23 replies to this topic

[mattbrown]

a bit of a silly question i know but i thought i would throw it out there and see what the responses are like.

im currently commuting everyday in my 998cc mini mayfair, and getting a bit fed up of sitting at a noisy 55 mph on the motorway, around town i find it reasonably fast enough to keep up as it has a stage 1 kit on it.

anyway this year i am seriously considering either a K series or Vauxhall red top engine conversion.

BUT i would still like to use my car everyday.

in your opinion which one offers the best all round package for everyday use, or is it just a complete NO.

also in terms of doing the build which one is the most straightforward (on paper at least anyway) ??? my best mates a welder and very good at fabricating all sorts of things so the subframe should'nt be a huge problem, but what about the rest, electrics, cutting of panels etc??? , i like the idea of a k series vvc conversion, but have the heard the electrics can be a nightmare, and as i have had no experience with electrics that does worry me a bit.

sorry if i have posted this in the wrong section. and just for the hell of it here is a picture of the mini at the moment

Attached Files

•  mini pics 3.jpg   40.11K   14 downloads
•  mini pics.jpg   38.49K   5 downloads

[blister]

yes more then suitable,

1.6 vaux engine in my opinion is better then the k series due to weak headgaskets and main shaft problems i hear

[nickcooper]

Would be alot more reliable and fun

[Frisco]

The vauxhall is the better engine by far. An XE will easily do 200k+ miles with no troubles if looked after.
I cant see why anyone would put a k series in anything, they are tripe

Edited by Frisco, 14 January 2012 - 08:24 PM.

[mattbrown]

thanks for your replies, well it could well be a vauxhall unit that goes into the car, not sure yet as i have to see about potential insurance costs as i will be 21 at the end of the year and hopefully have the mini done at the same time.

how diificult is the vauxhall conversion?

[nickcooper]

Think theres a guide to how to do it on ebay, but to be honest you could probably find out by looking at peoples build threads and some research

[Peskett]

The Vauxhall xe engine is an awesome engine but very heavy in the front of a mini, Rover Kseries engines are a great engine as well and weight less than the original a series.
Don't let people calling the kseries "tripe" put you off, if they were so poor why did Both lotus and Caterham use them?
Best bet is to get over to 16vminiforum and have a look around.

[leaky]

My mate had an 197bhp honda vtec mini which was used daily. So its more then do able yes. Like everything you just need to look after it.

[The Matt]

I don't use mine daily, mainly because I've bought a dirty diesel Corsa for the daily drive. But there's no reason you couldn't use one everyday.

For ease of converstion (seeing as you have a roundnose) I would go for a small bore Vauxhall like mine, maybe even the 1.6 8V instead of the 16V (C16SE engines are cheap in good condition). They're a pretty capable engine, easy to work on, you can even change the clutch on them without taking the gearbox off if you select the right gearbox and flywheel combination. You can either stick with an injection setup, or run a carb, or twin carbs, or fit modified throttle bodies or motorbike carbs.... there's more room for more options on the 8V engine.

Have a look at Burnard's build thread
My build thread
Alexcrosse's build thread
Purple Tom's build thread

You'll get the idea of what's possible then.

[Broomer]

I prefer K series, although i am biased, light, easy to work with, K series have a bad reputation with head gaskets, im not going to pretend they don't, but if you maintain the engine properly it will be fine.

I dont know how much hassle it is to keep the standard injection with a vaxhual? but the k series inlet manifold fits in nice and snug with no modifications.

I would use mine every day if i had not got used to the comforts of a modern car.

Edited by Broomer, 15 January 2012 - 09:12 AM.

[Frisco]

Don't let people calling the kseries "tripe" put you off, if they were so poor why did Both lotus and Caterham use them?

Probably because it was cheap. I have had a fair of them through here and I wouldn't buy a car that originally came with one let alone convert a mini to one. That's just my opinion though

If you are worried about weight you could look at a vauxhall c16xe, x16xe or a x18xe1 which are all small block.

Edited by Frisco, 15 January 2012 - 09:42 AM.

[The Matt]

The C16XE is still a touch heavier than the A-series, but it's less than 10kg IIRC.

In hindsight, I'd rather have stuck a K-series in mine though. I like them!

With the VX setup, there's not as much room for the standard inlet/injection. Mine has the Jenveys to solve that problem though. Others have gone for bike carbs etc. 16v mini forum is a good site for research, friendly people on there too.

[pdaykin]

With the exception of the V6 version, neither my friends/colleagues or I ever had any real problems with K series cars when I used them every day.

Personnally, used one for around 100k miles - bought from new and kept well serviced.

Fantastic motor. In fact, you didnt realise how good it was until you used a car with a different engine.

But there are lots of scare stories about the liners, dowls, gaskets, cooling system, etc. - probably really only relate to specific variations or years.

Makes them cheap now though so pick yourself up a bargain.

I would love to know the reality of it all.

(I would also do a K-series conversion of my own if I had the time as it seems to present the best of both worlds - mini characteristics with more go)

[Bungle]

just one quick point, no not IVA this time you all now know to keep the inner wings and not to modify the bulkhead

the op's mini is a k reg so would have to conform to the emmission regs for this age

would a vauxhal engine on carbs pass the imessions test for a K reg mini ?

i belive the test is for engine or car what ever is oldest

[The Matt]

If one fitted an F-reg Nova's engine (a C16SE) then one would have to comply with the emmissions regulations for that engine, not for the age of the car (it's the age of whatever is oldest as G has said above).

M