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engine sourcing???? any idea??

590 views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  BYRONGSi 
#1 ·
I want to do an engine conversion to my corsa as basically its about time!!! The thing is just way too slow. I originaly wanted to drop in a 2litre turbo, but after looking for one i found it may be harder than i first thought coz they seem to be as rare as rocking horse s**t! The only one I found was going for £2000! Is that normal?? So I changed my mind and decided just a 2 litre instead. But now im thinking if your gona do it you might aswell do it properley. Does anyone know of anywhere that can source engines to suit, or seem to get the turbo engines in regurlarly??? And is it really gona cost me £2000 for it????

All replies greatly appreciated
 
#5 ·
Turbo engines crop up in the for sale section regularly enough. £1200 should see you a good one complete with all pipes, loom, etc etc.

Give "C20LETMINI" a private message as he's always breaking Cav and Cally T's. Good honest chap who will see you right.

Have you ever driven a Corsa with either an XE or a LET in it? Although a LET is awesome, an XE should really be plenty unless you are a total nutter. Much cheaper to maintain, insure, run too.
 
#6 ·
the_fbi said:
Turbo engines crop up in the for sale section regularly enough. £1200 should see you a good one complete with all pipes, loom, etc etc.

I have never drove a corsa with either engine in, but i can imagine what it would be like as one of my friends has a renault five with a turbo'd renault 19 engine in and that is rediculously fast. keeps blowing up though, serves the fool right for buying french sh**e.

Ive drove type r's, 200sx, gt4, scooby etc and they have all tempted me to ditch the corsa and move on but i love my little vauxhall and wana keep it, hence wanting the turbo.

What is the driving experience like?? And does c20let mini come highly reccomended by you??

Cheers
 
#7 ·
Depending on your age/cash flow and reliance on a car for work, I'd probably go for the XE route as it will certainly be cheaper and more reliable. LETs are reliable but there is more to go wrong, so playing the percentage game the XE will be more reliable.

I'm struggling to not buy another Astra GTE 16v as I really think it is a fantastic car, although I've not had one for nearly 6 years. But a mental engine and really great allround car once the handling is sorted. You may do well to get an Astra as the donor and drive that for a bit, at least you get to know the engine and any faults it may have. You may even decide to sell the Corsa and keep the Astra.

Rich (C20letMini) is a great guy. A total Cav/Cally enthusiast who always has a shedload (actually a summerhouse and garage or 3) of parts and cars (he breaks them for a living, so reputation/level of service is important). If you were looking for a one-stop-shop for engine, 5 stud hubs, loom etc, then he'd be your man. Other people on here too will have a car to break (failed MOT etc) but he's got more parts sitting "in stock" than you'd believe.
However, I think he's on holiday from last weekend for a couple of weeks so if no reply to the PM/email give him a couple of weeks to get back.

Personally I'd get a GTE and test the engine out well, have some fun, and if you really don't like it then rip her to bits and feed your Corsa.

A decent XE with loom etc should set you back around £500 and a complete GTE 16v won't be much more (although a nice one will be ~£1) although try and get one with a long MOT so you get some fun out of her :)

Do try and get one with a coscast head, just do a search, loads of threads about how to tell/check/know then you'll have less to worry about later.

You could always stick with a "proper" Corsa engine and stick some throttle bodies on! Certainly be more straight forward.
 
#8 ·
If you 100% don't want to keep the donor car, then a Calibra 16v will probably work out cheaper.

This isn't too far from you.

1997 VAUXHALL CALIBRA 2.0i 16V SE7 3dr Coupe
Cream. Leather seats, ABS, Alloy wheels, Anti theft system, CD, Central locking. In need of TLC, MOT Feb 05. 108000 miles. £600.
Tel: 01875 810209 or 07762 050819
Distance: 98 miles
 
#9 ·
Thanks for your points. I understand where your coming from totally, and since my last post ive been doing the maths and your probably right, the xe is a cheaper option. I still have a long way to go before going ahead with it, ie. buying all the bits and bobs people dont think about. Im sure i will make my mind up nearer the time. Plus got to get someone to fit it aswell!!!!!

150bhp from the xe is probably more than ample in a corsa to see off most things on the road anyway. I think im maybe being a bit power hungry to tell you the truth, I cant imagine a 2litre turbo corsa being easy to keep on the road.

I suppose I could put in the xe and if i was still eager for the turbo, get courtenay to put one on. Thats another option, not a cheap one though.

I will give him time to get back from holiday and send him a pm, thanks for the contact though, and thanks for your points. Much appreciated!
 
#11 ·
He's not on holiday, he has posted this evening in the mech/elec forum, so he's about! Although if you need somebody to fit it too, its probably too far for him.

If you do do this conversion, then "Turbo Chris" can supply all the hoses (silicone nice ones) for the XE or LET in a Corsa.

If you do do the XE then decide you want the LET, don't let Courteney rip you off, you'll have done all the hard work, you just need to add a couple of water hoses to feed the turbo and that is about it. (Although I'm sure somebody will point out a massive problem I've missed, but I can't think of it currently.) So buy yourself a LET lump and just swap them over. Easy afternoons work :)
 
#12 ·
djjohnb said:
There is the fact though that a lot of them have done nearly a hundred thousand miles or more as in your example.
But if you buy a engine whilst in a car, at least you can really find out if its shagged or not.

The XE really is a very very stong engine and 100k is nothing if its been serviced. What makes a high milage one a good buy is the tappets are generally noisy and people think they are shagged. An afternoon cleaning them out will solve this noise problem and make it run better too. Zero cost, perhaps just a camcover gasket.
 
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