Building the ULTIMATE fast road Vauxhall Nova engine! Forged, Cammed, ITB C20XE

In this episode we take the forged C20XE bottom end, and turn it into a complete motor. Fitting new QED Motorsport Jenvey independent throttle bodies, performance camshafts, a refurbished cylinder head and much more. This is going to be the ultimate fast road REDTOP Nova!

[@Knusperkringel]

That thing looks nuts, love it. I also have a Corsa A with a C20XE, its a blast to drive.

[@DanielBall]

Thank you, yeah they are great fun!

[@spencerriddle2960]

Currently putting throttle bodies on my Nova with a C20XE so good to see how you are doing this

[@DanielBall]

Sounds good, which bodies are you using?

[@spencerriddle2960]

@@DanielBall I’m running DanST 45mm ITB. Just working out vacuum and coolant hoses so interested to see how you do it. Keep up the great vids

[@DanielBall]

@@spencerriddle2960 I will be doing this soon so stay tuned. The DanST kits look good. It should sound great once done!

[@scotthornsey]

I always lube my bolts. I don't know how much of a difference it would make on an engine because of the temperatures but just makes it easier to take stuff apart again 🤷‍♂️

[@DanielBall]

Yeah I tend to for suspension and stuff like that.

[@JrgProductionsRSA]

Finally a Opel channel 😊

[@DanielBall]

Hope you enjoy 😊

[@JrgProductionsRSA]

​@@DanielBallI did Enjoy. I have a Opel Kadett E GSI. I think they were called the Vauxhall Astra mk2 by u. It has a 2l 8v engine. The mods inclue a 276 cam, 40 thou oversized pistons, 4 into 1 manifold and a full stainless racing exhaust. Unfortunately i was a a accident last year so im currently waiting to finish paying off a new chassis. Once it arrives im going to transfer everything into it :)

[@DanielBall]

Sounds lovely, yeah we call them an astra GTE, great cars!

[@meatedge]

I always feel like this is adult lego just alot harder and more precise! 😂

[@DanielBall]

Yeah definitely!

[@meatedge]

@@DanielBall I'd love to stuff a redtop lump in a nova but I'm only 16 still got a while left to wait haha

[@DanielBall]

@meatedge I definitely wouldn't do it until you have had some experience in both older cars and faster cars. Even today they are fast little cars.

[@meatedge]

@@DanielBall yea little death traps haha

[@DanielBall]

@meatedge definitely!

[@Malcarper]

Great video series, which is helping me, with my C20XE build............ I don't have that timing belt tension tool. Would fitting the original tension spring, set the belt tension exactly the same? If so, I would tighten the Allen screw, then remove the original spring ( Like you say........ they are known to jump off).

[@DanielBall]

Thank you 😊 Yeah that would work perfectly. This is the first time I have used the tool. In the past I have done similar, or just guessed the tension.

[@ljt71]

Is it 20:00 yet?! Edit: another brill video Dan. I have an XE Corsa B that i'm taking the engine of out this winter for a refresh. Your videos really give me the motivation to get cracking! Will be redoing the loom aswell to see if I can find why my fuel pump continuously runs when the ignitions on instead of just when cranking :(

[@DanielBall]

Thank you 😊 means a lot. I am sure you will get to the bottom of it.

[@mazdamaniac4643]

Uhm, I'm very certain that it's supposed to do that, to maintain fuel pressure while the engine is running. The fuel regulator bleeds any excess pressure off, so it's not an issue. If the fuel pump only runs when cranking, it'd start...cough...then drop dead from lack of fuel. This is where people fall off, they stick a meaty super-awesome fuel pump on it expecting big gains, when it's the fuel regulator that's limiting pressure for the injectors, so it ends up being no better than a good stock fuel pump...it's just under less load than it would be, so it would theoretically last longer.

[@ljt71]

The pump should prime and then stop running until the car cranks and starts running. My pump continuously runs as soon as the ignition is switched on. My brothers XE and the multiple XE cars we've built in the past didn't do this. I think the thick blue/red wire has been wired to live instead of the thin blue/red wire in the loom or vice versa, can't remember. I bought it already converted but will tidy up all the issues over the winter :) @@mazdamaniac4643

[@sutt16v]

You’re absolutely correct regarding the tensioner spring Dan. You have some ARP bolts unused? Any reason why you went for head bolts over studs mate? Great video.

[@DanielBall]

Thanks you, the new rods use different size bolts. Much bigger ones. Tbh, for the application bolts are fine. I had a bad experience with arp head nuts once, couldn't undo one, it ripped the double hex head off. I think the nuts are a bit weak if I'm honest. Hardly any material to them.

[@mazdamaniac4643]

The only real advantage that studs have over bolts is that they don't twist as much when you torque the head down, so you get more accurate torque readings. That's literally it. If anything I've always been distrustful of studs+nuts because it doesn't matter how strong they say they are, there's only a few threads on that nut taking all the strain. It's a hell of a lot easier to strip the threads out of that nut than it is to stretch or even rip the head clean off a decent headbolt. Studs only really became 'fashionable' because Lamborghini used to use them in their heads as some of them are a nightmare to get to, so that was the only option. After that, people began to think that they were 'better' but they were misinterpreting the reason why...which became another mechanicing myth.

[@DanielBall]

I definitely won't be using them in future then. Thanks for the info.

[@sutt16v]

@@mazdamaniac4643 interesting 🤔 good info there. I’ve never used studs. But I too heard the rumours of studs being ‘stronger’

[@mazdamaniac4643]

@@sutt16v Yeah they can be made stronger than a headbolt, you can make the shaft thicker or out of a higher grade of high-tensile steel...but it's all for nothing really because you'll always keep coming back to it's main achilles heel, which is always going to be the threads in the nut. Another tidbit thing that folks may find relevant is that the entire engine is designed to heat up/cool down cycle at specific rates throughout the entire assembly. The individual parts have to facilitate that, with modern engines having very specific tolerances for heat cycling in relation to each other. You go stick a set of bolts in there made out a vastly different grade of steel, you really can upset that and it's where you can actually go too far and start generating problems with head gaskets, oil leaks and part misalignment etc. I've actually seen one engine at a meet that the guy had dropped £30k on it and went crazy making it 'bomb-proof', he was so proud, but two weeks later it had cracks running through the block and was leaking oil so bad because nothing could move and settle itself down. Sometimes, there's a little bit of give in the bolts for a good reason.

[@arnold9861]

Did you use a new crankpulley bolt? Re-using these could end up in the bolt coming loose. Same thing for the tensioner bolt, they tend to break re-using those. Nice engine though!!

[@DanielBall]

Am sure it will be fine. Never heard of either failing in 20 years of playing with old Vauxhalls.

[@arnold9861]

@@DanielBall Seen a few going in the trashcan because of this. They are stretch bolts, but you are the engine builder👍

[@DanielBall]

You should see some of the stuff I have done in the past 😂, it's amazing how resourceful you can be with no money. My LET was literally built from parts laying around, not a single bolt was replaced and that's banged off the limiter on every use, and has been for 6 years. Still going strong 💪🏻

[@Malcarper]

Hi Dan, Please can you confirm at 8:08, which way round the tapered spacer sleeve goes on, behind the tensioner pully? I ask, as its not clear in the Haynes manual, which states "The small diameter end of the tensioner sleeve goes towards the block". However on the longitudinal cross section drawing of the engine, it shows sleeve the other way round?

[@DanielBall]

Hi, the big bit goes against the block. So it tapers out.

[@Malcarper]

@@DanielBall Thanks for confirming. Guess.... yet another error in the Haynes manual? The manual is ok to a point, for reference. However, your well presented and informative video's, are way better !!!

[@DanielBall]

Thank you, appreciate your kind words. 🙂

[@MrTech1210]

So Ive just bought a pair of reprofiled camshaft’s for my Vauxhall XE engine and they are sold on a fast road basis and fit to the engine on it’s standard timing markings because the clearance are said to be safe. Out of interest before fitting, i measured the lobes on my original cams and they were 44mm, but the upgraded cams had shorter lobes at 40mm. Now I would of thought the upgraded cams would have higher lobes, or atleast the same size for valve lift. Can anyone explain why this is? Do the upgraded cams give me more valve opening durations over the standard ones? Turned engine over by hand several times and it feels perfectly ok as in no valves colliding with the pistons. I’m just a bit curious. Piper cams they are and claim to give a power increase of 12bhp. I’ve already got a direct cold air duct and a large bore 4-2-1 exhaust manifold with a 2” straight through pipe. I’m excited to see how well the power gains with be. But very curious about the lobe sizes being different. Also, it occurred to me that is it necessary to change the valve springs to accommodate the upgraded one or would the standard springs be ok?

[@DanielBall]

They are reground, so will just be longer duration. The hydraulic lifters should cope with it.

[@MrTech1210]

@@DanielBall thanks for your reply. That’s a relief to hear that.

[@johnrobinson2711]

they take it of the base circle

[@johnrobinson2711]

can i ask why put verniers on and not use them? you can't get the cam spec set like that plus the inlet cam was fully to the end of the slot and the inlet was fully at the start its all set as at standard timing if thats it that is waste of money and your not getting best from the cams

[@DanielBall]

There not at the end of their slot, I aligned them on standard marks so the tuner could fine tune them on a Dyno. I have no way of doing this at home and it will be guess work if I did.

[@marcus123841]

Why no oil when fitting the cams

[@DanielBall]

I used loads of assembly lube?