Customising / modifying old cars..

Originally Posted by TazDaz

another 1.6 K series (engine made from cheese)!

It's only the plastic dowels that cause the problems with K-series motors. As an engine in general, it's a bloody brilliant design, with no major flaws. Can be tuned to well over 240BHP with the HG dowels sorted and a few internal mods.

Lad I knew of had a K series at about 210BHP which had done about 90K as a daily driver in its state of tune, without a hint of an issue because he'd fitted a decent HG and locators.

Originally Posted by Dan

It's only the plastic dowels that cause the problems with K-series motors. As an engine in general, it's a bloody brilliant design, with no major flaws. Can be tuned to well over 240BHP with the HG dowels sorted and a few internal mods.

Lad I knew of had a K series at about 210BHP which had done about 90K as a daily driver in its state of tune, without a hint of an issue because he'd fitted a decent HG and locators.

Yeah, the sandwich design is brilliant and leaves you with a nice lightweight engine, but unless you do the mods like you say it has issues sometimes. Early engines and post year 2000 engines had the steel dowels but for some reason the inbetween years had plastic. My old engine died because of the resultant HG failure...new one (from a scrappy) isn't as sound and I lost faith in them! Maybe when I'm old and grey and finally have a workshop I'll modify one to hell and back! (Car currently sits on the drive racking up NCB - got the SV now!)

Also, I read an article where someone modified a K series in an Elise so it could comfortably spin up to about 14-15k rpm...crazy stuff!

To be on topic - Fiat Seicento - smallest looking car out there - Abarth engine maybe?

[Bri w]

There used to be a Morris Minor in and around York with a 4.2 V6 Jag engine in it. What made it even weirder to look at is the driver sit in the back. At first glance there was no one driving it. Quite what is was like to drive i haven't got a scooby.

I'd like a VW Caddy Pick up truck, but with a VR6 engine.

[Bibio]

how about a Lada Riva, 1300 high lift cams, flowed head and twin webber 40's.. yes it was a lot of fun.. looked totally standard from the outside including the bashed in door..

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

I've seen a couple of VR6 powered Lupo's that looked pretty standard from the outside, I always thought that was pretty bonkers in such a small car though.

Theres somewhere on youtube some footage of a Ex GPO Red Ford Escort MKIV van with a Cosworth 2 litre turbo lump in it with the 4 x 4 running gear, looks completely standard even down to the faded red paint showing where the stickers were.

My brother had a MkI Astra 1300s that had GTE engine and brakes. That was also quite a good sleeper as well, especially as we passed a guy in a MGF one day who was really really p*ssed off that he couldnt keep up with a manky old Astra

When i was into tuning my old MK2 golf, i used to buy the vw mags.
Dubsport up north somewhere had a golf running 2 x VR6 corrado engines, both turbo'd, 4 wheel drive, i think it was something like 460 BHP at the wheels.
I seen it run at santa pod, it was awesome.
Got in on film somewhere.

Sorry fizz, didnt see your post where you mentioned this.

[Richie]

toyota starlet... with a rover V8...

my mates and my old project.

Originally Posted by Bibio

how about a Lada Riva, 1300 high lift cams, flowed head and twin webber 40's.. yes it was a lot of fun.. looked totally standard from the outside including the bashed in door..

Mate had a Lada Riva with a 2 litre Fiat twin cam engine and box fitted, along with odds and sods of Fiat 131 Mirafiori suspension. It went like stink, and had the added surprise of 'smoke injection' - a spare Austin Metro washer bottle under the bonnet that pumped old engine oil into the exhaust manifold. You flicked a switch on the dash and it belched smoke so thick out of the exhaust that no-one behind could see where you'd gone. Great for losing fast cars that try to race you

Originally Posted by TazDaz

When I killed the engine in my rover 200 ('99) I was tempted to stick a turbocharged T series engine in. Would be 200bhp in a small car...nice!

...sadly though reality kicked in and I realised that the insurance would kill me so went a got another 1.6 K series (engine made from cheese)!

Best engine ever that 1.6 16V K series mmmmmmm

Originally Posted by BanditPat

Best engine ever that 1.6 16V K series mmmmmmm

2.0T16 is better... IMHO as an ex owner of several tubby Tomcats. Saw a Metro with one in on the web somewhere. That must have shifted.