bullet proof engine that's cheap and easily available in canada?

Does anybody know of a few different engines/ cars that are cheap to buy and are easy to hook up an aftermarket ecu to? I'm working at teaching my dad how to tune, and need to get a vehicle that won't break $2k but also won't blow up if ignition timing is screwed up!

Thanks in advance,

James

I'm sure people will sugest others but the rev3 3S-GE toyota engine in the Gen6 Celica and MR2 is about as bullet proof as they come.

If u can get a MR2 with 3sgte turbo engine that would be a fun project. I never enjoy tuning 4 cylinder n|a because they are so diffcult to make power.

Eclipse turbo is probably within ur budget the 4g63 turbo are pretty reliable and easy to tune for power.

If the point in not to make power but to be able to mess around without braking anything, I would say a honda.

I have no idea what is easily available in Canada however I'd agree with Ludo - If you're not worried about power and you want an engine that's hard to break then a Honda is a pretty sound basis. The other advantage is you have a wide range of ECU platforms to choose from that are plug & play so this makes it even easier.

While you can learn to tune just fine on a turbocharged engine, when given the option I'd always suggest learning on an N/A engine. The principles are no different between N/A and turbo, however everything happens a little faster on a boosted engine and your envelope of safe operation becomes smaller.

I would highly recommend a Honda. It is very affordable to start tuning an obd 1 ECU with Crome. All you need are a few parts and you can socket the factory ecu and burn chips for it. If you run a hulog and an emulator you can live tune with data logging. It is also speed density based which makes the hp academy courses very applicable. There are also many plug and play ecus available as Andre said. I've seen chipped obd 1 ecus with emulators and hulog a for sale as cheaply as $250cad second hand.