How to Get More HP from a Mini?

[phil hill]

I'm in contact with a guy in New York city who has just bought two late model minis, a 35th and a 40th anniversary (we won't mention the fact that mini's have to be older than 1973 to be imported to the states and these two are 1994 and 1999 respectively.....).

I could try and establish who and where he got them from if you would like. I'm working over in New York state at the moment and plan to meet the guy before I leave. Let me know.

[onLOoker]

That would be fine. But you must know that I am on a budget. A very very tight budget. When I bring up my price range, the seller/dealer usually laughs. If you think this is a waste of your time. Don't bother with it.

[miniman]

phil hill said:

(we won't mention the fact that mini's have to be older than 1973 to be imported to the states and these two are 1994 and 1999 respectively

I'm thinking that someone's got a stash of VIN plates...

[phil hill]

I guess the real identity of these is being "swapped" for an older vehicle, (my buddy said the 40th has the "identity" of a '63 mini......)and after all the DoT inspector over in the 'states isn't going to know the difference now is he ??

A bit dodgy but what ever works I guess.

[Mr2Mike]

Cooperman said:

I think you are right about the 266. I have not used one, but from the timing figs. it should be a great cam for a road engine with fairly high gearing.

Fantastic cam IME, tractor like torque but more top end power than an MG Metro cam.

[Cooperman]

onLOoker said:

I live in Washington, DC. I was suppose to bid for a car on Ebay. But lost it by couple of hundreds. I can't seem to find a cheap and reliable Mini for sale. The only Minis that I find cheap are out of the USA. But then shipping adds up... I would really like a 1275 Mini as a starter. Although, I have found several MK1 Minis for a cheap price. Many people have told me not to go for MK1 because the engine is too weak. You can't really get much power out of the engine unless swapping out. By then, it won't be affordable anymore.

I can't think why you were told the Mk 1 engine is 'weak'. The early Cooper 'S' engines are good for up to 90 bhp as reliable everyday road engines, whilst the early 1275 GT engines are OK for up to c.85 bhp for everyday use. Any 'A' series engine will lose reliability at much over these figures and it's just a trade off between reliability/drivability and power. Longevity is increased by changing the oil and filter every 1500 to 2000 miles.
Go for a pre-'73 Clubman GT for best value-for-money with a USA legally importable Mini, a Mk. 1 Cooper 'S' is expensive if it's any good.

[phil hill]

I have a Kent 276 in my 1380 and it's not as bad a cam as all that. My mistake I think was to add 1.5 ratio rockers. With standard ratio rockers it pulled quite well and felt reasonably torquey with power up into the 6K range. Once I added the 1.5 rockers it became more fussy at idle and although peak power increased the mid-range torque seems to have moved significantly up the rev range. This in turn leads to working the engine harder and a corresponding increase in fuel consumption. Now I know that fuel consumption is not something you hear about a lot when you modify your engine, but specific brake horsepower per unit of fuel is a good indication of the efficency of the engine overall.

Does anyone have any experience with with Swifttune profiles (SW5 & SW10) or any of the Elgin profiles ?? I'd be interested to know.