What engine?

[idibbers]

So tomorrow I'm going to look at kit car frames, and really you can have it built around anything and as I recently watched a video on the Formula Ford i've been inspired to go for something outside the usual mx-5 sort of thing. Something with a turbo and a smallish engine. A good example would be the Abarth Punto Evo, with a 1.4 turbo. Although nothing that expensive. Any ideas?

[Monty Python]

Vauxhall Ecotec 1.4 Turbo (probably more common)

[ManOpener]

VW/Audi 1.8T? You can jimmy them into pretty small spaces.

[RizzoTheRat]

There's a few companies (eg BigCC) who specialise and turbo or supercharging 1.4 Hayabusa engines. 170ish bhp standard, and there's people claiming 500bhp out of heavily modified ones.

[CrutyRammers]

RizzoTheRat said:

There's a few companies (eg BigCC) who specialise and turbo or supercharging 1.4 Hayabusa engines. 170ish bhp standard, and there's people claiming 500bhp out of heavily modified ones.

Careful of budget though - there are a few Dax with modified turbo Busas in and I understand it can be veeeeeeeeery expensive!
Don't forget that most car engines will require a gearbox conversion as they'll be FWD - unless your car is mid engined?
Westfield use the Vauxhall 1.6 turbo I believe so there's probably some aftermarket bits available for them.
I don't know if many of the more modern super small turbo engines will be available in any numbers yet. Probably a nightmare to run on an aftermarket ECU as well.

[Krikkit]

What about Fiat Coupé? Plenty of 5-cyl turbos going for peanuts these days, and a wonderful engine!

[kambites]

Be a bit careful about what you mean by "small" engine. Capacity is not always closely related to external size or weight.

[ToothbrushMan]

Krikkit said:

What about Fiat Coupé? Plenty of 5-cyl turbos going for peanuts these days, and a wonderful engine!

5 pot probably to big for the space available.

The Fiat 1301cc, 1372cc and 1368cc turbos are all good/very strong and fairly compact. Cheap to sort now too. I dare say you could look to the new Multiairs from Alfas in 1.4 and 1750 sizes.

What about a Mit. Colt CZT 1.5 turbo?

[AndyLB]

1.4 tsi is a bit left field - not sure how many you'll find at a decent price.

[Fattyfat]

Some sort of Japanese 'Kei' spec engine, just like the Caterham 160...

[idibbers]

Some really good ideas guys! Any really cheap ideas?

[SVX]

Straight out of left field - I'd suggest a Renesis rotary, light, compact, revvy, and ready to accept a RWD application.

Alternatively, the turbo 4-pot from a Volvo V40/S40 T4 (B4194 T) is light, compact and can achieve big power numbers with mapping/MBC/larger intercooler.

[RizzoTheRat]

Dihatsu Charade was available as a 1 litre turbo wasn't it?

I assume something like a 3 pot turbo ecoboost is a bit too new/expensive/complicated for you.

[xRIEx]

idibbers said:

So tomorrow I'm going to look at kit car frames, and really you can have it built around anything...

Well yes, anything in that vein is possible but you pay for the additional work. Given that you've said:

idibbers said:

Any really cheap ideas?

I'm guessing you don't want to pay ,000s extra for a bespoke frame surely the best thing to do is decide what sort of kit you want and then see what donors they are designed to work with. As already mentioned, the FWD/RWD nature of the donor will have a significant bearing on matters.

[ManOpener]

idibbers said:

Some really good ideas guys! Any really cheap ideas?

1.8T engines are particularly cheap, as are the Fiat coupé 4-pot turbos.

[300bhp/ton]

idibbers said:

Some really good ideas guys! Any really cheap ideas?

Do you have a budget in mind?

Things I consider are:

-initial price
-spares availability
-tuning parts and knowledge
-orientation and driveline
-what gearbox you want to attach it to
-power levels desired

Other aspects:

-noise

[idibbers]

RWD, say 2 grand.

Edited by idibbers on Friday 17th January 15:13

[mikeveal]

We need to know what the car is and what the intended usage is.

LSISs respond well to bike engines. Whereas something lardier like a cobra-a-like would be more suited to a big lazy V.

[MGZRod]

SR20DET.

Waaap.

[idibbers]

mikeveal said:

We need to know what the car is and what the intended usage is.

I'm not sure about the car yet, I really just want a small engine and a sizey turbo, Formula Ford style. I originally intended to go with an MX-5 but I'm undecided so ANY suggestions are welcome.

It would be for road use not track.