26 replies to this topic

[maxthackray]

What is your budget? feel free to PM if you dont want to say on here. just want to point out one of the cheapest conversions is to leave the engine in the front of the car and modify very little else apart from whats needed to get the engine in place. K series has been done alot so a lot of info is about, the micra one is quite new so not alot of info but the engines are reliable, or Vtec - lots of power and quite alot of mods required. 16v mini forum often have conversions for sale that people have built and got bored of.

Just as a pointer, ive added up the costs of my micra conversion - ive had alot of work done for me + most of the parts are custom + bought new..im currently at 3 grand and its always going up.

 

 

My budget is about 3 grand including car and engine. I just want to keep it as low as possible and my knowledge of engines and gearboxes etc is pretty limited. I'm very proficient in electronics but other than that not great. My dad used to do this kind of stuff when he was my age and he thinks this is going to be a huge task and I'll just end up with a pile of parts. Is the whole thing really that difficult?

[Will16]

Doing a RWD mini is probably one of the most difficult conversions, especially making it front mounted. You'll have to be very competent at welding, fabrication and have a decent plan set out before undertaking it. I hate to say it, but 3 grand probably won't be enough. I'm looking at K Series conversions, with a similar budget, and I think I'll only just scrape it!

If your just after a fast mini, look at keeping FWD and just do an engine swap. Allspeed do a range of frames.

[666junky]

Forget RWD or bike engines then.

Go for either a complete conversion thats up for sale (16v mini forum ) - They come up from time to time but you will have to be patient and either willing to travel to collect or organise a courier.

OR - build something thats been done a few times before and hold out for those more expensive parts to come up second hand (again will take a while).

 

Some people have managed to do the micra conversion for as little as 300-500 but they have made the frames themselves, got mates to make the shafts and have a very good knowledge on fabrication + electrics.

 

I know an average amount about most things but still spent alot of money as having parts made was alot easier for me. This is without any repairs to the shell you may have to do prior - i was lucky and started with a good shell.

you will also need a comprehensive tool kit.

[1984mini25]

You could also look into... http://www.lynxae.co.uk/index.htm

 

https://youtu.be/a88QqfM90_Y

[Kam]

People aim with your kind of budget and struggle to get a FWD finished for a MOT 

 

It sounds like you can't fabricate much for yourself, with that kind of budget you really need to be able to, then it just becomes a case of being clever and sourcing the parts

 

I have a feeling if you stick with this route it will only end up an unfinished project that after some time you will sell on cheap just to make room, your pockets will be much lighter as well as you find it difficult to find a point to stop throwing money at it then try to sell it

 

As others have said I would personally find an unfinished project and take it over and finish it otherwise you will end up doing what the person you are buying from is doing

 

Good luck to your as god loves a tryer but it needs to be even a little realistic 

[The Matt]

 

What is your budget? feel free to PM if you dont want to say on here. just want to point out one of the cheapest conversions is to leave the engine in the front of the car and modify very little else apart from whats needed to get the engine in place. K series has been done alot so a lot of info is about, the micra one is quite new so not alot of info but the engines are reliable, or Vtec - lots of power and quite alot of mods required. 16v mini forum often have conversions for sale that people have built and got bored of.

Just as a pointer, ive added up the costs of my micra conversion - ive had alot of work done for me + most of the parts are custom + bought new..im currently at 3 grand and its always going up.

 

 

My budget is about 3 grand including car and engine. I just want to keep it as low as possible and my knowledge of engines and gearboxes etc is pretty limited. I'm very proficient in electronics but other than that not great. My dad used to do this kind of stuff when he was my age and he thinks this is going to be a huge task and I'll just end up with a pile of parts. Is the whole thing really that difficult?

 

 

Yeah, listen to what your Dad's saying.  He's right.

[The Matt]

Doing a RWD mini is probably one of the most difficult conversions, especially making it front mounted. You'll have to be very competent at welding, fabrication and have a decent plan set out before undertaking it. I hate to say it, but 3 grand probably won't be enough. I'm looking at K Series conversions, with a similar budget, and I think I'll only just scrape it!

If your just after a fast mini, look at keeping FWD and just do an engine swap. Allspeed do a range of frames.

 

But even that, I mean a frame, driveshafts, engine mounts, bottom arms, tie bars etc. add up.  I think my Allspeed setup was about £1200 all in.  Even if you budgeted for that, you've only got 1800 left to buy a decent Mini (or a rolling shell), buy a decent engine and gearbox, buy all of the little bits you need to modify to make fit.  Sorry to be the big, old pessimist, but £3k is a seriously tight budget for even a decent 1275 engined Mini project.

I'd be looking at projects that are 90% complete.  You might find one for that kind of cost.

[666junky]

Ahh i didnt know you didnt have the shell to begin with.. well throw even the micra conversion out the window then as it wont happen. I have just about managed to scrimp and save on parts being donated by friends, cheaper parts being made as they are test versions etc.. already had a great shell and parts to work with and a fair amount of bits to sell to fund it all. Get on 16v and find one for cheaps.. or just buy a standard mini and enjoy it? They are alot of fun, even with the standard engines!

[Ellie]

How about Davey Davey's 4wd project?
Most of the fabrication work has been done.
Is it still for sale? I'd check myself but have dodgy signal at the mo.

[ibrooks]

RWD and 4WD pretty much guarantee that the monocoque of the car has had to be altered and that means it will need to go through IVA. That's £500 of your budget gone with nothing to show at the end but an approval certificate (which you don't even get to keep).

 

I hate to say it but if you are asking these sort of questions I doubt you have the knowledge to get into this sort of project with a hope in hell of completing it. I'm quite aware we all need to start somewhere but I think you need to set your sights somewhat lower and do some learning on a less ambitious project to build some knowledge and experience before you go diving into something that'll just demoralise you and bleed your bank account dry.

 

I also hate to say it but in the current climate a Mini is not the car I'd recommend - they are getting almost as bad as VW's for "scene tax"

 

There was a post on here recently with a link to a GTM Rossa on ebay - Might well be worth a look. They need stiffening up from standard by fitting a proper cage but once you've done that they are solid little performer with a decent A-Series and mid-engined. This should be do-able with your £3k. For the future....... It takes a chunk of work to convert them to a different engine as there are two buttresses either side of the engine that need to be replaced with a steel frame but it's not insurmountable (Z-cars have done at least one) and with a more modern engine they have the potential to be a serious contender in the class of a Lotus Elise or VX220.

 

Iain

[The Matt]

There was a post on here recently with a link to a GTM Rossa on ebay - Might well be worth a look. They need stiffening up from standard by fitting a proper cage but once you've done that they are solid little performer with a decent A-Series and mid-engined. This should be do-able with your £3k. For the future....... It takes a chunk of work to convert them to a different engine as there are two buttresses either side of the engine that need to be replaced with a steel frame but it's not insurmountable (Z-cars have done at least one) and with a more modern engine they have the potential to be a serious contender in the class of a Lotus Elise or VX220.

 

Iain

 

 

That's a very good shout.  Rear mounted engine, RWD already.  You can stick with A-Series of try converting it to something more powerful of a similar size and yeah, they're cheap.

 

That's such a good shout that it's tempting me to look for one of them!

The hidden benefit is that if it's properly registered, it'll already be a "kit car" so you're less likely to run into IVA issues with little mods here and there.

[ibrooks]

Yep - who is to say what form it was registered in and whether it's now different?

 

There is a photoshop kicking around of an orange one. The rear deck/engine cover has been sloped up to meet the top of the roof and the front has been made slightly deeper. It transforms the look of the car and doesn't look overly difficult to do in real life (if you could live with the roof becoming a permanent part of the body). Sort of like the difference between an Elise and an Exige. If I had one I'd have done it in a heartbeat.

 

I currently have a GTM Coupe which is largely the same from a mechanical point of view. I did once "push" an Audi R8 along a country lane whilst it was still on the 120bhp 1380cc A-Series - as soon as the road opened up and he could use the power he was gone but he looked really surprised for the few miles I was on his bumper. The Nissan CG13 ran for the first time in it on Sunday - I may have lost some power in the change but it's definitely lighter and I've now got 5 gears so it'll be a lot nicer on a motorway.

 

Looks like I saved the image on Photobucket - I know I linked it to a mate who has a Rossa.

 

http://s33.photobuck...stback.jpg.html

 

 

Iain