1756 head on 1608 block

[Jmyers]

Hi everyone, this will be my first post and also the first Fiat I've owned. Please be easy on me, other than working on some old VW beetles, I haven't ever studied mechanics too much. Anyway, I recently acquired a 76 spider, non running, but with a fair amount of body work already completed and no major signs of rust. However upon checking engine and head numbers, it appears I have a 1756 head on a 1608 block. The head numbers read: 132AB9A, the block reads: 125BC000. Is this correct? Will this type of set up even work? It seems doubtful to me, but I'm unable to find any great sources of info about it. Any help would be appreciated. If the setup doesn't work, should I start from scratch and get a new engine? I'm not looking for anything fancy, just something with decent power and dependability. If given the choice should I go with a complete 1756 set up, or 1608? Thanks for your time.

[mdrburchette]

The 1756 and 1608 are not interchangeable. As far as which engine is best, I'm partial to the 1608 but internal parts such as pistons are scarce. The 1756 is in the same family as the 2L so parts are more plentiful.

[Tappy]

the engine in your car seems to be from a 1969-1973 car , Like denise said there are quit rare they had 110 hp and higher compression then most of the engines.

there should be another number on your head also like 435798 or something , there are some lists of this but none of them are official

here are some sources :

http://www.italian-cars-club.com/Squadr ... 0-1988.xls
http://www.netikka.net/ville.vieri/tc/tclist.htm
http://www.fiatparts.com/carb.pdf

i would recomment to drop in in the hello section , and tell us some more about you your car and post some pictures

[Jmyers]

Thanks, I checked the numbers on the head and it's the 1756. So, should the 1608 and 1756 even be able to bolt up together? I like the idea of going with the 1608, but are parts difficult to find? Once I get some pics I'll post them in the newbie section.

[mdrburchette]

Internal engine components are had to find. I had pistons and rods custom made for mine and tried to find a set for another 1608 I'm building but couldn't find anything decent. I believe the water jackets or oilways are what isn't going to match on the 1608 and 1756. A couple other scenarios for your engine would be to go with the 1608 block and 1438 head or 1756 head and 2L block.

[sptcoupe]

The very first engine I hot rodded had a 1608 block with a 1438 head. Worked real well. Depending on what you intend to do the motor in the way of performance mods, you might just wnat to go with a 1756 block. With cams and pistons and either a larger single crab of dual carbs, you can make them rev just about like the 1608 and get more power from it. I love the 1608, put parts are really scarce.

[narfire]

hi there. Need a 1438 head? think I have one. I'll get the numbers to make sure but I know it ain't a 1800 or 2 L.
Where are you?

[htchevyii]

I believe you can use the later heads on a 1438 0r 1608, but not vice vesa (early engines had larger h20 ports). Peter Angel said he has used a 2.0 head on a 1438.http://home.att.net/~pete.angel/afw/4indexa.html

[So Cal Mark]

hmm, I'd be concerned that the fire ring on the small head gasket might not seal on the head. I'd match up a gasket to the head before bolting it on the block

[Jmyers]

Thanks everyone, upon consideration I believe I'll find a 1756 block and do a rebuild from there. Can anyone suggest a good place to acquire parts from? I live in North East Georgia. I still haven't had a chance to take any pics of the vehicle, but once I get back from vacation I'll get some posted on here.

[mdrburchette]

We have several good vendors that keep our Fiats happy:
IAP http://www.international-auto.com
Vick's http://www.vickauto.com/
Bruce's Parts Bin http://www.fiatparts.com

Just to name a few.