22 replies to this topic

[luismx123]

Hey all, just found this engine on gleebay and was wondering what the consensus is to "what is drivable" or not. Is this spec too harsh for daily driving?
https://www.ebay.co....~8AAOSwaOZdVcmG

 

Would an engine this spec be terrible for the road? I know it has a pretty lumpy cam and is made for racing, but if I smacked a hif 44 on there to limit its power, would it be more "reliable" or drivable? The seller says 100+bhp and my logic says if I push the engine to that spec, its longevity will suffer, on the other hand by "detuning" it a handful of % down, it should be more comfortable to drive and hopefully last longer...

Thoughts?

 

[nicklouse]

An HIF44 would not limit the power.

Would I run it on the road nope.

[luismx123]

An HIF44 would not limit the power.

Would I run it on the road nope.

would it make sense to swap to a more relaxed cam (sw5 acdodd rs) and then choke the inlet via a smaller carb then? no idea...just throwing out ideas :/

[unburntfuelinthemorning]

You could run it as is but it'd only be happy when going flat out.  To be more useable on the road you'd need a milder cam and probably a different cylinder head as that one is described as full race.  The compression ratio would probably be too high as well.  You'd have to like the sound straight cut gears make too. 

[nicklouse]

 

An HIF44 would not limit the power.

Would I run it on the road nope.

would it make sense to swap to a more relaxed cam (sw5 acdodd rs) and then choke the inlet via a smaller carb then? no idea...just throwing out ideas :/

 

No. just build an engine to do what you need. and then use a carb that will provide the airflow it needs.

[Dusky]

The seller is full of cow dung too if he thinks a 998 with a 544 makes 100 hp. They run well on the road by the way. I had a 544 in a 998.

[luismx123]

The seller is full of cow dung too if he thinks a 998 with a 544 makes 100 hp. They run well on the road by the way. I had a 544 in a 998.

why not. if the things balanced you rev it to 7k+ with a 940 head ported and all... Mini miglias have 100hp. HP is torque by RPM / 5252. Itll probably hit 100+ at max revs and be balls below that im guessing... 

[Tupers]

Don’t try and make race car engines be road engines.

You’ll waste a lot of time and money trying to get that engine to behave nicely in a daily driver. The race head, cam and straight cut gearbox won’t make for a fun drive so you’re better off going to a decent engine builder and starting from scratch.

All I’d do for a daily with a bit of spice is a Mini Spares evolution
001 cam and MG Metro style style head on a 1275 block and A+ gearbox. Stick on Maniflow freeflow manifold, HIF44 and a standard airbox with K&N element and have it set up by someone who knows Minis.

[Dusky]

The seller is full of cow dung too if he thinks a 998 with a 544 makes 100 hp. They run well on the road by the way. I had a 544 in a 998.

why not. if the things balanced you rev it to 7k+ with a 940 head ported and all... Mini miglias have 100hp. HP is torque by RPM / 5252. Itll probably hit 100+ at max revs and be balls below that im guessing...

Because a cam dictates when you reach max power. Wich will be roughly 6400 rpm with this cam. After that power quickly drops off. Even with a 1275 you ll have to do your very best to get 100 hp out this cam.

[Spider]

The seller is full of cow dung too if he thinks a 998 with a 544 makes 100 hp. They run well on the road by the way. I had a 544 in a 998.

 

How much boost is it running ?

[Cooperman]

You most certainly couldn't use that engine for a daily driver, or even for an occasional road-use Mini.

 

Race engines are for race use only.

[SpringGoat]

That engine is useless for a road car. You want the biggest capacity you can. Start at a standard 1300.

 

It will have very narrow valve seats and possibly short life piston rings and will wear out. The straight cut gear noise will drive you mad.

 

It doesn't say what final drive is in it or the gear ratios but it will probably be too low for sensible road use. A knowledgable seller would have stated that info.

 

Also as I recall (from 40 years ago) a 544 is NOT a race cam. It's the mild road/rally cam. One step up from std. So - what else has the advertiser got wrong?

 

That engine should have a sprint/super sprint cam or the modern equivalent.

 

Hmmmm - possibly the engine is intended for a class with an inlet restrictor, hence the cam? On the other hand why the Mahoosive valves?

 

Doesn't add up.

[MiniMadRacer]

As has been pretty much said, a race engine is built for out and out power at mac revs all the time... If you were hurtling around brands hatch for example you can keep the thing on song all day long... in traffic crawling... hill starts, chugging along at 30 mph in first because you need to keep the revs up... all make for a very bad driving experience... also a Race clutch in a road car is a no no.. think about it.. a race car is pretty much gunned off the line at 6 to 8 thou revs, and then you do not do another clutch start until the next race.. race clutches were not and are not made for the clutch / declutch / stop / start road clutches are used for.. on the clutch matter I use a std 1275 GT clutch plate with a rally orange diaphragm..much more conducive for on  /  off driving than a  race clutch.. Save your £2500 and build / buy an engine more suitable

[DeadSquare]

Hey all, just found this engine on gleebay and was wondering what the consensus is to "what is drivable" or not. Is this spec too harsh for daily driving?
https://www.ebay.co....~8AAOSwaOZdVcmG

 

Would an engine this spec be terrible for the road? I know it has a pretty lumpy cam and is made for racing, but if I smacked a hif 44 on there to limit its power, would it be more "reliable" or drivable? The seller says 100+bhp and my logic says if I push the engine to that spec, its longevity will suffer, on the other hand by "detuning" it a handful of % down, it should be more comfortable to drive and hopefully last longer...

Thoughts?

 

 

 

First thought:-..... put parcel tape over all those holes in the clutch cover, and you'll save a bit of power.

This set up is unsuitable for city use, but could be used with a 997/1098/1275 stroke crank on the open road (points permitting).

 

Chemically cleaned ? water is a chemical !

Selected block ! were there more than two ?

Tri-metal shells.  All shells are tri-metal.

Three rods get lightened when balancing a set of four. 

If the bores are too small all blocks need pocketing and a center main strap is prudent.

The 544  was a race cam in the 1950's.

ALL new timing chains stretch !

Modified rocker breather admits, too much 'blow-by' past the rings,

The competition head studs are a waste of money in a 1/2 race engine.

A competition clutch is not "nice" to use for everyday driving in city traffic.

The straight cut drop gears are a pain in the ears.

Under a 998 road engine, you don't need a KAD pinion support.

With a 544 cam, you might see 90BHP (before going to specsavers), but you'd be "pushing it" to fleetingly see 100BHP+.

 

Final thought:- .... for £4,500-00 you could buy two 998 engines (with dynamo and starter), Supercharge one, and have a much nicer 85BHP+ car (+ spare engine).

[Howie1000]

The seller is full of cow dung too if he thinks a 998 with a 544 makes 100 hp. They run well on the road by the way. I had a 544 in a 998.

why not. if the things balanced you rev it to 7k+ with a 940 head ported and all... Mini miglias have 100hp. HP is torque by RPM / 5252. Itll probably hit 100+ at max revs and be balls below that im guessing...

Miglia engines are 1293, they’re around 135bhp. Mini 7 engines are 998, they’re the ones around the 100bhp mark, certainly not a road friendly engine.