how powerfull should a 1.8 16v be?

[themightybaggins]

hi all. ive got a 1.816v in my 340, running on bike carbs. i was going to convert it back to 1.4 and run it on an oval circuit, but my local track has shut down, forcing me to re-think...

ive driven plenty of powerfull (ish) cars, but only the one valver 340, im not sure if im expecting too much, but it doesnt seem as powerfull as i'd expect?

when i posted up before, a few ppl were of the opinion that the engine was a bit tired and old (griffos old car), im not sure if i agree with that, the engine runs perfect, sounds sweet and never uses any oil or water, however, ive been doing some drifting practice in it, and find it cant keep the wheels spinning in second. first is no problem, of course i can chuck it in a corner at speed and hold the drift for a bit, but the engine runs out of steam mid drift!

is this a lack of talent? (more than possible!)
or a lack of power?

if its a lack of power, is there something wrong with the engine, or am i asking too much of it?
is it possible to squeeze more power out of it?

maybe i could add some lightness and pretend ive got more power...

[340GLT]

What diff does the car have? and what rpm in second are you trying to drift at? Dont forget these engines make peak power and talk quite high....
Adam

[themightybaggins]

I'm not sure what diff it is actually, is there a magical formula to work it out without taking it apart?

Revs would be somewhere around 6 or 7k, don't think i'd like to take it much past there? Or will it take it?

[340GLT]

I mean is it an open diff or welded diff and what car is the diff from?
Adam

[themightybaggins]

oh sorry! its been welded, as far as i know its a standard 1.7 340 diff (apart from being welded!)

[340GLT]

Switch in a 1.4 diff.
Adam

[themightybaggins]

ah ha! good plan! ive got 2 spare gearboxes in the garage, i dunno what models they came from though. is there a clever way to tell?

[340GLT]

If you look at the diff housing where it tapers out from the box there is a flat on the drivers side, look for the orange sticker under the crud, you want an orange sticker that says 3.82:1
Adam

[themightybaggins]

Well I checked the diff on the car, and sure enough its a 3.6! So I checked the spare boxes, ones a 3.6, and ones a 3.9! Yay! I opened up the 3.9 to look at it and found loads of chunks of metal! Damn. I inspected the cwp teeth, and they appear to be in good condition! The bits of metal look like teeth from a cog, not a bearing, I'm wondering if broken bits from the gearbos can work their way into the diff casing??? Should I strip the diff out and swap it with mine, or scrap it and find another??

[340GLT]

The 3.9 is a 4 speed box. Not as straight forward a swap.
Adam

[themightybaggins]

do you mean not straight forward to swap a 4 speed box into my car? or not so straight forward to put the 3.9 diff into the 5 speed box?

[340GLT]

To put the 3.9 diff in your 5 speed box.
4 speed will go straight in. All gears same ratios, just 5th is a reduction (economy gear)
Adam

[themightybaggins]

Damn that means ill need to buy another box then! Anyone got one for sale?

Thanks for your help by the way, top man!