Hi guys, I am in the process of building a 1975 mini that I will be using both for daily driving but also for the occasional track time and some historic racing.
The thing is, I would like -if possible- to set up a car that will work primarily as N/A, but to which I will be able to selectively "bolt on" a mirage manifold with a turbo and get that extra umph that makes driving a turbo so much fun. Of course the other elements of a turbo setup (oil pump, fuel pump & reg, oil feed etc) will be sorted as well.
So I know that it is impossible to build a one-suits-all car and I am well aware of the compromises at hand and the fact the car will never reach peak performance as either of the two scenarios would on their own.
I just like the idea of having a dual-purpose car, IF that is possible.
So my question -apart from any other comments- would be mainly around CR & cam selection as these are choices I have to make now during the engine build phase and I cannot change afterwards.
- Regarding CR: For a N/A car I would be looking at 10.5:1 ratio. If I set up the engine at this ratio, would I have issues when it operates with the turbo? I am not planning on running insane amounts of boost, just enough to keep the engine/gearbox safe but give that smile on your face when you get sucked in by your seat as the revs get higher.. Maybe I should shoot for something like 10:1?
- For cam selection, obviously aggressive cams are not an option here, but what do people think would be the best "compromise" solution assuming the turbo will be running low boost so that when running the car as NA I get as much fun factor as possible. Could I go for say a Swiftune SW7 or a Kent 276 or a Calver RE13? I have had a discussion with Keith from Calver Racing who has been very helpful and his recommendation is somewhere in the Biper BP255 range and that the RE13 which I would choose if I was doing a purely NA car would not work well. I tend to trust his valued opinion, just curious to see what other people say/recommend.
I have done some research both here and on a couple more sites and haven't found someone looking to set up such a dual purpose car so I thought it would be interesting to start such a discussion and get people's opinions.
Has someone done this already? What do people think and how can I get some help on the specific questions around CR & cam selection I raised above?
Obviously I'll be happy to keep people posted on the build if you find it interesting... Or to see how much of a mess this will turn out to be!!
Thanks!