Which engine in my 1.1c

Hi there, I've just got hold of my first Mk1, a 1983 1.1c model. Intentions are to do a full rebuild with a new engine, paint etc. Ideally I want to be able to get 150bhp at the wheels eventually with a few modifications. At the minute however I'm undecided whether to go for a 1.8 16v mk2 gti engine, or a 2l 16v 9a out of a Passat.
Both engines would be carbed (possible may try a bike carb setup), but which would be best to go for in terms of standard power and what kind of  parts would i need to build either engine capable of around 150bhp?

ps. i've had a browse through fastgolf.org.uk so am aware of what is required, just wondered what the majority would go for and what is easily tunable?

2L 16v all the way mate the next car i do will have one they are as good as the 20v for speed and have more torque

bens_cab said

2L 16v all the way mate the next car i do will have one they are as good as the 20v for speed and have more torque

I dont want to go the abf route though, just for the hassle of possible clearance issues. Just seen some figures:
mk2 gti 1.6: 139bhp
passat 9a 2l 16v: 134bhp

Also seen some people recommend the mk2 gti head on the 9a, what kind of power can i expect from that?

abfmk1 or paul_c are your friends here im not a massive 16v guru just know a 2l would be a better base to start with

haha cheers anyway dude, i'll wait for them to pop in  :wink:

I'm here but didn't post cos I wrote the articles on here and on fastgolf so I've kinda said what I wanted to there LOL. 150bhp is easily achievable by fitting KR cam into the 9A engine. Of course if you fitted the KR head, it contains said cam….and all other dimensions are similar so it bolts on hassle free.

Plenty of people have achieved allegedly 170bhp+ using the 9A, of course these need to be taken with a pinch of salt because certain tuning houses out there have, lets say, 'optimistic' reading rolling roads.

Its not like its hughly tuned or delicate either - those power output (claims) are with reliable day-to-day running cars.

Want more power? Personally these days I'd skip G60 since its becoming an older engine and harder to find, supercharger would probably need overhaul etc and the gap (in cost) to the 20vT is closing/closed up, a few years back it was ?1000 for an engine, these days more like ?500.

20v is getting cheaper to do but whole different ball game to fit for ease 16v

tbh a 20vT is a bit out of my league in terms of cost and complexity, a 16v would be easier and cheaper. The figures your talking about are they at the flywheel or wheels? From the stuff i've read its fairly easy to get 140-150bhp (at wheels) out of a 9a with kr head, but im just struggling to find a 9a engine. Also, what kind of performance increase (if any) can i expect from running r1 bike carbs?

Bike carbs on their own will not offer any advantage over K-Jet - see above for rolling road anomolies, and take a bucket of salt with you when reading about apparent gains!


yes the above figures are flywheel, to convert to wheels bhp use a factor of approx 15-20% (search on internet for more accurate than my guess!)

9A is getting tricky to find, hence these days if i were to do another I'd use an ABF block.

paul_c said

Bike carbs on their own will not offer any advantage over K-Jet - see above for rolling road anomolies, and take a bucket of salt with you when reading about apparent gains!


yes the above figures are flywheel, to convert to wheels bhp use a factor of approx 15-20% (search on internet for more accurate than my guess!)

9A is getting tricky to find, hence these days if i were to do another I'd use an ABF block.

seen a few ABF's but aren't there clearance issues in a Mk1?

dubdan said

paul_c said

Bike carbs on their own will not offer any advantage over K-Jet - see above for rolling road anomolies, and take a bucket of salt with you when reading about apparent gains!


yes the above figures are flywheel, to convert to wheels bhp use a factor of approx 15-20% (search on internet for more accurate than my guess!)

9A is getting tricky to find, hence these days if i were to do another I'd use an ABF block.

seen a few ABF's but aren't there clearance issues in a Mk1?

You'd have to ask someone who's done an ABF conversion, waht the specifics are. I know that there's a way round it by using a particular combination of throttle and inlet, or something. Or you could simply 'persuade' the framework in the bonnet with a hammer, or something. Plenty of people have overcome it so its not a biggie.