Put a K&N air filter kit on the Weber W32dir carburator for a better breathing. Make a cold air intake for it, so the K&N doesn't have to suck warm air (because it's situated in a warm place... the engine bay
)A good service on your engine with new spark plugs (cables etc.), oil, filters (gas and oil) will allways be good for a quicker gas response than an unserviced car. You will notice.
What you can do with a low budget is:
- polish/flow the head with a Dremel tool, widen the intake and exhaust. Match the diameter with your gaskets.
Read more about it on sites like wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylinder_head_porting
you could polish your valves. Balancing the pistons etc. (or install a big bore kit... which is quite expensive)
You can install another camshaft (Kentcam has some for more torque, more horsepower, of just a better mid range performance). Especially when you're already increasing the compression ratio (by shaving of the cylinder head, or placing a thinner head gasket), all this together will help a bit to increase a B14's perfomance. It's good to know that you can use Renault R5 Turbo engine/head bolts for extra strength.
Use an exhaust system with a larger (in diameter) piping and e.a a low pressure muffler. I think on a 340 it's already better than on my DAF 66.
5spd is a good suggestion. I have a Variomatic, but I like the 5spd more for rallydriving.
Reliability:
You could install an oil cooler. And an electrical fan on your radiator instead of the belt-driven one, which will swallow 1 or 2 bhp.
Don't forget your brakes! Invest in new discs, pads (like Pagid of Ferodo DS2500) and dot5.1 fluid etc. Teflon brakehoses will give you a better pedalfeeling. I do that on every car I run, even my everyday cars.
Regards,
Dennis