poll: Should we put new rings in this and run it (Page 3 of 3)

No, that was the Avanti.

Good seeing you there!

Ok, again!

We were back at ORP with the same engine, didn't touch it at all from the last race. We had all sorts of problems but again, self inflicted. We can't even blame uncle Enzo for our issues.

3 out of the 4 bolts holding the engine to the transmission vanished, leading us to wonder "why do we keep having to adjust the clutch slave cylinder to push farther?". That childlike wonder was shattered when the flywheel finally contacted the bellhousing and the engine "seized". Couldn't turn it by hand, and given some overheating problems we had earlier, we assumed the worst. So on Saturday afternoon after doing like 7 laps, we started disassembling it because, we're here and we're going to have to disassemble it anyway if the motor is toast. But after taking the axles out I look up and see the flywheel wedged into the side of the bellhousing. I look around some more and suddenly all the symptoms click in my tired, probably dehydrated brain. So we put it all back together and do 110 laps on Sunday, for an almost but not quite DFL class C finish.

Car felt incredibly slow, but our best lap was better than last year. Brake upgrades worked well, so I wasn't contemplating my mortality at turn 8 every lap. I had a titanic battle with the beetle powered 911 and the peugot 505, and I crashed into a mustang. Also got home and unloaded the car, and realized the O2 sensor was unplugged the entire time. Cool!

Bought another X1/9 to help with our swap plans. We can work on the swap while leaving the racecar in one piece. A neat thing about the X1/9 is that they're all $500. That's right, every single one. I should buy 20 of them and start a spec series.

After getting home from ORP and contemplating how goddamn slow the car was (couldn't accelerate up the uphill parts of the track), I started cutting up an X1/9 to mock up our 98 car's ultimate fighting form.

Regarding the OG engine, we haven't had any issues with oil consumption in either race. Though compression numbers are consistent, they are consistently low, at about 130psi vs 160psi for a healthy lampredi. We stuck a catch can in and have been checking it, and there's minimal blowby, so we haven't had any smoking issues at all.

the reason for the swap is just because 1) it's a bad idea and 2) that engine has been sitting in my shop for years (note the buildup of saw dust) and it's time to either use it for something or toss it 3) the current motor only put out around 70hp when it was new, and compression numbers and butt dyno make me think maybe 20 of those horses escaped.

In a straight drag race between the beetle powered porsche 996 (which iirc is like 2200 pounds, and the X1/9 should be around 1900) our car was marginally faster, but not by much. Their fastest lap was 1s up on us, but likely because they're better drivers. In any case, the car is comparable to a beetle powered 996, hence the beginnings of a swap.

It's a 2.8L VR6. Found in all sorts of junkyard grade VW products.

I don't think it makes sense to keep it fiat due to junkyard availability. K20 would be the best choice but we're not going for best. Also everyone in the fiat world swaps in the K20, but I haven't seen anyone do a VR6. Are there good reasons for that? Probably. Do I know what they are? Not yet. But soon I'll know.

As a fellow confused vr6 swapper, I have heard that the middle cylinders get warm. Oil coolers have been advised.

I have one from what I seem to recall was a Miata, that'll probably be my first stop. I don't think it has a thermostat, but I'm not sure that's really a concern on a racecar-thing that gets warmed up before being beaten.