C16XE/X16XE Carbb'd

[markmcgivern]

got bored of 20XE in nova (doesnt handle) want to go back to small block!

Which small block 16v engine is best to use?
and fiting twin 40's what dizzy fits these engines to run on carbs?
has anyone done it????

any info would be great!!!!

[mowgli]

there is no dizzy that runs on them. you need to use something like megajolt

[Southie]

As above also as an option try bike carbs, PM Tom Reid if you've any questions regarding them ;)

[markmcgivern]

thanks!! dont know anything about that!!
gues it is easier to use the 8v engine then with carbs

[markmcgivern]

ill look into the bike carbs option then, thanks!!!!

[philip]

Drop me a text mark, I did it few years back on my c16xe, can pop up sometime and explian how I did it. Did wonder where the car had gone when been going to gfs rents by stans. 07807 040522

[Balley]

Use a 18xe1 with bike carbs and mejaspunk

[Adam]

Or forget using 1970s carbs and make your XE handle.

[tom reid]

I've done this Corsa Sport 1400 recently, goes well with 1999! carbs Adam.
Can't post pics as photobucket is playing up just now, there are a couple of pics here though.
http://www.pngclub.com/forum/http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w195/tomreid/IMG_0117.jpghttp://www.pngclub.com/forum/http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w195/tomreid/IMG_0117.jpghttp://www.migweb.co.uk/forums/projects-restorations/457701-oh-no-another-bike-carb-thread-1800-small-block-4.html#post4703475

[MK999]

Carbs are the **** if you can't afford management tbh, not much else will give you the same control of fuelling for similar budgets with TB noise. Power differences aren't massive between carbs and TB/injection if it's not mental high compression etc that demands a bit more finesse. All the won't start/go out of tune etc stuff is generally from mismatched ebay specials that have never even sniffed a rebuild kit. Only downside is fuel consumption but again not shockingly awful if they're set up right. Personally I'm an injection man all the way but I can certainly see the benefits of carbs if on a budget, and who isn't!

I would personally rather have a 1600 on carbs which with the right work is going to be similar power for the same money of mounts, shafts, hubs, engine.. which will be ropey because all the good ones are living in decent builds already, that comes with the 20XE. As much as you can offset the handling issues with the right suspension setup etc you will never fix the core issue that it's got a weight distribution similar to a pendulum and will naturally understeer.

That said a tin can with 150+bhp and 2.0 torque is an absolute hoot (never had the pleasure of driving one but Scotts was impressive to just the right amount of nutty around Combe) so there's 2 sides to it, and as always it's really down to what YOU want.

Tom, just had a flick through that thread, you have an impressive set of toys :cool: You have a flowbench and seat boring stuff etc over there for working heads, or do you stick to gentle work that you know produces power?

edit: and I went through a 1600 head just a little bit further up from that, I must have been sat next to the water jacket for a good inch though as there was a nice long stretch of tinfoil, scrapped about 20 hours work on the last port I was tidying up ready for the sanding band.

[tom reid]

It's not about being able to afford throttle bodies, for me it's about tuning the fueling and ignition, I can tune megajolt and set the carbs up, but can't tune the fuel side on megasquirt, so I won't use anything that I can't tune or fix.Its all very well saying that TB's are the best option for most things in tuning(which I agree with), but if you can't use/tune the ecu that controls them, what's the point? I'll learn/understand MS or another system before I'll use it.
As far as the toys go, I don't have a flowbench, but have access to someone who does, and have bought a few cutters etc, just so I can do my own stuff.

[Southie]

Tom I hope I'm getting commission for pointing people your way yet again lol

[MK999]

That's quite specific to you though, for the OP it's going to be the cost he's looking at/main benefit. (I'm sure you can give him a hand with an affordable carb setup if he chose to PM you? :p) I wasn't saying carbs are only an option if you can't afford TB's, but for most people it's going to be a case of looking at £500-1000 on carbs/tuning, or £2000++ on TB's/tuning, where carbs actually get within 90-95% of the potential of the engine. Personally I'd try and go for injection over carbs mostly because I'm a tart like that, but partly there's thing I want to play with that only injection could do.

On the toys, just passing interest. I don't really have access to the toys I used to/would rather not deal with the company that owns them, but absolutely love playing with heads, and I got some decent figures out of the one I was playing with... obviously didn't get any power figures for the thing though as I turned it into a fancy doorstop.

Knowing my luck it'd still be down on power over standard though lol

[8valve-craig]

Also worth noting that a good spec small block will still handle crap if its on old bushes, cheap tyres and generally crap parts.

Why not as Adam says sort out your handling first? at least then you can make an informed decision as to wether or not the 2.0 is worth keeping. You will spend less on coilovers and a fully adjustable rose jointed front end than you will on an engine swap and carb conversion, then you still have it if you finally choose to go down the smallblock route.

There are plenty of XE nova's out there that DO handle.