Engine dimensions / weights

[Jonleeper]

Whilst I am a few thousand miles away from home I have been thinking bad thoughts about engine swaps in my track-slag Mk2 Golf. The major aim is to have a fun reliable track day special without breaking the bank. The car is slowly being fettled to meet my requirements, and the engine change will be one of the last things to be done. I have already upgraded the brakes and will be fitting a roll cage when I get back and have poly-bushes and a Mk3 wide track suspension to fit. The original engine has done over170k miles and will eventually give out, or I will have sufficient time to actually do a swap to something else. I currently have lots of time to think about things, although nothing to actually do, and so am playing with option. Now I am having difficulty deciding on what engine to us, every time I think I have a solution something else crops up. The major factors are, light weight (don’t cock up the Mk2’s handling), reasonable power (or easily tuned), reliability (no highly stressed engines) and low cost. So I have started to try and make a list of specifications to assist my choices but cannot find any dimensions or weights online. If anyone can help I would be most grateful. I know that some of these are well trodden paths and would be easier but if there is an “out of the box” option that would give me more power, less weight at less cost then I will go for it.

The engines I am thinking about are:

VW 2.0l 16v (ABF) 148bhp
VW VR6 (AAA / ABU) 172-188bhp
VW 1.8T (BAM) 221bhp
Fiat 2.0T 16v 190bhp
Fiat 2.0T 20v 220bhp
Alfa Romeo V6 24v 208-247bhp

[mk2 24v]

abf conversion will be the easiest and better handling of those listed.
a friend had a mk2 converted to vr6, and although it went like stink, the weight over the front is noticeable

[The Black Flash]

Info on the alfa on my site here: http://www.alfadax.com/content/information/info1.h....

Weight is usually quoted at 180Kg fully dressed, but that comes down a lot when you remove PAS pumps and things. Can't imagine it'd be an easy thing to stick in a golf though!

It's always a pain in the arse finding this sort of stuff out. Took me months when I was looking.

[stevieturbo]

Most sensible and future proof would be the 1.8 20v turbo engine