8V engine improvements.

[Waspy]

Well here is where I stand now. Come renewal £1800 will be not far off double what I am paying fully comp. So I don't think a 20vt is in the scope really. Although insurance prices were far higher a year ago, so that is probably on the pessimistic side.

If I were to go ABF and got bored after a year or whatever, how tunable is it as an engine?

[Wayne]

If I were to go ABF and got bored after a year or whatever, how tunable is it as an engine?

Gains can be had but to get a lot more power will be expensive.

[Mcwill]

I am just in the process of having abf fitted to my 8v at a local garage to me, should be picking it up this wk think they have charged a fair price.

[Waspy]

I am just in the process of having abf fitted to my 8v at a local garage to me, should be picking it up this wk think they have charged a fair price.

What constitutes fair? What parts did you provide? If you don't mind me asking?

[Mcwill]

I provided the engine loom etc and they fitted. If I had the engine fitted as it was it would of cost me aprox £700 but I had it fully rebuilt so was just over 1k not including parts. Not that far from you.

[Waspy]

That's great thanks! You're right, £700 seems very reasonable. But right now I'm not sure I can justify spending like £1100 on it sadly. If I had the facilities/know how to do it myself I would do it in a heartbeat, but thinking about its not going to happen.

So I think, putting ye'olde sensible hat on, I will just get the head refurb'd and maybe later add a snazzy can

Cheers guys!

[gazareth]

you need to figure out not how much you can afford to throw at a conversion/insurance increase/fuel consumption increase. but how much you want to throw at it. I would go for 2 litre block/ modded head and fast road cam. give good power increase and still be wise in traffic. and engine bay will look just like before.

[Waspy]

I want to throw as much as I can afford at it

Yeah seems like a good option, modded heads are pretty pricey from what I've seen though? So that set up would almost out cost an ABF. Or maybe I am way off.

[gazareth]

I want to throw as much as I can afford at it

Yeah seems like a good option, modded heads are pretty pricey from what I've seen though? So that set up would almost out cost an ABF. Or maybe I am way off.

but the mods will be undetectable

[scott-o]

Headwork, cam, refurb the rest of the head, 3 angle valve seats and you'll be laughing. Though is the oil loss through the stem seals or from bypassing the compression ring on the piston? Be worth figuring that out first.

Good gains from porting these heads well, same with the 16v and even if you dont cam them. Second hand cams are cheap as chips though so might as well be done! We've built lots of mad spec 8v and 16v's, they can be turned into right monsters haha