Help By A Newbie,power Upgrade Options?

[Guest Rallyreason]

"rx 8 BIG no look into repair costs on them bad boys and the electronics involved in making them run, mpg is worse than a 6.2Lv8... k series is old hat and have well know head gasket problems.."

 

RX8 is a no go then.

K series, these do rev well. I had a lotus elise some years back. Only 120BHP but went like a rocket. As for head gasket, i thought this had gone on my lotus. Removed the head couldnt find any issue. It turned out to be the inlet manifold gasket. There is a water port next to one of the inlet port and this is where the inlet manifold gasket had failed. I wonder how many people have thought or done the same. It does give the same symtoms as a head gasket failure!

 

I get the point that you can put any engine in. I am just after peoples knowledge and experience to help decide.It would be great not making the same mistake as i am sure some of you have experienced?

 

This has turned out to be a great post. Thanks to everyone that has inputed.

[richardm6994]

As you may have seen from my build topic, I'm upgrading from a 2.1 pinto to a RV8. I'm mating it to the type 9 gearbox which has so far not been too difficult.

 

The weight of the RV8 isn't that different from the pinto (pinto being all cast iron and RV8 being all cast ally).

 

For me the major cost is in the installation, not the engine itself. To give you an idea, excluding the engine I have spent;

 

£50 - bellhouse

£220 - lighten flywheel, clutch & arp bolts

£20 - hydraulic slave clutch

£200 - inlet manifold

£400 - carb, heat insulator & air filter

£270 - 4-core uprated radiator (pinto rad wouldn't cope)

£300 - electric water pump and controller (cos of difficulties with mech pump fitting in)

£385 - exhaust silencers, collectors & header flanges (excluding headers)

£50 - stainless steel engine bolt kit (cos the whole engine is imperial!!)

£50 - megajolt trigger wheel & bracket

£140 - fuel pump & reg

£70 - new pedal box (because old one won't fit and also needs hydraulic clutch master cylinder)

 

Spoiler which repeatedly smacks Dan over the head.....Priceless

 

Total so far excluding engine - £2,155

 

Still got to sort out my exhaust primary tubes (expensive!!), engine mounts and numerous other bits and bobs!

[Guest alfaGTA]

As Richard has highlighted its the additional gubbins that are the real cost in an engine swap, very often the engine is by far the cheapest part..... There is no such thing as "cheap" power, also weigh up financial cost vs time cost, what use is a conversion that takes two years to complete and costs £50? The best money should be spent IMO on a suspension set up including corner weighting, then brakes, then on the driver then hike the power.....

[Guest Rallyreason]

Richardm6994 - This sounds like it will be an awsome kit when finished.

 

alfaGTA - Very wise and valid points.

 

I may just keep with the easy pinto option and enjoy for now, get all the other niggles sorted then revisit the discission later.

[Longboarder]

The best money should be spent IMO on a suspension set up including corner weighting, then brakes, then on the driver then hike the power.....

You missed out tyres and LSD, but perfectly illustrated by Richard going round Barkstone in 53 seconds, time and again in his locost racing series 1300 crossflow at an RH sprint day a few years back. That was the day I stuffed my car with 60 more BHP than his into the tyre wall trying to get under 54.

Richard....Tyres, yes..Suspension, yes..Brakes, yes..Driver, yes..BHP, no.. = 53 seconds.

Nigel........Tyres, yes..Suspension, no...Brakes, yes..Driver, no...BHP, yes.. = 54+ and a bent car

It's the complete balanced package that matters, not just the BHP figure.

 

Nigel

 

p.s. I also have a quick rack but suspect it's only of use on track and you have to be a much better driver than me to benefit from it.

[brumster]

K series, these do rev well. I had a lotus elise some years back. Only 120BHP but went like a rocket. As for head gasket, i thought this had gone on my lotus. Removed the head couldnt find any issue. It turned out to be the inlet manifold gasket. There is a water port next to one of the inlet port and this is where the inlet manifold gasket had failed. I wonder how many people have thought or done the same. It does give the same symtoms as a head gasket failure!

 

I agree, but the K has kind of had it's day really. It's a cracking engine, and it's unfortunately fallen foul of lots of internet misinformation and Rover re-selling it to others who inappropriately re-packaged it (plus a few quality control issues around the head), but it can be perfectly reliable. And powerful too. But, unless you had a cheap supply on one, it doesn't really make much sense to choose it over some of the newer powerplants like the Duratec, Sigma, or Ecotec lumps. So despite having one, I'm realistic enough to not recommend it - it doesn't have enough "plus-es" to warrant the extra effort/grief.

[Guest tiggertom]

just to throw 2p in i went from 1.8 cvh to zetec (st 170) on carbs smooth nippy no probs at all .As a note of caution my brother has a cobra rep with big V8 had a new body on last winter due to spinning in a stright line on motorway and hitting barriers in dry on diesel spill big torque can catch you out