mikehillmotorsport

hi my criteria is - must be under 2070cc and N/A. not on an unlimited budget - will spend about a £1000 but may have to spend a lot more!

what engine is best - got to be either duratec, st170 engine (zetec) , or vauxhall 16v red top.
what do you think is the cheapest route to 200bhp and a good amount of torque? (going in a race car).
need to bear in mind cost of ignition/carbs and bellhousings/sumps.
- by the way its going in a mk2 escort.

CurlyWurly

Id go for the st170 be ahell of alot better then the vauxhall due to the fact its ment to be in a ford anyway.

gtirossy

Duratec definately, a standard ST 150 Fiesta engine will make about 195hp just by removing the inlet, fitting throttle bodies with a good management system (I'd recomend a Pectel T2) and a good exhaust. The lengths and diameters of the primaries and secondaries are key to getting the power and low down torque. I'm fairly sure you don't even need to touch the bottom end. Plus the fact that people have been putting Duratecs in Escorts for years so the parts to carry out the conversion are readily availible.

On another note, the Duratec is a lighter unit because of its aluminium block, the other two are cast iron.

OldDan

Got to be a duratec. Lightweight, easy to tune. Costs a bit more than an XE but worth it.

phil_rs

iTrader: (3)

First choice: Duratec
Second choice: XE
Third choice: ST170

mikehillmotorsport

- i thought as much - just seems that everybody goes vauxhall - probably cause theyve been about longest.

what duratec do you think is best - i had a look on ebay and found 2.0 duratecs out of mk3 mondeos are about £500 - what is the st150 engine - is it a 2.0?
also what iginiton (how much does this pectel cost?)
and i have a set of 45 webers set for a pinto - will these be any good?
only thing that look expensive at the moment is the exhaust manifold - £500!

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Xe's are getting to be hard to find in good order, and are heavy compared to modern engines.

S2000 honda would be getting my vote, but will be too much power, but you could always just only open the throttle half way, lol

mikehillmotorsport

yer - thought about honda s2000 - problem is then is that id have to get a new gearbox (only got a tranx 4 speeder in) and then id probably chew up my std. english axle - they still arent cheap either are they? - last time i looked on ebay i couldnt find one for under £1000.

scottyp1989

B18 i think it is out of integre type R are around 180 ish standard and wouldnt take much to get to 200

mikehillmotorsport

think im gonna go with the duratec - i can buy the bellhousing and inlet manifold fairly cheap - does any one know if weber 45s work ona duratec and what cheap ignition system to use - would a megajolt system for a zetec work?

lead_foot

iTrader: (1)

IIRC they turn the 'wrong' way form most rwd applications.

dingla rs

iTrader: (2)

i wouldnt agree with that lota mk2 rally cars run vauxhall engines just
fine ,me mate has one in his. tho i would go st170 me self been
a ford nut

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

Duratec gets my vote too.

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

Yes, they are pretty much the same engine

mikehillmotorsport

- gonna go with a 2.0 duratec - just need to sort out carbs and ignition -
will my weber 45s work? also what ignition system would you recommended - cheap as prefrebably - will my megajolt kit that i bought for a zetec work?

turbotoaster

my first thoughts are a f20c from a s2000, run the honda box aswell then just have your prop modded, engine is hard as nails, gives decent torque and loves to rev, saves spending money on carbs/tbs

like chip that would be my choice, keeping the engine with just a filter will save money compared to proper induction system on something else plus you have at least 240bhp to play with

JonnyBravo

S2000 engine will be cheap for the power but is in the region of 3-4k for a package installed if keeping mods to a minimum and engine standard, my engine and 6 speed was £1800 which was a bargain for what it is. tb'd and dry sumped with management your looking at 5k for a complete 255/260hp race engine so they are mentally cheap compared to anything about, and IF it did ever break its a £1500 max job to put a short engine back in it.

Twin piece prop required as well rather than single piece item, gearbox tunnel needs modifying from anything off the shelf and really needs to be dry sumped as oil pump sits where the crossmember does.

IMO I'd go with the Vauxhall, £200 engine, used bodies, AST1612 cams and your banging on the door of 200hp with good torque and when (if) it ever does go wrong its a £200 engine to replace.

I don't personally think a Duratec can touch that sort of power for that money

JonnyBravo

45hp from a set of tb's and a mapping session, maybe on some seriously optimistic rollers but I can't see that myself.

What exhaust manifold was used ?

Chip

iTrader: (3)

F7R renault engine on a volvo box is another cheaper way to get decent power, although the cams are quite expensive you are unlikely to ever need to buy a second set.

mikehillmotorsport

anybody know what ignition to use on a duratec? and if 45 webers work?

mikehillmotorsport

anyone know anything about these duratecs?

gtirossy

Yes your weber 45's should work on the Duratec, you will have to have them re-jetted though to suit that particular application. We did some development with Duratecs running 48's for Hot Rods and they made about 250-270hp. Electronic fuel injection would be a better way of doing it because you could achieve the correct fuelling across the whole map. Having carbs is a bit hit and miss really as you have to compromise most of the time, e.g slightly rich at the bottom in order to be perfect at the top, but it depends on the funds availible as the car would need converting over etc. It would be much cheaper to go with the 45's as the fuel system in the car is for a carburetted engine already. Ignition wise, check out a company called SBD, as much as I hate plugging the competition lol, Steve Broughton should be able to sort you out with an MBE ECU (either a 967 or 992 I think) that will completely control the ignition. He's done alot of work with Duratecs so he should be able to help. You need to use the std Ford crank sensor from the duratec along with the water temperature sensor, Ford coil pack and leads. This will then provide an ignition map based on engine speed and water temp. For a more advanced setup, a throttle pot could be fitted to the carbs in order to form an even more detailed map but it should work fine without it. Hope this helps! Good luck!

gtirossy

It was a 2.0lt Duratec Sports 2000 engine which is pretty much the same as an ST Fiesta but in a race car. The engines are just built properly, mapped properly on MBE on our engine dyno (which is very acurate) and have always given roughly 195 hp. Thinking about it, they are dry sumped as well which also helps a little bit with the power. But as I said, the biggest gains are definately in the exhaust system, most people use a crappy 4-1 manifold on ST's which won't make the power. We have most of our exhausts made by Tony Law Exhausts in Leeds to our exact specification. 4-2-1 with specific lengths and diameters, that's all really.

ArronP

Im putting a Duratec in my four door escort mk2. If you go to http://www.retro-ford.co.uk/shop/. They will do every thing you need to fit one. Plus Dave is really nice guy.
You do not need to mod the bulkhead but you need to lift the tail of the gearbox.

Iv got a tread if you would to see it.
https://passionford.com/forum/restor...onversion.html

Rollinz

I had a mk3 escort

St170 engine,
Dta managment
Gsxr throttle boddies
8500rpm

That was it.. 237bhp and same again in torque

v man

i plus 1 that lot

dug112y

iTrader: (1)

this thread is over a year and a half old boys...

mikehillmotorsport

year and half on.... i went for a built st170 engine which has been fairly reliable but still havent got round to getting it rolling roaded...
now in the process of building a duratec , just picked up a ultra cheap steel crank and cosworth pistons/rods just need to spend some money on the top end now....any one know wether its worth going for big valves and is it worth the extra £s to go for direct to head tbs or stay with my dcoe jenveys? thanks