Nice project build mate, looking good. For some cheap U/J's for an internal rod change I'm sure I saw an article once where somebody used 3/8 drive socket U/J's. You can buy good quality Blue Point ones on e-bay that won't fall to bits. I wouldn't mind doing this Mod but not sure how the geometry would work or if some thread adjustment would be required.
I have 45DCOE on the short Maniflow manifold on my Mini. Swiftune said they didn't see a lot of difference between the short manifold and the longer one so I opted for this to fit the space with a decent size air filter. (I wouldn't run without one) I have a bulkhead box for the clearance and a Ramair foam filter with Specialised Components radius ram pipes inside. I got 96bhp on the Rolling Road from 1310cc which is pretty good.
I have experienced carb icing when driving back from events on a steady throttle when maybe the outside temp is around 4-5 degrees. The car ground to a complete standstill on a busy motorway which wasn't fun so it is a problem to watch out for.
Edited by Kaj, 06 March 2014 - 10:14 PM.