31 replies to this topic

[JoneseyBoy]

Im only 15 and this is going to go into my first mini and got to pay for it all my self, ive got to rebuild a engine + gearbox but i need to know how much it would roughtly cost. im pretty much looking on replacing every thing that you can.

[oli8925]

Im only 15 and this is going to go into my first mini and got to pay for it all my self, ive got to rebuild a engine + gearbox but i need to know how much it would roughtly cost. im pretty much looking on replacing every thing that you can.

including pistons, cam etc. or do you just mean the servicables? if you really mean everything it can go into thousands easily*

edit:*with new parts of course

Edited by oli8925, 14 December 2008 - 10:12 PM.

[JoneseyBoy]

Im only 15 and this is going to go into my first mini and got to pay for it all my self, ive got to rebuild a engine + gearbox but i need to know how much it would roughtly cost. im pretty much looking on replacing every thing that you can.

including pistons, cam etc. or do you just mean the servicables? if you really mean everything it can go into thousands easily*

edit:*with new parts of course

Well im getting given a mini engine to start me of with but he said he dosent know if it still runs , so i though that it would be better of to rebuild the hole thing. would i be better of just changing a few parts. But would needs to be changed

[oli8925]

ah right, so a good checking over and clean up, but no fancy performance parts? couldnt really tell you but not a great deal.

id check to see if it still runs first though. some fresh petrol does pure wonders. replace sparks, leads, points, condenser, dizzy cap, change oil and coolant. could well fire straight up, they often do. then get a gas tester to tune the carb and check cylinder pressures to make sure your all good and you could save yourself a great deal. all those bits you will need to do/get anyway, they dont cost much and theyre widely available from most motor factors.

[JoneseyBoy]

o ok cheers mate. what else do you think i could do to the engine to make it better e.g. roller rockers

[Southy]

A rebuild of an engine depending on what it will need canr vary really.
When i rebuilt mine, all it needed was a new set of shells,oil pump and new gasket set and 2 idler needle roller bearings.
But i decided to put a new cam and lightened duplex chain on, in total i spend £170 for the parts.

This is all the parts i bought for it


From left to right:
Engine and head gasket set
New cam bearings
Thrust washers
2 idler needle rollers
lightened duplex including chain
performance cam with new followers and double springs
Big end and Main shells
And a new oil pump

It really depends on the current condition of your engine, it may need to have a crank regrind or be rebored depending on the condition, i was lucky with mine in that it had not long since been done so was in good knick.

What engine have you been given, a 998 unit or a 1275?

[JoneseyBoy]

would it be worth changing the cam,crank,pistion+rings,valves,push rods,oil pump and the timeing ??? and roughtly how much

[JoneseyBoy]

Its a 998cc engine and i dont think it has ever been re-bored

[mini_mad69]

Im currently building my 1380.
Im not doing a full rebuild though.
Ive got new main shells, big end shells, thrusts, top gasket set, lower gasket set.

I didnt bother with new piston rings as mine are still quite new.

It all depends on how far you want to go with your rebuild,

rebore, new pistons, rings, new cam, cam followers, rockers, reground crank, the list goes on.

[oli8925]

if your planning on driving it at 17, i would suggest no to new pistons, cam and performance things, purely because of the cost of insuring a modified car for a young'un. obviously little bits would make it more spritely, but not really needed. if you do want it to be a bit more nippy, get a stage 1 kit. you can always take it out and add bits at a later date if you want. but it can start to get very pricey. at some point im getting an old 1275 to strip and rebuild with some serious performance as a 1293. some bits i will get off ebay and rebuild etc to be as good as new, but if i were to buy it all new it would come to somewhere around £2k+.

its gonna take me a sodding age to build this car, and i work full time around 50 hours a week, earning a half decent average wage for my age. when i used to just work sundays and just started, i didnt really have the money to do much at all to it. so i guess what im trying to say is dont dive in head first, take it bit by bit. but then again i dont know your own personal situation, so it might not apply to you. maybe your loaded, in which case...lucky git!

Edited by oli8925, 15 December 2008 - 12:28 AM.

[JoneseyBoy]

ok hmmm. lots to think about lol. what would you change on a rebuild ??

[JoneseyBoy]

if your planning on driving it at 17, i would suggest no to new pistons, cam and performance things, purely because of the cost of insuring a modified car for a young'un. obviously little bits would make it more spritely, but not really needed. if you do want it to be a bit more nippy, get a stage 1 kit. you can always take it out and add bits at a later date if you want. but it can start to get very pricey. at some point im getting an old 1275 to strip and rebuild with some serious performance as a 1293. some bits i will get off ebay and rebuild etc to be as good as new, but if i were to buy it all new it would come to somewhere around £2k+.

its gonna take me a sodding age to build this car, and i work full time around 50 hours a week, earning a half decent average wage for my age. when i used to just work sundays and just started, i didnt really have the money to do much at all to it. so i guess what im trying to say is dont dive in head first, take it bit by bit. but then again i dont know your own personal situation, so it might not apply to you. maybe your loaded, in which case...lucky git!

lmao im far of loaded. but im am working in a body work shop so i will only have to pay for paint and panels for the shell so i will get of lightly with that one. so i thought i could put a bit more money into the engine. would a sage 1 kit put up the insurance. and what do you recomend i do to the engine then.

Edited by JoneseyBoy, 15 December 2008 - 12:40 AM.

[Southy]

would it be worth changing the cam,crank,pistion+rings,valves,push rods,oil pump and the timeing ??? and roughtly how much

A performance Cam can cost from £30 for something like a Mini Sports own grind cam upto £180+ for a Kent Billet Cam
At the end of the day it all balls down to money and what you have to spend. It maybe worth while going for something mild, Ive used Mini Sports CA2 cams before and im rather pleased with them, others may suggest an SW5 cam.

There wont be any need to change the crank, the crank may well be in good nick and just needs a new set of shells for it or it may need a grind if it is marked and 'picked up' on a journel, which will cost you about £80, including new set of shells to match.

New pistons, again it depends on the current condition of your engine, if its still fairly newish like mine was (still had honeing marks in bores) then there isnt much point.But if its an oldish engine it may be worth while having the bores glazzed busted (quick freshen up of the bores with the honer), IF there is only minimum wear in the bores. (ie no ridge at the top of the bore)

If there is a ridge then the block will have to be bored to the next size, could be +20, +40, or +60 which would require a new set of pistons, budget for about £140 for these, and whilst the block is stripped it might aswell have a skim also to make sure the surface is flat, look to pay roughly about £80 or so for this work to be carried out too the block.

The valves in the head could possibly do with being recut to make sure that they are sealing in the valve seats, rough pricing for this is about £50

Push rods provoiding that they arent bent will be able to be reused again, just give them a clean up and they will be fine.

Oil Pump, well whilst the engine is apart you may aswell change the oil pump as its not easy to get at when the engine is in the car plus if your going to all this trouble on rebuilding and engine, it will be wrong not too change it as the oil pump over time can become worn and scorn on the inside due to bits of debry in the engine which can cause reduced oil pressure. Std pumps are about £25

And finally the timeing, well again it depends on your funds, you could quite easily reuse the std simplex chain on an engine, just replace the chain for a new item and put a new tensioner plate on. Most people like to upgrade to a duplex item (£25) as there tends to be very little stretch in the chains compared to simplex ones. You could go for a lightened one (£35), or if your usuing a fancy cam use a vernier type(£90) one for adjustable timing.

Edited by Southy, 15 December 2008 - 12:48 AM.

[Southy]

if your planning on driving it at 17, i would suggest no to new pistons,

As long as the engine is at a std re-bore (+20, 40,60) and not on an overbore then there is no need to declare it to your insurance is what i heard but I dunno as increasing the CC increases the power....

Edited by Southy, 15 December 2008 - 01:03 AM.

[oli8925]

thats pretty useful! wish i worked in a bodyshop god knows i could use one!

a stage 1 might put insurance up a bit, but some places wont. depends where you go, you've just got to do A LOT of shopping around to find the best deal. so give yourself plenty of time to find it, not 2 hours like i did a stage 1 will give you all you need as a first time driver.

a stage 1 is generally just a performance filter for your carb a new needle and possibly a manifold or two or summit and an exhaust system i think. so it wont affect your rebuilding the engine. i suggest you replace the obvious as a normal maintenance rebuild. piston rings and etc like that, obviously all the gaskets and the list i made earlier of all the engine bay servicables (but add to the list oil filter). if it hasnt been run for a while, might also be worth cleaning and rebuilding the carb, or getting one of the rebuild kits from minispares.


*oh, seems southy was there long before i was

Edited by oli8925, 15 December 2008 - 12:52 AM.