16 replies to this topic

[Haribo]

Okay so im thinking about a 2l redtop conversion but not sure on how much work is needed and a rough price guide ?

Can anyone give me some ideas on prices for complete conversion ?

[Skortchio]

How much can you do yourself?

Paying a shop to do it? Wouldn't expect much change out of £7k.

It all comes down to how long you can take doing it, how much you can fabricate yourself and how polished you want it to be.

[Haribo]

Well i will do as much as i can myself to be honest i would try not to get a shop to do anything really :) and i can take as long as needed to be honest

[Skortchio]

How's your welding?
Over on 16vmini forums there's guys who have swapped in engines for under 500 all told.
But it required a fairly wide skill set, lots of time and the patience to wait for parts to be available at cheap cost.
Allspeed engineering, Watson's rally and minitec all sell prebuilt Subframes as well as pretty much every bracket and whatnot you need.

The real challenge comes in making it all fit ;)

If memory serves, one chaps example for engine conversions was decide on you budget and add 50% then work out a time frame and double it.

Have a nose on 16v minis and get an idea for what's involved would be the first step.

[Haribo]

Never done any welding hahahaha but i want to start learning though time isnt a problem to be honest and the cheaper the better really

[cooper_mark]

How's your welding?
Over on 16vmini forums there's guys who have swapped in engines for under 500 all told.
But it required a fairly wide skill set, lots of time and the patience to wait for parts to be available at cheap cost.
Allspeed engineering, Watson's rally and minitec all sell prebuilt Subframes as well as pretty much every bracket and whatnot you need.

The real challenge comes in making it all fit ;)

If memory serves, one chaps example for engine conversions was decide on you budget and add 50% then work out a time frame and double it.

Have a nose on 16v minis and get an idea for what's involved would be the first step.

i don't know of any who have done it for £500 and under...
mines cost me £3k+ and all have been done by myself....

[Rhys]

Mines on 5k only £400 on outside work. If you can't weld, don't try and make a frame!

[Skortchio]

The £500 was in reference to engine conversions in general, just to point out they're possible on a very strict budget with lots of patience and experience.

The other thing to consider is what you want the conversion for, or maybe why you want a different engine. As that may influece or effect your choice of engine to use.

[Haribo]

Fair enough I guess i wont bother with this for some time then haha :)

[Rhys]

Don't be discouraged, just know what you're in for.

[Skortchio]

Don't be discouraged, just know what you're in for.

Exactly!
Take plenty of time researching and reading the build threads, find out the common problems and solutions.
You could also look into the other engines available, some are easier than others.
If you're set on a red top then plan now and buy when you can.

[MiniMenzies]

there are lots of options: K series, micra and V-tech. from what I've seen the micra conversion is the cheapest and quickest. have a look for some build some have claimed to have done it for around £300-400 ish which isn't bad and its still a twin cam

[Haribo]

Yeah thats fair enough guys might do that just have a little look into some of the other conversions for a little easier option

[Beej123]

The micra conversion is a nice cheap way of getting a bit of added performance and that extra gear for the motorway. I'm assuming that having mentioned the redtop engine you are after more power than the micra engine will offer.

The other obvious option is the Honda VTEC conversions. I'm currently in the middle of a b16 build myself and would always go Honda over Vauxhall but that's personal preference.

The other thing to consider is that you will make life a lot easier for yourself or whoever builds the car if you can source a complete donor vehicle. That way you have everything you need with regards to ecu, wiring, drive shafts etc. and buying a whole car is often no more expensive than buying the bits separately.

In my own case I picked up a Honda CRX with tax and test for just £380, I even drove it on the road and got a few runs in it on the drag strip so I can compare times in the mini. The only conversion bits we are doing in house are the electrics, other than that it is all being done by a top fabricator we know and the total conversion cost will still be under £2000.

Just PM me if you have any specific questions mate, I'll do my best to help

[M J W J]

As Beej123 has said. Buy a complete donor car. It makes life a lot easier. I would also suggest a small block vauxhall engine although saying that I have a complete rebuilt C20xe for sale. If interested PM me.

I reckon you can do a conversion for less than 1k but it does depend on the condition of the mini to begin with. £500 may be possible but it cost me £100 just to build the frame and I had a load of steel plate lying around. You would have to source a really cheap engine.

No-one can give you an exact price of a conversion. Every one is different and it depends on the skills you have. Figure out the cost of all the parts and then add 25% (minimum) for all the things you have forgotten.