hey guys i got a spare xe lump stripped right down to a bare block any advise on what i should do with it ie pistons rods cranks etc be used for fast road and track use any ideas also anyone know off any decent tuners/engine builders in soton area bar regal
c20xe tuning
- Thread starter cavvieman
- Start date
HI Cavvieman and welcome to TorqueCars. Nice to have you along. Whats the engine going in? Sounds like you are game for pretty much anything on the engine. I would get the head flowed, fit larger valves, go for a fast road cam or sport cam if the car is exclusively going to be used on the track. Larger injectors, bigger fuel pump. Do you fancy supercharging it? If so low compression pistons would be good.
no im kind of a n/a man especially as its only a 2wd im playin with th eidea off taking it off road and use it as track car depends what happens on next few days as am lookin at a bmw 325 aswell. am just open to suggestions of any type
Just from experience and aslong as you dont mind spending a bit. I woud say go for a set of Twin 48 Webber Carbs, Uprated Pistons, Rods and bolts from Courtenat Sport. Saab Red Injectors, Uprated fuel pump and a higher bar Fuel Pressure Regulator. Then maybe a nice F28 6 speed box with uprated linkages from a Calibra or Cavalier Turbo, Uprated Clutch and a nice billet steel flywheel to suit. And to top it all off get a nice stand alone management system 
Should see you around the 190-200bhp mark, normally asperated
Should see you around the 190-200bhp mark, normally asperated
fastbob72
Full member
That would be some engine and I'd love to see a redtop with a full management system,a brace of SAAB injectors and a set of twin 48 webers.I assume you intended the body of the DCOEs to be modified to make them into throttle bodies rather than an intent to run fue injection AND carbs together cos that would be a novel approach but if attempted I'd be fascinated to see the end results.I suppose if you can fit another four injectors to a Cossie YBB motor thats making some serious power then it's feasible as an exercise to contempate old school raw carb power and a back up set of injectors in a very unique 'twin choke' style approach.
I built a cracking XE Redtop myself that was hitting 200 bhp back around 02/03 and slotted it into a nicely set up mk3 4 door Cavalier that had the bumpers,boot spoiler,side skirts from the later SRi16V,lowered around 40mm with strut brace and I seam welded the subframe,fitted all new suspension components i,e lower arms,ball joints,front anti roll bar whist clamping two rear bars together - sounds crazy but it's a highly effective AND cheap modification.Just like using basically hacksaw blades cut to size and fitted between the ends of the semi trailing arms and the rear hubs.The simply are fitted with four bolt so you slip very thin bits of metal at the top end of the hub just to bring the angle back.I didn't use hacksaw blades obviously but I always picture fitting chopped up blades as they were a similar widtth.lol.On a set of 16" Fox Racing 5 spoke alloy and 3/4 inch rear spacers fitted it was the best handling FWD i've ever had,a beautiful car....polar white....just beautiful
I did surprisingly little to the bottom end apart from basically blueprint it.I had the stock crank,rods and pistons balanced by a local engine workshop,the block was properly faced aswell but I took my time cleaning out the oilways and galleries by hand and opening them out in places.The head I fitted bigger inlets,had fitted I should say but I did the porting and flowing myself.It was an engine from an 89 !6V GTE purposely so I wouldn't have to comply with the 94/95 emissions levels when I put it in for the m.o.t (the emissions standard was always based on the age of the engine if it was swapped therefore it was a very basic 1989/90 emissions test it had to pass despite being a post catalyst registered car,you'll see why as i continue lol......I'd be interested to know if that is still true that the car is tested on the age of the engine if you've actually contacted the vehicle inspectorate to say it has a new engine with a code from that year....i wouldn't be surprised to discover that excellent little loophole has been shut off by now).
Next came a pair of Kent road/rally cams,vernier pulleys and my one and only fully self fabricated and welded 4-2-1 manifold...was particularly proud of that one.lol.Had a full 2.75 inch straight through exhaust system with no catalysts,no oxygen sensors or any of that because very like the the previous commenter I chose the pair of twin weber DCOE route although I used 45s not 48s as I intended it to be very much a day to day road car not a track car at all.
Instead of a stand alone or some half functioning Bosch Motronic 2.5 management system like it left the factory with I adapted,incredibly easily as it turned out,the electronic ignition and advance from the 2.0 8V SRi130 Family II motor,basically a half effect distributor/electronic ignition system which may well seem like a step backwards but then so was going back to carbs and a straight through exhaust but that's why I went out deliberately looking for an 88-90 my motor to work on.The entire build was an old school take on the glorious,magnificent 16V redtop XE engine.I'd already had a couple previously and was convinced that in reality aslong as you weren't unlucky in having a motor with the dreaded but pretty not that common porous head (which,similar to my present Toyota 1ZZ-FE engine was built up into an urban myth by many,many engine experts who proclaimed their opinions leaning on the bar.Funny enough the more pints sunk the more true the myth becomes lol.It's more a case of give a dog a bad name if you ask me).
The XE had some Cosworth magic injected into it when it was being designed and was built for the race track,it was loves to make power and the bottom end could handle a lot more horsepower than it had when it left the factory making it not a real neccesity to go crazy on forged pistons and steel cranks etc.I believed it was strong enough just lightened and blueprinted to make a solid near 200 bhp road car going the old school route and decided to prove it by doing it.The big ends were probaby their weakest link in standard form but they can be destressed by radiusing the sharp corners inboard of the bolts.You don't need to go mental on the bottom end of even a pretty significantly uprated engine if it's going to be neither raced or go down he forced induction road.All the same I don't blame anyone who spends more than they need on the bottom end of their motor because ultimatey even a highly over engineered block and internals will never be a problem unless it's lightened too much.
I've heard people claim 225-230 n/a but I'm not sure how many have the rolling road dyno printout to back that up.I've no doubt it's possible but I doubt it woud be a pretty awful road car I suspect to use daily and in the towns and traffic Mine did in fact hit literally 200 mark with a recorded 201 bhp and around 180 lb ft.The printouts in the house still somewhere.lol.
I've still to be convinced there is another 2000cc 16 valve twin cam out there that can touch the XEs,just a magnificent engine that you just knew straight away was created for competition.Like I said it was strong,very strong if you ask me just like the Family II Sohc engines that came before them although a lot of those that knew much better claimed over and over they were weak engines but the 1.8SEs fitted to the first mk2 GTEs and mk2 Cavy SRis were wonderfully sweet free revving engines......in fact so much so they were what got my blue oval stamped arse out of a Ford seat for the first time,did take till the age of 25 though lol.Those Vauxhalls engine made the pinto and CVHs look like farm machinery......well except the engine out of the RS1600i which actually was that truly elusive thing,a good free revving CVH engine but that's a whole new conversation in it's self so I think I'll conclude on that note lol
I built a cracking XE Redtop myself that was hitting 200 bhp back around 02/03 and slotted it into a nicely set up mk3 4 door Cavalier that had the bumpers,boot spoiler,side skirts from the later SRi16V,lowered around 40mm with strut brace and I seam welded the subframe,fitted all new suspension components i,e lower arms,ball joints,front anti roll bar whist clamping two rear bars together - sounds crazy but it's a highly effective AND cheap modification.Just like using basically hacksaw blades cut to size and fitted between the ends of the semi trailing arms and the rear hubs.The simply are fitted with four bolt so you slip very thin bits of metal at the top end of the hub just to bring the angle back.I didn't use hacksaw blades obviously but I always picture fitting chopped up blades as they were a similar widtth.lol.On a set of 16" Fox Racing 5 spoke alloy and 3/4 inch rear spacers fitted it was the best handling FWD i've ever had,a beautiful car....polar white....just beautiful
I did surprisingly little to the bottom end apart from basically blueprint it.I had the stock crank,rods and pistons balanced by a local engine workshop,the block was properly faced aswell but I took my time cleaning out the oilways and galleries by hand and opening them out in places.The head I fitted bigger inlets,had fitted I should say but I did the porting and flowing myself.It was an engine from an 89 !6V GTE purposely so I wouldn't have to comply with the 94/95 emissions levels when I put it in for the m.o.t (the emissions standard was always based on the age of the engine if it was swapped therefore it was a very basic 1989/90 emissions test it had to pass despite being a post catalyst registered car,you'll see why as i continue lol......I'd be interested to know if that is still true that the car is tested on the age of the engine if you've actually contacted the vehicle inspectorate to say it has a new engine with a code from that year....i wouldn't be surprised to discover that excellent little loophole has been shut off by now).
Next came a pair of Kent road/rally cams,vernier pulleys and my one and only fully self fabricated and welded 4-2-1 manifold...was particularly proud of that one.lol.Had a full 2.75 inch straight through exhaust system with no catalysts,no oxygen sensors or any of that because very like the the previous commenter I chose the pair of twin weber DCOE route although I used 45s not 48s as I intended it to be very much a day to day road car not a track car at all.
Instead of a stand alone or some half functioning Bosch Motronic 2.5 management system like it left the factory with I adapted,incredibly easily as it turned out,the electronic ignition and advance from the 2.0 8V SRi130 Family II motor,basically a half effect distributor/electronic ignition system which may well seem like a step backwards but then so was going back to carbs and a straight through exhaust but that's why I went out deliberately looking for an 88-90 my motor to work on.The entire build was an old school take on the glorious,magnificent 16V redtop XE engine.I'd already had a couple previously and was convinced that in reality aslong as you weren't unlucky in having a motor with the dreaded but pretty not that common porous head (which,similar to my present Toyota 1ZZ-FE engine was built up into an urban myth by many,many engine experts who proclaimed their opinions leaning on the bar.Funny enough the more pints sunk the more true the myth becomes lol.It's more a case of give a dog a bad name if you ask me).
The XE had some Cosworth magic injected into it when it was being designed and was built for the race track,it was loves to make power and the bottom end could handle a lot more horsepower than it had when it left the factory making it not a real neccesity to go crazy on forged pistons and steel cranks etc.I believed it was strong enough just lightened and blueprinted to make a solid near 200 bhp road car going the old school route and decided to prove it by doing it.The big ends were probaby their weakest link in standard form but they can be destressed by radiusing the sharp corners inboard of the bolts.You don't need to go mental on the bottom end of even a pretty significantly uprated engine if it's going to be neither raced or go down he forced induction road.All the same I don't blame anyone who spends more than they need on the bottom end of their motor because ultimatey even a highly over engineered block and internals will never be a problem unless it's lightened too much.
I've heard people claim 225-230 n/a but I'm not sure how many have the rolling road dyno printout to back that up.I've no doubt it's possible but I doubt it woud be a pretty awful road car I suspect to use daily and in the towns and traffic
Mine did in fact hit literally 200 mark with a recorded 201 bhp and around 180 lb ft.The printouts in the house still somewhere.lol.I've still to be convinced there is another 2000cc 16 valve twin cam out there that can touch the XEs,just a magnificent engine that you just knew straight away was created for competition.Like I said it was strong,very strong if you ask me just like the Family II Sohc engines that came before them although a lot of those that knew much better claimed over and over they were weak engines but the 1.8SEs fitted to the first mk2 GTEs and mk2 Cavy SRis were wonderfully sweet free revving engines......in fact so much so they were what got my blue oval stamped arse out of a Ford seat for the first time,did take till the age of 25 though lol.Those Vauxhalls engine made the pinto and CVHs look like farm machinery......well except the engine out of the RS1600i which actually was that truly elusive thing,a good free revving CVH engine but that's a whole new conversation in it's self so I think I'll conclude on that note lol
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