pyromaniac_yeti
13-12-12, 07:34 PM
The car;
Corsa 1.2 SPi
Bad start already, but with the apparent lack of cheap nova's and the headaches i had trying to use the last one for work...figured i'd have a crack at the next one up as a bit of a work hack.
Situation;
The corsa's started loosing a little coolant & burning a little bit of oil. The idle also isnt as smooth as it once was, probbably due to being thrashed half to death by myself. It's just not as quick as my old 1200 nova! Probbably due to loosing 10bhp in a fancy injection system & cat. Engines on its way, but it's not terminal as of yet.
So;
Teddy's offered me his 1200 from his nova as he's looking for a bigger lump to go in it. The engine has low miles, doesnt knock, bang or rattle - HOWEVER...It's got a knackered head gasket.
Therefore;
The 1200 carbed engine from the nova will fit straight into the corsa with minimal amounts of wiring alterations. The carbed engine should have the round ports on the head - and from memory that's what gained the carb engine most of it's extra horses. I've also managed to persuade him to chuck in the cam from a 1.3SR he's had knocking about. From what i've researched the carb engine nets me 10bhp extra, and the SR cam adds a further 5 to that, or thereabouts. Assuming its all setup propperly & depending on wear etc.
The head has got to come off to change the gasket, at which point i'll deal with the timing belt & waterpump, and clean the head/valves up a bit. Whilst it's off anyway it leaves the ideal oppertunity to fit the replacement cam.
So;
The head will need a skim, as it seems false economy to try slapping it all back together with a potentially warped head...and here come the questions. Back on the 1.2 8v tuning guide, various people went on about increasing the compression. If i've got to have the head skimmed anyway, its not likely to cost anymore to have a bit extra skimmed off...However nobody actually mentioned any figures. Was this ever worked out? If not, how do i go about calculating it - are there any good guides online for this sort of thing? What would be an ideal C/R to be aiming for on a fast road engine?
I've also got a lot of bike bits knocking about including a bank of carbs somewhere, fabricating a manifold isnt an issue - however would there be any real gains from doing this, i recall the 1.3SR nova's had a twin choke carb rather than the single choke on the 1.2's and that this was supposed to offer an increase in power, however nobody could quote a figure. Fully aware of the fuel pressure issues, would probbably ditch the in tank pump & fit an inline electric pump from a bike on the firewall or simmilar. Or would OEM manifold modified to suit a twin choke of suitable size from the scrappy be a better choice?
And lastly, exhaust manifold. They're pretty expensive. I dont feel like paying tons for a fancy tubular one to extract 2bhp from a 1.2 engine. However, if i'm fabricating an inlet manifold for bike carbs i wouldnt mind having a crack at replacing the crappy cast factory manifold. This would also allow me to do away with the corsa downpipe & thus the cat. I know you can buy collectors for DIY fabrication projects online, however theres a set formula for tube diameters & primary/secondary lengths to get the best from an engine. Has anyone ever actually purchased one of the fancy manifolds for the small engines & if so could they possibly post up a picture w/dimensions on it??
Whilst gas flowing the head would be nice, would make good gains etc - its far beyond me, i dont know what i'm doing, i dont have a flow bench, and im not shelling out £300+ to get someone else to do it for me. The heads port shape alone is enough to be considered an upgrade from what i currently have!
Looking for around 75bhp & something to do with my evenings & spare time for the next month or two...Any constructive help/pointers would be appreciated, however i will point out that this is a for the hell of it project, more of a technical excercise than anything else :thumb:
Many thanks
Iain
Corsa 1.2 SPi
Bad start already, but with the apparent lack of cheap nova's and the headaches i had trying to use the last one for work...figured i'd have a crack at the next one up as a bit of a work hack.
Situation;
The corsa's started loosing a little coolant & burning a little bit of oil. The idle also isnt as smooth as it once was, probbably due to being thrashed half to death by myself. It's just not as quick as my old 1200 nova! Probbably due to loosing 10bhp in a fancy injection system & cat. Engines on its way, but it's not terminal as of yet.
So;
Teddy's offered me his 1200 from his nova as he's looking for a bigger lump to go in it. The engine has low miles, doesnt knock, bang or rattle - HOWEVER...It's got a knackered head gasket.
Therefore;
The 1200 carbed engine from the nova will fit straight into the corsa with minimal amounts of wiring alterations. The carbed engine should have the round ports on the head - and from memory that's what gained the carb engine most of it's extra horses. I've also managed to persuade him to chuck in the cam from a 1.3SR he's had knocking about. From what i've researched the carb engine nets me 10bhp extra, and the SR cam adds a further 5 to that, or thereabouts. Assuming its all setup propperly & depending on wear etc.
The head has got to come off to change the gasket, at which point i'll deal with the timing belt & waterpump, and clean the head/valves up a bit. Whilst it's off anyway it leaves the ideal oppertunity to fit the replacement cam.
So;
The head will need a skim, as it seems false economy to try slapping it all back together with a potentially warped head...and here come the questions. Back on the 1.2 8v tuning guide, various people went on about increasing the compression. If i've got to have the head skimmed anyway, its not likely to cost anymore to have a bit extra skimmed off...However nobody actually mentioned any figures. Was this ever worked out? If not, how do i go about calculating it - are there any good guides online for this sort of thing? What would be an ideal C/R to be aiming for on a fast road engine?
I've also got a lot of bike bits knocking about including a bank of carbs somewhere, fabricating a manifold isnt an issue - however would there be any real gains from doing this, i recall the 1.3SR nova's had a twin choke carb rather than the single choke on the 1.2's and that this was supposed to offer an increase in power, however nobody could quote a figure. Fully aware of the fuel pressure issues, would probbably ditch the in tank pump & fit an inline electric pump from a bike on the firewall or simmilar. Or would OEM manifold modified to suit a twin choke of suitable size from the scrappy be a better choice?
And lastly, exhaust manifold. They're pretty expensive. I dont feel like paying tons for a fancy tubular one to extract 2bhp from a 1.2 engine. However, if i'm fabricating an inlet manifold for bike carbs i wouldnt mind having a crack at replacing the crappy cast factory manifold. This would also allow me to do away with the corsa downpipe & thus the cat. I know you can buy collectors for DIY fabrication projects online, however theres a set formula for tube diameters & primary/secondary lengths to get the best from an engine. Has anyone ever actually purchased one of the fancy manifolds for the small engines & if so could they possibly post up a picture w/dimensions on it??
Whilst gas flowing the head would be nice, would make good gains etc - its far beyond me, i dont know what i'm doing, i dont have a flow bench, and im not shelling out £300+ to get someone else to do it for me. The heads port shape alone is enough to be considered an upgrade from what i currently have!
Looking for around 75bhp & something to do with my evenings & spare time for the next month or two...Any constructive help/pointers would be appreciated, however i will point out that this is a for the hell of it project, more of a technical excercise than anything else :thumb:
Many thanks
Iain