Mew from Las Vegas, NV
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Joined: Oct 2013
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From: Las Vegas
Mew from Las Vegas, NV
Hi guys,
I'm here to learn about 1.6l motor modification. I am dropping a 1.6 from a '91 miata in a 1966 Datsun roadster as we speak, and I'm looking for simple ideas to put out more power, but keep reliability.
The rest I will add to the tech sections of the forum.
Thanks
I'm here to learn about 1.6l motor modification. I am dropping a 1.6 from a '91 miata in a 1966 Datsun roadster as we speak, and I'm looking for simple ideas to put out more power, but keep reliability.
The rest I will add to the tech sections of the forum.
Thanks
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It can be done! The 1.6 is a robust little engine with a forged crankshaft. A downfall of the early 1.6 engines was a short nose crankshaft that would often develop a problem with the balancer keyway being wallowed out. Ensure that your keyway is in good shape before performing the swap. The later 1.6 engines had longer nose crankshafts.
Many people on this forum are down on the 1.6 engines because the 1.8 engines had better breathing heads and a few other things, but other than the keyway issue, they are pretty sturdy. The engines use the same connecting rods and a many other components. They are slightly shorter in overall length than the 1.8 engines, but not by much.
They are fine to turbocharge and are typically good for twice the stock horsepower without internal modifications. But you will need to study up on coolant reroutes and other modifications before going that far with it. A small amount of boost is much easier than a large amount when it comes to the necessity and severity of supporting modifications.
It should likely already make 50% more power than the Datsun engine that is coming out of the car, so why not get used to that first and see what the chassis can handle?
By the way, this forum is tough on people that ask questions without reading the sticky'd threads or using the search button first. They see it as lazy and you should likely expect some hazing for doing it. These are DIY guys who do their own research and report back here, so there are thousands of pages of excellent reference material in this forum, mixed with some irreverence and idiocy just for fun. Take it with a grain of salt if someone rubs you the wrong way, as it is a right of passage for newbies. They want to see if you will do your own searching and ask clarifying questions along the way or expect someone to do it for you.
I am interested in this swap because I have an Austin Healey Sprite that needs a Miata swap eventually, and damn the guys who say I can't use a 1.6 in it because I've measured and it fits better than the 1.8.
Many people on this forum are down on the 1.6 engines because the 1.8 engines had better breathing heads and a few other things, but other than the keyway issue, they are pretty sturdy. The engines use the same connecting rods and a many other components. They are slightly shorter in overall length than the 1.8 engines, but not by much.
They are fine to turbocharge and are typically good for twice the stock horsepower without internal modifications. But you will need to study up on coolant reroutes and other modifications before going that far with it. A small amount of boost is much easier than a large amount when it comes to the necessity and severity of supporting modifications.
It should likely already make 50% more power than the Datsun engine that is coming out of the car, so why not get used to that first and see what the chassis can handle?
By the way, this forum is tough on people that ask questions without reading the sticky'd threads or using the search button first. They see it as lazy and you should likely expect some hazing for doing it. These are DIY guys who do their own research and report back here, so there are thousands of pages of excellent reference material in this forum, mixed with some irreverence and idiocy just for fun. Take it with a grain of salt if someone rubs you the wrong way, as it is a right of passage for newbies. They want to see if you will do your own searching and ask clarifying questions along the way or expect someone to do it for you.
I am interested in this swap because I have an Austin Healey Sprite that needs a Miata swap eventually, and damn the guys who say I can't use a 1.6 in it because I've measured and it fits better than the 1.8.
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Thread Starter
Newb
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 10
Total Cats: -5
From: Las Vegas
It can be done! The 1.6 is a robust little engine with a forged crankshaft. A downfall of the early 1.6 engines was a short nose crankshaft that would often develop a problem with the balancer keyway being wallowed out. Ensure that your keyway is in good shape before performing the swap. The later 1.6 engines had longer nose crankshafts.
Many people on this forum are down on the 1.6 engines because the 1.8 engines had better breathing heads and a few other things, but other than the keyway issue, they are pretty sturdy. The engines use the same connecting rods and a many other components. They are slightly shorter in overall length than the 1.8 engines, but not by much.
They are fine to turbocharge and are typically good for twice the stock horsepower without internal modifications. But you will need to study up on coolant reroutes and other modifications before going that far with it. A small amount of boost is much easier than a large amount when it comes to the necessity and severity of supporting modifications.
It should likely already make 50% more power than the Datsun engine that is coming out of the car, so why not get used to that first and see what the chassis can handle?
By the way, this forum is tough on people that ask questions without reading the sticky'd threads or using the search button first. They see it as lazy and you should likely expect some hazing for doing it. These are DIY guys who do their own research and report back here, so there are thousands of pages of excellent reference material in this forum, mixed with some irreverence and idiocy just for fun. Take it with a grain of salt if someone rubs you the wrong way, as it is a right of passage for newbies. They want to see if you will do your own searching and ask clarifying questions along the way or expect someone to do it for you.
I am interested in this swap because I have an Austin Healey Sprite that needs a Miata swap eventually, and damn the guys who say I can't use a 1.6 in it because I've measured and it fits better than the 1.8.
Many people on this forum are down on the 1.6 engines because the 1.8 engines had better breathing heads and a few other things, but other than the keyway issue, they are pretty sturdy. The engines use the same connecting rods and a many other components. They are slightly shorter in overall length than the 1.8 engines, but not by much.
They are fine to turbocharge and are typically good for twice the stock horsepower without internal modifications. But you will need to study up on coolant reroutes and other modifications before going that far with it. A small amount of boost is much easier than a large amount when it comes to the necessity and severity of supporting modifications.
It should likely already make 50% more power than the Datsun engine that is coming out of the car, so why not get used to that first and see what the chassis can handle?
By the way, this forum is tough on people that ask questions without reading the sticky'd threads or using the search button first. They see it as lazy and you should likely expect some hazing for doing it. These are DIY guys who do their own research and report back here, so there are thousands of pages of excellent reference material in this forum, mixed with some irreverence and idiocy just for fun. Take it with a grain of salt if someone rubs you the wrong way, as it is a right of passage for newbies. They want to see if you will do your own searching and ask clarifying questions along the way or expect someone to do it for you.
I am interested in this swap because I have an Austin Healey Sprite that needs a Miata swap eventually, and damn the guys who say I can't use a 1.6 in it because I've measured and it fits better than the 1.8.
Austin Healy? I'd love to see that swap. Sounds like it would be 1 of a kind. Well I guess I'll be starting my research on this subject.
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Joined: May 2011
Posts: 1,112
Total Cats: 35
From: Pennsylvania
After I posted this, I started looking through the threads and realized how inch the people here despise a noob who doesn't do his research. oops. I guess I'm a bit impatient at the moment.
Austin Healy? I'd love to see that swap. Sounds like it would be 1 of a kind. Well I guess I'll be starting my research on this subject.
Austin Healy? I'd love to see that swap. Sounds like it would be 1 of a kind. Well I guess I'll be starting my research on this subject.
Very cool car by the way!!!
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