8 replies to this topic

[curran]

hello,

has anyone converted a mini to have a single seat / central driving position?

i've searched but with no luck. i'm sure someone must have done it.


i'm hoping to build a bike engined mini similar to the Z cars kit and was thinking about making it a single seater.

i cant see it being too hard with the engine in the back.

has anyone done it? if not, is there a reason why? is there something that would make it too difficult?

cheers,
curran

Edited by curran, 04 May 2009 - 11:42 AM.

[beejay]

I've not seen it done before, but don't see why you couldn't do it.
With yours being a Z-car it should be even easier as you won't have the standard Mini gearchange or handbrake to contend with.

You'd need to think about seat and (I assume) harness mounts. The tunnel in the floorpan might limit how low you can get the seat.
You could use a steering rack from a single seater (Formula Ford, F3, Formula student, lots of sources out there), make up some brackets to put it in the same place as the original on the bulkhead.
Pedals might be tricky as the bulkhead is a different shape in the centre, assuming you want to use the original pedal box. However with no engine on the other side you could cut most of it out and fab something up to suit.

Should be fun tho! Be interesting to see.

[mab01uk]

I seem to remember someone did this in Mini Seven or Miglia a few years back but think the M7C decided it was not in the spirit of the regulations at the time and added extra build costs. It was also later considered to allow it to improve safety in side impacts for the driver but in the end they just allowed the drivers seat to be moved further away from the door than in standard Minis and fill the doors with solid foam. (M7C rule: No part of the seat base may overlap the centreline of the car.)
In a road going Mini it may add insurance costs (like LHD) due to the poorer visibility when overtaking, etc?

Edited by mab01uk, 04 May 2009 - 04:34 PM.

[curran]

insurance is something that i hadnt thought about but at the moment i'm not sure if i'll build it to be road legal or not.

i really cant see it being too difficult. hopefully it will improve weight distribution as well.

i'm planning on using a fibreglass shell so i can easily alter the bulkhead.

i'm hoping to design my own space frame / rollcage. something inbetween the the two that Z cars produce.

as i'll be designing it from scratch i think it will be easier to do than converting a standard mini.

[monkey]

You could also flatten out the tunnel, as there wont be anything in it!

[captainjack15]

You could also flatten out the tunnel, as there wont be anything in it!

Was going to say that

[curran]

You could also flatten out the tunnel, as there wont be anything in it!

yep. i forgot to say that in my last post.

again making it easier to do. there wont be any issues with the height of the seat or mounting it.

[minislapper]

A lot of the bike-engined auto grass guys have a centre seat. Have a look round some of the club sites for some ideas. Obviously not road legal but it might give you an idea of what can be done.

[curran]

A lot of the bike-engined auto grass guys have a centre seat. Have a look round some of the club sites for some ideas. Obviously not road legal but it might give you an idea of what can be done.

thanks, i'll have a look.

do you know of any sites that are worth looking at?