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R1 Fwd Build..let The Games Begin


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#1 mr_conrod

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Posted 29 October 2007 - 11:14 PM

Hey guys,
New to the forum here, im a proud owner of a 1990 mini cooper owned for 7 years now. The car started off with a 1275cc motor but I had it rebuilt with an overbore to 1330cc, kent 276 cam, manx racing motors stage 3 head, 1 3/4" Single SU carb and 1:5 ratio roller tip rockers. The car was great fun to drive and gave 90bhp at the flywheel on a rolling road. But after many months of saving, reading threads on this forum and basically being inspired by the immense amount of people who will try and put all sorts of engines in a mini, ive decided to go for it and have just bought a 2003 yamaha R1 motor for the car. I am not going down the Z cars RWD route but going for a FWD setup and the car is going to be used for trackdays/hillclimbs mainly. I can't afford the pro-motive kits although they look great, so will modify the standard subframe myself and will probably use a mini lsd with custom shafts. Getting the engine is the easy bit and I know its going to be a long winter of chopping, measuring, swearing and many cups ot tea, but I will complete it as its been on my mind for nearly 5 years now! I will keep people informed of progress on this forum along with lots of pictures and videos and will be grateful for any advice or constructive criticism regarding the build. Cheers everyone

#2 Bungle

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Posted 29 October 2007 - 11:17 PM

well done you found the projects section

but we are going to need pictures

#3 mr_conrod

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Posted 30 October 2007 - 07:45 AM

well done you found the projects section

but we are going to need pictures


Well I have only just purchased the engine so the first pictures will just be of that. But I already have a spare subframe to start chopping up and the shell is fully stripped to start offering bits up to it. So as soon as things get moving I will keep people on this forum updated on progress.

#4 ludsonline

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Posted 30 October 2007 - 12:48 PM

Hi and welcome to the site.

For diff ideas check out these sites

http://www.westgarage.co.uk/index.html

http://www.westhouse...chaindrive1.htm

It's good to be different.. I like the front wheel drive idea, keeps the car more original...

#5 Bristolboy

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Posted 30 October 2007 - 04:20 PM

hello and welcome to theminiforum, good luck on the build and remember, everyone loves pics :ph34r:

#6 mr_conrod

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Posted 31 October 2007 - 01:53 PM

Cheers guys...the engine has been shipped so it should be here this week. Its a 2003 R1 motor with only 3k miles on it which is ideal.
Im going to be using a quaife mini ATB diff which i haven't bought yet, and then the shafts will either be lengthened and sleeved to keep costs down or i'll get some custom ones made which means big money. I'll post some pics of the engine soon. That west garage place is very good and the chain drive kits he does for the mini diffs are a great solution but quite expensive. My friend has a lathe that he uses to make bits for his striker kit car so he is going to show me how to use it and i'll be making some bits myself to keep costs low. It's all part of a home brew build, getting stuck in and just having a go yourself. I will post plenty of pics once we get the ball rolling as I know its a great help to other potential builders for ideas. Ive always been fascinated by bike engines and the power they can produce and mini's are just awesome in my opinion.

#7 mr_conrod

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Posted 18 December 2007 - 05:47 PM

Hello everyone,
So just to update you all on the R1 FWD mini project. Ive had the 2003 motor now for about a month and recently sold my mini engine to fund the purchase of a quaife ATB diff. Im using the older mini cooper S type diff (QDF14K) which is apparently easier to work with for chain drive conversions. Then ive also forked out for output shafts and have recently started looking at the build with my mate. The main issues we looked at are, firstly getting the engine as central as possible for 1. driveshaft length being as even as possible to reduce torque steer under load 2. weight distribution which will affect handling 3. diff and sprocket clearance to allow a big enough sprocket for the gearing we want 4. adequate ground clearance for the exhaust/sump . On finding a nice position for the engine (after taking the air saw to the front x member! this will be replaced with an extended piece to allow exhaust clearance), we have managed to find a decent compromise of adequate shaft lengths, clearance for the diff/sprocket to allow up to approx a 39 tooth sprocket and a good central engine position. The diff or sprocket will need to be modified or an adaptor made and we will need to cup the diff so it can be oiled/greased. Another issue is sealing the output shafts which we haven't looked into just yet. I will post up some pictures soon as we are going to be building the frame shortly from box steel and when the prototype frame is made it will be finished in tubular steel. The plan throughout has been to keep fabrication to a minimum and make the smallest amount of bespoke pieces as we can, let's hope that happens!. Please feel free to comment on our photos and ideas, its all a learning curve after all and we want to see how other builders go about it. Cheers

#8 R1mini

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Posted 18 December 2007 - 07:45 PM

Are you planning to extend the front or just the crossmember where the exhaust is?

Cheers
David

#9 mr_conrod

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Posted 20 December 2007 - 02:03 PM

Are you planning to extend the front or just the crossmember where the exhaust is?

Cheers
David


Hi David,
Well im running a standard length fibreglass flip front on the mini. So far we have cut out the front x member and this will be replaced by a slightly extended tubular steel section to clear the exhuast. Furthermore, I will probably run a remote oil filter to give a bit more room for the exhaust and to make filter changes easier. The plan is to extend the front x member right up to the curve in the flip fronts bumper so we don't have to extend the front end. If this doesn't go to plan then I will most probably extend my current flipper or buy an extended one. The grill is also a slight issue and will need to sit proud about an inch to allow for the exhaust header to clear enough. I hope to be starting on the mock frame this weekend so once we have the engine in roughly, the next step will be to design engine mounts. We are looking at fitting a main mount at the centre of the bulkhead and this will also serve the purpose of supporting the diff cradle that we build. The other 2 engine mounts will drop down from either side of the engine and engage with the front of the subframe. Once things get moving I will be posting plenty of photos for people to look at and comment on. Happy building people!

#10 t@z

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Posted 20 December 2007 - 03:14 PM

sounds like a great little project and good luck with it...can i ask though if you can use your return key as reading a wall of text is really frustrating when your at working alt tabing :D

Edited by t@z, 20 December 2007 - 03:14 PM.


#11 R1mini

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Posted 20 December 2007 - 05:55 PM

I gave up trying to squeeze it all into a standard front end so will be lengthening the round front by 90mm. I will use steel panels for mine, I know it's much easier to buy a extended grp front but I just don't like them

Cheers
David

Edited by R1mini, 10 February 2008 - 12:55 PM.


#12 supermotolee

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Posted 20 December 2007 - 06:04 PM

not seen that pic before R1 mini looks tops not thought about a clubman front?

#13 R1mini

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Posted 20 December 2007 - 06:14 PM

not seen that pic before R1 mini looks tops not thought about a clubman front?


I don't hate the clubman front and I would use one if the extended front turns out to look a bit odd. I have seen some extended fronts that have been done well and I didn't notice at first so this is what I will try and replicate

cheers
David

#14 mr_conrod

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Posted 25 December 2007 - 09:58 AM

hello and merry xmas to all,
Just a quick update on the R1 build. We have started cutting pieces for the engine frame and mounts. The prototype frame is being made from tubular steel which will be welded for now and then the final frame will be made from bigger tubing but as close to one complete piece as we can get it to minimize the number of joints/pieces required. I had my first go on my friends lathe at the weekend, its great fun making bits yourself and getting stuck right in. He is passing on valuable skills but as its my car I will also know every custom part on the car. Also for other builders out there, I work for a video production company so I hope to borrow some camera equipment once we get moving with the frame and will film the main sections of the build for other people to look at and to have a record of what a home brew R1 mini build involves. In the new year we should be able to start gathering more momentum with the project so bear with me people, she will sing her song at 14000rpm in 2008 im determined of that! Cheers

#15 mr_conrod

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Posted 09 January 2008 - 10:11 AM

Hello everyone,

Ive started to upload some pics of the FWD R1 mini build so just follow the link to my flickr set.
There will be more pics uploaded later today showing the frame we have built so far.

Cheers

http://www.flickr.co...57603671414132/




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