Swift GTi - any suitable engines for swap?

[neema_T]

Hello all,

I've been thinking for a while now about buying a Suzuki Swift GTi (one of the old ones, obviously, since the new GTi isn't out yet) for turning into a track car, which on my budget (of almost nothing) basically means stripping, a bucket seat and four-point harness and fitting a roll cage at the moment, but I'm kind of holding off on actually doing it because I don't know anything about how to get more power out of it further down the road. I wouldn't want to add a turbo kit to the existing engine since it's likely to be quite old and therefore not really up to the task, so does anyone know of any smallish engines that'll fit under the bonnet with a decent amount of power?

I'm looking for something either current or only just ex-production (so finding young ones won't be too hard) that won't be too expensive to buy, not too difficult to fit, preferrably forced induction because I guess it'll be a 1.3 to 1.6 inline four. I'm hoping for around 140, 160bhp, I think 180 and above would be too much for the car and myself.

Ideas/dreams I've had include- 4A-GE (1.6) and the GZE supercharged version out of an AE86 or AW11, a Starlet Glanza V 1.3 turbo, Daihatsu Charade GTTi 1.0 turbo, Corsa VXR 1.4 turbo, maybe the Corsa C SRi 1.8, some kind of Civic VTEC (christ knows which one) and possibly a 106 GTi 1.6... Out of all of those, though, I think only the Corsa VXR engine really fits the bill since the rest are all a bit old and/or expensive.

So does anyone else out there with actual experience instead of my youthful naivete and head full of Gran Turismo have any better ideas of what I should be looking at?

Cheers

[Steve Evil]

For the money you'll spend you'd be better off with an existing 205 GTI, CRX or similar that has already had the work done on it. It will always work out cheaper to buy something that has had the work done already, rather than doing it yourself, especially when you start getting into engine transplants.

Quick sift through the classifieds turned up these likely candidates:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/722423.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/764008.htm

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/592403.htm

Edit: Just checked out your Flickr and realised you must have been at the 'ring last year at the same time we were, possibly even stood right next to me at some point as I've got a couple of almost identical shots from the car park. Don't happen to have any pics of the 75 Experience Alfas from those days do you?

Edited by Steve Evil on Monday 27th October 13:17

[neema_T]

Yeah, thats a good point... Thing is, I've never done track stuff before except for a lap of the 'ring but I wouldn't really count that as proper experience since I had to keep off the racing line to let the GT3 RS's past! I kind of wanted to start small and do the conversion gradually by myself, but I suppose it would be a lot cheaper this way. Also now that I think about it I'd have to pay to go on the tracks themselves, buy tyres and brake pads and such things...

Cheers for that, I need to start being more realistic. Off to the classifieds it is, then!

[chriz1]

i usedd to have a swift gti very very quick car,used to road rally it,lowered the springs,superchipped it and rally cams and it was runnig about 150bhp because they were so light it would fly!the handling to amazing a more than capable car!
Espically down the lanes unfortunatly i blew the gearbox to bits and becuase it had done nearly 200,000 miles i sold it for a different project,
would love another one but beware they are pricy on o.e parts,the only other trouble i had was a duff mass air sensor quoted by Suzuki £600 + vat managed to get one for £100 from a scrappy.
Go for it is what i say they are awesome little cars!

[Wadeski]

I would look at a Corolla GTi which already has the 4AGE engine, and then just go with cams, headwork etc?

Or what about a Mk1 MR2?