Hi all
I'm inviting comments on replacing the engine in a rover 214 i have just bought. I knew the head gasket had failed on the car before i had bought it, but pulled the engine apart as a minor curiousity, and because.. well.. i was bored. Now, rather than go to a load of hassle repairing it, i'm looking to put another engine in. A bigger engine would be good, just for the sheer hilarity of eating little boys at traffic lights, in a relative grandad mobile.
So, i'm here inviting comments as to which other engines in the world, would fit this particular car.. Ideally such engines would be available in a smashed car, for relatively little money; i'm doing this because, as a computer programmer, i get bored of the office work and like to play with mechanical things. I have workshop facilities, including welding, milling etc, but the fewer structural modifications, the better. The less i can spend on it, the better, because like I mentioned, this is sort of a hobby/idle project; i'm not likely to fit blue LEDs to my window washers upon completion of the project.
I've been wondering about a rover 2 litre turbo (e.g. 820 vitesse) or similar - would a lump of this size fit? An engine out of a 220/420 would probably be the most straightforward fit. Would i see any appreciable gains by fitting a turbo from a diesel 1.8 to the standard
2.0 petrol? Would the ECU be able to adjust to make use of the extra airfolw? etc..So, some comments are invited as to what can be thrown into this engine bay with minimal hassle.
Regards Matt