22 replies to this topic

[tedmcedd]

i have been pondering for a while now as to what engine to put in the bean.... i would like to keep him A series, but i keep finding myself looking at minis with honda or vauxhall power and imagining what i can beat off the lights....

then i thought.. would a vw lupo gti engine fit on a mini?? 1.6 valver with 6 speed box... hmmm that sounds tasty... looking around made me realise these are not cheap or readily available.... so i looked at my mates old shape polo coupe gt, 1.4 with 75 brake... hmmm, you can get 75 out of a 1275 no probs... so i asked my mate about other polo engines, as looking at them, they dont seem too big.... there is a 1.4 valver you can get with 100 brake, now that sounds more like it! also a 1.6 valver..... i am seriously considering this conversion....

anyone done it before?? think i saw a polo engine in mini mag..... cant be sure though....

thoughts apreciated!

Ed

[Purple Tom]

This has been partially asked before - click here

As for the Polo GT, its not a 1.4 - its a 1272cc 8V SOHC lump. Very very good engine. It is however possible to fit all the GT engine management to an ABD block, which gives you a 1391cc capacity and a lot more torque. I know because I've done it to a Polo - clicky if you want to know more

If, however you're looking at engines from the Mk3 Polo, the only one IMO to go for is the G40 (PY engine code). As standard these are fitted with a G-Lader supercharger and produce 113bhp from 1272cc. 150-160bhp is easily achieved with a modified charger and decent exhaust system. It is then possible to fit a K03 (or similar) turbo and achieve 200bhp + with the right modifications And all of this WILL fit in a Mini's engine bay, although you'd have to custom build the subframe obviously, the measurements work out well in a Clubman, but if you kept the G-Lader you'd have to remove a bit of the grille.

Anyway, hope that helps. I've also moved this to technical because the projects section isn't for technical enquiries.

Tom

[tedmcedd]

ok cool, i did consider a G40... however i thought that might be expensive to buy..., i have a fiberglass front on the bean, and i was thinking of changing it to a clubman front.... however i dont really want to change too much about my car... lol, can you run a VW engine on carbs...? i dont really want to mess about with ecu's and all that jazz....

[Purple Tom]

I wouldn't bother trying to run a G40 on carbs. The 3F and ABD lumps will take carbs quite nicely though. A lad I know ran bike carbs on his modified 3F and got over 100bhp (can't remember exact figures). Those engines will take lots and lots of abuse as well, and will happily spool up to 7k rpm.

[tedmcedd]

yeah i was tol the g40 wouldnt like carbs... thats another reason for pushing it to the side.... i was deffo thinking bike carbs however.... what do you mean by 3F.... lol

you also say this on the posted link:
You could fit the AFH 1.4 16V unit which is found in the 6N (Mk4) Polo 16V's. They are 100bhp out of the box and can be picked up pretty cheaply - around £250 I believe. They go very well with a set of ITB's on them too

what polo would i need to pick up, as in year?

cheers for all the help!

Ed

[Purple Tom]

3F is the engine code for the Polo GT 1272cc lump.

If you're looking for an AFH engine (Polo Mk4 16V) then anything from 1996 - 2000 should be the right one.

Tom

[tedmcedd]

sorry for all the questions! you are a real knowledge bank! could i run the AFH on carbs? if i did run carbs, would it then be the case of fabricating the subframe and driveshafts then wiring it in?? would i need an injection fuel tank or not as its on carbs??

again, sorry for all the questions, but if im going to do thins i want to know how deep im getting in!!

lol!

Ed

[Purple Tom]

Yes the AFH will be happy on carbs, but you'd need to make sure they were set-up correctly, so a decent rolling road session would be a good plan.

Regarding the frame, you'd need to fabricate that around the engine etc as normal, and then probably cut and shut the driveshafts (or have some made with VW fitting one end, Mini the other). You'd obviously need to sort out a cooling system and an exhaust system. Then wiring it up should be relatively simple, although you would perhaps need a dizzy from an earlier car to avoid having to use an ECU to run the ignition. You could alternatively convert it to run on Megajolt, with DIS - wouldn't be difficult.

You might not need an injection tank but it would depend on the carbs. At the least you'd need an electric fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator to ensure the carbs are being fed with fuel at the right pressure.

And don't worry about the questions It would be hard work making it all fit and work properly, but definitely worth it at the end. The AFH is a great engine!

[tedmcedd]

well i have two mates who have VW's, one of which is putting an audi engine in his mk2 golf gti... so they should beable to help me on the vag part... im pretty good at wiring, so shouldnt be a prob.... and i like fabricating stuf so....

thanks for all the adbvice, just gotta find a car now!!

Ed

[tedmcedd]

is this the one i want??

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...id=p3286.c0.m14

or this?
http://cgi.ebay.co.u...id=p3286.c0.m14

or is that engine just an 8V....?

[Purple Tom]

The bottom one is an 8V only, will likely be either 60 or 75bhp.

The top one is hard to say if its a 16V or not, ideally an engine bay shot would be best.

[tedmcedd]

this is right yes!? and this woulod give me about 100bhp with bike carbs?

http://cgi.ebay.co.u...rksid=p3907.m29

[sheree&the-gt]

NO! DONT TURN THE BEAN INTO A CLUBMAN!

[Purple Tom]

Yup that eBay link is a 1.4 16V AFH lump. It may give you more than 100bhp if you ran it on bike carbs, but if I were you I'd be looking for extra torque. Join Club Polo and speak to the guys on there about running AFH engines on carbs, see what advice they'll give

Tom

[tedmcedd]

another q... is the clutch hydrolic or cable!!?