20 replies to this topic

[Smiley]

Hows it going folks!

Last weekend i picked up a 1293cc block along with 12G940 engine head.

It is all complete but missing the camshaft.

Its got dished pistons and theres a crankshaft present but i dont know wheter thats an aftermarket product or not.

I was just thinking, now that its all apart, wouldn't it be the right time to do/add some mods?!

Id like to aim for something around 100bhp(if thats possible), i think thats reasonable, but im not the man for tuning engines, thats where you lot come in!!

So, if anybody has any ideas, recommendations or tricks of the trade to share i'd be delighted to hear...

PS: I wont be doing the work myself, there'll be a mechanic drafted in for that....any voulanteers???!!


Cheers

Smiley

[redhotmini]

i'd add a 276 or 286 cam, should make a nice, driveable fast road engine that will be more reliable than a 1380. Wont be as powerful but it will be much nicer to drive through town. personally i wouldnt go straight out and bore it to take 73.5mm pistons (1380cc), because there wouldnt be much more metal left if you need a rebore etc later on.

I have an avonbar built 1293 in my '76 mini 1000, to their stage 2 spec, although this was done in the mid 80's, by the previous owner lol. its still going 30,000 miles later and only needs valve stems and hardened valve seats so it can run unleaded. Its got as far as i know, a kent 276 cam, standard rockers (hi lift roller rockers just didnt work on it), aldon yellow dizzy, twin hs2's, modified head- all i know about it is its been ported a bit, omega pistons, lightened and balanced crank, S rods etc. The only thing i will change is the head as it only runs leaded still, so i will fit rimflo valves and sort the head to suit.

[Smiley]

Nice one...

What sort of power does your engine put out do you know?!

[ginigwunkle]

how bout droppin a turbo on it?

that will push you well over the 100 mark!!!

[Smiley]

How much will it cost me to Turbo it??

For starters, this is what i can think of...

- Bulkhead needs cut out for the Turbo to fit in
- I'll need an engine head and its internals that are fit to take being Turbo'd

Theres probably a shed load more technical stuff that i dont undertand involved too!!!

Im on a budget y'see, apprentice wages dont allow much flexibility!!!

[Turbo Nick]

engine wise it'll cost less to build a 100hp turbo lump than it will a 100hp n/a lump.

the only extra cost is going to be all the turbo gubbins.

[ginigwunkle]

the turbo box is about 30 quid,

the head as much as you can afford.......will a std one do for now? not sure

turbo again as much as you can afford, you can pick a second hand kit up for a couple o hundred.

the engine build route is cam £100 needed anyway and will give you arround 70/80hp...

adding a turbo can take it anywhere upto 150+hp.......as with bud

[Purple Tom]

I agree with Bud, from experience a forced induction 100bhp 1293 will be much more driveable and cost effective than an N/A 100bhp 1293!!

In terms of the mod's, would be worth looking in the turbo section of the forum to get an idea...

[Smiley]

Hmmm.....

Cost is a big factor for me ....

I'll have a look in the Turbo section....


Any other comments???

Cheers

[ginigwunkle]

back to reality now......lol

how much of a budget are you on,

id say descent cam, 286 kent/ swiftune sw5 £100

hif 44 carb + manifold £50+

head, port + polish the current one - free

modified head £300+

lcb exhaust single box de-cat system, maniflow / good brand £100

1.5 roller rockers £150

nice driveable setup there.....

[jayare]

100bhp & 100lb-ft from a 1380 is relatively easily acheivable without a turbo - SW5 cam and all the other bits mentioned by ginigwunkle above (I have used a Minispares CST cylinder head on mine). With a few less cc's you should still be able to get into the 90+bhp area and have a nice driveable engine. And if you maintain it well (oil changes every 3-4000 miles) then there is absolutely no reason a 1380 won't last as long as a 1293 - mine is just shy of 40K miles now - it's my daily driver - and my Dad's has done over 125,000 Km since it was built.

JR

[Sprocket]

Why is 1380 any less reliable than 1293?

And whats with 'dont go to 1380 straight away as the block is scrap when its worn out' ???? how long will it take for it to wear out? 10 years?? will you still own the engine to be worried about it in ten years time?? Wow, ou really are looking to the future. Personally if you were that worried about it why not pick up a spare block and put it into storage, that way you have twenty years use. Blocks are cheaper than pistons at the moment

A 1293 with 286 cam will be less friendly around town where as the 1380 with a 286 will be quite happy

[Smiley]

I liked your shopping list style post gingwunkle.

I have an inch-an-three-quarter SU carb
I have an LCB 2" exhaust system
I am getting the head polished tomorrow
I plan to buy an SW5 cam next week
So that leaves the roller rockers....whats the story with them?Will they make a big difference over using standard??

I might just leave it at that for time being, see how it turns out...but its just the fact that the engine is apart now, i can do mods now instead of taking the engine out and stripping it all over again at a later date....

Budgetwise, well, im currently earning €200 a week, WOW, im an apprentice!!But the thing is, i have no overheads, ie: i live with parents, i dont drink/smoke/drugs so have a decent percentage of those wages to spend/save with....

Another thing wortth mentioning is that this is not my daily driver, i have another car, so time isnt a factor, if i need to save to but bits its not a problem....

Edited by Smiley, 05 October 2007 - 10:59 PM.

[Smiley]

"A 1293 with 286 cam will be less friendly around town where as the 1380 with a 286 will be quite happy"

Can you explain what you mean here Mini Sproket?? What does less friendly/ quite happy mean with regards to an engine?? Lumpier idle, is it??

[Sprocket]

Less friendly - lumpy idle, higher than normal idle speed, the engine wont produce its power below 2500rpm so could be considered flat response below this befor the engine 'comes on cam' Mappable ignition such as Megajolt can help in this area a great deal.

Quite happy - the 286 cam is less ropey/ lumpy in the 1380 because of the larger cc capacity, the 1380 produces more torque that the 1293 anyway so the 'flat response' is not as noticeble.

Bottom line is A series engine never liked wild cams and never have. the 286 cam is considered the wildest cam to fit in a street engine for this reason.

I gaurantee some one will be saying that they dont have a problem with the 286, fair enough, that is their own feelings om what they consider acceptable.

My personal opinion to achieve 100bhp is as already discussed, turbo charged, or another way, 1380cc, fully gas flowed head, 1.5:1 rockers, and Kent MD274SP cam, turbo verto clutch set up, big bore lcb and 2" exhaust system. 1'd be surprised if you didnt get 100bhp, it wont cost a fortune either. The engine wil be as driveble and reliable as the 1293 with a 286, but less ropey