Dans 1600 Engine?

[greg1.4]

what power was it kicking out?

i know it was a decent spec and had a fair bit of power for a 1600 8v anyway..

has anyone got any videos of his nova going?(or dan do you have any:thumb: )

really intrested to see what she went like, as i have heard/red it was a flyer for a 1600 8v..

cheers

Greg

[Ash]

there are a few videos about, and it's good very good - So good I've (nearly) copied the spec :D

[MC]

I think it was about 140bhp.

The engine in Dan's car is not unusual for a 1600 8v with head, cam, carbs, zorst etc.... It is fairly achievable and can be taken further but more importantly it had just the right amount of torque and bhp for the chassis.....and what a chassis, this is where the difference can be made, Dan's car was very light and very stiff, he had the right gearbox and diff and the whole package worked well together with good results.

[Stuart]

indeed, it was so good it even made me look like a semi accomplished driver lol

[MC]

Surely not?!

[Lee]

Dan driving it

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6040646896727002308&q=1.6+8v+nova+castle+combe&ei=1bcNSMXYKJO-igKLwKGqBA

Me driving it

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3034063107863225970&q=nova+castle+combe+&ei=3rgNSOOjK47giQLK_-SiBA

And yes, it was a belter :)

[dhdev (Oli)]

Thanks for posting that up Lee, I hadn't seen footage of Dans before, have to say the car and driver make it a pleasure to watch! :thumb:

[greg1.4]

yes thanks for the info guys..

i might build a 1600 8v for my rally car..

[dhdev (Oli)]

*Cough* 1600 16v *Cough*

[Lee]

the car and driver's

:thumb: lol :p

[General Baxter]

hail hitler, dans vid 1.47 lol

[Dan]

lol lol Thanks for the comments guys, I will just add that was my first attempt at combe and about my second or third session of the day :O

Mark hit the nail on the head, the key to the car was not just power (which correctly quoted was about 140bhp) The engine was done with torque in mind more so and the chassis was done to my own requirements at the time of building it(not to much and not to little), along with the coilovers which i set and corner weighted the car myself roughly.

Those 2 key things (torque and handling) were what made the car what it was. I set it to idiot proof handling where anybody could jump in and drive it to the max (mainly for myself rather than the other idiots ;) lol lol ) and how the engine worked along with the gearing where most people might of needed third gear i would just use fourth or sometimes fifth if i was feeling lazy with no ill effects.

All gone now to new homes where the major parts will get cherished still :D The new one when i finally get a minute to myself will be on a totally new level if my planning all works out like it did with the grey one ;)

[Adam]

130bhp is about the going rate for a 1600 8v with a nice cam, and 40s, decent exhaust etc.
But iirc yours was quite a bit more than just that, it was a 1650cc block etc etc?

[Dan]

The bottom end was worked yes, but that was because i had the engine and brought it with me since the mid-late 90's lol. Bottom end work alone does not equate to a power gain worth mentioning when all is said and done imo. The key is to find a selection of parts that work in harmony in a particular engine. Just copying a spec when messing with these engines will not definitley mean you will get the same results

Here is a pic of the graph when it was originally tuned. The figures are alleged as with any r/r but the curves are nice and it replicated that to a tee 3 or more years later when i had a wasted top up tune :thumb:

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff163/Dan_R_album/roller-1.jpg

[lj]

i'm currently re building my engine which is 1600 se block using 8v con rods but 16v 1600 pistons.... on a 16se head it works fine but i tried a 1.4 se head but the compression was 230psi ( should be 100 less at least i think)
so currently having my 1600 head rebuilt... running a mild cam and 40's with full rally spec exhaust.. aiming for 130 bhp is this a good way to go? cars bare inside. buckets cage and half dash!... what chassis work did you do dan? i've got coilovers, front and rear strut braces... still running both antyi roll bars but some ppl have recomended removing these but unsure?.. any other body mods to recomend doing?

[Dan]

I never ran a front ARB and never will, the chassis was stitch welded, inch for inch within the bay area and area's that tie into it, inch for every 2 on most other places within the shell, and inch for inch around the rear susp turrets etc.

I set the coilovers up to a certain setup i personally preferred then corner weighted the car in a fashion and got it balanced abit better, then you go into preferred front geometry etc and what is/isnt possible depending on what setup you run etc.

Over the years i have picked up a limited knowledge of how things should be and what may work/may not work (small amount of brains large amount of luck lol ), and then on top of that i sometimes go against the grain and do my own thing lol . It all boils down to if you know how you want/need the car to react and how to set it up to suit your own personal preference. I had the grey one balanced just nice, firmly planted when needed but loosish on the rear if a flick of sideways was required, it reacted in either manner depending on how you drove the car into a bend and others commented on how comical and how playful/easy a broadside was to straighten up :tard: lol

[Ash]

All gone now to new homes where the major parts will get cherished still :D

Certainly is ;) the shell had it's first wash and polish on sunday:)

As Dan said, it's OK having the parts/spec but getting them to work right with each other is the key. Word of advise tho - buy the carbs brand new - it WILL save you money (in the long run) and time. I cannot describe the amount of hassle i've had with mine (or the money I've put into them)

[greg1.4]

yeah ash tell me about it..i have already got the carbs and been re-built though..

my car is going to be for forest stage rallies so might not work aswell..

i am planning on 1600 8v, big valve head p+p etc, rally cam, 40's, 4 branch and comp system etc etc.. so should see 140bhp..

but its not all about the engine as you have said..i will be running with a nice spec shell too, seam welded whole shell, coilovers on front with grp a rear billies, full custom cages weld in cage, strut brace etc..

anyone know a good gearbox setup to use for forest rallying? or a decent power and torque mix...?

if that makes sense..lol