HILLS!!! KEEP THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!

It does sound like a heck of a lot of car.

[GXPinKC]

In summary, is this the best Hot Rod for its size ever produced? Let's sumarize what GM and Hot Rod Magazine have accomplished with this marvelous re-creation.

Hot Rod tested the LS7 crate motor in the Feb'06 issue, and it made 519 SAE-rated horsepower out of the box. With 1 3/4-inch headers and the GM Hot cam, it cranked out 600hp at 6,800 rpm and 526 lb-ft from 4,800 to 5,200.

First, in summary the competition: in skidpad any production car that generates more than .90g on a 600-foot skidpad is considered a very well-handling car. Numbers higher than full g are reserved for big money exotics, purpose built cars, and full tilt race cars. Motor Trend's comparison test of an '06 Z06 Corvette and an '05 Porsche 911 Carrera S delivered .95 for both cars.

On Michelin Pilot II treaded tires the Hot Rod and GM Solstice generated:

Skidpad.............................1.05g
Quarter mile.......................10.99 seconds at 133.25 mph
0-60 mph...........................3.32 seconds
Slalom...............................74.9mph
Stopping 60-0.....................95 feet

Those last two numbers compare to 70.8 mph and 110 feet for the 2006 Corvette Z06, 73.2 mph and 101 feet for the $450,000 Porsche Carrera GT and 71.0mph and 106 feet for the $650,000 Farrari Enzo according to Motor Trend.

Pictures and summary of the Hot Rod Magazine and GM makeover are on pages 105 through 115 of the Premier Edition of "The Pontiac Solstice Book" by Gary Witenburg. It sells for $34.95 and well worth every penny!

Well, give me some debate on this one, Is this the best hot rod for it's size ever produced?
And if you could afford it, would you covet driving one like it, or are you completely satisfied and happy with the performance of your GXP or future GXP?

[drawee]

Thanks again for this great article from Hot Rod Magazine. I gotta get a copy of Hot Rod Magazine and see this for myself. It sure sounds like one hot Solstice If the aftermarket parts are reasonable. I can see a few of us adding to our already hot GXP's.

Hey I have an Idea...Why doesn't Hot Rod Magazine/GM give it away in a sweepstakes (after they are done playing with it 1st)

Kudos to the Hot Rod/GM Team!

[LazyEye]

Maybe I'll do that to a solstice instead of getting one of these http://www.factoryfive.com/table/ffr...coupespec.html Although... I just realized that said link leads to a car which is quite a few horses less... I wonder what it would do with 600??

[DWT]

Originally Posted by LazyEye

I wonder what it would do with 600??

It would probably be undrivable. GM seriously considered requiring a perfomance driving school for anybody who purchased a Z06. Even with traction control a Z06 can quickly get away from you.