26 replies to this topic

[redfish0]

Thanks ed4ran. Puts my mind at rest. It used to have over sills but i've noticed it seems far stronger with proper sills on, even if they are spot welded instead. Plus it gives a space for water to escape too. Cheers.

[ed4ran]

It will rust really quickly if water is flowing between the panels as it tends to sit in there. When its all welded up spray loads of cavity wax (waxoyl etc) to stop water getting into your seams.

[Retro_10s]

Now this project is really interesting! Loving the progress.

I'm just about to go and buy some underseal for my clubman, coat number three goin on!

[fikus01]

have u considered te peugeot 1.9 tdi lump from the 306!! that really is an absolute flier and also very tunable!!

[redfish0]

Cheers retro 10s, good luck with your undersealing.

The 1.9 92bhp pug might be an option but i thought it maybe a little too big to fit though having never seen one, I'm not sure. I'm picking the isuzu at the moment though because its so tuneable, I can find a final drive that brings the revs down to a reasonable level on 12" wheels and I know the little 1.5 will do 90bhp at least with just a few tweeks (see the corsasport tuning guide.

[Retro_10s]

Aye, isuzu engine is a flyer even in the car it's meant for all things considering so in a mini it should be good.

Just a though, you're going to need to literally COVER the bulkhead with sound proofing, Dynamat and Sludge/second skin, also the exhasut tunnel will need doing too i'd imagine.

[Mincento]

Very goo project IMO we used to have a Corsa 1.5 TD and to be fair even standard there pretty quick and it was very reliable indeed except for the regular alternator rebuild problem :angry2: and fuel ecconomy was good and i personally would choose a VAUXHALL engine any day over the Pug engines partly because i know they last and are generally bullet proof and as you say tuneable still

good luck with it should be a good project this one

wayne

[Retro_10s]

Very goo project IMO we used to have a Corsa 1.5 TD and to be fair even standard there pretty quick and it was very reliable indeed except for the regular alternator rebuild problem :angry2: and fuel ecconomy was good and i personally would choose a VAUXHALL engine any day over the Pug engines partly because i know they last and are generally bullet proof and as you say tuneable still

good luck with it should be a good project this one

wayne

pugs are probably the daddie of diesel engines mate! they certainly used to be!

[sssstew]

yes they used to be the daddy of diesels, but currently BMW make the worlds best diesels. With VAG and their PD system following a close second. The frenchies common rail system used on the latest HDIs is failry low pressure compared to PD.

But like its been said using the 1.5 or 1.7 TD would be a wise move as its not got the complicated injection systems of modern diesels, with its mechanical fuel pump it will be easier to setup and get going.

a brilliant project rwedfish0, hope it goes well.

[redfish0]

Honda make some very good diesels these days so I'd put them in the list too. Maybe even above BMW. Like hell would I be able to get either of those to fit in a mini though

Your spot on there stew. As this is my first ever mini, first ever restoration, engine conversion etc, I want to keep it simple which is why the 1.5td or 1.7td is ideal (will most likely be the 1.7td at the mo). I can get good performance from the isuzu lump which equals the power of a pug, vag or more complicated diesel. Yes, the pug, etc might get more power tuned but I also dont want to go too overboard with the power as it will be a fun road car rather than a track molester.

With the isuzu 1.7td, the mini will have a better power to weight ratio than my crx vtec and the same amount of torque as a 2.2 vtec! I've seen tuned 1.5td corsa's and nova's do high 15 and low 16 seconds 1/4 mile so I'd guess at a high 14 or at least low 15 seconds 1/4 mile for the mini due to it being much lighter Not that I'd be on a drag strip but I might have a go one day out of interest.

Thanks for the encouragements. I have made a little more progress but now its getting pretty cold out there and I've had to rebuild half the boot floor which I wasnt expecting. I'll get some more photos up soon.

[Retro_10s]

Aye there's a lot to be said for the oil burners!!! Lemans teams are using them... i think Audi has entered a 700bhp Diesel this year!! mmmmmm.

[redfish0]

I have a few photos now.

One freshly painted subframe.
 P1010095_r.JPG   58.27K   9 downloads

This is how the rear drivers side looked like after knocking out a bit of the rust. A bit of a mess
 P1010096_r.JPG   106.62K   23 downloads

And this is how it looks two thirds of the way through.
 P1010102_r.JPG   86.86K   16 downloads