1.8 Liter Race Motor Questions, L Jet and Cam Options

[motorvated]

I am thinking of building a reliable race motor from my stock L Jet 1.8. I am thinking of increasing the bore and going to flat top pistons and slightly higher compression ratio, keeping it below 2.0 liter displacement. Either single heavy duty or dual valve springs and stainless steel valves, etc. I am thinking of using the L Jet system that is on it now, going to 2.0 liter injectors. Are there any performance camshafts that will work well with the L Jet, or am I barking up the wrong tree. My other option is dual 40 IDF Weber carbs and a cam to go with them. I'd like to try to use the L Jet if a suitable cam is available. Anybody done something similar? All comments welcome.

[Brett W]

Agree with all of the above. Toss the Ljet in the parts swap bin or sell it all in the classifieds. The OE cam will make the heads run hot and its not conducive to power at all. Plus its almost 60 year old tech. If you want to stick with injection (where possible). There are a lot better options.

At a minimum carb swap with a proper race cam. 86b/163 is a decent place to start, but even that is a bit light for a race cam. Also need to have the heads worked to augment the flow.

A good race header will be required no matter what.

Now all of that said, the six makes a lot more sense in a race application. There is a reason you don't see tons of four cylinder race cars anymore. They just don't work as well. If you could stay in a small bore type class racing with MGs and 510s then the four will work reasonably well, but will require steady maintenance. Depending on the number of events you do, the engine will need to be opened for inspection frequently. Plan on bearing replacement on a regular basis.