Possible engine swaps?

[Jarred]

1.8 8V can bit a bit of fun. with some basic mods can make a mk 1 pretty fun.

If you want, you can go crazy with headwork and stuff, but it all depends on how much power you want. A close ratio 5 speed will help too. You want something from a mk 2 or 3. They're considered to be 'bolt in', although there will be bits and pieces that need modifiying or changing.

If you found a good engine at a decent price (depending what it came with etc etc) you could do a 16V for about 4K I reckon.

[jayjay]

A few of us have a good play with megasquirt now and it's by far the most intuitive and value for money product out there. I know of 2 16v MK1s on megasquirt. I saw my mate's invoice the other day - $1000 for everything you need to valve up a mk1 on EFI (all the ecu and associated sensors/controllers).

so if you feel like taking a whole lot of initiative on board, buy a 16v motor, 5 speed box and megaquirt, then tune and hold on! (that would come in under $4000 if you learn fast)

[MeeM]

Hmmm this thread has given me some good ideas. 16V aren't very easy to find so I was considering getting an 8V engine. I was also wanting to know if a later model Polo engine (1.4 or 1.6) would be a good idea, considering engine tech has come a long way since the 70s, and the Polo engine is small enough to fit in the Mk1, I'd imagine?

[GeorgeMK1]

To be honest, im pretty curious about the polo engines. Which is easier to put in 1.4 or 1.6,
Also what are the specs.. Im pretty sure someone mentioned they are dohc 16v?

[ventlo]

always thought about doing a 1.4 16v from a polo in a mk1, on a set of webers it would scream and you would not need to change too much of the fuel system.

[Valver.]

The small cube Polo engines use different engine mount locations, so require some more skill to fit properly. They're really not worth fitting unless you put the car on a major diet, as none of them have much torque. I have a 1.6 16v w/ 6spd out of a Lupo GTI I've had wrapped up for a few years now, but I've never hurried to fit it. It depends what you want, really.

For example, a 1.4 16v on Webers won't even be much quicker than a healthy 1.6 8v!!

Bang for buck depends on how much you can do yourself, and how well you can do it. It's all well and good to throw $ figures around, but no swap costs the same amount, as everyone replaces (or doesn't replace) different numbers of parts etc, and all Mk1s are in different levels of condition etc.

Personally, I don't like Megasquirt, but I do know it has a valid place in the market. So many people pay for it, frig around installing it, then leave much of the engine standard... why not just fit OE management and maintain the reliable diagnostics? It's also a hell of a lot easier and cheaper. If you want to heavily modify something and can't afford a proper standalone ECU, then MS is worth considering, but there are only a couple of heavily modified engines on this forum! In most cases OE systems are actually quicker and easier to adapt to modified setups than a complete MS install anyway.

I would get a 1.8, fit a 276 cam, run a decent 2nd hand carb and use the 4spd box to keep the stacked up gearing. Good fun, cheap, and will sound quite nice too

[Peter Jones]

I would get a 1.8, fit a 276 cam, run a decent 2nd hand carb and use the 4spd box to keep the stacked up gearing. Good fun, cheap, and will sound quite nice too

Haha, that's exactly my plan for the 1.8 I've got in one of my MK1s. Already got the cam and carby

They're a great motor, easy to fit and they go like stink. Hydro lifters make it nice and quiet and it's all 20 years newer than the MK1 1600.

For a street car they're a fantastic option. The 2.0L isn't as fun, I don't know why people fit them over the 1800.

[Volksee77]

Listen to Valver mate, you usually have to pay for that kind of advice. a 1.8 8v will give you ALOT of fun and still do 300,000km whilst getting the pants thrashed off it daily. Get some extractors, fit a webber DCOE carb, a 276 cam and just have fun mate

[MeeM]

How about a 1.8l 8v with EFI?

[Valver.]

How about a 1.8l 8v with EFI?

EFI conversion is expensive to do properly if you're on a tight budget, and really isn't needed unless you want to get serious with tuning, or intend to do a later model engine swap down the track.

It's a great thing to do, but you're better off doing it with a 20v or ABF 16v swap, or something along these lines