[EURO engines] 2.0 engines with turbo (or that can handle a turbo kit)

In reply to therealpinto :

cool cool cool, didn't know much about the volvos, just things i heard around (but not documented well). so yea, if the rear axle can handle the power, then yes, they're a great candidate... i'd love to find a 242 as that's the body style i really love... but any other volvo will do...

i have researched the Primeras and yes, not an option due to the FWD

my Saab will be getting 350-400 BHP soon at a marginal cost (around 2k euros max - engine work only) but still not sure how much can it's FWD handle (and handle properly - will definitely need an expensive quaife LSD - and don't know much about the transmission and axles - but engine wise, it's not a big price to pay for a 350 bhp

and yea, the ford sierra and scopio were on my list, and since your a pinto fan, lemme ask you a few questions : how's the chassis like? lots of body roll in the corners, are there any decent (and cheap-ish) suspension options available? 200-250 bhp on stock internals (with a turbo of course)? how much did it cost to get to 250?

is200 would cost me about 4-5k euros to get to 250 (safely) - my saab got to 250 with about 300 euros.

regarding old mercs are cool, but i hear their compression ratio is not adequate for a turbo - again, i didn't get more info on that, so not really sure...

2.0 is the limit on paper, i mean in the car documents (any more than this, i would be paying a lot extra, engines with more than 2 liters displacement are taxed 10 times more than those smaller than 2.0). so i can actually use any stock 2.0 (or lower engines) and stroke it to 2.5 or 2.8 or whatever is available out there. my saab is currently a 2.0 but i can go to 2.3 with just a new (old) crankshaft and piston rods (for cheap). same with BMW engines, you can turn the M50B20 into M50B25 or B28 rather easily and cheaply.

But i need a 2.0 base.

In reply to LanEvo :

i love old mercs, have 2 questions : are their internals and compression ratio suitable for turbos (i know some of them are supercharged). also, there are some 2.0 engines - are they the same as old BMW engines where you can take the base of a 2.0 and stroke it up to 2.5 or 2.8?

OK, so let's give you some of my Sierra thoughts.

The Sierra chassis is basic, McPherson strut front and Weissach/semi-trailing rear. Much like a BMW E30 but not as good. But with some simple modifications it's adequate. You can choose from any number of suspension kits, anything from low buck lowering kits with no name, through good standard replacement (Bilstein B6 is sweet) to full on adjustable coilover kits (GAZ is good value for money in Europe). Use polybushes and the stiffest front anti-roll bar you can find, and, if you are brave, a late Scorpio estate rear anti-roll bar.

A basic Pinto turbo at 200 bhp can be built with just a turbo (T3 size although I much prefer the more modern Mitsubisi TD04's from a Saab or a Volvo), an intercooler, some piping and a simple extra injector system. At around 0,7 bar of boost you will be there. I could build that for 500 €. A true 250 bhp will require engine management (for cheapness, Megasquirt is hard to beat) and you would be way better off running E85 if it is available. I would also recommend a Victor Reinz head gasket. At this level you also need an upgraded clutch.

The Sierra 7" rear differential will be fine at these power levels. LSDs are not cheap but it's a worthwile investment.

A true 250 bhp Sierra will be really fun and it's not that much more work to approach 270-290 bhp but then you start to look at gearbox improvements and then it runs away. So in many cases, it's more fun having a true 250 bhp car that works, than a potential 300 bhp car that is broken.

For inspiration on Sierra Turbos, Youtube Skogenracing.

All this is basically the same for a Scorpio (only a bit bigger).

That said, a BMW 320 E36 is easier to get the power levels you want from. Turbo, management, E85 and boom you're there. There's a reason why they are popular - the M50B25 basically gives 300 bhp as soon as it near a turbocharger :-)

Gustaf

In reply to andykauf :

The inline-six engines (M103 single-cam or M104 twin-cam) seem unbreakable. I don't have personal experience with forced induction on old Mercs, but tons of people run turbo W201 and W124 cars at huge power levels and seemingly without any trouble.

I don't know if the same is true for the inline-four engines (M102 family). I do know that my racecar, which is a 190E 2.3-16 sedan, has been dead reliable despite almost a decade of continuous track use. The 16v version of the M102 is certainly a robust package; there's no reason to think the 8v version would be any less so.