Hi Hoverbob, I am surprised that no one else has suggested finding a replacement K series 1.8 block (or complete VVC engine)

I appreciate that presumably you are from somewhere in NZ, given that you asked: "And if anyone knows of people in the Hamilton new Zealand area that can help please let me know! 
but even there I suspect that a few MGFs and Rovers fitted with a 1.8 K series must have been either scrapped already, or sitting around unused & un-loved, giving a potential donor for a replacement engine.

You mentioned that there a re scored bores, a snapped engine bolt and (presumably) other horrors on your existing engine.

I would suggest trying to source a replacement "Short" engine, refurbish your existing VVC head, then fit that head to the short block.  This would avoid incompatibility of your wiring loom and ECU with a later TF160 head.  The block only has sensors for water and oil temperatures to worry about and you could probably swap the relevant parts from your existing (scrap?) block if your wiring loom does not match connectors on the replacement block.  IIRC, the bottom end of K series 1.8 non VVC engines is the same as the VVC, though others on this site may know better.  I am guessing that if NZ is not a viable source for secondhand K series engines, a trip to Australia, or arranging shipping of something suitable from a source there might be cheaper than sending a block from the U.K.  I am sure Cobber or someone else in OZ could suggest suitable sources?

Whatever you decide to do, Good Luck!

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