QUOTE(Dave_Darling @ Dec 5 2016, 12:45 PM)
Your 1911cc with Dells should be about as good as you can easily do. If there's nothing wrong with it, slap it back together and keep driving! Most especially if you are going to do an engine swap in the near to middle future, the cheap and easy way is likely the way to go.
For more power, you're looking at spending money that you won't get back. Either a nice cam and a bit of head work to wake up the 1911, or finding a 71mm crank and rods (and P&Cs) to make the 2-liter's 1971cc displacement, or a 2056cc. But the 2.0 heads are expensive, and your 1.7 heads would need a good bit of work to flow like those do.
If you can find a 2.0 engine complete with FI, that should be mostly a bolt-in. But those can be a bit hard to find with all of the bits on them.
Oh, a good exhaust like the Tangerine Racing header setup should provide a real boost in power; less-expensive headers will provide less of a boost and most mufflers aren't much improvement when using stock heat exchangers.
I do think the best option is freshening up the current motor (if it's apart) and just driving it.
--DD
Thanks Dave.
I am going away from the idea of anew engine swap on these cars now. I have 2 other cars that are better suited for engine swapping as they already have body kits on them.
My plan now for this car is" a nice cam and a bit of head work to wake up the 1911, and doing a good bit of work on the 1.7 heads to make them flow.
That being said, I know enough to know what I don't know, so I am trying to learn here. So I will probably ask some dumb questions along the way.
You mentioned "finding a 71mm crank and rods (and P&Cs) to make the 2- liter's 1971cc displacement, or a 2056cc
Do you have any recommendations for these, there seem to be a lot of options.