I'm happy to say that I've successfully saved a '91 Mi16 that would have otherwise been scrapped. It was written off after being hail damaged. The owner asked me to swap the gearbox/engine to a 205 which I did some time ago. It was too good to scrap so I've just been sitting on it for a while. Over the past two years I've been putting an engine/gearbox together from spares I had laying around.

The new engine is very sweet after having the block/liners decked (10.8:1) and fully reco'd with one of my Stage I cams and baffled trap door sump. In particular, I was concerned about the piston/bore clearance. The liners had to be honed to give 0.002" clearance, in order to clean up, significantly more than standard and I fitted new rings. I can't hear any piston slap, so it was very successfull.

The gearbox is mostly Mi16, but interestingly, I used a 3.25:1 1st gear from a 1.6L GTi. It pulls away from the line far better than the usual long 1st gear. I was pleasantly surprised.

It's a fantastic car. The trim and upholstery is in excellent condition and it rides like a new car. Very compliant. Now just to get the dings out.

Some pics would be nice

Hooray! I did the same with mine, it was destined for the scrap yard after having it's engine ripped out for a 205. Shame more can't be saved though.

What's the jump like from 1st to 2nd gear?
Must have been very big hail stones!!

You don't notice the gap from 1st to 2nd like you do in the early 205's we have over here, which have the same combination. I was concerned about that, but as it was the only spare BE3 1st gear I had, it had to be. The gap from 1st to 2nd on my Mi16x4 is very noticeable. It's a pain so I've got plans for that.

I'll organise some pics.

Wait a sec Peter, by fitting a 3.25:1 1st gear from a 1.6L GTi you've given the car a 1st like the mi16x4 right?

Not quite that bad! The 1st gear in the Mi16x4 is 3.45:1. That may not sound much different, but as a percentage it's low!