31 replies to this topic

[cradley-heathen]

has anyone else had a go at this before?
is there anything obvious i have overlooked meaning this is totally impossible?

i have a spare mini box, transfer casing etc so i can use them to dummy it all up, and i do have several k series engines at work, although they do all actually belong to my mate, but having seen others do this with toyota engines, and i believe suzuki swift engines, i thought about an all rover job.

i kow some people will say why not just put the whole thing in, but i dont want to go into custom subframes and driveshafts etc, plus i do kind think this is the kinda thing rover probably thought of doing in the experimental department.

i do like a challenge as some of you will know, so this could be my next one.

[Shifty]

Do the engines run the same way? 4 reverse gears could be fun!!!

[cradley-heathen]

Do the engines run the same way? 4 reverse gears could be fun!!!

since first thinking about this i havnt actualy checked, but im sure they do yes. but a valid point to make dude!

[Stevee]

i belive its been done!

but get a 5 speed stright cut box!! make peoples ears bleed

[cradley-heathen]

i belive its been done!

but get a 5 speed stright cut box!! make peoples ears bleed

if it has been done already then all the better i guess, at least its not impossible!

i have considered the gearbox comparative weakness thing, but first of all i just need to get it to line up, if it works, later i can add a stronger box. first things first though!

[Guess-Works.com]

Will it fit, probably with a lot of modification to the gearbox case, you'll need to make a tail for the crank so you can use the transfer gears, and mini clutch...

Similar things have been done in the past, for example Manx converted a gearbox to fit the Kent and BDA engine, there's been a long running topic on here about fitting a swift engine to the mini gearbox, but to be honest, why not just drop the K series engine in with it's own gearbox, seems a whole lot less hassle and you'll have a better 'box with 5 forward gears...

[cradley-heathen]

Will it fit, probably with a lot of modification to the gearbox case, you'll need to make a tail for the crank so you can use the transfer gears, and mini clutch...

Similar things have been done in the past, for example Manx converted a gearbox to fit the Kent and BDA engine, there's been a long running topic on here about fitting a swift engine to the mini gearbox, but to be honest, why not just drop the K series engine in with it's own gearbox, seems a whole lot less hassle and you'll have a better 'box with 5 forward gears...

i guess the hassle aspect depends on your point of veiw, neither fitting the complete k series engine and box or fitting the new k to the mini box is a weekend job.

for myself i dont want to get into the realms of new subframe, mounts, shafts etc, i have been down this route with other cars. plus i dont want to disturb the existing setup and potentially spoil what i already have.

i guess the point of the exercise is to just mildly improve whats already there really, the engine will be lighter im sure being all alloy, and will still give good power and fuel economy as i really want to keep the stock ecu/injection.

hoping to pick my engine up tomorrow anyway, so will see how it all looks when i get it all home.

[Owen]

Good luck with this, will be watching with interest!

[cradley-heathen]

i have found a slight problem in that the bottom of the crank carrier comes down much further than i had expected, meaning quite allot of the gearbox casing has got to be chopped off, now its not the end of the world, but it does mean one more bit i will have to adapt, the transfer gears will have to be replaced with a chain (i believe others have had to do this also) this is posibly a good thing as chains are much better at coping with misalignment than gears so it does allow for larger tolerances in lining it all up.

will get some pictures up asap!

[Shifty]

This could be interesting!!

[Stevee]

you could do a dry sump system

basicly the engine has its own 10w 40 oil and you change it via a bottle in the engine bay or car

then gear box in 20w 50 oil

and a convertion plate between

then try work out how to do your engine to gears to be honest

[cradley-heathen]

you could do a dry sump system

basicly the engine has its own 10w 40 oil and you change it via a bottle in the engine bay or car

then gear box in 20w 50 oil

and a convertion plate between

then try work out how to do your engine to gears to be honest

seperating the two oils from eachother would be something i will do if i can fit it in, but not something im desperate to achieve.

upon having a measure up today i have found that the oil ladder on the bottom of the crank carrier protrudes so far down that it will clash withthe gears so now i will have to move it all up 20mm or so to get it to clear. this now also means the transfer casing is going to have to be chopped and effectively lengthened, this is going to be a complex task as so many bits need to line up with other bits.

hope to get some pictures up tomorrow, its getting complex, but i wont give up!

[cradley-heathen]

also does anyone have a crank with scrap big end etc so i can machine the crank snout end off? cheap!

also a transfer gear casing would be very usefull? damaged etc would be ideal?

west mids area please? help!

[cradley-heathen]

as you can see its pretty tall at the minute, but as yet i havnt cut the top off the gearbox.

i will also need to cut off the mount which is protruding into the area where the starter will be mounted, but for now i need it to help me get everything aligned.

the gearbox will be cut down by approx 60mm ( i havnt finalised a measurement as yet) this is to help to relieve the height problem and to line the crank up with the hole it will poke through into the transfer gear casing. the picture below shows the depth of the cank carrier (its actually 80mm deep so it looks like im going to have to do some serious modding of the transfer gear casing)

[cradley-heathen]

little more progress, machined the bottom off the gearbox today giving a flat face parallel with the mating face.

now i can measure up and cut the top off, machine that back and then see about making my new mounting flange. and as i now have a flat bottomed gearbox, it can be machined perfectly flat and square as it should be.

hope you followed that? just searching for somewhere to pick up some alloy plate at a decent price.