Hey everyone,
I've been cruising through forums for weeks trying to compile as much info as I can but it's been hard finding everything I need for my idea for my build. To start, I know it's a 1.6, specifically the SNC one, with the MKTurbo kit on it. Right now it's making 191/190 at the wheels and while it's fun, I'm planning a build this winter with a local shop. With the price of 1.8s around here being $2000+, I just don't want to go through that process of swapping parts over and building that as the 1.6 is running fine. The main things I'm looking at doing will be rods, pistons, FM rebuild kit, boundary oil pump and a few other random things in there. I'm slightly worried about the stock 1.6 "harmonic balancer" as the first thing, wanting to swap the LNC over with an ATI/Fluidampr (crank can be like $250, plus the other small things needed to swap). Obviously it'll be balanced at the engine shop, but I was thinking larger valves and cams to help the 1.6 flow better with a P&P. The goal is 300whp eventually, so I want to build it once and have peace of mind. I'm just looking for some advice as to what is overkill for 300whp (ish), whether the valves and cams are too much (or do the exhintake swap), and whether the crank swap is worth it to run a harmonic balancer. I'll document it all once the time comes, I just want to make sure my ducks are in a row before it goes to the machine shop so I'm not doing any back and forth. Also ATI offers custom dampeners if you fill out a form, but I'm guessing the price would be over what a swap would be for the crank. Thanks for anything, and like I said, I'm trying to do something a little out of the ordinary for a SNC 1.6 so it's hard to find any true info other than swap to a 1.8, which have a shot up in price here. Thanks!

 

I would not go to the trouble for oversized valves on the 1.6. Cams are more reasonable on a 1.6 than a 1.8 so I would consider those if you are dead set on the 1.6. I would run super tech double valve springs and titanium retainers.

LNC and upgraded damper make sense.

The damper, forged rods, and the valve springs are all able to be transferred to a 1.8 if that ever becomes available.

 

Ok, sweet. That's kinda where my head was at, and yeah, I'm somewhat set on the 1.6 for now for some reason. Car means a lot to me so it feels right having the factory engine in it for some reason. I'll look into the springs and retainers as well. I'll research around for cams and talk to the machine shop about what their idea is. Next step i guess will be replacing the 5-speed whenever it blows up 😅

 

Hey, sounds like an exciting project! I get how consuming it can be. When I was deep into a build, I’d relax by trying a quick bet online — a nice mental break. If you’re looking for a place, https://mostbet-bangladesh.bet/en/ is worth checking out. It’s popular for sports betting and has casino games too, making it easy to switch off and have a bit of fun when you need it. Might help you balance the grind and the downtime!