Hi John.  I am using 1.9 heads on a 2.1 engine because it raises the
compression, thus giving more power.  My mechanic has done this once before
and the engine had 180 lbs of compression.  The Bentley says you can go up to
189, so this should be OK, just use higher octane gas.  I drove the van that
had this done after 6000 trouble free miles, and it has noticeably more
power.  I am also getting a performance exhaust system from Fast German Auto,
and will use Castrol 5/50 synthetic after the engine break-in.  I have high
hopes for good power from idle on up.  I am staying away from big valve
heads, hot cams, and all the other things that sacrifice low end power for
higher rpms, and also sacrifice reliability.  My engine should have a similar
life span to a stock rebuild.
Roger & Zoe Ann Banker
1987 Syncro Adventurewagen

In a message dated 10/21/99 8:59:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
rlpa80@email.sps.mot.com writes:

> Why the head swap?
>
>  John-Reed Maffeo '86 Syncro - Glacie
>  Mesa, AZ