1600 head height:

[thechadzone]

I'm looking to buy an 1800 head for my 1600 motor, but I'm wondering if it'd be cheaper to have the 1600 head decked to match the height of the 1800 head. Are there other considerations between the two heads? My 1600 head seems to be in good shape after an initial inspection, so I'm wondering if getting it decked to 1800 height for $100 is possible/a good idea.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[spiderrey]

An 1800 head wont worl on a 1608, but will work on a 1592.

[thechadzone]

Dammit! I thought it seemed too good to be true, but someone else around here told me that it'd fit... Thoughts on decking the head to 1.8 spec?

[spiderrey]

I would look at Crofts book for what should be done here.

[narfire]

Kind of scratching my head here. I hear of some putting a 1600 on a 1800 block but I believe a water passage has to be delt with. 1600 bore is 80mm and 1800 is 84mm. Were you making a performance type engine? I'd just surface the 1600 head,perhaps take 5-10 thou off, then you know everything lines up just right.
Chris

[htchevyii]

Pete Angel from Mira ran a 2000 head on a 1608. I believe the early engines had a bigger water jacket that won't seal on the 1756 & 2000, but you can go the other way? He used to have an article on his website, but I don't know if it still exists? Everything I know is hearsay, I haven't done it.

[manoa matt]

Chad,

Stick with the 1600 head since it checks out good. There is no performance increase using any other head on that block.

"I'm wondering if getting it decked to 1800 height for $100 is possible/a good idea."

The difference is in the blocks not the heads. The 1600 block has 80mm diameter bores and the 1800 head has 84mm diameter bores, both blocks have the same height. The 1800 head has a combustion chamber volume of 49cc, not sure what the 1600 is but probably the same.

[ace124]

If your talking 1608 block and 1800 head then, YES the 1800 head will fit regardless of the water passage being bigger in the original 1608 head. Its Vice Versa that will not work unless you weld up the water passage in the 1608 head to fit an 1800/2000 block.
If you lay a head gasket over the head you will see that its fine. The smaller water passage in the 1800 head is not an issue and will not need to be opened out. Deck height of the heads should be similar, the 1800 head will have some additional unshrouding in the combustion chamber which will help flow depending on what vehicle it came from. Put the heads side by side and look at the combustion chambers to see if they are the same.
A slight Comp increase v's slightly better flow due to unshrouding is your trade off.....horses for coarses in the real world.

[thechadzone]

Thank you all for the input. There seems to be a diversity of opinion here, but it all points me toward sticking with the 1600 head. I re-read one of Brad Artigue's articles a couple nights ago, and he also recommends sticking with the 1600 head. Of course the Aussies suggest going with the Fiat Regatta 100s head, but I've been unsuccessful in my attempts to get one onto western shores.


Sooo, what are my best budget performance options for this head? I'll be using my dual IDFs, a moderate intake cam, and adjustable cam pulleys on an otherwise stock motor intended for tearing up Coastal Highway 101. I've never sent any engine parts for machining, and I'm wondering about the average costs of things like port & polish vs./in addition to decking the head, machining for bigger valves, port matching the Waffle manifold to the head... Bang for buck

[fiatfactory]

.

[narfire]

If the $$ are available,I like the idea of balancing all that rotating stuff in the block with a lightened flywheel. Mine spools up quick and smooth. Big valves? I have driven both but most of my driving is between 3500 and 5500 rpm so I don't know if they really helped. I had a fellow go over my 2L head,portmatched, valve grind,surface grind, ect and it was a few bucks for sure.
With the adjustable cam wheels,If you don't dial them in yourself,count on perhaps a $100 or a bit more for someone to do it for you,My rad was out for that job.
Good luck, but I found trying to define "budget" is kind of a difficult thing to do... I wanted it all
Chris