Anyone got 'Starfire' experience?

[llllmikellll]

I need a four cylinder engine with both manifolds on the pass side. The old starfire engine is physically almost ideal, but are they any good. I have plenty of experience with the six cylinder version, but not the 4 cylinder.

[Wombat]

You know, people will hang sh1t on you for wanting a Starfire four, but I have had two cars with them, a VC Commodore Four, and a UC Sunbird, and found them to be reliable and bulletproof little motors.

Oh of course, they're not the most powerful things around, but here are some mods which we did to the one in our UC Sunbird which made it lift along quite nicely, for a four cylinder.
First, we took the head off and had it shaved about 40 thou. The valves were seated properly, and the ports cleaned up and chambers polished. Didn't cost an arm and a leg either.
Next, we fitted a high volume oil pump off a 6 cylinder black 202 we had lying around, and for this you have to use the adapter which I seem to recall is on the end of the pump, so that the filter faces down at an angle.
The inlet manifold was cleaned up and the hopeless Varijet standard carby was binner, replaced with a Holley 180 and a sports air cleaner.
The extractors were the easiest bit...we couldn't buy off-the-shelf extractors for it, but my mate had a set of extractors off his wrecked VH Commodore, and we simply used them as a basis to make some up...It was a long time ago, but I believe it involved hacking off the back two cylinder pipes (number 5 and 6) and welding up the pipes to suit...possibly it was number 1 and number 6 and leaving 2, 3-4, and 5 in position...whatever it was, I don't remember it being that hard a job.
The distributor was rebuilt to ensure a good spark (small changes will get you decent gains with a small motor) and a good quality coil was fitted.

They aren't that bad a little engine, and as long as you don't put a power-sucking automatic behind it, a manual one in a light car will certainly last very well...and the much sought after conrods are far stronger than anything that engine will dish out to it.

Glad to hear someone else who likes to do things differently sometimes...

[helluvabadapple]

I have a 4 cyl 5 speed VH Comm Wagon.......she seems to do okay.Usually loaded with window blinds (as for work I install window blinds)
Get lots of strange looks when people learn its only a four cylinder.
Exhaust shop did some work on her few years back......the guy said at the time "Wow" then proceeded to make her sound different......my cousin jokes all the time how it sounds like a V8 "lawnmower" but I don't care bought her as a bargain in really good nick pity i only use her for work.......have found her quite good on petrol consumption.
Have recently had the displeasure of driving a six......petrol-chewer!!!!!!
I would take my 4 cyl baby any day....she's definetly okay for what I use her for.

[Astranomical]

They're a pretty decent little engine, if underpowered.

As for working on them...I've never touched one myself, but from what I've heard its essentially a 202 with two cylinders chopped off it.

[Abborg]

actually they are the 173 with two cylinders cut of. i had the toyota corona with the starfire motor, had it rebuilt with 179 pistons, bigger valves, alloy cam gear, 320 holley correctly jetted, 5 spd box, after running it in, over two hundred with four people in car. basically a damn good motor.