Yeah the TDI would be best, but that's alot of work. Cluster, Harness, Tying in to existing electrical, pedals and shifters...wow. I got excited when I learned about mTDI.
I've read about the cold start problems of 1.9 head on 1.6 block. I live in NorCal, Bay Area, Sacramento. Same story? I don't like having to plug an oil drain either.
A big question of mine is is how do you tune these? I'd have to find someone who knew 1.6 or mTDIs to tune it for my build and turbo? I dont want to be messing with screws I dont understand, and this is a precision mechanical pump.
Can I buy nozzles or inserts at RockAuto (Bosh, SMP or Delphi) or is it better to have mine rebuilt? I have access to an injector tester, a bunch of the nozzles floating around here seem to spray well and have similar pressures.
So 120ish HP is achievable with a 1.6TD, is it tapped out for reliability and cost it that level? Easily doable with an mTDI is great to hear. I'm going to have to price out some options. Building a 1.6TD vs buying a nice AHU/1Z and slapping a pump on it might be similar cost because I'd need a turbo, maybe a pump, plus all the gaskets, seals, belts..etc for the 1.6TD. However with a AHU/1Z if I can find one in good shape, slap a belt it, pump it, and slap it in there.
Right now my goal is to get the 1.6NA running with new mounts, timing belt, maintenance and drive it for awhile to see if I can even handle driving a 30 year old diesel.
If I can say to myself, "I like this car it's just too slow and a little noisy" then I'll build it. Otherwise, get it running good, I'll drive it awhile/commute, and sell it.