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This is the beginning of the official series summarizing the life of my Cruzen 2.0, a 2014 Cruze powered by a 2.0T LHU mated to a f40 6spd manual trans. If you haven't seen the original thread, the reason for the name was that I nicknamed my first Cruze (a 2012 ECO) Cruzen, so this was the second Cruzen and it has a 2 Liter. As for why I started with the Cruze that I used, my ECO was worth too much to modify ($7k) and the one I used was about $1500 delivered and supposedly had a clean Michigan title and I saw an oil change sticker for 28k miles dated end of 2016.
The two cars used:
2014 Buick Verano Premium, 2.0T, 6MT, 17k miles, salvage- runs/drives, $3k (Purchased 5/18/18)
2014 Chevy Cruze LT, 1.4T, 6AT, 28k miles??, STRIPPED- interior and glass intact, $700 +fees +transport (Purchased 6/7/18)
The Buick arrived at my house at approximately 9am on 5/30/18, I spent most of that day stripping the front end of the car to find out what parts were damaged and needed replacement. The main parts for the buick were the radiator, the ac condenser, an intake fitting, and not much else that I knew of at the time without having a Cruze to check against. The only remaining thing I knew I would need was a set of wheels and tires.
I will spare you the tire saga and just say the ones that came on the Buick were trash, I got the wrong set of wheels the first time, this error eventually saved me $100, and I eventually realized I got the wrong tires as well and those are still on the car.
The following are pictures from the first day of having the Buick.
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Mid-size car Compact car]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Auto part Engine]()
![Auto part Vehicle Engine Car Automotive engine part]()
![Automotive exterior Bumper Vehicle Radiator Auto part]()
![Auto part Engine Fuel line Wire Automotive fuel system]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Mid-size car Sedan]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Collision]()
![Alloy wheel Tire Wheel Rim Spoke]()
![Alloy wheel Tire Rim Wheel Spoke]()
Once the thing had useable wheels and tires it made a few trips around my neighborhood and then across the street to have the ac evacuated properly instead of just cracking open the lines. These wheels required a pair of 3mm spacers on the front to add a bit of clearance to the brake caliper, and they are the same wheels and tires that are on Cruzen2.0 now. I'm planning on getting the correct size winter tires for these wheels and then a set of the biggest tires I can fit on a set of aftermarket 18x8 wheels for the summer.
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Alloy wheel Red]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Alloy wheel]()
Then came the beginning of the end for this car, stripping the interior in preparation for its eventual gutting.
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Steering wheel]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Subcompact car]()
![Vehicle Car Auto part Car seat cover Car seat]()
And then... THE SHELL ARRIVED
No wheels, no front bumper, no rear bumper, no headlights, no taillights, no hood, no decklid, no engine, no trans, no radiator, no ac condenser, and a few other miscellaneous bits missing. As for the damage; crushed rocker panels, dented fender, broken mirror, flooded trunk, and looked as though someone had attempted to break into the car. The white wheels on the Cruze in the below picture were the winters from my ECO, just to make life easier.
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Compact car Hatchback]()
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle City car]()
![Automotive exterior Vehicle Car Auto part Bumper]()
First step was to get the cradle and drivetrain out of the Buick
![Land vehicle Vehicle Car Motor vehicle Collision]()
The two cars used:
2014 Buick Verano Premium, 2.0T, 6MT, 17k miles, salvage- runs/drives, $3k (Purchased 5/18/18)
2014 Chevy Cruze LT, 1.4T, 6AT, 28k miles??, STRIPPED- interior and glass intact, $700 +fees +transport (Purchased 6/7/18)
The Buick arrived at my house at approximately 9am on 5/30/18, I spent most of that day stripping the front end of the car to find out what parts were damaged and needed replacement. The main parts for the buick were the radiator, the ac condenser, an intake fitting, and not much else that I knew of at the time without having a Cruze to check against. The only remaining thing I knew I would need was a set of wheels and tires.
I will spare you the tire saga and just say the ones that came on the Buick were trash, I got the wrong set of wheels the first time, this error eventually saved me $100, and I eventually realized I got the wrong tires as well and those are still on the car.
The following are pictures from the first day of having the Buick.
Once the thing had useable wheels and tires it made a few trips around my neighborhood and then across the street to have the ac evacuated properly instead of just cracking open the lines. These wheels required a pair of 3mm spacers on the front to add a bit of clearance to the brake caliper, and they are the same wheels and tires that are on Cruzen2.0 now. I'm planning on getting the correct size winter tires for these wheels and then a set of the biggest tires I can fit on a set of aftermarket 18x8 wheels for the summer.
Then came the beginning of the end for this car, stripping the interior in preparation for its eventual gutting.
And then... THE SHELL ARRIVED
No wheels, no front bumper, no rear bumper, no headlights, no taillights, no hood, no decklid, no engine, no trans, no radiator, no ac condenser, and a few other miscellaneous bits missing. As for the damage; crushed rocker panels, dented fender, broken mirror, flooded trunk, and looked as though someone had attempted to break into the car. The white wheels on the Cruze in the below picture were the winters from my ECO, just to make life easier.
First step was to get the cradle and drivetrain out of the Buick
