Chinese Buggy engine.

[Gundog]

I recently purchased a Chinese 800 CC mini buggy. I am pretty disappointed with the HP but I like the rest of the buggy. The parts for the engine are hard to find and there are not many off the shelf performance parts for it and what is available is expensive.

One problem this thing has is 1st gear is way to high and they want $750 for a new trans they won't just sell some different gears you have to buy a whole transmission.

The engine is a 3 cylinder I want to keep this thing small and light weight so I was thinking of an engine swap to a Geo Metro 3 cylinder with a 5 speed tranny. I have read they have a lower 1st and 2nd gear available for that trans and they have much more HP stock they even have a turbo model of that engine that puts out 96HP mine has about 35 HP at the shaft.

From looking on Crags list there seems to be alot of these things available and most of them have a lot of miles on them making me think they are pretty good engines. I am thinking this would be an easier swap then a MC engine since it is basically what is in there now.

I am even thinking of just building a new buggy with the Geo engine & trans from scratch but that does not fix the low HP problem with the one I have now. The one I have now can be turboed and gain a lot of HP but I am not sure how much money I want to spend on this Chinese engine at some point I would think I would just be better off to do an engine swap.

Here are things I am not sure about.

1) Difference in weight of engine and trans? (I don't want to make it ass end heavy)

2) Difference in 1st gear ratio? (I want it too be quick out of the hole I am not looking for a fast top end)

3) Difference in axles and stregth of the Geo axles and range of motion of the CV's. I guess a change to 930's could be made. The Chinese axles have a strength problem and are prone to break so an upgrade will have to be made here sooner or later.

I do have the machine tools and fab skills to make this happen but I wonder if this is a good move? I am thinking of looking for a car with body damage but a good drive train that I can strip everything I need out of and haul to the wrecker. What do you think about the geo engine for a small buggy? Are there better engines and tranny combos for what I want to do keeping in mind the small buggy and light drive train?

Thanks Mike

[Admin]

If it was me, id sacrifice the weight and use the 4 cylinder geo prisim motor, up to 97, It was manufactured by toyota, and has about 2x the hp and torque of them 3 cylinders...

[VLADD]

Ya the prizm was a great car, that little toyota motor was awesome...I treated mine like a truck, hauling chainsaws, and goodies for the skidder in it and it got 40 mpg...
But I think he's asking about the metro motor...That too is an awesome power plant...My wife drives one now 180 thou on it but it has gotten a top end freshen up...The heads on those are the weak link...I've contimplated the turbo motor for it since it gets ran up and down hwy 35 for 120 miles per day at 80 - 85 miles an hour...Cute ass little ragtop

[Gundog]

I am afraid of adding too much weight in the rear the buggy pushes in the corner as it is and the extra HP won't do much good If I can't steer it. The stock engine is only 35HP and is just a little underpowered actually the power would be OK if it had lower gearing. I am thinking the stock engine and the Metro 3 banger would be close on weight. I just need to study the whole thing a little more.
Mike