KAD 16v head/Jack Knight 6speed box
Discussion
Anyone used either of these?
(More info on the 16v head at www.kad-uk.com/engine.htm)
I'm just after general thoughts.....
(More info on the 16v head at www.kad-uk.com/engine.htm)
I'm just after general thoughts.....
Supposedly get great power gains from the 16v head but there are far more lairy options to be considered these days.
6 speed gearbox is a nice to have, but at £3K do you do the amount of motorway miles (as this is the only real benefit I can see) to justify it even if you can get one as there were only 3 left a few months back.
6 speed gearbox is a nice to have, but at £3K do you do the amount of motorway miles (as this is the only real benefit I can see) to justify it even if you can get one as there were only 3 left a few months back.
I know Leebee looked into the 16v head but was advised to just go with a large 5 port.
There has been problems with the 5 speed jack knight boxes as used in the sport 5, a friends only lasted 20k miles before it lost 5 gear and sent lots of little bit of gears off around the engine, this in a concourse car that rarely gets used, when they tried the buy parts jack knight said they no longer make them, I’d be wary of buying anything like that. As has been said a VTEC comes with 5-speed box and is reliable power, also Vauxhall 16v engines are a cheaper option and can be tuned easy as don’t need all the electrics.
There has been problems with the 5 speed jack knight boxes as used in the sport 5, a friends only lasted 20k miles before it lost 5 gear and sent lots of little bit of gears off around the engine, this in a concourse car that rarely gets used, when they tried the buy parts jack knight said they no longer make them, I’d be wary of buying anything like that. As has been said a VTEC comes with 5-speed box and is reliable power, also Vauxhall 16v engines are a cheaper option and can be tuned easy as don’t need all the electrics.
Paul V said:
I know Leebee looked into the 16v head but was advised to just go with a large 5 port.
There has been problems with the 5 speed jack knight boxes as used in the sport 5, a friends only lasted 20k miles before it lost 5 gear and sent lots of little bit of gears off around the engine, this in a concourse car that rarely gets used, when they tried the buy parts jack knight said they no longer make them, I’d be wary of buying anything like that. As has been said a VTEC comes with 5-speed box and is reliable power, also Vauxhall 16v engines are a cheaper option and can be tuned easy as don’t need all the electrics.
Vauxhaul lumps are really heavy though - VTEC is much lighter. Or you could fit an even lighter K series instead? Much lighter, and tons of tuning products available.
At MITP the guy from Mega Minis was raving about the KAD 16 valve he'd just had fitted...
Yes I did look into this a few years ago, I was at Swiftune talking to Glyn and said I wanted to buy a KAD 16V head for my 1380 (it is the Road Rocket engine with a Jack Knight 4sp SCCR box) he said he would sell it to me no problem but I would actually lose power and I would have to spend more money to tune it,
I am however still interested in the 7 port head they were going to have manufactured (utilises same cam, exhaust manifold but the facility to bolt 2 Webers on the front
) but I don't think they have done it yet due to being constantly busy.
There is something about an Arden 8 port head though with 4 Amals on the front, maybe I will get a 7 port for my 1380 and an 8 port for the track day 1380 I am purchasing in a couple of months..............
Cheers
LeeBee
I am however still interested in the 7 port head they were going to have manufactured (utilises same cam, exhaust manifold but the facility to bolt 2 Webers on the front
) but I don't think they have done it yet due to being constantly busy. There is something about an Arden 8 port head though with 4 Amals on the front, maybe I will get a 7 port for my 1380 and an 8 port for the track day 1380 I am purchasing in a couple of months..............
Cheers
LeeBee
Hi all, I'm a newbie so please be gentle with me 
I looked down the twin cam/8 port route a while back and ended up with a swiftune built 1380 engine with an arden 8 port head and twin 40's. I got 20k miles out of it before I bust a valve spring on a track day (my fault for over revving it)
Just got it back on the road after a rebuild (again by swiftune). It's got shorter gearing now and it's fantastic
There's a pic at
www.arden8port.plus.com/Pics/min.JPG
The car's a minger, but it goes like stink.
Cheers
Neil
PS I think it's Bill Richards with the 8 port running bike carbs.
I looked down the twin cam/8 port route a while back and ended up with a swiftune built 1380 engine with an arden 8 port head and twin 40's. I got 20k miles out of it before I bust a valve spring on a track day (my fault for over revving it)
Just got it back on the road after a rebuild (again by swiftune). It's got shorter gearing now and it's fantastic
There's a pic at
www.arden8port.plus.com/Pics/min.JPG
The car's a minger, but it goes like stink.
Cheers
Neil
PS I think it's Bill Richards with the 8 port running bike carbs.
Before the engine rebuild I had 126bhp at the wheels at 6000 rpm on Peter Baldwins rollers (which I'm told are notorious for over-reading)
The 296 cam gives power up to around 7000 rpm. I bust the spring at 7500 rpm trying to catch an Evo 6 on Binbrook airfield (doh!)
That was with a 3.2 FD an 1.104 drops. The gearbox is SC so I kept getting bogged down in 1st. Once it was rolling I could do nearly 60mph in 1st gear ! Now it has a 3.44 FD with the same drops so the acceleration is much better, but the top speed dropped off accordingly.
It's going back on the rollers before my trackday at Elvington next month. Hoping to get it booked into MBE at Lincoln soon.
Cheers
The 296 cam gives power up to around 7000 rpm. I bust the spring at 7500 rpm trying to catch an Evo 6 on Binbrook airfield (doh!)
That was with a 3.2 FD an 1.104 drops. The gearbox is SC so I kept getting bogged down in 1st. Once it was rolling I could do nearly 60mph in 1st gear ! Now it has a 3.44 FD with the same drops so the acceleration is much better, but the top speed dropped off accordingly.
It's going back on the rollers before my trackday at Elvington next month. Hoping to get it booked into MBE at Lincoln soon.
Cheers
No plans to do Castle Combe unfortunately. It's getting pretty expensive these days compared to other trackdays and they're getting stricter on noise limits.
One year I prebooked passes, it's a 400 mile round trip for us, did B&B and then failed the noise test so I couldn't get on the circuit
The car is better with the twin box exhaust I have now, but I'm abit close on the drive by noise limit cos of induction noise.
Going to Elvington airfield on the 18th October. Richspec with the vauxhall mini and his brother with the 8 port mini are also going.
One year I prebooked passes, it's a 400 mile round trip for us, did B&B and then failed the noise test so I couldn't get on the circuit
The car is better with the twin box exhaust I have now, but I'm abit close on the drive by noise limit cos of induction noise.
Going to Elvington airfield on the 18th October. Richspec with the vauxhall mini and his brother with the 8 port mini are also going.
Hi
I paid 1200GBP for the head as a kit, but they are currently listed on the Minispares website at 2800USD (about 1700GBP) fully assembled.
It's expensive for what you get compared to vauxhall and vtec, but it's a much easier motor to fit if you're into DIY, and if you're after ultimate a-series that is driveable on the road then it's a good option.
My head is standard at the moment, so I could head work done to get more power but I like the reliability I've got with it.
Anyhow, the car will go faster if it (and me) sheds some weight
Cheers
I paid 1200GBP for the head as a kit, but they are currently listed on the Minispares website at 2800USD (about 1700GBP) fully assembled.
It's expensive for what you get compared to vauxhall and vtec, but it's a much easier motor to fit if you're into DIY, and if you're after ultimate a-series that is driveable on the road then it's a good option.
My head is standard at the moment, so I could head work done to get more power but I like the reliability I've got with it.
Anyhow, the car will go faster if it (and me) sheds some weight
Cheers
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