[noonecares]

Ok ladies and gentlemen, I will be starting a new project this fall. I was trying to decide what vw motor i could swap and bla bla bla than i came across the sceneit built and a light came on. I can put any 4 cylinder i want in a mk1 rabbit. So in the spirit of good mindful discussion, i propose this. Of you had to choose the best 4 cylinder, in the guidelines, what would it be?

Guidelines:
Under 1k $ used
All motor no force induction
Cost to tune
reliability


Thanks for playing opcorn:

 

[B4S]

Chevy ecotec. The 2.2 is non VVT, so it's pretty simple, mechanically. All aluminum block, so it's light too. 150hp, and the manual gearbox is cable-shifted with a hydraulic clutch. They were in about a trillion cars from the early 2000s up, and can be purchased cheap. My wife has an 04 Cavalier 2.2 manual, and it's pretty damn fun to drive. It's got a great torque curve for a light car.

 

[noonecares]

The 2.2 definitely has some great potential, I've done some research on this power plant and the only negative is the timing chain, but the motor is readily available!

Ps the intake is on the right side of the engine imo

 

[zaskar]

If I had to build another mk1/mk2 in my life I would build a 2.0 20v NA. Excepts for the cams, all other parts are cheap and easily found. My friend had one dynoed at 200 Whp... probably that a street setup would be arround 165ish whp.... low torque but high rev. that's perfect for a light chassis... running a 2002+ aeg wideband injection, tuning is easy for those who can.

 

[slowgti]

If you want a big power NA swap, your best bet is from Japan. Something with a big H on the hood.

 

[noonecares]

2.0 20v is an interesting idea, and the h inly has to be on the motor, if your handy with a welder just about anything could go in a mk1 rabbit however, i did recently research some b20 info, ceazy numbers like 245 na at 8k rpm

Ps anyone have a link to a thread or a member for the 2.0 20v build all my search came up with is questions and lost dreams

 

[slowgti]

If you do some searching there is a guy with a B18 in a mk2. Very nice swap

 

[bonesaw]

If you have any questions about 2.0 20v let me know. Car is blast to drive. Many off the shelf parts. 200whp. Pulls to 9k

 

[noonecares]

Pmed, and i came across a couple honda swaps, seems to be trending

 

[Corners_Only_Diet]

Yeah you can't beat Honda for naturally aspirated 4 cylinders, a vast choice of parts which are typically cheap, lots of support, cheap to make fast, a tuned H22 in a mk1 would be naughty. Or a hybrid B, the possibilities are endless.

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[Nevaeh_Speed]

It's a Vw, stay VW. 16v would be my first choice for NA, but NA is problem #1, and problem #2 is 4 cylinder. Hands down the 2.5 with a turbo would be sweet. But not gonna be 1k.

 

[noonecares]

If i decided to stay vw i more than likely would just swap a vr6 with itb's. I really am just looking for a fun and different project, i do love the 5 cylinder but the cost is just too high.

 

[bonesaw]

The 5 cyl motors are so cheap. It's getting them into older cars that's the issue.

 

[Nevaeh_Speed]

VR6, ahh snap. Love those. On boost is just wicked fun. Best sounding vw engine IMO.

 

[CasuallyWreckless]

If i decided to stay vw i more than likely would just swap a vr6 with itb's. I really am just looking for a fun and different project, i do love the 5 cylinder but the cost is just too high.

Itb's on a vr6 would need stand alone ect. There's a mk2 that has it. If your looking to spend under 1k on a swap you should really ask yourself what you plan to do with the car? Anything you can think of has prob been done. I've seen vr5, twin 16v twin vr6, nls' 2.5 rabbit, k & h series motors, windstar v8... Drakes caddy pickup has a tritan v8... To even 2.7tt motor and the r8 rabbit... Nashty rabbit is another good one. Wanna get crazy? Drop an early cummins 12v in it! Boils down to how skilled are you? How much money are you willing to spend? And what exactly are you planing to do with the car? You can have an 8v that came stock in the car and build a show stopper or you can drop about 3k on a sti or 2jz and build something completely redic. Boils down to time, money, and skillset imo

 

[noonecares]

Very true, im pretty handy and looking to expand said set, over s few weeks of looking over hundreds of awesome builds I've been thinking alot about an autocross car and, and i understand it will be more than 1k. Im really drawn to simple motors, na single cam or something with big displacement. With a car as light as the rabbit you don't need big power just a good power to weight ratio.

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