1065 replies to this topic

[Kam]

Kam keep us updated how you get on as I havn't decided on my exhaust yet and I dont want it excessively loud either so may consider an extra silencer?

I ran with the manifold to straight pipe to rear silencer setup, no issues with the b16 apart from pops off hard throttle which lets face it is always nice after some bootage

I kept this same setup for the b20 expecting the same as before but the pops off throttle are constant and while its nice farting on a sixpence there are times I don't want to be farting all the time! This is probably also because its a high compression engine...

Either way I need one, whether you do is down to your sanity

[gav]

Any pics of the alternator bracket bolted to the engine without the alternator fitted so I can see how it mounts please :)

[Kam]

Any pics of the alternator bracket bolted to the engine without the alternator fitted so I can see how it mounts please :)

Errmm yeah should have something somewhere, give me a mo to conjure up some pics, just putting together an update at the moment, not a "worth waiting for" update though...

[Kam]

Not really much to update so I'm gonna update it with alot of pics not to do with my car and few that are

Not been getting any 'mini time' lately, been working and other stuff blah blah blah blah blah but I'm supposed to be taking this to Germany in three weeks time so I better do something!

Started off with......not working on the mini (going to plan then!) and popped down to the new forest, ended up in beaulieu motor museum and apart from the usual stuff they had the Bond and Top gear stuff on which was cool, sorry if you've seen it all before down there but its for folk that haven't

Obviously they have one or two minis there





You can just see del boys runner aswell!



And the Top gear ones









And the other specials they made







Plus the Bond stuff





Actual car that rolled



God I would love to use this on the M25!



Anyways, back to the mini, my mini!

As the sump plug is goosed on my b16 baffled sump I got another baffle kit and went ahead and put it on my b20 sump



All done, just thought I'd pop in a shot of my brake bleeder, I know brake bleeders aint the most exciting thing on this planet! but I like my one



Just fill up the 2.5L bottle and hook up the res pot, pump up plunger to desired psi and just go round playing with your nipples! The 2.5L can easily fill up a bone dry car. Its not cheap but as a one man plunger it gets top marks in my top book

Back to less interesting stuff, I need a middle silencer as my car pops more than a fat man rolling around laughing on some carefully laid out bubble wrap!

As I've got a 2.5" link pipe there isn't really any room for anything major under there, I saw a short stubbly middle silencer which might have fitted but its only 25cm long, luckily they did a daddy one thats 62cm long, come to daddy!



So after using the Kam approach of measure once cut twice I shut my eyes and got the angle out on the link pipe



62cm might not seem that long but trust me, after the double kink in the link pipe where it was cut and the other end is as tight as I can go against the rear silencer it just fits



Next job - hang it up and fire it up!

[Kam]

Any pics of the alternator bracket bolted to the engine without the alternator fitted so I can see how it mounts please :)

Standard bracket with the bottom section cut off to clear the allspeed frame, original mount hole (near the top) elongated to cater for different heights for engine positioning, a new piece cut from 5mm steel that included a cut-out to clear the inlet manifold, small spacer was also made as the hole that passes through for the bolt is bigger on one side



In situ, you can see where it needs a weld and the cut-out for the inlet manifold



Three section ribbed crank pulley needed as the third v-groove won't help......



....because the bracket needs the outer pulley to be ribbed



I haven't patented the above yet so you still got time

[gav]

Thanks mate, when you say standard bracket do you mean the standard bracket you made or have you modified teh Honda bracket? At the moment my alternator has been relocated to the front of the block but am thinking of moving it above the engine mount.

[Rhys]

Gav, the alternator needs to be on the engine so it can move with it. If you solid mount on the subframe, you will put a lot of stress on it and it will break in some way or another.

[gav]

Ah yeah I know that, although I have seen a few cars with the alternator mounted on the body without any problems. By above the engine mount I mean it would still be mounted to the engine.

[Rhys]

Ah OK sorry I didn't quite get it.

[Kam]

Its not a standard honda bracket, sorry, its the bracket for the minitec frame, I just took a gamble and bought it and cut into it and made it work, if your engine sits quite far back (standard roundnose) then you need to chop off a bit of the triangular support in the corner of the bulkhead. The bracket is about $223 (£141) then you got import duty on that over here, so look around £170 to your door....

Yeah as Rhys says its better it attaches to the engine itself, some people do run with it attached (above the engine mount tucked under the wing) but unless your mounts are top notch then as your engine will rock anything upto 5mm thats alot when you try and get the right tension on the belt

I know you mean to have it attached to the engine above the mount in that wing space which would be good but just bear in mind if your belt runs around the whole mount then when you need to change the belt you have to take the mount off - not easy to do by the roadside

[johny:)]

Hi Kam where did you get that silencer from i think i realy need one of them as my mini was giving me a head ake just running in the garage for 5 minits i think it would be undrivable how loud it is
thanks john

[Kam]

Hi Kam where did you get that silencer from i think i realy need one of them as my mini was giving me a head ake just running in the garage for 5 minits i think it would be undrivable how loud it is

It will be driveable, I ran my b16 which was an untuned engine using just a manifold to a play mini 2" straight link pipe and rear silencer, it wasn't too loud or boomy but would pop and spit on demand, got a bit tiresome after a while, some people were telling me I needed a middle silencer....

With this b20 as its a built motor and tuned up and I'm still running a manifold but to a 2.5"link pipe to rear silencer I was expecting pretty much the same as before but its super crazy now so a middle silencer is definitely needed

I got mine from Merlin, heres there 2.5" selection, mine is on page 2 - Clicky

[Kam]

Ok, finally finished up with the exhaust and hung it up



The back of the middle silencer is touching the handbrake bracket but not much I can do about that as I can't move the silencer any further forward or back, it'll do, I'll see what its like out on the road...

Still got a couple more bits to finish off in the bay but 97.5% of it is done now





Started it up and its definitely quieter, not a helluva lot quieter but quieter, the garage don't shake as much now...

Took it out for a little spin, had to rush back though so couldn't stay out long enough to let the oil do its thing so vtec could do its thing, I'll get a better vid done another time, this was just to gauge what its like out on the road incase it had been a wasted effort with the exhaust



It might not seem it on the vid but its quieter than before, only getting a muffled pop or spit after changing gear and after letting off on hard throttle it only pops a bit - and definitely no burbling when I'm coming to a standstill in traffic, means I can sneak up to unwary cars...

Engine mounts are good, nice and solid, bit more vibration in the cab but nothing tragic, shocks are set way too soft to need to set them harder as the front lifts a bit on flooring it

Full throttle starts are a no go at the moment till I learn how to control my right foot! these tyres (yoko a539's) spin up easy and after trying a couple of traffic light gp's it torqued steered and then spun up after hitting second...still working on that thing called control...

I'm taking this to Germany in a couple of weeks time, but I might take it somewhere else first this weekend, if all goes well...

[Rhys]

Looks great, main thing is you get to drive it a little now and again! Must be great.

[Kam]

Right

I'm taking the mini to Germany next week so at the moment the car deserves a little RnR before that trip, unfortunately I did a very Kam thing and took it to my mates house, fortunately he lives in cornwall........unfortunately thats one or two miles from Kent!



Any issues getting there and back?





Long live the mini

Nuff said!