Hey there everybody,
I am thinking about building up a fun Cossy Vega as a daily. I race cars professionally, and have an affinity to rare, short-run, performance cars, especially when they tick quite a few "first" boxes for a manufacturer. I have a long history with GM and feel the Cosworth Vega is a really interesting car with which to feed my obsession. I do not like to keep things original, nor do I like to kill off a car's charm. I feel that, while keeping the skeleton intact, any improvement with modern enhancements is exactly that: an enhancement. I'm not talk about swapping in an SBC, as that would no longer make this car a Cosworth. That said, I understand there are quite a few shortcomings with the GM-supplied motor that really hurt the reputation and the real-world performance of the Vega.
I LOVE (love, love...) high revving, peppy, barky 4-bangers. My first race car was an E30 M3 that we swapped in an "Evo 3" 2.5L version of the S14 into. 9000rpm and 250rwhp was epic to drive and even more enjoyable to listen to. My brother still has his old E30 M3, which I drove around Charlotte yesterday. I miss it, but do not miss BMW at all. I would love to build something somewhat similar out of, what I call, GM's E30 M3. I am still, however, petrified of the block splitting issue, but am never one to shy away from an engineering challenge. What are options, short of finding some of the 50 original reinforced racing blocks, to make sure this engine could handle 250hp+ without turning into a pair of motorcycle engines? The ones I can think of:
-Machine the block for steel top hat sleeves.
-Gusset between cylinders 2 and 3 as well as between the motor mount face and the block with aluminum.
-Ensure absolute balance of the bottom end.
Is there anything I could do that I'm missing? Will the later Dura-Built blocks fit under the Cossy head? Do they offer any real advantage over the early blocks?
Finally, a drivetrain question, though in regard to the engine: I saw something, somewhere on this forum, about a T5 transmission fitment. The search function won't let me find the thread I was looking for, now that I'm logged in, for some reason. I am a big fan of the T5 and the aftermarket that has followed it. I feel that a close ratio and a tall 5th (0.80-0.63:1) would suit this application well. What are the options for fitting one to the Vega motor, and which fitment works (GM, Ford, Ford WC...)? Does someone make an adapter or bellhousing that make it all work?
Any advice on this would be well appreciated. I am very into the idea of owning one of these awkward parts of GM history, but want to do my homework first! Thanks!
-Matt Bell