20 replies to this topic

[Retro_10s]

swift gti and learn to use a welder and ur sorted

Not forgetting to make the custom driveshafts cut-splined and joined, upgrade the brakes, add the new wiring loom, build the front subframe (because to have one made would blow the £750 for the engine alone), build the gearshift mechanism, fabricate the exhaust, insurance costs,... i could go on.

just wondering whats the easyist engine to put in a mini with about 100- 140 bhp ?

Why this particular bhp number?... It's quite possible to build a 80bhp engine that'll trounce all over a 100bhp.

A couple of days ago you were talking about fitting a stage 1 kit to your car,... i thought this was a great idea.

It's so easy to throw money at Mini's.. first off you have to remember your freshly bought 1380 is a time bomb,.. each day being driven to prove a healthy 100bhp figure that you cherish,...wearing away until you have to scrap the block (because unless you want to throw more money at it... the block is scrap on a 1380 once it's worn) and start all over again.

Decide what you want from your mini,.. reliability? speed? comfort? what sort of miles are you doing.. are they motorway miles where you need something that'll cruise at 70mph all day long? or is it twisty roads where you might get the odd NSL zone cropping up?

Or do you want a weekend warrior that's basically a road legal race car that costs you twice as much to insure than to build, will be terrible to drive through town, but will be a great laugh and something to show off?

Everyone has loads and loads of ideas when they get a mini at first,.. so i can understand why you're changing your mind so much, personally 1380's don't interest me that much but it is an idea that i've toyed with in the past.

No one here's gonna tell you how to spend your money, we can only advise, so please don't take what i've typed above as an attempt to disappoint you or try to get you to change your plans. I would however strongly advise you have a long think about what you want from your car. Then look at how to get the car to a state of tune you want it, look at the pro's and cons of the parts you fit,..

And remember, your mates might have corsas and fiestas and saxos that can handle better, move faster and sound louder,.. but you've got a car that's famous for much, much more!!!

[DaveRob]

"this is what im thinking ... liek i have just seen two 1380 100bhp engine go for £750 in the last two days which i have just missed out on both so i may just hold out for anouther one of these "


No offence but I wouldnt rely on some Ebay sellers description of a £750 100BHP motor.... their a not as many true 100BHP normally aspirated motors out their as you would be led to believe

100 BHP isnt the be all and end all its just a number ..... Drivability is what you need and Minis can be sorted to be so much fun. Personally id spend the £750 on sorting your SPi to get it up to standard spec to start with.... as I would hazzard a guess that it wont make 63BHP at the moment....... the injection cars are capable of much more than standard figures BUT they are different in the way you upspec them....mainly due to the ECU..... as its SPi dont forget your car will need to pass emmisions so keeping the inj will be better than converting to carbs. Their is a lot of work in transplanting a different unit and why bother if you already have the A series that will do the job anyways.....

Hers a list of components to get an SPi up to around the 100Horse mark....... BUT.... and its a BIG BUT....... this is just a list...... its how you do it and your attention to detail that will get you a reliable tuned motor.... the assembly is critical... the products you assemble with need to be top grade.... your machining has to be done to the tightest of tolerances.... personally, their are few people I would trust to do the work to a high enough standard... you need to do the work yourself........or know the man who is cutting your metal like a brother. when its all done you need to care for the engine all the time...... make time to strip and inspect..... their are many threads on here saying stage 1 and cam change...... but how many threads have you seen saying how do you change a cam bearing..... I cant belive that cams are just shoved into the old bearings..... either get someone to change them or make the tooling to do it yourself.....its not difficult or you can pay for the tools to be made and then you can do it time and time again yourself. Ill happilly make cam bearing tools for anyone here Id offer them up at £40 a set....... anyways enough rant about detail heres what im putting together for an SPi...


1380cc....... cant beat cc's for BHP
full water and oil dry deck.......for 1380 reliability
11:1 compression ratio
36/31 gas flowed Longman head
LCB Inlet manifold ported to match the head and doweled to the head for location
Bore throttle body to suit a HIF 44 throttle plate
Rover 1.4K16SPi injector
1.5:1 rockers with valve springs matched to their use, titanium spring caps
Lightened cam followers
Kent 274 Scatter Pattern camshaft timed in correctly using lightened vernier gears
ARP head studs...... 11 of them
New cam bearings
new oil pump
new water pump
new gallery plugs
new mains, thrusts and big ends
Maniflow Big bore LCB
2" exhaust system
lightened connecting rods with ARP bolts
Wedged, bladed, cross drilled, tuffened, balanced crankchaft
Steel Center main strap with minimum 8.8 tensile bolts
ultralight steel flywheel, steel backplate, AP racing bonded clutch plate and orange diaphragm with complete pre verto conversion
S damper pully and MED trigger wheel assembly
X pin Diff
Completly Rebuilt gearbox down to the last bearing
a day Rolling roading it
Rover ECU designed for a 106BHP car so appropriate fueling map.......... their is one thats plug and play.


PLUS..... dont forget BRAKES.... 4 pot minimum. Then theirs MAINTANENCE.... After that theirs all the bits to assemble like specialit lubes and cleaners.... Then of course theirs your body work..... cant have 100BHP in a rusty Mini... then theirs suspension.... uprated shocks hilows etc.... the list can go on and on and on and on and on and on..........


So as for £750 budget....... if your doing the machining yourself...... then id guess PARTS ALONE come to £3000 if you have to pay for the machining then a decent tool shop is going to be £40-£50 an hour minimum and their is a lot of hours in some of the above work

What im trying to point out is that unless you want to do the project because you ENJOY making things, and machining metal, and doing the assembly, and putting the hours in maintaning it afterwards etc etc its better to go for the well maintained slightly uprated car rather than the monster on a leash........ Im doing my rebuild cause engineering is my hobby.....its what I do to while away the hours, (sad tho it sounds lol),....

Just my thoughs....... Ill say it again....it needs attention to detail in assembly and it need attention to detail during its life.......

save your money and get your Mini up to standard... you will have more fun and less hassel AND you will have no insurance problems...... and/Or..... try and find yourself a diagnostic kit for your ECU.... like an old Crypton ACT it will save loads of hassle in the future........

Hope this helps

Rob

[tobiasnugent]

swift gti 130 bhp ... i can use a welder but dont fancy cutting into my bulk head and making a mini even more unsafe lol

you dont have to cut the bulkhead and its only 100bhp but if u get the set up right 0-60 in 6 tasty seconds

[tobiasnugent]

swift gti and learn to use a welder and ur sorted

Not forgetting to make the custom driveshafts cut-splined and joined, upgrade the brakes, add the new wiring loom, build the front subframe (because to have one made would blow the £750 for the engine alone), build the gearshift mechanism, fabricate the exhaust, insurance costs,... i could go on.

the insurance isnt that bad if you have a look i had a quote for 1200 for one
bargain

[Retro_10s]

the insurance isnt that bad if you have a look i had a quote for 1200 for one
bargain

I already know what kind of insurance costs are involved (which is totally dependant on your own circumstance, what could cost you 1200 might cost someone else 2200 remember) ,.. but it's adding those costs to the final bill at the end of the conversion with all the modifcations declared on an agreed value policy.

everything adds up.

[tobiasnugent]

indeed it does. thats why its all about research