Engine recommendations please...
Discussion
Hi everyone - first post on here and it seemed the best place to pick brains about my first Mini restoration. The Rio has just tripped into 6 figures (and caused remarkably few problems in all that time 
) and it's time to give it a bit of TLC. My idea is to make it into more of a GT, so decently nippy but not banzai acceleration, and the ability to sit at 90mph for a full tankful of fuel without shaking the occupants to pieces would be more like it, and preferably not so highly tuned that it needs stripping twice a year! While I'm happy to get my hands dirty looking after it, an engine rebuild is beyond my expertise at the moment, and so I'd be buying a complete unit. I'm budgeting around £8k for the whole job (sounds a lot, but ICE is my specialty and there are serious plans for that...
) so I'd be happy to go up to £2000-2500 for a good engine/gearbox. I should say that I want to stay with an A series derivative rather than any other - wouldn't really seem right otherwise! Any recommendations from personal experience? A quick flick through the magazines just told me that there are a lot of people doing all sorts of engines 
so a recommended few to contact would be very helpful. Thanks!
Rich
ps - should say that I'm in Cambridge/Newmarket area if by chance you know any in this neck of the woods
>>> Edited by DrFeelgood on Monday 4th April 18:15
) and it's time to give it a bit of TLC. My idea is to make it into more of a GT, so decently nippy but not banzai acceleration, and the ability to sit at 90mph for a full tankful of fuel without shaking the occupants to pieces would be more like it, and preferably not so highly tuned that it needs stripping twice a year! While I'm happy to get my hands dirty looking after it, an engine rebuild is beyond my expertise at the moment, and so I'd be buying a complete unit. I'm budgeting around £8k for the whole job (sounds a lot, but ICE is my specialty and there are serious plans for that...) so I'd be happy to go up to £2000-2500 for a good engine/gearbox. I should say that I want to stay with an A series derivative rather than any other - wouldn't really seem right otherwise! Any recommendations from personal experience? A quick flick through the magazines just told me that there are a lot of people doing all sorts of engines so a recommended few to contact would be very helpful. Thanks! Rich
ps - should say that I'm in Cambridge/Newmarket area if by chance you know any in this neck of the woods
>>> Edited by DrFeelgood on Monday 4th April 18:15
Supercharger eh? Hadn't thought of that! Is that within a DIY solution? I've changed subframes, suspension and brakes, and routine maintenance stuff, but never built an engine before 
What do you reckon the reliabilty of a supercharged A series built by a mechanical numpty would be 
? As there's no time factor in this project (other than the obvious impatience!) I suppose the logical (and therefore unlikely) route would be to rebuild a knackered engine for practice. However, once impatience sets in, and I've lost the thrust doodah behind the blue sprocket of death, and I just want my Mini working again, who would you call? I have a feeling my life is about to change direction....
What do you reckon the reliabilty of a supercharged A series built by a mechanical numpty would be ? As there's no time factor in this project (other than the obvious impatience!) I suppose the logical (and therefore unlikely) route would be to rebuild a knackered engine for practice. However, once impatience sets in, and I've lost the thrust doodah behind the blue sprocket of death, and I just want my Mini working again, who would you call? I have a feeling my life is about to change direction....
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