15 replies to this topic

[northern_paul]

OK - the bug has bitten deep!!!

As a generous guy with a couple of toys of his own I decided to buy the wife and step-son a mini each for Xmas. I have had fun building up (and still am building up) a couple of standard cars into nice projects I'm pretty happy with.

Lying around is a 3.9 Rover V8 from a Rangie, so 2 + 2 = burble, burble, mini, burble.

I'm thinking of a Suzuki 410 or similar on an estate/van with the V8, the main reason for this idea is that there would be something sturdy to attach the V8 too...

Dogmatix has a good post in the 'mini chat - V8 engines.....' His view (I think) is to have a standard inline setup with RWD, and that's the angle I'm coming from. If I ditched the Suzuki option mentioned above, what can be done to a mini?

The main question I need discussing is - Are there any frames out there that can be used/modified to attach a RV8 inline in the front of the car??

I'm not really into making my own spaceframe but I realise an amount of fiddling/welding mods may be needed to make one work. I know I'm going to have to modify the front bulkhead, any other major prob??

What are the options out there???

Dogmatix - how are you progressing??

[northern_paul]

Well - I've looked around for a spaceframe etc and there's nothing 'off the shelf' I can see, this makes me think more about using the Suzuki 4 x 4 as a start point.

Advantages I can see are there is a big sturdy chassis to mount the RV8, another thing I've been thinking of is transaxles. A normal setup like the engine in an original GT40 and Remy Vos's excellent example uses a directly connected transaxle and this would work for me if I put it in the middle as per Mr Vos.

But something else I'm concidering is a transaxle like in the Porsche 924/944/928 which would have an engine at the front and gearbox on the back axle. They attach with a large propshaft/torque tube, one big advantage would be that the engine should fit in the space available in the front (Clubman would be best) as it doesn't have a gearbox attached and therefore not too much messing around with the bulkhead and hopefully less noise in the cabin.

Search Google Images for a pic of the Porsche setup, if you look closely you can see that the whole rear end could concievable be fitted as it mounts similar to a mini rear end.

That's it for now, anyone any comments??

[Sam Walters]

there is a guy whos doing front engine rwd kits. 10k tho :/ but i guess there is alot of work involved the problem is that you have to build a new tunnel and such as as the engine probaly will be mounted lenth ways in there, the gearbox has to come into the cabin abit. also you need to make the tunnel bigger all the way too the back, because it has to have a drive shaft in there aswell as an exaust. also i guess work would need to be done in the boot floor in the back for braceing the axle and such.

[Guess-Works.com]

A friend of mine is doind a Suzy conversion... were looking for a power unit, and allsorts are being considered... however the throught of a V8 has crossed my mind but looks like the main drive gear etc of the Suzy may not be up to the torque of the v8,

As for Dogmatrix doing a V8 conversion.. got more chance of pissing on the sun...

[chairchild]

I can't find this thread you're on about with 'matix, but I can only guess it's after I've been chatting to him about my conversion I'm going to start soon :wink:


I'm tempted to pinch "Brightsparkz" idea, and use a normal rear subframe, but with modified radius arms. I may even just use front hubs, but with some carriers to mount them onto the normal radius arm mounts, and still using the standard rear suspension - as I'm strange, and want it with hydrolastic suspension!

The rear half of the exhaust tunnel will be untouched, but the bulkhead and front section of the exhaust tunnel will have extensive work done to them. The front subframe will be a heavily modified mini item, with a "cradle" underneath to support the 'box and to hold the subframe together - I may even make it so it bolts to the same locations as the rollcage, just for extra support, and it should negate the need for extra reinforcing plates to be welded to the floor

The rear diff will possibly be a late ford item, with mini pot joints welded to the outputs, so I can still use standard mini items. I want as much as possible of the "breakable" items to be standard parts, which are cheap to obtain - not expensive "one-offs"




but as for the exhaust - I'm cheating, and just having them slung down either side of the sills

[Sam Walters]

be careful when you get out you dont scorch your ankles then lol!

[northern_paul]

Flyingspurs - any contact info for the 10K chap, it's a lot of money but it would be good to investigate further.


ChairChild - I read the electric car, brightsparks stuff and it's fascinating, going to keep an eye on that one!


I'm leaning towards the Suzy conversion at the moment but the 'You Tube' yellow mini with the 7.2 chevy is mindblowing....

[Dog]

The V8 idea was a pipe dream, I had the shell, and no engine.
As Guessworks said, you have more chance of pissing on the sun, than you have me doing a conversion

[boffster]

Are you still trying to do this conversion??? as I was thinking about an RV8 when i have done my first mini.
If so, then there is a guy on the Retro Rides forum which they are putting a RV8 into their mini, inline drive, with an auto box so it uses little space and solves how to select gears. Only problem is they are fabricating the whole chassis from scratch.

Plus, you said you 'less noise in the cabin'. This is a good thing with the RV8's

[draughtsman]

Aha, that would be my Mini that was on Retro Rides then!
Things have progressed since then, al fabrication nearly complete.
Cheers, Lee.

[mini.cooper998]

there was a guy in mini world (member of the hull mini owners club years ago) fitted a V8 into a van was very tight and had a lot of further problems as i remember it

[draughtsman]

there was a guy in mini world (member of the hull mini owners club years ago) fitted a V8 into a van was very tight and had a lot of further problems as i remember it

Yep, that would be Andy from up that way with the red van called "The Beast"

Cheers, Lee.

[Scallywag630]

Back in the 1970s there was a Mini Van with a yank V8 in the back that drag raced at Santa Pod.

[pantera2075]

Just to chuck my bit in:

That GT40 transaxle mentioned is a ZF DS/1 or /2. £2.5k for a half decent one - if you can find one.

Other options are Renault 21 Turbo or Audi - especially the 6 speeds.

But if you go Audi, you might as well shove in a 4.0 audi lump as well.

Porsche boxes are expensive and you have to run them upside-down.

As far as I can remember, 944's have the rear end box, as do Alfa GTV6's. This is the way i'd go, as it means a lot less intrusion by the tranny into the footwell.

But then again, I wouldn't go RV8, it'd be an open head Clevor 5.7

[CobraV8]

Buy a chassis designed for a Cobra Replica, then cut the floor and bulkhead out of your mini and place on top. This would probably be an easier start than anything else suggested. You would need to shorten the wheelbase.