Scorpion Questions

[mugen42]

I am interested in a Scorpion for racing and road use, although from two separate cars each dedicated to their task. Before I get too far into my search, I was hoping to tap into someone's knowledge first to see if the Scorpion would fit my needs.

Any help with the following questions would be much appreciated-

Racing-
Disclaimer** I am not an engine builder, just an idiot driver- please forgive any ignorance shown as I type the engine specs below**

1) what kind of RELIABLE power can be made from a 1.8 Scorp with 2 WEBER 40 IDF - 40 IDI carbs (2 Solex C40P116, 2 DCOE w/36mm chokes), 1.67/1.44 valves, 3.31x3.12 bore/stroke? Compression is free, but I need a reliable motor.

Street-
1) What kind of reliable (legal) power can one make from a 1.8 Scorpion Engine?
2) If I am 6-foot 1-inch do I have a prayer of fitting inside?
3) Did the 2.0 become legal eventually (is an engine swap legal/easy)?
4) What are the problem areas (besides rust) that I need to look at before buying?

Again, any help would be appreciated.

Sincerely,
Chris Bovis

[Ken H]

Chris,

I can help you with a few of your questions, and I'm sure others can help with the rest.

All Scorpions came with 1.8L engines, as the 2.0 was never offered in the States. However, you can swap in a later 2.0 from say a Zagato. Chris Ice did a very clean Zagato F.I. engine swap that's smog legal even here in nasty CA (requires a visit to the referee).

Tom McGaffigan put 150K miles on a stock 1.8L with a Volumex conversion, dynoed at 175hp. Tom is about 6'4" and had to shave down his seat to fit. You'll be a little tight at 6'1" without doing something to the seat, and your helmet definitely won't fit. A tube frame or fiberglass racing seat should fix this. The space is there, but the stock seats are high.

The Scorpion is a great all around car, and has potential that was never realized in stock form. I'm building a 300hp Scorpion that will see street use (even has A/C and a stereo) and also a lot of track time, although I won't be racing it like you.

Good luck with your decision!

- Ken

[monte_giallo]

Racing-

1) what kind of RELIABLE power can be made from a 1.8 Scorp with 2 WEBER 40 IDF - 40 IDI carbs (2 Solex C40P116, 2 DCOE w/36mm chokes), 1.67/1.44 valves, 3.31x3.12 bore/stroke? Compression is free, but I need a reliable motor.
If you want a reliable racing engine, you can do more to it than this: 45 Webers for example. With a 2-litre, a reliable 175bhp is achievable. See Guy Croft's book or talk to Barry Waterhouse for what to do. But maybe you are limited by some regulations?

Street-
2) If I am 6-foot 1-inch do I have a prayer of fitting inside?[/quote]

I am also 6' 1". I race mine (with a hemet of course), but I have a Corbeau seat bolted to the floor, so my arse is 1" above the floor.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

I am 6'2" and my head touches the sunroof when it is closed. My knees are tight against the steering wheel. It is tolerable, but I wouldnt want to make any lengthy trips. But, I expected this when I bought it. It is just a warm weather weekend car for me. I do plan to lower the seat a bit.

[Wallace]

I'm 6'2" as well - and so is my brother - BUT - I fit and he doesn't because I have proportionally longer legs than he has - so can put the seat back further !

Best to try it and see !!

[Will]

At only 6', i don't have a problem in the headroom department, and I keep the seats ALL the way back anyway.
The problem I had is the cramped pedal area, I finally got things a little better by using sparco pedals and shifting them on the stockers. You might end up needing to do something more drastic if you have big feet.
-Will