25 replies to this topic

[YIANO]

ok ive opened up a real can of worms here...
incidently the headlamp guards and splash guards were from john kelly he usually sells works parts on ebay
now to the gritty stuff..
dont misunderstand me i really like the a-series engine in all its guises and i can appreciate all the points of view raised by this topic
but as my mini began life as an 850 has a log book which says cooper s ,uses a late front subframe and an a+ metro engine,has dual circuit late master cylinder etc you get the picture....its hardly remained original in its 42 year lifespan like most minis out there
Ultimately i love driving mojo but if i set off to go to a show and dont get there whats the point?
i dont intend to cut the carin a visible manor,make it longer wider or whatever so it will look the same as it does bearing this in mind ive got some options

1 bike engined route front installation aka pro-motive noisy but quick
2 super tuned a-series which may or may not last as long as hearsay's career
3 suzuki swift gti lump i have issues with the quality of installations ive seen and the rarity of the lump
4 vuaxhall corsa lump i feel my mk1 is too good to be powered by a corsa engine

Edited by YIANO, 29 May 2008 - 12:01 AM.

[lewis]

if you were worried about motorway cruising there is a gearbox longer final drive for those smooth motorway cruises

i think one or two would be a sensible option, but have you thought about the k series conversion? only problem would be changing a few components on the k series lump to get it to fit in the round nose, and the only big noticable change would be the frame change primarily

then again if you went for 1, 3 or 4 you would have to change the front subby anyway, and the swift conversion be it a quick conversion around 130bhp i still think you could get more for your sacrificng to the car.

or you could even go for the 1.6 b series honda vtec, not sure if anyone can confirm it fits in a standard round nose? im pretty sure thats a big fat no though

or to p*&s into the wind and confuse you more there is the kad 16v head conversion, as preffered by bill sollis as a road toy engine

Edited by lewis, 29 May 2008 - 01:45 AM.

[maskill]

I'm definitely going to watching this thread. I think if you keep your car looking as amazing as it does on 10inch wheels with a stealth front mounted bike engine it would the ultimate. I found this conversion but don't know much about it other than what's on the site. http://www.exvo.co.uk/
Keep us posted!

[YIANO]

well after careful consideration ill have to go the pro-motive route and use the yamaha r1 engine plus its 6 speed box!
you cant tell its in there until you rev it and go !
as for engine life i do about 1000 miles a year if that in my mk1 so im not too worried about that
i am looking forward to the noise and the acceleration which is 4-5 secs dependant on gearing
watch for a build diary!!

[biggav]

part of me says keep it A-series, but the devil shouts loudly from the other shoulder "R1! R1! R1!" i recon it would be even better with steelies and non motorsport looks, like something your gran would drive... an absolute wolf in sheeps clothing.

[Geehawk]

well after careful consideration ill have to go the pro-motive route and use the yamaha r1 engine plus its 6 speed box!
you cant tell its in there until you rev it and go !
as for engine life i do about 1000 miles a year if that in my mk1 so im not too worried about that
i am looking forward to the noise and the acceleration which is 4-5 secs dependant on gearing
watch for a build diary!!

1000 miles a year ... well that changes things a lot. Might as well go tuned A series, you are hardly likely to break it doing those sort of miles.

Bike engine seems an odd choice given you seemed primarily worried about reliability, and motorway driving

[Gr4h4m]

A Swift tune a-series.

[sefton1275gt]

from what I have witnessed over the years...

On all cars not just mini's, foreign engines especially highly tuned ones always seem to give the owners constant headaches!

I also think a well built a series will add value to your car and make it an easy resell, but a bike powered one will be a little trickier to sell.

My tuned 1275 gt engine has done 180,000 miles with a rebuld at 100,000 in 1981. I had it on the rollers a month ago @ minisport. I was expecting to say it needed a big tune up, but he said it was running absolutly perfect & would'nt mess with a thing. no smoke, rattles or anything. My dad (obviously from an older generation) swears the a series will go for ever if looked after.

Hope all goes well though which ever route you go.

Craig.

[YIANO]

i thought about tuned a series lumps my initial reaction was to get anywhere near to powerful with the a series its gonna cost big money, the r1 lump can be bought for a grand complete, it already has a 16v/20v head 4 40mm carbs and a strong bottom end it also has a 6 speed sequential box , some people think bike engines are not reliable or unsuitable for motorway use ,i disagree. at 60mph on the motorway it isnt any louder than a tuned a series and can be easily altered for gearing also to tweek further.
reliability wise its just as reliable as anything unless your sitting at 11000 revs all day!
so ...in conclusion i could spend 3k building a stonker a series motor which might make 120 bhp or spend 1k on a yamaha engine which is proven at 160bhp on carbs
so sensibly can i really choose the the a series?
im not a die hard a series fan ive broken too many of them and always seems to be at relatively low engine speeds,i dont push my mini harder than i should and dont really car about resale value of my mini either, its all about the fun for me

[jefinabox]

Sounds like I better not mention my plans to put an R1 in the front of my Jan 1960 lightweight mk1 then

Although I'm a big fan of the r1 kit, are you sure it's for you?

You seem concerned about reliability and usability, are you planning on an electric reverse or are you just gonna push it backwards?

[Geehawk]

...in conclusion i could spend 3k building a stonker a series motor which might make 120 bhp or spend 1k on a yamaha engine which is proven at 160bhp on carbs
so sensibly can i really choose the the a series?

And how are you going to fit this bike engine without spending money

Obviously your requirements are actually different from your initial post of reliability and motorway driving. It now seems more about a great noise, 0-60 times and very low yearly mileage.

Look forward to seeing the conversion whatever you choose