Boris the Yugo

Alright. I posted a topic about 3 months ago and I never got back to it. I have an 88 Yugo gv. I have rebuilt the engine and drove it from Elizabethtown, KY to just outside of Philly, PA where I currently reside, in Montgomery County. I have a vision for this car. A vision that everyone and their mother, including mine, laughs at me for. The thing is, I only know what I know, and nothing more. Also, Boris is my Daily Driver, so I can only do so much to him at a time, seeing as I work Mon-Fri. I fully realize that the stock Yugo parts are pieces of E36 M3, and unless I've replaced it, they are probably 25 years old. I'd like to put an engine in it that has atleast 1.5 L, mostly because I feel like that is the way to go, but I'm not a gearhead and am open to suggestions to optimize the badassery I wish this car to possess. Really am I looking for performance Yugo parts or parts from another vechile altogether. The things I would like to change in the short term: Currently in the Yugo, there is a Bosch style fuse box. The car is plagued with electrical problems, and I feel like a large portion of them are the loose connections to the fuses, thus breaking the circuit. I would like to switch over to the Blade style fuses, but lack the knowledge on how to do this, or how it works. (If you explain something to me, I can usually figure out how to do it myself) Electricity is way beyond my realm, and overwhelms me. The suspension is garbage. And I'm pretty sure that I'm going to die in the next couple days unless one of these couple things are replaced, and fast. The control arm bushing is either dead, or the cb boot is. If you see something on the news like "Yugo collides into Van full of Nuns and puppies, causing major traffic accident on 309" thats me. Long term goals are a better engine and possibly a 5 speed transmission. Now listen, I am a 20 year old with a full time job, but still not making enough. I am pressured constantly to obtain a more reliable car, but I know this car, Boris, more than any of my previous girlfriends. I have learned patience and I have prayed to the Yugoslavian gods multiple times. I am willing to continue to upward battle with this ornery bastard, because I'd rather fight the demons I know then the ones I don't, but I am walking into uncharted territories. Please. Help.

You are in Philly, Im 30-45 minutes away depending on where in Philly you are. I'm in Mullica Hill, NJ.

I have a garage full of Yugo parts and fiat performance parts which will work with Yugo's including a few 1500cc motors. You should come visit ;)

I've seen a Mopar 2.2 Turbo swapped into a Fiat X1/9, which had pretty much the same drivetrain as a Yugo stuffed in the back, but a 1500 cc Yugo / Fiat motor would be a MUCH easier swap. The stock 1300 cc motor had several relatives in different sizes that are the same externally.

Shameless plug: We have blade style fuse blocks where I work at reasonable prices. You'll want a factory wiring diagram to be sure you keep the same inputs and outputs, but you'd simply crimp the terminals to wire ends with a pliers to connect the fuse blocks up. And they can clip together to make larger fuse panels.

BTW, the later 1500cc Fiat axles fit into the Chrysler inboard CV joints making the axles one less thing to worry about.

If you were closer, I could set you up with a complete 2.2 or 2.5 turbo motor and transaxle for fairly cheap. I also have a 1500 X-1/9 EFI motor available for peanuts.

Oh well, good luck on the project! Looking forward to seeing your progress!

He will have the 1100 not the 1300 so the 1500 will make a great improvement (especially if used with the cylinder head from the 1100) The 1300 was only available in the FI Yugos (GV+) or carburated in the GVX.

I have seen the 2.2 swap in a Yugo so yes that will work as well. But as you noted, less fabrication and other issues to stick with the Fiat 1500 which is pretty much a bolt in using some of the parts from the original motor (oil pickup, pan, mounts, etc)

Well the Yugo is retiring as of this Saturday. I'm getting another car that should float me over for a bit while I can work on Boris. Its gonna be a bit before I'm finacially stable to do any major work, but my dad has a shop so I can store it there, and work on it slowly.

JThw8: I'm in Souderton, Pa, about 30 miles northwest of Philly. You're not terribly far from me. What kind of engine is the 1500cc and why does the 1100 head make it better? Is it Fuel injected or carbuerated?

Turboswede: Where are you located? And what are Chrysler Inboard CV joints?

MadScientistMatt: What kind of fabrication is necessary to put a 2.2 in there and what issues come up into the transition?

torinreed wrote: Turboswede: Where are you located? And what are Chrysler Inboard CV joints?

Im in Portland, OR (click in people's avatar and you can get some basic info on them and PM them if you'd like) The drive axles on your car and most Front wheel drive cars use CV or constant velocity joints instead of the old fashioned u-joints to transfer power from the transaxle to the wheel hubs.

When I was playing around with fitting a Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth 2.2 turbo drivetrain into my Fiat, research on another 2.2 conversion turned up the fact that the CV joints from a 2.2 powered car would fit onto the Fiat axles alleviating the need to custom build their axles.

The rest of the swap required fabricating new mounts on the chassis to fit the Chrysler mounts, controls, fluids and electrics.

torinreed wrote: JThw8: I'm in Souderton, Pa, about 30 miles northwest of Philly. You're not terribly far from me. What kind of engine is the 1500cc and why does the 1100 head make it better? Is it Fuel injected or carbuerated?

I have a few 1500 cc short blocks in the shop at the moment, we could find a good one to work with for you :)

You just need the short block as you'll want to use your head and oil pan and accessories in the Yugo. The 1100 cc head on the 1500 cc engine provides a substantial compression boost due to the smaller combustion chambers.
My Yugo has EFI. I have and FI intake from a fiat with injectors and bits I could let go as I intend to keep the Yugo EFI in my car. You'd need wiring and computer but I assume you'd want to go megasquirt with it if you go FI. If you want to stay carburetor you could use your stock intake but I think you'd need more carburetor. I don't have any carburetor engine parts. Of course since my car is technically for sale I have some other higher end stuff (including a whole car with widebody kit) available as well, but I'm just mentioning the more budget oriented bits here.

JThw8 wrote: You'd need wiring and computer but I assume you'd want to go megasquirt with it if you go FI.

I'm going to be stripping out the entire car and basically rebuilding it from scratch now that it is no longer a DD. So most, if not all, of the wiring is going to be changed and updated. I would rather go FI, just because I believe it's more efficient, but I could be wrong there. And I'm assuming megasquirt is a racing class? or....? Also, that is a dope looking paintjob.

MegaSquirt is an aftermarket, DIY fuel injection system. Http://MegaSquirt.info

When you're ready to buy, hit up http://DIYAutotune.com and they'll set you up with the ECU, basic wiring harness, sensors, etc.

Then buy a copy of TunerStudio from EFI-Analytics, connect up an old laptop and get to tuning.

Yes sorry, should have specified. The EFI Yugo motor is a dream for MS as everything seems pretty compatible. I've actually been able to map the entire stock engine harness to a megasquirt system. Of course you would be starting from a carbed motor so you'd have a little more to do. One of the spare blocks was a 1300 Yugo efi block so I have parts from that which were going to go on my new motor but would simplify your job like a crank trigger wheel and such.

You are right to think about going EFI. If you want to get anything out of these motors you either need to go EFI or big honkin carbs and dollar for dollar you'll come out ahead with the efi.

Work will resume after April 26th. Stay Tuned