27 replies to this topic

[lawrence]

Hi there people,
Now I know some people will say there are many topics like this but none of them are really aimed at answering my question

So,
I currently have my mini off the road, she will be going back on either at the end of this year or early next year. Bodywork and mechanicals she's pretty much sorted, however the engine is where she is being let down currently

She currently has the mg metro gta 72bhp engine with hif44 carb, mild cam, ported and polished cylinder head, lightened turbo clutch and quickshift. However the head has been skimmed a few times and when she was on the road the hg went every 3 months or so. In addition i did a compression test some months ago and the two middle cyclinder are down 40odd psi, i recollect 120,80,80,120. To add to that the gearbox needs a rebuild sometime soon as there's a lot of whining in a few gears.

So what my mini has is an engine that's hg goes all the time, will probably need piston rings etc and then a gearbox build. Around £400 I would say to get her fixed up.

Now my question is that when she's back on the road I intend to use her every few days to go relatively long distances a few times a week (approx 100miles ever 2 days)

So I was contemplating fitting a more reliable engine with 5 gears that does at least 405!

The choice of engines I've made so far are
-nissan micra 998/1275 engine (1990s)
-fiesta 1250 zetec engine (1995-2000ish)
-saxo (1990-200)
-Suzuki swift (1980-1990)
-Peugeot 106 (1990s)
-vw lupo
-smart car (800cc supercharged)

I'm basically looking at 1-1.6 litre small engines that will fit in a standard mini front,
(possibly with slight bodywork modifications)

Does anybody have any suggestions? Bear in mind I can weld etc and have mechanical skills to modify the engine to fit, please don't suggest hugely powerful engines as I won't be able to insure it (I'm only 21)

Thank you for any help
lawrence

[6joshh6]

I'd scratch the smart car engine of the list, underpowered, unreliable and difficult to service. I've heard good things about the micra engines though and apparently they fit nicely too.

[Spud_133]

Also the smart car engine is mounted diagonally under the car so you'd have problems with it sitting upright. I'd also rule out 106/saxo as I don't like them and they aren't as good as some of the other choices. I believe the zetec are too big to fit without major work. So that leaves you with swift or micra

[jeebz]

aren't the saxo and the 106 the same engines?

[Artful Dodger]

1.6 vtec simple !!


It's popular for a reason;)

[jaydee]

Micra engine, i've heard about a swift engine too

Forget all the other engines you mentioned, especially that one from a smart car.......

[rids]

micra all the way, all mods on subframe, no body mods needed, so if you want to go back to "a" series its not a problem. good reliable power without losing the handling or feel of a mini

[Merryck]

1.4 Fiat 500 Abarth engine.

 

If you've ever heard the sound of the exhaust you'll know why. Puts out 165BHP iirc. It's the same base engine as the TwinAir but tuned and with a big ol' turbo on it.

 

[lawrence]

Thank you guys, so pretty much I'm looking at swift or micra. I'm leaning more toward the micra as they are easy to get my hands on! The fiat Abarth engine could be lovely but I may have trouble insuring it haha! :) and towards the 1.6 zetec I used to have one of those in my old escort but from what I remember it was a big engine, possibly too big to fit in the mini without a lot of work.

If anyone's got any ideas for other tho I would love to know.
Many thanks
lawrence

[ToM 2012]

what about the vauxhall 1.6 gsi engine? or 1.4 sport? to big? 

[Gashmonster]

What about a small diesel turbo

[jmmini]

What about a 3 cylinder daihatsu turbo diesel?

[smartie93]

What about a small diesel turbo

Yeah, do something different :)

 

The problem with the Ford set up is that a suitable gearbox isn't available, and the standard IB5 is bulky and requires a lot of work apparently.

 

General consensus is why go through all that hassle when a far more powerful engine is a lot easier to fit.

 

But if you want to show off your fabricating skills I reckon a Puma 1.7 would go quite nicely :)

[Stella87]

My mate told me that someone did a relatively cheap volvo turbo engine conversion...Z Cars do a kit as well I think :) 

[alicetheauto]

I keep looking at going electric. Single large or 2 smaller motors, Bedford rascal diff, lithium batteries under the bonnet. You can get twist throttle units easy enough which could be modified with a simple linkage to the pedal. Everything held in a cage welded to the front subframe. Without any problem you could get 80+ miles range.