how far do i go

[HandyAndy]

i,ve started cleaning up my donor engine, stripping bits off it etc & a general clean up, its a 1.8cvh which i only plan to use to get me thru iva & then put a zetec 2ltr in, so as per title how far do you think i need to go with this engine?
my thoughts were to replace/ renew the following.....
plugs
oil & filter
clutch ( stripped it today & its had it )
exhaust gasket ( fell apart today )
alternator belt ( its cracking )
sump gasket ( rubber perished )

i have the service book for the engine which is a genuine 90k miles & has had new cambelt every 20k miles so the one thats fitted is only 10k miles old,
so anything else you can think to do to it apart from chop the sump?
took sump off today & not a trace of any sludge etc, i,m well happy with this engine.
i don,t even think i,m gonna take the head off as it was running well when i drove it home 200 miles when i bought it.

cheers
andy

[flyerncle]

The bits you have listed to replace are essential and as you say it ran fine so there should not be any bother with it for the short period you intend it for,spend as little as possible on it and keep the pennies for some thing nasty and powerfull later and fingers crossed VOSA have no intention of re-testing it later.

[HandyAndy]

why would vosa need to retest it once its passed iva ?
the engine is in a stand which makes it so easy to work on, tho the one thing that puzzled me was that someone in the past has welded one of the 10mm nuts securing the exhaust manifold heatshield which caused grief trying to get the manifold off
yeah i,ll spend very little on this engine, can get a 3 piece clutch kit for £20 so i think £50 max on bits n bobs.
cheers
andy

[AshG]

spend what you have to spend. no more no less. im going to wip the head and sump off the pinto give it a flush out, fit new cam belt, regrind the valves replace head gasket and stem seals so it runs nice and clean. i did a compression test before i stripped the sierra and it was spot on. total spend around the £40-50 mark.

[HandyAndy]

sounds good Ash, wish i,d thought to do a compression test, tho i did take the car to my friendly mot ( used them for yrs ) station & they did an emissions test on my engine & all was fine so as i,m not too confident with taking head off i,ll leave it alone
cheers
andy

[AshG]

if you put it in the car and it runs well i would be reluctant to remove it unless the zetec was known to be 100% good.

[Big Vern]

Look carefully at the IVA manual but it seems quite likely that changing the engine post IVA could require at least a partial retest. You would be required to inform DVLA of change of engine number and provide neccesary documentation for this so 'pulling your collar up and keeping a low profile" may not work.
The IVA sets out the emissions requirements which are now related to the engine you have fitted. Changing the engine to a more modern engine will require you to meet the emissions requirements for the engine you fit that could include cat and engine management for a late Zetec....
Get an early Zetec (pre 1995 I think - again check the IVA test manual) then build and IVA with that.

[HandyAndy]

Thanks for the info Big Vern, ok , this is me sitting on the fence with a hypothetical (spelling???) situation........lets say a car passes the iva & then truthfully has an engine failure & requires a new engine are you saying the car then will need to be retested ? if this is the case then that surely blows the bottom out of the replacement engine market, does this only apply to "kit cars" or to every car on the road? it seems a crazy situation to me.
i will indeed read the manual very carefully, as it maybe not worth trying to get an age related plate by keeping/providing information of the donor car, for the effort & cost i might as well put a new zetec with cat etc into my car now .
the red tape seems to get more & more tangled up.
cheers
andy

[flyerncle]

If you feel the need for speed or just something a little better than the ford carb use a 28/36 Weber or even 40's.Straight swap and no making manifolds etc.
Big Vern has raised my fears as per previous post regarding changes to car post IVA and indeed they may re examine the car along with all the hassle,dont forget the cost and of course it wont be cheap.
Look at it ths way,CVH, big fat estate car 100 mph ? CVH very light Roadster
very quickly to 100 MPH with handling to match as you very well know.

The choice is yours......

[HandyAndy]

Originally Posted by flyerncle

If you feel the need for speed or just something a little better than the ford carb use a 28/36 Weber or even 40's.Straight swap and no making manifolds etc.
Big Vern has raised my fears as per previous post regarding changes to car post IVA and indeed they may re examine the car along with all the hassle,dont forget the cost and of course it wont be cheap.
Look at it ths way,CVH, big fat estate car 100 mph ? CVH very light Roadster
very quickly to 100 MPH with handling to match as you very well know.

The choice is yours......

Hi Flyerncle, thanks again for the info & yes i do "see" what you are saying with regard the power/weight equation from donor to Roadster, in all honesty having been in some very quick "7" style cars i,m envious of the power they have & maybe i,m longing for the same, the more i get into my build the better i want the end product to be, not in a financial sense but purely from an enjoyment sense, maybe this is my past(bike racing) catching up on me with wanting that adrenalin rush.
thanks for all for the input/advice, it is appreciated
cheers
andy