1.2i nova tuning

[buzzinh]

i have an astra belmont 1.3 tiffany .... i know!!!! lol :D

i have been told that it has same engine as the 13.sr
i have a 1.2i nova now and its slow as shit and the belmont is alot faster, only thing is i would swap engines over but piston rings are shaged in 1.3 is the inlet and carb any good 4 mi nova

+ i have been told that a 1.6 carb and 13 inlet will makes me nova stupidly fast is this true tah

nova 1.2i owner in serious need of advice!!!! used to have a mk1 1.1 23 year old fiesta that was fasgter than this!!!!

(btw not talking putting 2ltr in, but just help on tuning 1.2 other that stuff on the faq)

__________________________________________________ __________
1.2i jplate
random oval speakers
some shiney cd thing that u can put mp3s in
Vauxhall Lx 14s hand paninted (don't worry i did not do it and they are getting properly refurbed!!!!!

[mad-driver]

get a 1300/1400 SR engine 1.2 isnt good for tuning apparently

[Stuart]

the 1.2 i isnt the best. but the 1.2 is up for a bit.

read the guides in the FAQ post at the top of the forum

[Mike]

i was gonna say, there's no way u make a 1.2 "stupidly fast" unless u have a big cliff and a parachute! :lol: :lol:

quick, but not fast :|

[Aragorn]

i wish the bloody search worked cos ive posted a basic tuning guide for the 1.2i loads of times before

lemme see if i can find it

[Aragorn]

ok heres what i said in the other post - the bloke was wanting more go for ?250:




get a GTE camshaft for ?20ish (make sure u get the followers too)
SRi manifold and GTE downpipe - ?40ish
GTE system (i used an ashley system but a std gte one would do fine) ?30ish

get a performance element for your std airbox and remove the restrictor from the front of it ?20ish (or follow my guide to building a ?30 induction kit for an spi if u can find it - pm me if u cant and i'll send u it)

then if u want u can use the remaining ?30 to get a backbox from ebay if u want some extra noise (or to pay for the bits needed to fit the cam, ie head gasket set and bolts etc)

then strip out the rear seats etc for more free accelleration

the guide to cheap induction kit is:

http://www.novaload.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=90933

there you go....

ive done this to my bros car as ive said and its made it totally different to drive, much more responsive etc, im planning on trying to get it on some rollers and up the 1/4 mile to see how much of a difference it really has made but aint had a chance yet

i will point out that if your cars a K plate u may want to keep the std exhaust as the system above gets rid of the cat (which is one of the biggest restrictions on that engine) and it will probably fail the mot without the cat so you'll need to put it back on for mot time

if its a J or H then your fine tho :P

[buzzinh]

:? ok thanks for your help guys will get to it! just can't afford the insurance on a bigger engine at the mo and i have too much to spend out on the rest of the car to get it ready for santa pod!!!!! in june, aragon if your going in june maybe would be fun to go up the strip together?!?!?!? see whos goes best lol

again thanks for your advice guys

ollie

[johnny27]

My 1.2 nova used to be a 1.2SPI. I changed the head to a carb one and got it ported polished and skimmed, fitted a kent 1300 cam, 1300 4 branch, striaght thru 2 inch exhaust, twin weber 40s, complete new ignition system, and got the GM twin point spark plugs, and changed the final drive to the 4.18 SR. If you drove the car you would never guess its a 1.2! A fair bit faster than a 1.4 SR but not just as quick as a GSI. Parts for the conversion were'nt very expensive, mostly everything bought on ebay. People here go on a about not bother tuning 1.2s but its most definetly worth it if you dont want to insure a bigger engine, the only thing that you have to really mention to the insurance guys is the twin carbs and perfromance exhaust. Probaly going to pump insurance up by ?250 but worth it.

[mikey14sr]

Total Vauxhall tuning guide :- 1.4spi injector and lowered fuel pressure, b+ head, 260ish degree cam, sri exhaust manifold and downpipe along with re-programming can hit around 80 brake, but I dont think the nova ecu can be re-programmed as it doesnt have a removeable eprom?

would be a lot cheaper to put an MPI 1.4 (C14SE) in if you were after that power though

[johnny27]

oh forgot to mention, no nova is required a cat by law to pass MOT. Been proved many times, with a bit of tweeking on the ignition timing and air/fuel mixture on the day of MOT it should see you past

[Aragorn]

ok this comes round all the time but no one seems to know the proper details:

ANY vehicle registered after august 1992 REQUIRES a CAT, unless the ENGINE was build before that date

thats it in a nutshell - the cat equipped novas are listed in my local mot stations sun emissions tester as they should be

the thing that most people bang on about is that the engine was build before aug 1992 and in some cases that may be true - however its down to the OWNER of the vehicle to prove that the engine is older, and this isnt as easy as it seems


switching to carb is a lot more involved than keeping the spi system but it will give some better gains as the head is quite a bit better

[johnny27]

you'll definetly want to scrap the SPI system, the 1.2SPI nova was 45bhp and the 1.2CARB nova was around 54 or close. I suppose using the 1300 manifold and 2e3 carb plus the 1.2 head and cam carrier would be a simple effective way of getting more power. Plumb the choke into the heater system, use the mechincal pump on the new cam carrier and dissconect the pump in the tank. This option would'nt cost much either if you get the parts from scrap yards (dirt cheap) and install the head carb, etc yourself. good luck

[Matt Nova]

i've got a 1.2i and mines passed with a decat pipe

i ordered a ashley exhaust which is meant for the 1.3 and they adapt it for the 1.2 carb however it will go on using a different downpipe I used a corsa 1.2 one

they are slow but i'm sure if you did what arragon said it'd be decent performance for a 1.2

[Ste L]

the 1.2SPI nova was 45bhp and the 1.2CARB nova was around 54 or close.

thats mainly due it having a cat, take away the back, and im sure it will gain a few pony's

[Matt Nova]

mine didn't like it when i put my exhaust on ran like a sack of spanners but sorted it self out after plugs and leads

don't expect throw you back in the performance with a de-cat lol

[Ste L]

don't expect throw you back in the performance with a de-cat lol

i wouldn't expect that from any 1.2, carb or injection

[buzzinh]

johnny27 i have a 1.3 belmont!!!! have been told by a knowlagable mate this is the same engine as 1.3sr carb and all?!?!? can i fit inlet and manifold to my 1.2i head or do i need to get a carb head.

sorry if i seem thick but im a computer man by trade and have limited knowledge of engines and cars...lol :oops:

cheers for the advice though fellas

[Snowface]

don't expect throw you back in the performance with a de-cat lol

i wouldn't expect that from any 1.2, carb or injection

wait till you hear about cambridge's 1.2 then. :wink:

[Aragorn]

use the 1300 carb and manifold with a 1.2 CARB head

you'll also need an adjustable fuel pressure regulator to wind the fuel pumps 10psi delivery pressure down to 3psi

[buzzinh]

how much u reckon a 1.2 head and fuel pressure regulator will set me back?

also is it worth putting decat and sportex back box on + putting cam from 1.3 in?

[Aragorn]

ok if u fit a carb u will NEED to get rid of the cat, bad things will happen otherwise

if your going down the carb route do the following:

goto scrappy and:

get a 1.2 carb head - ?20-30
get a 1.3 carb inlet manifold and carb - ?20-30
get a 1.3sr/1.4sr/gte cam and followers - ?15
get a 1.3sr/1.4sr/gte exhaust manifold/downpipe and system - ?20

pressure regulator will cost u 30-40 from tweeks or whereever


all these prices are rough estimates - different scrappys will charge different amounts and most will do stuff cheaper when u buy a lot

i would like to point out tho that by the time uve spent all that u'd have been cheaper buying a 1.4sr or 1.6 engine and just slotting that in - and you'd have more power that way too

[buzzinh]

cool well as i said the belmont i have has a 1.3 carb engine in which i have been told is same as 1.3 sr what engine code is sr1.3? its something like c13 isnt it?

i would just wak the lump in but i think that piston rings are gone on it?!? i was told that if you unscrew the oil filler cap and it jumpsaround then the ringsare gone!?!?!

igot a few mates who keep saying get rid of 1.2 an put 1.3/1.4 in but i just cantafford it on insurance at the mo. i happy with the car just want it to feel a touch more responsive.