I'm restoring (not to original) my '78 1275GT Clubman and have been pondering the real purpose of the original ducting/vents in the engine compartment and whether they are necessary. If they aren't needed I could cover them with steel panel and then use the engine bay space for fitment room of; a washer bottle, engine breather catch tank, tidying up engine bay electrics (better fuse box and container for relays) and more room for the brake servo being fitted.
The vents/ducts in question are pictured in the attached photos. I know there was originally a large black vent pipe to the large hole on the righthand inner guard (my duct pipe is missing). What is the purpose of that? The other vent in question is the smaller round vent hole on the left inner guard, forward of the radiator airflow vents. What is the purpose of that vent? Is it meant to have a duct pipe on it? I've perused many engine bay photos to try and get a good answer but without success. Some Minis have the large inner duct (on the right) and others don't.
Would it be OK to cover these round vents and utilise the panel area created for engine bay fittings? Would anything (engine bay/brakes) overheat as a result?
Thank you for your help.
Jon Marett
PS .. I'm NZ .. Canterbury. I'll post some photos of progress on the rebuild, if that's a good idea?
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