1057 replies to this topic

[langers]

I am looking for around 350bhp with the current injectors, but I'm tempted to change the injectors and go for around 380bhp, although I don't know if it's worth the extra hassle.

As for the cosworth badge, trust me, it would never go back on. Although I have saved my 'mini 850' badge to put back on the mini. Hopefully to confuse people as they see me whizz past them!

Fair play, thats gonna be insane in a mini, have you got some sort of traction control in mind? I used to have a 200 odd bhp calibra turbo with a knackered transfer box so had to convert it to 2wd (front wheels) and even with a car that big it used to spin in 1st 2nd and 3rd in the dry, 4th in the wet too; so with an extra 100 odd bhp in a car weighing a hell of a lot less, you're gonna have trouble getting all that power down.

cheers,
Nick

[Minigirlracer]

Awesome project! Would love to do something like that, specially as my other half has a scooby and would love to leave him behind in my mini!!


Good luck with it

[mini mayhem]

stunning build. hows the deadline looking?

[kmol468]

Well I'm not that fussed about the deadline, although I think the only problem with it will be me finishing it off after all the fabrication work is complete.

I've got all the wiring to sort, complete fuel system, rebuild the gearbox, double check the engine over, obtain and install complete cooling system, intercooler system to sort, brakes to setup, aswell as all the perspex to fit along with all the other things to make it road legal! As I've decided it's going on the road!

I've also decided that I'm going to install a custom double wishbone suspension setup and I'm going to take another trip tomorrow to the work shop to see how things are going!

Hopefully an update will come tomorrow evening after I drop the wheels off.

[olds_kool_lews]

have you seen the build in the mini magazine? someone else has done this, taken them 5 years so far and its still in the fabrication stage, but its mental, lots of custom steel work and body panels heavily modified, might be worth a look if you aint seen it yet!

keep up the good work!

[kmol468]

Stopped by today to see how things are coming along after dropping off the wheels and took a couple of pictures while i was there.... I mean you can hardly see the join in the middle.... as you can see the sierra floor pan has been shortened the required amount with the sliding tubes doing there job!!

Enjoy... although hopefully soon the interesting pictures will be taken due to the cage fabrication and actually something being produced thats nearly driveable.







notice where the b-pillar has been cut... that helps to try and imagine how much shorter it is!


Im finding that at the moment alot of hacking and chopping is happening but no real fabrication is taking place. I just cant wait till it starts and im left with one car that roughly resembles a mini... but i suppose its a necessary stage..

Edited by kmol468, 30 December 2009 - 05:41 PM.

[Clubby 73]

wow impressive project . Ive heard that the ALS ruins the turbos, exhausts and engine due to something to do with heat etc. but i dont know how true it actually is. Good luck with the build
Luke

Edited by Clubby 73, 30 December 2009 - 07:13 PM.

[kmol468]

Ive ventered out in the snow to have a look how the cossie is coming along and to discuss a few things about how I want the project to develop...

I took a few pictures while I was there....

The main developments is that the double wishbone suspension has been given the go ahead and designs are now being put into place. This will mean everything is fully rose jointed and adjustable, with pretty much a spaceframe design front and rear. Im very interested to see how it turns out as handling is one of the key factors in the build. I want it to handle aswell as it does accelerate.

Ive dropped an inlet manifold off for some fabrication, which means i can get rid of the restrictive cosworth inlet. Hopefully this will enable me to squeeze a few more ponies out of the engine and onto the tarmac... However this raises another concern of mine which is torque. I want it to pull out of corners and accerate hard and hopefully the inlet will help this along with a tubular manifold that ive been eyeing up.
All this torque sounds good, but I did abit of research and the 4*4 gearbox tends to explode with hard launches at 350bhp! I think i might need to get a spare gearbox just in case....



The inlet at the bottom - the plenum will be seperated and the large shiney Ross Machine Racing inlet will take its place.









Just cleaning up the gap ready for "the big weld down the middle"



Also ive picked up an intercooler which should be arriving shortly, Im not 100% if its suitable or the best design but hopefully fingers crossed as it was abit of a bargain. The intercooler has 3" inlet and outlet, is of a bar and plate design and will pretty much take up the whole front of the mini!! Does anyone know detailed specification about intercoolers, ie: different designs specs, rough temperature drops across different sizes etc etc..???

Also ive been ordering some new injectors, as i want around 380bhp, with maybe abit of scope of future development - 400bhp??? Although i dunno if i will live to regret this knowing that the gearbox might give up!!
(Stage 2 plans for the cosmini are already rattling around in my head without stage 1 even being completed)

Well thats about all thats happened so far and will keep people updated and pictures to follow of new stuff shortly....

Oh and if you want a couple of metal mini doors, for a small fee, PM me as they are sat at the workshop

[340i]

hey sweet project you've got here. it will be scary fast when done! some questions though:
what are you doing for brakes? surely the 13's wont fit over the standard ones?
did you really have to get a 6" extended front to fit? imo it is uuuugggllllyyyy and will ruin the look of the finished car. cant you relocate stuff like the radiator to the back to make some more room, then get an intercooler fabricated that fits perfectly in the standard mini grill? that would look cool. even have the pipes going out the back of it so its just core and endtanks visible, made in the grill shape.

keep up the good work.

[340i]

Mini pictures:


Let us know what you all think...

does anyone else agree or is it just me? with the massive extended length, imo it looses its mini-ness (if thats a word lol)

sorry to raise this, but i figure you can probably swap it if it isnt painted or cut up yet?

[kmol468]

I don't think it will lose it's mini-ness, I mean 6" isn't that much when you compare it to the length of the car. However it's needed due to the engine layout.

With regards to everything if I can make it look standard apart from the 6" longer front it will be a miracle as I could be running 15" wheels, huge arches, and large bonnett bulges.

As for the brakes I am going to fabricate the largest I can under the 13" wheels. I will probably use xr4x4 brakes with slimline 4pot willwoods

[Saxo-Fiesta-Mini]

i agree some (small amount) mininess is lost but its gonna be an epic car so sod it

[340i]

I don't think it will lose it's mini-ness, I mean 6" isn't that much when you compare it to the length of the car. However it's needed due to the engine layout.

With regards to everything if I can make it look standard apart from the 6" longer front it will be a miracle as I could be running 15" wheels, huge arches, and large bonnett bulges.

As for the brakes I am going to fabricate the largest I can under the 13" wheels. I will probably use xr4x4 brakes with slimline 4pot willwoods

true, big guards will change the look of the car so the extra length shouldnt be as noticable.

have you got a photo of the mini front end sitting over the motor that shows how close everything sits? does the motor protrude above the bonnet height? how close are the strut tops to the mini wings?

im quite surprised that youve still got the guards on the sierra, they would've been the first thing to go if it were me. next would've been the conversion to smaller wheels, to be sure they'll fit, or has this already been mocked up too?

is there a reason why you dont just only run 15's on it, and not bother with the little 13's?

also, you're not doing a rear mounted radiator then? other than packaging, it would be better for weight distribution too, and reduce under bonnet temps (better intercooling... )

i hope this isnt sounding negative, im just asking because im interested and want to see you do the best build possible.

Edited by 340i, 12 January 2010 - 01:52 AM.

[ajperry]

this looks epic! just read through the whole thread and you look really determined! can't wait to see more!

[kmol468]

true, big guards will change the look of the car so the extra length shouldnt be as noticable.

have you got a photo of the mini front end sitting over the motor that shows how close everything sits? does the motor protrude above the bonnet height? how close are the strut tops to the mini wings?

im quite surprised that youve still got the guards on the sierra, they would've been the first thing to go if it were me. next would've been the conversion to smaller wheels, to be sure they'll fit, or has this already been mocked up too?

is there a reason why you dont just only run 15's on it, and not bother with the little 13's?

also, you're not doing a rear mounted radiator then? other than packaging, it would be better for weight distribution too, and reduce under bonnet temps (better intercooling... )

i hope this isnt sounding negative, im just asking because im interested and want to see you do the best build possible.

No it doesnt sound negative, as ther eare limits to my knowledge so am happy for people to let me know their views.

I havent yet got a picture of how the engine will sit in the engine bay as that is dependant on where the mountings are placed. The engine mountings are dependant on suspension setup, as you dont want to run drive shafts at silly angles.

At the moment the suspension is being designed, so hopefully with all this in mind the engine will fit under the bonnet. As with regards to strut tops, they are being done away with and double wishbone suspension is being called upon, so hopefully this will get rid of the strut top mounting problem. Also the width of the drivetrain is being looked at aswell, as if it sticks out too much im going to get all 4 drive shafts fabricated to a more normal length.

The wheels havent been mocked up yet as i think getting disks behind wheels arent exactly top of the list to sort out. When the chassis is rolling i will look how much space i have and get some to fit.

The reason why i dont want 15" wheels on it, it that i think it will just look too weird. Ive seen a couple of minis with 15s and they just look out of place. I know the fronts going to be longer, but i want it as standard as possible. Wolf in sheeps clothing springs to mind. I know it might solve a couple of problems for me, but lets face it in the grand scheme of things its the lease of my problems.

With regards to the radiator, i might have to put it in the boot dependant on space, but ideally i would like it up front. I agree it would be better weight distribution, but only abit better as radiators dont weigh huge amounts do they. As for better intercooling i dont think it would make a difference as the intercooler will be infront of the radiator, so it will cool the air temp the same irrespect of whether its got a radiator behind it. (i know i might get heat soak but when going forward i dont think it would matter)

Dont get me wrong ive made a few a errors on the way, and i will probably make some more, but thats half the fun isnt it, messing around with cars with build times doubling more than expected