8 replies to this topic

[Austinretro1979]

Hey , i have an austin mini 1000 998cc 1979, and i found a good condition 1380cc engine to replace my 998, is it agood idea ? Also for refueling ? Would that be much worse than the 998cc costs ?! The 1380cc comes with a weber.

[FlowersGTR]

it completely depends on what sort of 1380 is it, just because its 1380 doesn't mean it will be powerful. but as a reference my 1380 kent-286 minisport stage 3 head 105hp with a 3.44 diff and 13inch wheels gets about 25 mpg on average i think. there must be loads of info on here if you have a search

[Austinretro1979]

Okay i will ask....but he told me that is around 100bhp with the weber on.

[Daz1968]

I can't imagine a 1380 set up with a weber is going to be economical as a daily,

[Turbo Phil]

What carb is fitted will have only a little bearing on the fuel economy. Providing the carb is set up correctly the engine only needs a certain amount of fuel at any given point, so it won't use any more or less really depending on the carb fitted.
There may be a little difference between carbs due to fuel droplet size, but not a huge amount.
It always strikes me a strange how people presume because you have a Weber fitted you'll use loads of fuel.......

Phil.

[Tomm]

Personally, If I was planning to run a 1380 daily the least of my concerns would be my MPG. Getting the thing to run right, having it practical and useable as a daily, having it correctly declared on the V5 and most of all the potential increase in insurance costs.
 
Economy is different for every one. My daily averages around 18MPG, so a 1380 would be considered more efficient.
 
It may be worth reading this thread regards the driveability and practicality of a 100bhp motor as a daily driver. Cooperman has some very interesting posts and it is certainly worth a read.

http://www.theminifo...f/?fromsearch=1

Edited by tomm, 21 November 2013 - 06:51 PM.

[carbon]

As well as fuel costs it would also be worth checking out the insurance situation if you are using it as a daily driver.

 

With classic mini insurance you should get a reasonable quote for a modified 1380 but a lot of these policies have annual mileage limitations.

[KernowCooper]

Also worth mentioning is that if the engine is fitted with a efficient weber manifold (if DCOE) it will need a weber box modification to the bulkhead, you need to find out some more spec on the engine to see what cams in it and if its suitable for what you want it for.

 

If you dont want to do bulkheads mods then it will run perfectly well on a HIF44 without costing you power, and should be more tractable in everyday driving.

Edited by KernowCooper, 21 November 2013 - 09:05 PM.

[Cooperman]

Remember also, that as this is not a new-build engine it will have a finite life as regards bore wear, especially if it is a high-output unit and high revs are being used. Then, when a re-bore/new pistons are needed a replacement block may be needed as there is no guarantee that a 1380 can be re-bored and if it can it would be very expensive as special size liners would be needed.

Hardly worth it for a road car, although for competition it can be useful to save a few tenths of a second per lap.