Amazon: tuning a b18a

[1966 122s]

? Overdrive hasn't been mentioned. If you don't have it then I'd bet that as soon as you've finished tuning and driven the car, you'lll wish you did. Might be worth thinking of this at this point. Only consolation was that the Simonz exhaust opened up the top end a bit so that 65 to 70mph feels a little more relaxed... but I still wish I had the overdrive.

I'm not an expert but followed Derek and others excellent advice last year and went for the D cam in the B18, skimmed head, twin SUs, twin down pipe and Simonz exhaust. After these mods, my use of the car's engine was limited by tyres not the power. Then after putting 195/60s on my use is limited by my peception of the crash properties of an Amazon not by the power output. (See threads on tyre size before opting for this size as may not be the right choice... smaller rolling radius).

You may feel the B18 is the least expensive way forward, but if there was a cheap B20 and over-drive then surely you'd be tempted before you put the really expensive item in.... your time and effort.

If you could find a tuned B20 then it might be cheaper than your purchase of parts for the B18 e.g D cam, cam followers, steel timing gear, gasket sets, overdrive box..... I'd add this list up to £200 to £300.

Then I start thinking you should keep an eye on the sales including the 140 section. e.g http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=84411
I'm not technical but is this a B20 engine with a D cam and a Simonz exhaust that could be sqeezed onto a 120 all for £100. (But no where near you.)

If Derek predicts 120 to 125bhp from the B18 then perhaps someone would comment what would be predicted from the similarly worked B20 ? If it's a usable difference then the number might tempt you.

[dilip122S]

I knew this thread would get me thinking again: just ordered a whole load of nice stuff from those helpful chaps at KG Trimning..bad news is that its a six month wait for their heads, so I've ordered the necessary components to build the head up to their stage 2 spec. If anyone's interested, I'll post something on here about it when its done....dead right about the overdrive, BTW, you'll definitely wish you had it once you're done.

[Derek UK]

B20 numbers won't be much different to those above for the B18 but the extra torque should be noticeable. The B20 will have more potential if you want to go further. From this point the spending curve for each bhp will become increasingly steep. The car will also start to change character, which for regular driving, may, or may not match your driving style.
We're talking engines here but don't ignore the suspension and brakes. Rebushing the car and replacing any tired joints will transform the car out of all proportion to the cost.
+1 for an OD. Once you've had one you won't want to go without it.

[redcar]

cheers guys, OD is definately on the cards.. logistically it's going to be a nightmare to source, so it's at the bottom of the list for now..

Originally Posted by Derek UK

B20 numbers won't be much different to those above for the B18 but the extra torque should be noticeable. The B20 will have more potential if you want to go further. From this point the spending curve for each bhp will become increasingly steep. The car will also start to change character, which for regular driving, may, or may not match your driving style.
We're talking engines here but don't ignore the suspension and brakes. Rebushing the car and replacing any tired joints will transform the car out of all proportion to the cost.
+1 for an OD. Once you've had one you won't want to go without it.

Derek, i think you're the same track as me here.. i'm not looking for a dragster, just a bit of grunt to get me up to 80 quickly and stay there.. anything over that and i'll be looking for overdrive.. (my daily commute is only about 15 miles on motorway, so doesn't hurt too much on the ears.)

[Bartezz]

Hi Redcar and others,

I'm new to all this but my plans are similar. I drive a '65 122S with a B18 (single carb) + OD. My plans are to increase power also but I'm looking for a fine balance between a streetperformance ride and a nice highway cruiser.

Let me start off by saying that before I bought my 122 in May of this year I haven't done work to cars except maybe an oil change or replacing a fuel filter. So I had to do some homework and haven't finished doing it yet

Here's some interesting links that might help you Redcar:
Rebuilding Your B18/B20 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7
Multi-Purpose Performance Engine
Son of MPPE

Regarding OD, they can be hard to come by, but since you're in Ireland you might get your hands on a Ford T9 easier (Escort/Sierra Cossworth). Which supposedly is not a tough conversion.
Forward gears
T9 5 Speed transmission

Here's a link to my turbobricks thread

Hope maybe this helps!

Cheers

[redcar]

hi folks,

summer is almost upon us, so i thought it was about time to revive this thread..

i've been buying bits and pieces over the winter, and have a decent, slightly worked, B18 head, which is in the shops for refurb and unleaded seats.. a pair of SU's with separate inlet and exhaust manifolds (twin down-pipe) and am looking for some advise on the final shopping list..

remember i have a B18A, so if i am moving towards a B18B+ spec, is there anything else i need to consider before plowing ahead?

so, final shopping list: -

1. B18 head gasket set (hi-compression?)
2. D-Cam kit (cam and tappets), do i need to change the pushrods or anything else here? what about the bearings, so they come attached?
3. timing gear set (steel or fibre)
4. neoprene timing gasket
5. head bolts and manifold studs
6. sports exhaust

am i done?

thanks,

Gareth

[Derek UK]

Are you done? Maybe, may be not. All of these parts are basically bolt on items. Unless you are 110% sure that the rest of the engine is pretty well perfect you might like to consider pulling it out and doing what's needed with regard to bearings, pistons, rings and bores. New cam bearings means engine out. Maybe a new oil pump too. Good chance that the crank is good and some new shells will sort that out. Depending on the mileage the bores might need doing. You'll be able to feel a ridge at the top when you pull the head so that might push you to go further. These engines will run surprisingly well with a broken ring or two but they can score the bore. If you're doing the bearings you'd best pull the pistons too. If there are broken rings and they haven't damaged the grooves you might be able to get away with a minor hone of the bores, assuming no ridge, and a new set of rings.
With all of the parts stripped off the engine for your "bolt on" rebuild, it's in a state that makes it easy to get out. Go on, you might as well. It might tempt you to fit a new clutch and if you have tripped over an OD by then it will again be easier to fit before you bolt all the bits on again.
Yes, it's a never ending story. In the mean time, good idea to get a proper compression/leak down test done before you start on anything. That will give you some numbers which you can use to assess each cylinder. Poor valve seats might confirm the low ones but if not it could well be the rings.
Food for thought?

[Burdekin]

Hi Gareth,

I think new pushrods and steel timing gear set. How about new valve springs? I'm going for double valve springs as I'm looking at increasing the rev range. The inner spring acts as dampener so double springs are affected less by natural frequecies and this is the main reason to run dual springs. If you are not increasing rev range then don't worry about spending the cash and just get good quality singles which should be bought to match the cam.

I have two M41 boxes with overdrives. I'm converting to a Supra gearbox in my P1800 so they are surplus to needs now so drop me a line if you are interested. Otherwise I'll just put them on ebay later on.

Cheers,

Mitch

[asneddon]

My experience from mini days is double valve springs will help raise your red lone, but they suck a slight but noticable amount of power from the low and mid rev range. This was on an engine that pulled very very well from 2k to 6k but then has nothing due to valve bounce. Put double valve springs which might have been to heavy in, and nothing else. My hill climb times dropped a lot! It would pull to 7.5k rpm before I chickened out though.

As I mentioned, these springs were also heavy duty ones, so were probably all wrong.

[redcar]

Originally Posted by Derek UK

Are you done? Maybe, may be not. All of these parts are basically bolt on items. ...
Food for thought?

i hear you Derek, i just don't think i'm in a position to pull the whole lot just yet.. the engine has only 45k on it, with the last 5k being done since i bought it.. she runs very well, just a bit laboured over 70..

right now, i am deffo looking for a bolt on upgrade, as my driveway is my garage.. the plan is basicllay one weekend to strip, and one weekend to build ...although these things never turn out that simple do they?

Mitch, i might need to drive over to you in the summer to take you up one one of those O/D's.. sure the ferry trip will be cheaper than a courier anyway..--> roll on my P131S, lol...

i was thinking steel timing too, but are they really worth it? what about things like the dizzy, coil, etc? any need to upgrade anything here?