Hi from Newbie, and also engine brain picking :)
 

Hello all, great forum you have here :)

Firstly, ill introduce myself, my name is Lee, and I run the Performance Nova Group. Ive built quite a few road and track going Novas, most recently a 3.0 V6 2 door saloon :)

My next project will be slightly different, hense why I have registered on here as I will be leaving the comfort zone of the GM parts bin and I'm essentially planning to build a 'kit car' based on a nova monocoque.

My plan is to use Mazda MX5 running gear (front and rear subframes), i'm reasonably good at fabrication so this isn't the issue, my issue is my lack of knowledge of engines outside the vauxhall scene.

My wish list is reasonably short, I'm after a reasonably light engine (would consider a V6 but no V8's), and if possible, mappable to 280- 300bhp with no need for bottom end strengthening. My reasons for this are simple, Ive built a fare few high performance engines in my time, and i've also had my fair share of disasters, so much so that i now consider the engine to be a consumable (lol), in which case a stock engine which can be readily replaced if the crank case decides to launch forth onto the floor.

Im obviously looking at turbo lumps, but would possibly consider a SC IF the engine I use with it requires little modification to run one. Why so much power? I intend to have a dabble at drifting as well as my usual hobby of track days and qtr mile action (vauxhall shows tend to be based around drag strips rather than circuits)

Obviously the engine will also need mating easily to a rear drive g/box of some descripton so that is a big factor. I know vauxhall engines can be mated to ford gearboxes with relative ease due to the rally boys' fondness for running XE's in escorts, but again, thats where my knowledge runs out in that respect. Ive also looked into Nissan SR20 lumps, but have been told they take a bit of a wad throwing at them to make that sort of power.

Any suggestions would be fantastic as it opens up avenues of investigations for me.

Thanks for any responses, and I hope to stay around and post up progress of the thing when I start it :)

Welcome to the forum :wave:

No great experience with Nova's other than owning one many moons ago. Howabout a Subaru lump. Might fit ok if you are going to rear wheel drive the Nova.

John

I don't have a huge knowledge of engines but do know one of the most reliable NA and SC engines around without any mods (other than sc) is the type r engine from honda!

There are literally loads of them in elises/exiges and have proved themselves on track including 24hr races over the last 7-8 years.

These run at about 300-320 ish and about 370ish with a chargecooler

Hope this helps

Craig

Interesting, only issue i can think of is finding a suitable box for it. Woth a look though.

Will the Honda box not fit? That's what I used and its 6 speed

it'n not for a transverse installation, he wants to use front engine, rear drive

How about a 1.8T VAG installation?? Transverse and longditude installations available.

I'm running 296BHP with after market management and T28 turbo from a pulsar. With more boost to come should I want it. On standard internals. Looking at others experience, 330 is the limit for reliablity on standard internals.