how to hot rod a 1.8?, I have a low mileage 1.8 ... Options

[jimkelly]

with fuel injection but am - only mildly considering - tearing it down and rebuildingit with maybe new rings - and - some bigger and higher compression pistions and cyliders on it, wilder cam, and carbs - as I don't think it would need much else.

What parts, part numbers, sizes, etc - would you guys recommend?

This is a fun excerise - as I really want a SBC V8 : ) - but not having to buy adaptor bits to have more HP is appealing : )

[r_towle]

if your gonna put in a new cam...you need to do the crank bearings..and the whole lot...make sure your lower end is all in spec....

Rich

[Cap'n Krusty]

Figure the price of a set of carbs with that cam, 'cause the FI won't work with it. The Cap'n

[jsteele22]

Well, my impression from watching the forum here is that you can dump a whole lot of $$$ into a 1.8 before you get anything out that might be called power. If you are serious about going to a SBC (or, did I hear you mention a Subaru 2.5 L ??? Keep that boxer design...) you might want to work on things that will carry over : springs, shocks, brakes, tires, and all the rest of it. One part of a power build-up that might fall into this category is an aftermarket EFI system : SDS, MegaSquirt, etc. By itself, it won't make the engine (noticeably) more powerful, but as the Cap'n said, the stock system won't feed your system properly if the cams, pistons, intake, exhaust, etc. are modified. And, at least with a programmable EFI, you'll be pouring money into something that will be useful to you once you lose the 1.8

[grantsfo]

My 1.8 has a header and and a lightened flywheel its actually quite respectable in the power department compared to stock.

Oh yeah and losing 150 lbs helped!

[anthony]

It honestly doesn't make a lot of sense to tear down a good running, low mileage 1.8 because you can't use any of it's parts except the case. My recommendation is to collect the parts you need to build another longblock and then sell the 1.8.

To recap:

It makes no sense using the current crank with bigger pistons and cylinders. Go for at least a 2.0L crank and rods ($200). They are pretty cheap overall and add a lot of power and torque. For $900 more you could buy a 78mm crank and rods and make a real hot rod.

Once you do wild cams you need either an aftermarket fuel inject or carbs. Dual 44mm Webbers aren't cheap these days ($1000).

Heads: 1.8 heads don't flow as well as 2L heads but you could put about $1500 into them and make them flow just as well.

[Cap'n Krusty]

QUOTE (anthony @ Nov 20 2005, 08:04 AM)

To recap: It makes no sense using the current crank with bigger pistons and cylinders. Go for at least a 2.0L crank and rods ($200). They are pretty cheap overall and add a lot of power and torque. For $900 more you could buy a 78mm crank and rods and make a real hot rod.

And with that new crank and rods you need a new set of pistons and cylinders. For most mods, there's always a list of other things you need to do. The Cap'n

[maf914]

I thought Jake was putting together an "economy" kit for 1.7 and 1.8's consisting of 96mm cylinders and pistons and other goodies for 1900cc? You might check into that. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)