15 replies to this topic

[pimpedmini]

I have just bought a 1985 1275 metro vanden plas that I bought so the engine can be used in my mini. My mini is a 1979 850 at the moment, will the new engine go straight in and what will need to be swapped over? what sort of increase in power am I going to be looking at by doing this change? als is the vanden plas engine the same as an mg metro engine or the same as a standard 1275 metro? I was wondering because it has an alloy rocker cover like a mg has

[Guess-Works.com]

The VDP and MG were very much the same engine, and head too...

If it's a complete unit, you will have to transfer the following over...

radiator and engine mount from RHS of gearbox.
You will need a 1275 themostat housing and radiator bracket. ( these you will have to source as the 850 ones will be the wrong shape and metros are connected differently )

The carb on your 850 will be woefully inadequate for the 1275 lump so hopefully you have the carb from the metro, but you will have to change the inlet and exhaust manifolds.

depending on preference you may have to swap your clutch / starter motor over from your 850 ( which will be a intertia starter and diaphragm clutch ) to replace the metro pre-engaged starter and verto clutch... or do a little re-wiring...

also is you 850 on drums ? if so I think some brakes may be a safe option too...

[pimpedmini]

the engine and 'box is complete was hopefully just goingto take it out of one car and put it straight in the other. The carb is with the engine so i'll use that one.

as for the clutch whilst the engine was out i was going to fit a new one as i noticed when driving the metro home the bite was quite high. when buying the clutch do I ask for a clutch for the metro? also my clutch is hydraulic and the metro was a cable clutch do i just swap over the end cover to get around this?

[Guess-Works.com]

If you're going to get a new clutch, then use the one off the 850, the diapragm clutch is much better than the verto, a new clutch kit which includes Diaphragm, Clutch plate and Clutch release bearing ( known as a 3 piece clutch kit ) will cost about 30/35 quid then with that just transfer the whole lot over from your 850, flywheel, bell housing, clutch slave and starter motor..

[pimpedmini]

thanks for your help!

as for the brakes I forgot to mention my mini is drums but could I use the discs and calipers off of the metro?

[998dave]

not likely to fit as the discs won't fit inside the 10" wheels

[pimpedmini]

I got 13" wheels

[Guess-Works.com]

You'll need mini hubs and drive shafts from a disk model, but you can use the metro calipers, drive flanges ( with a little modification, removing the 4 wheel locating flanges ) and the disks. but you must use ERA caliper bolts to attach them to the hubs... You could use the metro hubs but this will seriously mess up your suspension geometery. ohh and a brake conversion set ( available from most mini suppliers )

[pimpedmini]

what manifold should I use as the metro one is for twin pipes that come up and the mini is only a single but if I use the 850 manifold will the new 1275 carb fit on it ok?

[TimS]

The metro manifold will be fine, it will be a long centre branch so 3 pipes going into 2 at the back of the engine and then into 1 with a y piece, this will b alot more suitable than the manifold from the 850 as the cap will not fit onto the 850 manifold(presuming its all one piece cast iron)

[pimpedmini]

sorry if i'm being thick but on the mini where the exhaust comes up and meets the manifold it is a single pipe but on the metro it is a double pipe where it meets the manifold

[TimS]

yeh.. thats right, what you will see is that the origional manifold is just one big lump of cast iron, and is one peice for the inlet and exhuast.

The metro one is actuall 3 pipes apart from two of these pipes merge into one. This is called a Long Centre Branch Manifold or LCB for short. A 1275 wont breathe very well with the 850's carb and manifold, so you will need to keep the LCB manfold on it and change the exhaust over.. hope that helps a little better

[pimpedmini]

if I use the metro manifold will i need to use the front part of the exhaust that bolts up to the manifold and then join that to my mini exhaust ender the car somewhere?

[Guess-Works.com]

basically, you can try and bodge the metro exhaust into the mini, but a simpler answer, would be to purchase a whole new LCB, and Exhaust and an alloy inlet for the carb...

Does it look something like this....

Edited by GuessWorks, 19 May 2005 - 02:08 PM.

[pimpedmini]

the manifold does look like that I think. How much am I looking at for those bits?