New to Chevettes, looking for some tips

[testiclease]

Hi all, I have recently signed up to the forum after using it as a great reference for the work I have done to this point.

I have an 84 that am turning into a dirt track car. I have been racing with my dad and uncles my whole life, but this will be my first car. I've done the cage and most of the fab work and am getting ready to get started on the motor. I have been working on engines, mainly repairs and mild up grades, the majority of my life, but I'm going to do my first tear down and complete rebuild with this one.

To start with I just have the regular 1.6L 4sp out of the 84. I found a weber 32/36 for it so far but other then that it's untouched.

To choose from, I found 5 complete cars which a farmer sold me for $400. One is missing the engine, and some a few random parts, but majority complete. A 79, 83, 85, 86 and an 87. They all have the standard 1.6L, 2 4sp and 3 autos. I havent had a chance to really go though the cars yet to see what they are equipt with, option wise and gearing.

Now my questions. I have read a lot on here, but being new to the technical side of engines I still get confused.

In general, what is my best bet for a potent reliable race motor, using the majority stock parts? I'm hoping that the 79 has the better flowing head, the hood release is broken so I haven't got into it yet to find the casting #. If I'm looking for a head, what casting # should I be on the look out for?

What is the ideal work to be done to the head? milling specs, valves, springs ect.

What can I get the cam ground to, to optimize milling to the block and the head?

Is there any type of ignition system that works best with these engines?

What can I do to the bottom end, to increase the RPM range and keep it reliable?

I've read the some cars came with a lighter flywheel. Is this true? and how can I tell which cars came with this. How would I go about lightening up the flywheel aswell?

Is there a bigger benefit to the weber 38/38 over the 32/26 I have?

I read on a website somewhere that the Mr gasket electric water pump motor bolts up easily and works well with these engines. Does anyone have experiance with these? It says it runs at a constant 1500 RPM. will that be fast enought to keep the water flowing cool at high RPM's for an extended period of time?

What is a good replacement rad?

Will I be able to find headers? or are the specs to build my own too?

Would someone know a good gear combination that will allow me to run the track without having to shift gears? I'll be running mainly on a 3/8 mile clay oval. I'm hoping that some of the cars out back, have different rear ends that I can swap for some of the smaller tracks in my area as well.

Any other tips would greatly be appreciated and I thank you for taking the time to read this.

[DOCTOR FIELDS]

Welcome to forum. Been kinda slow on here lately, so its good to see new members.

Will you be running with other Chevettes or against Mustangs, Pintos, Front wheel drives? Where are you located? What are the rules at the tracks you will be racing at?

The 151 and 678 heads are the best. They came on 1976 - 78 models, 78 being the transition year. 1978 - 80 had the 343 and 395 heads. Some 78 models had the older style, some had the newer style. The 343 / 395 heads are still good, they had a slightly larger combustion chamber and different intake port shape than the older style heads. 1981 - 87 heads were boat anchors. Designed for fuel economy, poor flow, and a closed "heart shaped" combustion chamber.

Compression = power. You can mill a Chevette head upwards of .130" max, but take the chance of the surface warping or cracking easily. .080 - .100" is a good range to shoot for depending on desired compression ratio.

Valve size will depend on how large you bore it. Even a stock bore will benefit from a valve size increase of 5 - 10%. I wont get too technical in order to keep it simple. PM me for more information on valve sizes.

There's several generic cam specs out there. Lunati, Lazer, Elgin, Bullet, all have or had grinds available at one time. Bullet I believe is the only one still grinding them for Chevettes. A generic grind would help over a stock cam, but proper cam selection has several factors that determines what works best. Again to keep it simple and to not reveal too many "secrets" I wont go into detail. PM me for more info.

The stock HEI ignition system is good, but maxes out at about 5500 rpms. Your options are an aftermarket ignition module and coil or you can go a step further and use an MSD ignition box. We used a 6AL box with rev limiter and had great success. A good set of 8+mm wires and properly selected plugs will top it off. You can lock or limit the travel of the mechanical advance in the distributor for better throttle response.

The rotating assembly can be lightened quiet a bit. Scott Mullis at Mullis Machine has mastered the flywheels by safely reducing the weight of a stock flywheel from 17 lbs down to around 6 lbs. They are CNC machined and balanced. I'm not sure if he's still doing these or not. Maybe he will reply if he is. Someone is bound to have one for sale, if not. The 1976 - 80 models had a 7" clutch, while 1981-87 had an 8" clutch. The flywheel weights were right at the same for both, but the weight reduction was in the clutch assembly.

As far as reducing the weight of the crankshaft, be cautious. You see alot of "No Throw" cranks out there, meaning the counter weights have been cut off. I personally wouldn't recommend this. Some will argue that they are still balanced, but they're not. The counter weights are there for a reason, yes they can be rounded, thinned, or knife edged, but a good amount needs to remain for harmonics. You don't see Esslinger Engineering cutting off counterweights on their 4 cylinder Ford Racing cranks. It will prematurely wear main bearings and break main caps, or worse.. scatter. The higher the rpm, the worse it gets.

Stock rods can be lightened alot. Make sure they are shot peened, reconditioned, and balanced afterwards. ARP has a set of bolts for a 2.8L V6 that works in the Chevette rods. If you REALLY want to get serious, an aftermarket H-beam longer rod and custom piston combo can be made to work.

A 32/26 Weber is plenty. This is another area some will argue about, but unless you're turning constant 8000 + rpms (not recommended), you dont need a 38mm. You gain volume, but lose velocity if you go too big.

The Mr. Gasket electric water pump does work. You have to make a small bracket to mount it with, but we never had a problem with one overheating. Did it make a big difference?.. No, but every little bit helps.

Any aluminum aftermarket GM 19 x 22" radiator will work. You have to remove the lower stock mount and relocate a new bracket down lower in order for it to sit at the same height of the stock radiator. Combine that with a 1600+ cfm electric puller fan, and a thermostat set to come on at 200, off at 190, and you'll be in good shape.

Custom Craft still makes a header (Google them) Its under their Ford mini stock headers. It's a generic header, but much better than the stock manifold. One built to your custom engine specs would be even better, but can get pricey quick.

You're pretty much limited to starting in 2nd and shifting to 3rd on the starts on a 3/8 mile track. A 3.70 or 4.11 would be the optimal rearend ratio for a track of that size (depending on desired rpm range).

I would suggest start out simple, do the basics, get some seat time and go from there. You may find that a Chevette wont cut it against different makes, if thats the case. Keep us updated on the build! Post pics if you can.

[DOCTOR FIELDS]

I didn't mention porting or polishing due to the fact that its easy to make a head / intake flow worse if not done properly.

[testiclease]

Thank for the info! I really appreciate the time!

I'll be running in Edmonton AB, in Canada.

The classis limited to any 4cyl 2wd non turbo car. The majority are 2.3L mustangs, a few civics and so on. There was one chevette at the last race day and I never got a chence to check out the car. Most only go as far as headers, cam, and carb if not fuel injected. Otherwise stock.

I'm just hoping to squeeze a little extra power out it to keep up. My biggest asset will be weight. The weight rule is 1lb/cc for carbed cars. So i'm doing what ever I can to get it to the 1600lb mark. Last time i sat at the scales, none weighed in under 2000lbs, so I think that will help big time.

I think i'll look out for used parts as well as sourcing the machine work locally. I know a ton of people in this field.

I really appreciate the time in answering my questions.
Thanks