63 replies to this topic

[Johnmar]

I really enjoyed the whole write-up of the build of your engine.

Thank you for that!

[bajean]

Today was quiet the productive day, took the old 1275 out in preparation to be replaced with the 1293. Also started the new engine again and gave it a solid 15 mins of runtime on high idle ( while varying revs every so often ), which brings the total runtime to 30 minutes now. Also gave it its first oil change and filter ( both plugs in the sump and pump pickup were perfectly clean ). After the engine had cooled down i drained the coolant and removed the manifold, carbs, alternator and radiator in preparation to be put back in the car this weekend.

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[bajean]

Finally got the engine installed and plumbed in, with all the ancillaries, engine steadies etc. Also got the facet fuel pump and fuel pressure regulator all connected, and gave it to the electrician to wire up the new starter and alternator since they use totally different connections and I am absolutely useless at anything electrical. After a couple of hours he called me that everything was finished and is now ready to fire up. As soon as i turned the key however we noticed a pop and some faint smoke coming from the distributor. Upon further inspection he had switched the polarities to the coil from the distributorwhich fried the module….. I immediately got on the phone with Aldon and have a replacement module on the way.

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Edited by bajean, 29 August 2022 - 12:38 PM.

[bajean]

Finally got the engine started in place after installing the new ignition module. Next on the list is for an actual electrician to have a good look at the wiring for the coil alternator etc ( since after the other guy switched the polarities on the coil i am doubting everything he did ). Up next i will be taking the mini to get an exhaust fabricated and afterwards give it a good tune up as at the moment its a bit on the loud side to stay reving and tuning ( and the neighbours wont really appreciate it…. ). Then onto a couple of km of normal driving with varying loads to get the engine run in. I already drove it around the block and as soon as it gets on cam it flys ( and i was barely on the gas ).  

 

Here’s the video of it idleing and couple of revs with an open header https://youtu.be/m_1HbR5z4MA

 

[bajean]

Thought i’d give a quick update on the new engine, ive put 200 miles on it now of normal driving and only revving it to 4k. I have also changed the oil 3 times now ( once after 30 mins of breaking the camshaft in and an oil change after a 100 miles twice ). Having put some miles on it  i decided to open it up all the way….. and i was blown away by the power and the noise of the straight cut gears and the engine screaming to 7k. I have the limiter set at 7k as after all it still has a stock reworked crank and dont want to risk anything, even though its got all the goodies to help it. I still have to get used to the ATB tho, as when you launch it  or your in a corner you really have to hold on to the steering wheel as it will want to take it away. But all in all really happy with it ! 

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Edited by bajean, 21 October 2022 - 07:15 PM.

[bajean]

Finally made a proper breather system with fancy AN fittings and braided lines. The one on the right connects to the MED cam timing cover, one goes from the transfer case housing to the rocker cover and finally from the rocker cover to a catch tank. Also put it a line from the heater output of the head back to the radiator to help improve the flow of coolant on the far side of the head ( were coolant tends to pool up and cause no4 cylinder to run hotter ). Starting to look like a proper racer now 😀. Onto the next part of the build suspension, brakes and the list goes on….

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[Retro_10s]

I really like the standard body work on this, archless and with steel wheels, it always looks great

[bajean]

The next engine upgrade on the list - MSD 6Al 2 Ignition Box and MSD Blaster 2 coil. I just went for a quick blast after my electrician wired everything up ( as i am beyond useless with electrics ) and my gosh what a difference. The engine is smoother at lower revs ( even though its off cam ) and is way more responsive aswell. The engine also feels stronger all throughout the rev range ( right up to limiter at 7k ).

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Edited by bajean, 26 November 2022 - 09:23 PM.

[Retro_10s]

Really like the breather system on this, and overall you seem to be in a real nice sweet spot of making improvements to the engine and reaping the rewards!

Very cool car

[bajean]

Cheers bud ! Always looking for ways to make her perform better. The only downside to all this however is my bank account .

[bajean]

Finally bit the bullet and got a set of old school bucket seats from Cobra 😁

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[bajean]

Couple of new upgrades done to the mini recently, including a new maniflow intake manifold, and a vortz style airbox from specialist components. Now im chasing what seems like a miss at 5-5.5k rpm. Will be installing a aem afr gauge to see exactly whats happening fuel wise and to omit any ignition related issues.

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Edited by bajean, 14 June 2023 - 02:02 PM.

[duds100]

Lovely build. Really coming together nicely. Was there any perceivable performance difference changing from open trumpets to the airbox?

[bajean]

Lovely build. Really coming together nicely. Was there any perceivable performance difference changing from open trumpets to the airbox?

Honestly yes, it feels smoother ( for a 280 degree cam ).

[bajean]

Thought I would update this thread since i haven’t posted in a while. Since the new engine was installed ive always had a bit of trouble with the twin sus, either a lean idle and rich what or vice versa. So i finally bit the bullet and put in a weber 45 instead, ( and what an upgrade that was…). Together with the weber i also changed the valve springs on the head and retainers as i also had been encountering valve float at around 7k. Fitted slightly stronger springs ( not the race ones as those will end up wiping my cam ) and titanium retainers. This combined with the weber made a huge change, the engine happily revs to 7500 and is extremely responsive and surprisingly very drivable. 

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Edited by bajean, 11 March 2024 - 04:20 PM.