15 replies to this topic

[gazza82]

What are the best cam followers to fit without breaking the bank ... ie Isky?

 

Car will be used mainly for road, but I may take it on the odd trackday.

 

1330cc with Kent 266 cam, double-springs, normal pushrods, roller-rockers.

 

Seems you can get solid, drilled or lightened .... or very expensive racing-type followers.

 

 

TIA!

[Cooperman]

Standard followers without the oil hole are fine for up to around 7500 rpm. They can be slightly lightened if valve train inertia is likely to be a problem, but lightened rockers are a better way to lighten the valve train for 'mega-revs'.

Valve train inertia used to be a problem on the 970 'S' engine where the rpm's could be as high as 9000 on a race engine. Then it was necessary to lighten the rockers, push rods & followers. If you can get hold of a set of original 'S' forged rockers they are lighter as standard.

[gazza82]

Thanks Cooperman,

 

And standard with oil-hole? What are their limits and why the hole apart from allowing oil to return. Does it help with lubricating the block where the followers sit?

 

PS I don't expect to get to 7500 rpm ... but you never know!

 

Aren't the original S forged rockers supposed to be a bit suspect on variations in lift?

Edited by gazza82, 13 October 2014 - 12:34 PM.

[Cooperman]

I always use standard without oil hole, as the hole might weaken them a bit. I use over 7000 rpm with them in m y 'S' and have never had any problems.

Never had any lift issues with 'S' forged rockers and they are definitely lighter thus giving lower valve train inertia,

Unless it is for out-and-out competition you will notice absolutely no difference between early and later rockers. You have chosen the best cam for road use, but be sure you have 35.6 mm inlet valves and a really well gas-flowed head. I would recommend a comp ratio of around 10.5:1 for that spec. and possibly twin HS4 carbs plus an Aldon Red distributor (or similar).

[gazza82]

If that's the 1.4" inlets, that's what I have.  I'm cleaning up the head at the moment to see if they have been flowed ..

 

I'm planning on HIF44 to start with ... not yet decided on distributor but I want to avoid points ...

 

The engine is going in an A35 so getting to the dizzie once the engine is installed isn't as easy as a Mini

[Cooperman]

Talk to Aldon about the distributor. They will advise you and are highly regarded.

 

HIF44 will be good, so long as you fit a decent inlet manifold and a good exhaust system.

 

Be a good idea to lighten the flywheel a bit.

 

In an A35 -wow! That will be a fantastic classic, especially if it looks standard. I did some rallies in an A35 back in 1960 when I was a young navigator. Great fun. Any photos? The A35 truly was the predecessor to the Mini. I saw one at a classic car show with a 1275 engine, Sprite disc brakes, a Sprite close ratio gearbox, up-rated springs & dampers. The only thing that looked a bit non-standard were the 4.5" steel wheels with slightly wider tyres and the 1.75" dia exhaust pipe.

[gazza82]

Don't have any pics I'm afraid. This car has been sitting in my Mother's garage since late 70s when I last used it!! It got a bit small for the family (I was the only driver so ferrying parents and grandparent around!) so I bought an estate, but couldn't part with the A35.  It had started to cause problems: it blew a core plug, the alternator failed (positive earth upgrade I fitted) and it needed new front suspension arms. So pics would have been paper-ones and lost over time (or just lost in my Mum's house!). Went to have a quick look at it a few weeks ago and it is pretty rust-free for a car that was used for over 20 years as a daily-runner and has been sitting in a garage for the rest of its life. Just a bent bonnet from junk being dumped on it!

 

Then I thought "what a good retirement project" .. before successive governments meant I'll be old, grey and wrinkled before then .. so it will be a pre-retirement project once I can make space for it so I can enjoy the fruits of my labours. And my son's will also get the benefit!

 

Plan is for full Midget running gear, with the engine mods I've outlined, Metro brake pedal/cylinders with servo connected to Midget discs at the front and full hydraulic drums at rear, 3.9:1 diff (A35 has 4.55), and Minilites. Going to use a Mini LCB manifold to a modded RC40 system. Externally apart from the wheels it will look same until you are close up then the led lights, wide wheels, brakes, exhaust, etc will be more obvious.

 

The plan is to make a 1958 car more suitable for 21st century roads: faster, better handling, better brakes and a big more comfortable to drive ... in 1958 it had 34 bhp, a top speed of 72mph and took a month of Sundays to get to 60 .. and stopping was nearly as bad as a sea-going tanker!

 

One of my Owner's Club colleagues has a 140bhp A-series under the bonnet of his ... Saab turbo fitted to Metro intake, 5-speed Ford gearbox, etc ... and another races his (with a 1.6 Ford Vetec engine of over 150bhp!)

 

So I have some useful mentors! But it ain't cheap this rebuilding lark! I've bought most of the parts in preparation so then it's a straight strip-down and build-up. Although some plans do change ... I'm trying to stick to my original ideas without going too over-the-top.

 

Aim is definitely to have it back on road running by 2018 ... it's 60th birthday!!

 

Edited by gazza82, 14 October 2014 - 11:44 AM.

[Cooperman]

That sounds like a great project. I've done so many Minis and am about to start a 1971 MGB-GT restoration with my Grandson. By the way, a Mini LCB won't fit because the end turns the wrong way. The good news is that you can get a Midget LCB which will work fine. The Midget/Sprite parts are virtually all just 'plug & play' as they bolt on with only small mods required.

I did some work a while back on a Mk.1 Sprite with a 1275 engine and a Shorrock Supercharger. That had about 130 bhp and it really went well.

The aim with the MGB-GT is to make it almost standard but I've said I'll build a 125 bhp engine for it at my own cost as a present to a super Grandson. It will be visually standard, but will have telescopic rear dampers and up-rated springs all round. The idea is to paint it Rover Nightfire Red with Gold Minilite wheels. A pair of Lucas SLR700 spotlights and otherwise standard body and interior. It doesn't have an overdrive, so we might fit the Sierra 5-speed gearbox which is an easy and not very obvious mod.

By the way, I believe there is a Toyota 5-speed box which goes into the Sprite/Midget/A35/A40/Minor with minimal alteration.

Photos would be good when you get started.

Edited by Cooperman, 14 October 2014 - 02:46 PM.

[gazza82]

Mini 3-to-1 manifold is easier to mod ... you cut off end and turn through 90 degrees (the right way!) ... the 3-2-1 is harder as you have to cut two pipes and move one over. Spridget manifold is at wrong angle and hits the A35 "chassis/bodywork" so to make them fit the proper way is to cut and re-weld at the mounting flanges. Spridgets have a slightly wider engine bay and a neatly placed hole where the exhaust goes through. That is the inner wheel arch on an A35 so not going to work. And Mini manifolds are cheaper!

 

I've looked at the Toyota box and one or two of my OC colleagues have that under the tunnel. They are better in that the gear stick is roughly the same location as the a-series. The Ford Sierra box is a lot longer. If you are tall and sit well back it isn't a big problem .. but for "vertically challnged" folks like me, the gear stick is in the wrong place. Just expensive. But if I do it all at the beginning, I won't have anything to improve!

 

MGB project sounds great.

 

 

I don't think my 12G940 is ported .. pics didn't come out properly so may try to take some more tomorrow so I can get some feedback. Then I need to read and re-read my Vizard book. It is the 1.4" Cooper-S11-stud head though and unskimmed from basic measurements. I also have another head but that one has been skimmed we think about 70 thou, but does have unleaded exhaust valve seats. I haven't been able to properly measure the CCs yet but I think the CR will be too high as it stands. Using 6cc dished pistons.

[Cooperman]

If the CR is a bit on the high side, you just open out the combustion chambers a bit more. I had to do that on a turbocharged engine which a young guy had had built and it was done very badly to the extent that it blew up after just 5 miles from re-build. Then the guy who built it didn't ant to know. I had to fit new pistons with a bigger dish and open out the chambers about 2.5 cc's each. Then the CR was correct and it went well.

The 11-stud head should have 35.6 mm inlet valves, which is ideal.

[gazza82]

This is the style of exhaust I was looking at. Cut off between main join and curved end near where marked, then re-welded at 90 degrees to link up with exhaust. I've been told it's been done before and it's too difficult.

 

 

any thoughts?

 

The type where it has a Y joint will be harder to realign to get it to exit along the engine/sump.

Edited by gazza82, 17 October 2014 - 02:27 PM.

[Cooperman]

That looks ideal. Just do a trial fit before cutting.

[gazza82]

Thanks. Everything is and will be double and triple checked ...

[gazza82]

And will 1.75" pipework be ok?

[Cooperman]

1.75" exhaust pipe should be ideal. You can use either a single or twin in-line box system to suit the car.