Who builds the ultimate mini engine?
Discussion
Toying with the idea of building a seriously hot mini for the road and possible track days.
I have just bought a very low mileage 92 sprite auto and would like to strip it and build t back up from a sorted bare shell.
Who would build a decent engine for me and give plenty of guidance as to the way to go?
cheers
I have just bought a very low mileage 92 sprite auto and would like to strip it and build t back up from a sorted bare shell.
Who would build a decent engine for me and give plenty of guidance as to the way to go?
cheers
people like MED do awesome tuning on a series, there are also specialists who do superchargers for a series vsmart scart, and also easy to turbo your mini with metro bits. check out the 16v mini club for advice if you want to drop a XE or VTEC lump in, but the ultimate engine in a mini has to be the Z-Cars bike engine conversions, from R1 and busa engines to twin bike engines 
www.turbominis.co.uk
Have a look there. Full race engines are not to the tastes of many. Mine is bad enough 296 cam 1380 with an on off clutch. It doesn't like being driven at anything less than full on. Picture being sat at the traffic lights with your foot on the brake, keeping the engine from stalling with the same foot. Otherwise it will stall, try pulling out of junctions without making a t
t out of yourself! It is irritating as if you are stuck behind a load of traffic and have to back off, it goes all fluffy then you get the petrol stink. I wouldn't have it any other way though. When I worked in Bristol for a year, I swapped cars with mum as I would have cained a clutch every day.
Blowers are exceptionally good though. Best route to cheap power is a Metro Turbo engine and some bowley pistons and a Ph2 cam.
A BMW 16v bike head costs about £350 if you are up for a bit of jiggery pokery and 140hp!
Hello expensive gearbox. Ouch
Have a look there. Full race engines are not to the tastes of many. Mine is bad enough 296 cam 1380 with an on off clutch. It doesn't like being driven at anything less than full on. Picture being sat at the traffic lights with your foot on the brake, keeping the engine from stalling with the same foot. Otherwise it will stall, try pulling out of junctions without making a t
t out of yourself! It is irritating as if you are stuck behind a load of traffic and have to back off, it goes all fluffy then you get the petrol stink. I wouldn't have it any other way though. When I worked in Bristol for a year, I swapped cars with mum as I would have cained a clutch every day. Blowers are exceptionally good though. Best route to cheap power is a Metro Turbo engine and some bowley pistons and a Ph2 cam.
A BMW 16v bike head costs about £350 if you are up for a bit of jiggery pokery and 140hp!
Hello expensive gearbox. Ouch
Edited by love machine on Sunday 5th November 14:43
Hi Thanks for the response.
think I'd like o stay with A series as I don't want to lose the mini essence.
Turbo sounds good but i do love the induction sound you get with carbs.
How much is a drivable engine gonna cost and is it something that can be made from the low mileage 1300 lump I already have?
Is 16v a great advantage over 8?
think I'd like o stay with A series as I don't want to lose the mini essence.
Turbo sounds good but i do love the induction sound you get with carbs.
How much is a drivable engine gonna cost and is it something that can be made from the low mileage 1300 lump I already have?
Is 16v a great advantage over 8?
m.e.d for me,
built me 2 short stroke 1071's.
one has done 5 years of thrashing in my road car and has never been touched, bar oil changes.
one has done 2 seasons of racing, this year has been almost a double season due to the enduro races ive been doing.
never missed a beat, bar a split pin falling out the end of the rockers, it marked one cam follower so it had followers and a oil pump.
agree with dan and the kad 16 valvers, though dan has (i imagine) leart the same lesson i learnt years ago, pay cheap. pay twice!
with a mini engine, you find your decent engine builder and stick with them, pay the money, dont scrimp on crap. and (hopefully) enjoy the reliability that comes with it.
built me 2 short stroke 1071's.
one has done 5 years of thrashing in my road car and has never been touched, bar oil changes.
one has done 2 seasons of racing, this year has been almost a double season due to the enduro races ive been doing.
never missed a beat, bar a split pin falling out the end of the rockers, it marked one cam follower so it had followers and a oil pump.
agree with dan and the kad 16 valvers, though dan has (i imagine) leart the same lesson i learnt years ago, pay cheap. pay twice!
with a mini engine, you find your decent engine builder and stick with them, pay the money, dont scrimp on crap. and (hopefully) enjoy the reliability that comes with it.
Can't agree more , been fitting MED parts for a few no. off years now with no problems, Lee and Steve both know what works and what doesn't and what is a waste of money. Peronally iv'e had a 1380 from them,drove it very hard everyday ,no problems, a 1071 great litle unit, presently running a full steel 1460 arrow rods billet 649 all the goodies 133genuine bhp great motor pulls its nuts off . Cant fault anything so far , AND if there was a problem im sure they'll sort it - which counts for a lot .
All the regulars, Swiftune, MED,Bill Richards, Slark. I had my Engine done by Ian Osbourne at OAP. Excellent engine and onece all the standar parts had been replaced on the car, ran for ages, until I got a new job and took it off the road. My father's 1330 Cooper S was built by Swiftune.
Wildfire said:
All the regulars, Swiftune, MED,Bill Richards, Slark. I had my Engine done by Ian Osbourne at OAP. Excellent engine and onece all the standar parts had been replaced on the car, ran for ages, until I got a new job and took it off the road. My father's 1330 Cooper S was built by Swiftune.
i use med 'cos he is in the north.
agree that swifty, bill, brian and oz are worth a ring if you are more south based.
i know people with engines built by them all, they are all customers of mine and all decent knowledgable people to speak to
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