19 replies to this topic

[floydrob]

as title suggests, once my clubman is up and running, the accident damaged cooper i bought as a donor will be going back on the road...thing is, it is now bare because i've nicked everything. soooo...its time for a new beginning!!

totall bare canvas so i can butcher it up as much as needed to fit soemthing totally different.

now i know i sound bonkers whenever i have an idea like this, but my latest is semi auto/tectronic whatever you want to call it...reason being i love the idea of cruising along a motorway in auto and then at the tip of my finger, change down a gear nice and smoothly to overtake...or blast down a country lane up and down the gears seamlessly.

i love manual driving, but i've got my GT for that, and as said i want something different.

if it will physically fit in the engine bay, i will build a custom subframe to fit.

the other think i'm toying with is AWD, but i want to have the ability to lock the front-back diff for snow driving, or else its useless. any ideas of what car i can buy as a donor? i was thinking of an audi quatro, but a 2.4 V6 might be a tad on the big side. and i would need alot of custom parts to make all fit...not impossible, but i think maybe something more like 1.4/1.6, and the drivetrain from a small 4wd hatch. I could always build up a chassis and then drop the mini shell on top....too much weight?

need some expertise and suggestions please!

[Pooky]

How about the engine from from an MG TF? I've had a go in my Mum's 1.8 with StepTronic and that was fun!

[steble]

aye but i think he was after something different that may not of been done befoore, mg tf is just a 1.8 vcc k-series engine which has been done quite a bit. on the other hand if you do want a vvc engine i got one sat in a rover 25 on my drive you can have. i'm sure my mum would sell it now it aint going anywhere

[jkjaxor]

if you want a challenge try fitting a boxer engine in
or a rotary?

someone has fitted a vtec with awd somwhere but i forget how they did it,
jack

[dave21478]

If you want a small 4wd donor, look to subaru. The Justy hatchback, Brat pickup and the Sumo van are all 4wd, (switcheable I believe?) small and reasonably cheap.

[floydrob]

i dont care if the engines been done before...its the semi-auto and AWD bit i want to be different. my main concern is fitting the front to rear drive shaft, and then the rear diff, and i think i'll need a full car as a donor because of the loom...its going to be difficult by anyones atandards to make all the gubbins to get it all up and running in a mini, so instead i plan to steal it all from the donor car and run the mini off the donor cars loom...rather than try to alter the original. i shall go and google around a bit more

[floydrob]

If you want a small 4wd donor, look to subaru. The Justy hatchback, Brat pickup and the Sumo van are all 4wd, (switcheable I believe?) small and reasonably cheap.

i was just looking at those...but i'd like a pretty reliable and modern engine, so i suppose it would give me the basis to then swap the engine at a later date. thing that puts me off is slamming upwards of 150bhp through a drivetrain designed for a 60bhp car?

[leaky]

Put a BMW M5 engine in it. That would be truly insane.

[floydrob]

Atleast i wouldnt need wheel spacers!! dont think that would fit and then theres making that 4wd :S



oh, and i am NOT etending the front...if it needs to be bigger i'll fit a clubby front, or do a major bulkhead conversion.

Edited by floydrob, 24 December 2009 - 06:10 PM.

[mab01uk]

Fit the 2.0 16v Redtop Vauxhall engine (Mini subframe to suit available off the shelf) but add the Cavalier/Calibra 4x4 diff/transfer box at the rear?

http://www.pistonhea...les/1352657.htm

http://www.pistonhea...LES/1389297.htm

http://www.pistonhea...les/1374549.htm

Better still the turbo version.........
http://www.pistonhea...LES/1380856.htm

http://www.reviewcen...s-all-1382.html

Edited by mab01uk, 24 December 2009 - 06:28 PM.

[wassupcrew]

the cavvy 4*4 isn't a true four wheel drive. its front wheel drive but when it loses traction it moves some power to the rear, its not proper four whee drive. what you want is a honda crv running gear, then you can use the vtec engines aswellwhich we al know will fit under a standard round nose but will then give you true four wheel drive. i'm sure some hondaas have triptronic gearboxes so it shoud be possible to adapt the system on to the crv gearbox. for some inspiration, see superfastminis.com

[Sam]

Most of the crazy projects rarely get off the ground, my advice- keep it realistic and you will end up with a nice Mini

[Puddings]

RB26DETT

[minispud]

the cavvy 4*4 isn't a true four wheel drive. its front wheel drive but when it loses traction it moves some power to the rear, its not proper four whee drive. what you want is a honda crv running gear, then you can use the vtec engines aswellwhich we al know will fit under a standard round nose but will then give you true four wheel drive. i'm sure some hondaas have triptronic gearboxes so it shoud be possible to adapt the system on to the crv gearbox. for some inspiration, see superfastminis.com

There has only been a couple of cars that have been full time 4WD, things like cossie's etc etc, any car that is 4WD and can return 40+ mpg is not a full time 4WD to which Honda fit the bill (not full time 4WD)

[level7]

as title suggests, once my clubman is up and running, the accident damaged cooper i bought as a donor will be going back on the road...thing is, it is now bare because i've nicked everything. soooo...its time for a new beginning!!

totall bare canvas so i can butcher it up as much as needed to fit soemthing totally different.

now i know i sound bonkers whenever i have an idea like this, but my latest is semi auto/tectronic whatever you want to call it...reason being i love the idea of cruising along a motorway in auto and then at the tip of my finger, change down a gear nice and smoothly to overtake...or blast down a country lane up and down the gears seamlessly.

i love manual driving, but i've got my GT for that, and as said i want something different.

if it will physically fit in the engine bay, i will build a custom subframe to fit.

the other think i'm toying with is AWD, but i want to have the ability to lock the front-back diff for snow driving, or else its useless. any ideas of what car i can buy as a donor? i was thinking of an audi quatro, but a 2.4 V6 might be a tad on the big side. and i would need alot of custom parts to make all fit...not impossible, but i think maybe something more like 1.4/1.6, and the drivetrain from a small 4wd hatch. I could always build up a chassis and then drop the mini shell on top....too much weight?


need some expertise and suggestions please!

You could try and find the running gear from a diahatsu Storia/Sirion x4 (cross 4) they came out factory with 4wd 733cc turbo engine producing around 160hp at the crank basically the same motor as used in the early mira turbos but with the twin cam heads and 4wd, or a suzuki samurai is only 4cm longer in the wheel base so you could use the entire floor pan with all running gear (twin cam g13b)and mate it to the mini body on 13" rims

Edited by level7, 25 December 2009 - 08:40 AM.