help on fitting cavalier 1600 in nova??

[theshandydrinker]

hi all,
just wondering if anybody could give me a few tips on fitting a cavalier 1600 shortblock engine into a nova. the main things i dont know are:

main problem: Fuel, my nova is single point injection and the cav is carbed! will my nova 1.2 single point run it if i change manifolds??
mounts, im assuming it bolts straight in?
power steering, can this just not be connected
shafts, will the cav shafts go in my nova hubs or can i use my nova box and shafts?any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[Stuart]

sure the cav engine is the small block one? check the engine number....

[theshandydrinker]

im assuming it is, i just measured the rocker covers, it looks the same, same dizzy etc. iv been told its quite rare to find a cav with that engine, can check to make sure tommorow

[SuperNova!]

It will be a 1600sv if it is a small block cav engine I have one aswel,

Same mounts

Nova driveshafts just pop them out of the 1.2spi and pop them in the 1600,

Remove the pump out of your tank and put a bit of pipe in its place and use the manual pump on the engine.

Anything in more detail you need give me a pm and I can help I done exactly the same conversion about 6months ago. :thumb:

[Stuart]

more "fruitful" to fit the mpi 1.6 engine ;)

[Adam]

Remove the pump out of your tank and put a bit of pipe in its place and use the manual pump on the engine.

Does that not leave a big hole in the top of the tank tho?
Where the pump was?

[SuperNova!]

No, the metal cover thing under the back seats is attached to the pump, when you remove the pump you just put some 8mm fuel hose in between the filter unit at the bottom and the cover at the top,

its easier than it sounds

[Adam]

Ahh right, i get you.

I've never removed the pump so dont know how it sits in the tank.

So you can just remove the pump, but screw the cap thing back on over the hole in the tank?

[SuperNova!]

Basically yeah, the petrol still gets drawn from the tank through the pipe which comes out of the cap on top of the petrol tank,

The pipe just replaces where the pump was

The cap just screws on and the pipe gets put on as normal but instead of the pump getting pumped by the electric one it just gets drawn through by the manual one its quite hard to explain where the pipes go etc but when the caps off it simple enough. :thumb:

[db_1.2]

Im also interested in doing this, would this engine be the same as fitting the carb version?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cavalier-1600-8v-Engine-with-SPi-Complete-Suit-Astra_W0QQitemZ4616942269QQcategoryZ10404QQrdZ1QQc mdZViewItem

(sorry for the ebay link, not advertising!):cool:

[Adam]

If you have a SPI nova, it will just plug in iirc.
No wiring etc.
Same fuel pump.

[db_1.2]

no wiring? what do you mean? same loom from the car to the engine, i might have to buy that engine! bit cheap tho:wtf:

[Adam]

It uses the same management system as the 1.2i, so as long as you have a 1.6i ecu, all the sensor plugs off your 1.2 will fit onto the 1.6i engine.
Just plug in.

You might be best blocking the EGR valve as well, most 1.6SPI engines have them. Im not sure if the ECU has any connection the EGR valve tho.

[db_1.2]

........im no good with electronics! but ill ask about it more in couple of months when i actually got all the bits and pieces

[Stuart]

tbh you'd be better off tuning a 1.2i than fitting the 1.6i lol

[Adam]

He talks sense. /\
lol

Thats the option i've gone for, cba swapping engines etc :D

[Nobby]

lol my mom has just aquired a 1.6 carb engine cavi lol

[Stuart]

are you american? lmao

[theshandydrinker]

cool, what about the power steering then? just leave the pump off the 1.6 then ye? what would you say would be the best option then, using the carbed 1.6 and gettins riid of my pump, single point etc or looking for a 1.6 single point and ecu?

[Stuart]

erm look for a 1.6 gte/gsi engine that is multipoint etc in the first place. that will give you 100bhp straight away with no modding..... a 1.6 carb/spi is like 70odd bhp which is really poor tbh as the 1400 does that too lol

[SuperNova!]

1600sv = 82bhp, more readily available and cheaper, engines will in most cases produce near bhp of new because they are less lightly to be ragged like a gsi/gte engine


gte/gsi engine = a few available but hard to find in some areas, expensive to find one which is still making its 100bhp if at all possible because most of them would have been raped for years,


Stu you sure do love the 16sv dont you mate, why dont you start your own I hate the 1600sv cult!lol

[Stuart]

the SE you mean:p

its just why spend money on a duff 1.6 engine when the 1.6 MPI is readily available from the nova to the astra..... pretty much all the 1600 8v engines are atleast 13 years old thus they will ALL be down on power lol.

for the effort of swapping to a 1600 carb of ohhhh 82bhp you might as well fit the 1400 carb with a couple of tweeks to get the same power and pay less road tax lol

[johnny27]

would def agree with sturat, i would never goto the bother of changing the engine in my car to a 82hp item, its not just worth the effort for such power, the 14nv is a good proven engine, and a simple change of head to a better item like an mpi head, or even the 1300 head would be good enough, and maybe a 4 branch and system u'd see 82bhp or more, and there's loads more to be had. Tuning parts are readily available and some ppl on these forums have had 120bhp + out of the 1400. Lads are saying on here that the 16sv is a poor performing engine for its size, and to switch to the Mpi, but even the 14nv would be a good swap.

[SuperNova!]

But the 1600sv has a lot more torque than the 1400 which makes it much more drivable because I have had both, the 1600sv is a 14sr engine with 1600 displacement so the parts are inter-changable,

All I have done to mine is a 4branch, k&n, and had it set up on the rollers and I made 96bhp and 106ft/lbs torque, and it isnt the rolling road read out what matters its how fast it is on the road, 2 of my mates have 14sr's and tbh until we get into third they can keep up but honestly they then fall behind.

but anyway as much as I love my nova, Ill be having a starlet turbo within the next few months then with a few tweeks Ill blow you all into the reads lol lol

[Stuart]

reeds :p

[Ste L]

but anyway as much as I love my nova, Ill be having a starlet turbo within the next few months then with a few tweeks Ill blow you all into the reads lol lol

them starlets aint fast lol lol lol
unless you wack the boost up, but i wouldn't do that with out streghening the engine, so.... :thumb:

[SuperNova!]

Luckily my old man deals in turbos and turbo engine tuning :D

[johnny27]

what power is a std startlet turbo?

[SuperNova!]

110bhp on low boost and 133bhp on high boost I think and they have lots of torque, and they weigh about 900kgs, most of the starlets have adjustable 2 mode boost standard.

But with any turbo cars a few little tweeks and you can get some large bhp increases quite cheaply and easily.

Uprated fuel pump and regulator
exhaust
filter
electronic boost controller or dawes device
up the boost a little

and you should see 160 bhp and loads of torque when on boost.

but hey well see lol