1400 to 1800 conversion

[mikevernontalktalk.net]

Can I fit an 1800 bottom end as an upgrade to my 1400 Supersport?

Are the valve sizes on my 1400 head suitable and what will be the resulting compression ratio?

Does anything else need to be changed?

Are there any other compatibility issues I should be aware of?

[mahatma]

You need to send a blat mail to Stu Forshaw ... he's got a cracking document detailing pretty much all you need to know on this conversion.

[Englishmaninwales]

Straightforward swap. Search the archives, as there is plenty of info, esp Stu's document

Retain your 1400 SS Mems, flywheel, plenum / throttle body /fuel pressure regulator, sump (check fixing size - may reqire drilling to accept M8, depends on age of 1400) and cylinderhead/SS cams.

You will need 1800 short engine, higher flow 1800 straw coloured injectors, 1800 alternator and cambelt pulleys, wider 1800 cambelt. Non Caterham 1800 will require crank spigot and sleeve (from QED) and possibly require shortened gearbox 1st motion shaft (if 5speed - I dont know about CC 6speed). Good time to get the SS cams timed properly with verniers. Sadly, CC now sold out of LW 1400 flywheels.

Suspect the CR is the same and the valve sizes are identical.

Small increase in power, but lots of torque. Email me off line if you want more info.

 

 

Malcolm

 

 

Edited by - Englishmaninwales on 5 Mar 2005 00:26:47

[Myles]

Erm, isn't there an issue relating to high and low-port 1400 heads???

 

Oh, and QED aren't the only source of spigots and sleeves - might as well go straight to CC.

 

Without searching the archive myself - is the MEMS really going to cope with the 1400-1800 jump on larger injectors???

 

These are layman's* queries - I've been bitten too many times by the mother of all cockups ('assumptions') in PSC - so it's worth asking the questions...

 

*injectors bit me good and hard for starters...

 

Project Scope-Creep is underway...

 

Alcester Racing 7's Equipe - 🙆🏻™

 

Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com

---

 

Edited by - Myles on 5 Mar 2005 01:04:35

[Englishmaninwales]

Yes, I was referring to high port heads

1400 SS MEMS and higher capacity straw injectors work fine.

Forgot to add non CC cylinder block requires grinding for starter fitment - as per photos on on Myles' website.

 

edited to say:

My conversion was on on a 1994 car. I retained the existing 1400 engine loom as there I believe there are compatibility issues with later cars.

 

Edited by - Englishmaninwales on 5 Mar 2005 07:51:58

 

Edited by - Englishmaninwales on 5 Mar 2005 08:04:19

[SLR No.77]

Mike, YHM 😬

 

Malcolm's conversion showed up a few more problem details than mine. My car is a '95 1400 racer, therefore already had the wider bottom timing pulley. If you swap the timing pulley then you need to swap the crank (alternator) pulley - the pair are not matched as such but the later crank pulley is dimensioned to allow for the wider timing pulley. Not expensive.

Also my '95 car had the later sump, Malcolm's is the older small hole sump which had to be modified. I know of another conversion though (older than mine) where the sump was fine.

If you can make it up to the Cheshire meet sometime there's now 3 cars that have all been converted - Malcolm's, mine, and Andy Stoneley's. It's Andy (with DVA's help)that deserves the credit - he was first. I just put my own experience down on paper because it was such a cost effective conversion to bring the car more "up-to-date".

 

Stu.

[mikevernontalktalk.net]

Thanks to everybody who has replied.

Unfortunately someone has jumped in ahead of me and bought the one for sale here.

Does anybody know of another, or a complete 1600/1800 engine at a sensible price (ie cheap!)?

[Nifty]

Mike,

 

I am in the same boat and actually bought an old 1600 SS engine to do up.

 

However, I think money is going to be short and so I'm unlikely to get started on it, so it may be available.

 

I'll drop you a Blatmail.

 

Nifty.

 

Keep off the straight and narrow 😬

[kiwirog]

you should only need a new block if yours is the earlier type, externally it differs in having extensive diamond(?) shaped ribbing on the block sides, wheras the later block has a smooth surface. The early block liners rest/locate at the top of the block and use Orings to seal the lower area while the late units have a different internal set up entirely with a step lower down near the crank which the steped liner rests/seals on, two entirely differing systems/water jackets/liners the lot.Simpler if you have early type to use late blok, this blok does all the 14/16/18's with just differing crank/rod/pistons. The 14/16 use same rods/crank/stroke but the 16 uses the 18 bore/liners with slight difference in piston(i think) to get correct comp. so this means an easy job to upgrade a 14 to 16/18 by just putting in those diff parts, externally the whole assembly looks stok because they all have the same head/cams/inlet manifold ass./throttlebod etc. Talk to jason at Hellier performance as he has loads of new and s-hand (checkd/suitable to go again) std parts at good prices left from doing race engine k's 01992899228. The early/ late heads pose no problem as all the bolt patterns are the same, this includes intake/exh, the only real let down about that is the valve size in the 16/18 are to small by modern stds, take this little lot as an example, zetec 18/2 32mm, renault 16v 16/18/2 32/33mm, vaux Xe 16/18/2 33mm, Bmw mini 30.3mm so the std 27.75 is puny to say the least, Sabre heads can updrade it for you to any size you can afford with all the flow test fig's included.

[SLR No.77]

AFAIK, all the 1400s used by Caterham were the earlier "wet liner" type, unlike the later Rover 1400s which are the same construction as the 16/18s. Nothing in there of any use for an 1800 unfortunately

 

Mike, there's fairly regularly short motors available - maybe worth giving Oily a call.

 

Stu.