1.8 engine build

[oliafro]

I'm currently running a 93 mk1 1.6 and was researching into building an naturally aspirated 1.8 (i know a turbo would be cheaper and get bigger returns but where's the fun in that?). I was planning to get full forged internals, bored, ported, flowed, balanced, lightened and all that good stuff. My question is weather anyone had any advice on this subject and what kind of power or rpm Id be potentially looking at after? Also I seem to remember reading somewhere that the 1.6 head had better flow and valve placement then the 1.8. is this true and if so how much machining would be needed to fit it to a 1.8 block?

[snotrag]

Not quite. Mk2 1.8 head flows better than the original Mk1 1.8 head.

The Mk2 1.8 engine is the 'BP4W'. The ports are better aligned with the manifold. The BP4W head and manifold can be swapped onto an earlier Mk1 1.8 quite easily (with a head skim at the same time to bring the compression up).

For an engine build, they generally reccomended 'best' combo is the top half of a Mk2.5 VVT head, teamed with an earlier bottom end.

Although on paper the VVT only gives ~6hp over the earlier BP4W, it is markedly more powerful throughout the rev range.

Speak to Blink motorsport, they are pretty much the font of knowledge regards built N/A engines. It won't be cheap.

What I would say is, even a bog-stock Mk2.5 1.8 VVT engine fitted into an early 1.6 Mk1 with an ECU Intake and Exhaust, is a very nice little upgrade for not a huge outlay.

[cwinterb]

Another vote for Blink. I'm running an mk1 1.8 Stage 2, with cams and throttle bodies etc. The dyno graph on their website is from my car. The power gains may seem modest compared to forced induction but it makes a good noise and is noticeably quicker than stock.