I had myself talked into a Zetec swap, but reading details of how rebuilding the twink is cheaper in the long run has me doubting myself.
So I'll pose the question to the group and get the input from those more knowledgeable and experienced than myself.
These are my goals:
!.) 150ish + HP - although I'm as concerned about torque, as this will be a street-driven autocross car.
2.) Reliability - I expect the car will see about 2000mi/year with a dozen or so autocrosses, and I really don't want to worry about much more than the occasional oil change for quite a few years.
3.) Budget - cheaper is better given the choice, but I've learned enough over the years to know that sometimes you just need to spend the $$ to do things right.
I'm no machinist, so I'd have to farm out any of that work. Unfortunately, I live in the middle of nowhere, so unless the machine work is basic enough that your standard V8/muscle-car machinist could do the work, I'm not even sure where to go. I can assemble an engine once the hard work is done, so that's no problem.
I also have access to junkyard Zetecs for $75+core, and it seems twinks are worth a bit in any condition, so that may sway things as well.
I'm not really concerned about originality, so if there is another engine choice that is the more cost-effective way to reach my goals, let me know!
What would you recommend?
