westy7
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posted on 29/1/09 at 09:23 PM |
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upgrade or change
hi guys
in a bit of a dilemna ,currently have a 2lt zetec silvertop with twin 45s Alpha ignition mated to a mt75 box pushing out 160 bhp ,
Now to get anymore out of the engine i would need to upgrade with new cams ,
then head work ported polished,etc etc
this would cost hell of a lot of hard earned
to acheive maybe 200bhp ?
which is pushing the zetec to its limit without spending mega bucks on the bottom end.
would it not be easier to just buy an st170 engine fit bike throttle bodies and new ecu to acheive 200+ bhp
how much would i get if i sold my silvertop complete with 45s and ecu (only 22 ,000 miles on the engine from new)
would i be better of selling engine and carbs seperately
or should i just stick with the zetec as is
any help or advice greatfully received
thanks for reading my little rant
off to sit in a dark room
head hurts.
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madteg
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posted on 29/1/09 at 09:37 PM |
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Bottom end will manage 250 BHP just by changing rod bolts to ARP ones so just strap a turbo to it and run about 6psi, JOB DONE.
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livelee
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posted on 29/1/09 at 09:40 PM |
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A good question. I'd be interested in the sensible things to do regarding upgrading the zetec.
Can the gearbox take 200bhp? I have a type 9 on mine.
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madteg
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posted on 29/1/09 at 10:02 PM |
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At the moment i am running standard type 9 pushing 320 BHP done one track day 8 santapod days, have broke drive shaft and prop but type 9 still ok,
But got 2.8 box ready if it does decide to die.
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roadrunner
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posted on 29/1/09 at 10:21 PM |
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I had this dilema when looking into more BHP from my pinto, the cost was way to much compared to power out, so decided to go BEC, it might be not what
you would like but it was the best thing i did to my car by far, IMHO.
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scootz
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posted on 29/1/09 at 10:26 PM |
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All comes down to individual choice... I've found that it's often easier and more cost-effective to just change to an engine that fits the
bill.
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catman
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posted on 29/1/09 at 11:04 PM |
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ive got over 200 bhp from a silvertop, in my opinion that is as much as you will ever need for a lightweight seven, anymore than that and you will
just be spinning up all the time.
you could buy the cams i have in the for sale section, and build from there a bit at a time, ie still able to drive between development stages.
my engine gives more power than a standard duratec on simular set up and to add up the cost of changing to duratec, new inlet manifold, exhaust and
cutting a hole in the side of your car i would stay with zetec power.
Ed
caged supersix
Carbon/GRP
210 bhp silvertop
190 lbft
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westy7
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posted on 29/1/09 at 11:36 PM |
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pretty mixed responses so far
Catman
still thinking about the cams , with new gaskets and head bolts looking at about £300 for 12bhp
is it worth it, and how many more little stages would it take to get to your spec
what is your spec by the way
did it cost an arm and a leg
would be happy with 200bhp
just need indication of costs
versus
engine change
Bec amazing on track great sound and acceleration
but sorry Bec guys
not for me
HHHHMMMMMN tURBO
don't know much about them
surely its not as easy as strap on and go
(ooer missus)
upgraditus its contagious
nomatter what strain you get
its still not fast enough
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catman
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posted on 30/1/09 at 05:25 PM |
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over 200bhp from a silvertop, this is how i do it
Dunnel ECU 3D ignition
webber 45's
Dunnel inlet manifold
Standard tiger manifold
R1 silencer
Standard bottom end with ARP bolts
Stage two head
Open out valve seats
Ported and Polished
Machined head face
New valve stem seals
Kent Fz2002 cams
you will have the carbs and manifolds so its just a decent ecu, cams and head work (fnar, fnar) same set up with the cams i have for sale (only£200)
gave 185bhp, i was told they should give 190bhp but because of the amount of head work ive had done it actually flowed too much.
my point is this, you can do a bit at a time and end up with more than enough grunt to scare yourself silly.
you will need to buy a cam kit £400 new, and the head work between £750 and £1500 dependent on who you give your money to. You could always have a
stage 1 head first and upgrade later.
Ed
[Edited on 30/1/09 by catman]
caged supersix
Carbon/GRP
210 bhp silvertop
190 lbft
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kyanther
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posted on 30/1/09 at 11:35 PM |
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Hi all,
for me i'd go st170 every time but then i'm bias as thats what i'm building!!!
catman :- the st is only a duratec by name badge it's a black top zetec with a few mods so in most cases there's very little to change on
the conversion. (yours looks like a well laid out clean conversion. and a very nice looking car buy the way. whats with the lotus badge?)
imho the mods mentioned are great if you are doing things one stage at a time and are sure you will stay at 200bhp or only use the car now and again
but I belive that the bottom end sould always be able to take a good deal more than the bhp you require this give's reliability and room to do
further mods in the future!!!
As for turbo's well i'm fitting one of them and have a spare the bigest problem there is the fact that zetecs have an odd sized gudgeon
pin so this means conrods need changing there a little week anyway!
the st on the other hand has sinter forged conrods and a slightly more comon 20mm gudgeon! making for a far cheaper conversion.
anyway sorry about going on and on!!!
hope this helps!
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catman
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posted on 31/1/09 at 09:03 AM |
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Cheers for the nice comments,the lotus rocker cover is for sale, it came with the car, i dont like it as i am proud of the zetec under the bonnet. as
for the bottom end, with ARP bolts it should be good for 225BHP
Ed
caged supersix
Carbon/GRP
210 bhp silvertop
190 lbft
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westy7
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posted on 1/2/09 at 12:37 AM |
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No going back now
picking up an ST170 engine tommorow
be prepared for lots more questions
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westy7
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posted on 1/2/09 at 08:39 PM |
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New engine tucked up in the garage
Kyanther
it has the 20mm gudgeon pin
whatever that is
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kyanther
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posted on 4/2/09 at 12:38 AM |
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Can't wait to see it!!!!
you got the gudgeon pin,
I've got a spare turbo!!!
oh! just ordered my new pistons that go on the ST170 conrod £365 + arp's not bad eh!
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westy7
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posted on 4/2/09 at 11:32 PM |
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Turbo
lets get it up and running first
No no no no no no !
Ok well maybe later
Ps did you speak to Bones aboot weekend
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