26 replies to this topic

[The Principal]

I'd agree with the coments above, the last engine I built was a fire breathing 1275 early A-Series it had everything fitted to it what I consdiered to be the ultimate 5 port engine. There are some notable draw backs as follows

 

1/ Driving around town is not very pleasant, in heavy traffic the clutch gets very hot as the engine has no bottom end torque so you need to rev it to pull away

 

2/ To get the best out of the car you have to drive it like you stole it, with these cars you push all the power to the top of the rev range and as such you need to drive accordingly

 

3/ Reliability becomes an issue when you tune it to the max more oil changes etc

 

4/ The mini gearbox will prevent you from outpacing most modern cars as you can get a quick start only to be quickly overhauled as you run out of gears or talent

 

My advice aim for something driveable your find the experience better and cheaper on the insurance

[wile e coyote]

Just a quick FYI to this one - nt all MG metro '940 heads are the same, working from jaded memory the ealry MG metro variants are the "big valve" ones to look for - having 1.4" inlets (all leaded as standard) later MG metros (and metro GTA's) - I think & don't quote me on this post er......87 (?) had the standard '940 unleaded head with smaller valves.... The early ones, if you can find a decent one, being the best starting point to try & get towards your desired horses...

[adam26y]

Thanks Wile, I'd forgotten the dimensions of the larger valves so now I know what to look for and will be measuring the heads to make sure they haven't been machined to death.

[adam26y]

Quick question quys
Have I missed and am in need if any more specialist tools?

I've got a Micrometer, internal bore gauges, vernier caliper and a Magnetic dti.

[wile e coyote]

A couple spring to mind.. main one being an accurate torque wrench, then a piston ring compressor (or home made alternative) and........... although not strictly necessary the clutch oil seal tool from minispares makes a fiddly job really easy....

That, hammer aside, is about it...but one extra that I always find useful is a tap set - there's always at least one dodgy thread somewhere and I like to make sure they're all clean & sound before commencing hostilities...

[adam26y]

Ah yeah. Torque wrench and ring compressor slipped my mind. Yeah a tap and die set is always worth having, it can make 3 hours of swearing half an hours worth lol. Shopping list is coming along nicely now. My father has every tool known to man in his workshop, shame I didn't get on with him, this would all be very easy

[Shaley]

Easy option here!! Go see your father!! Mine's been gone 2 years now and how I would love him to be helping me and his grandson!!

[albo]

are you talking about scalextric here,,i always liked me yellow mini,,

[Cooperman]

Over the years my son & I have restored 4 Cooper 'S' historic rally cars, two 1275's, a 1071 & a 970. Then we rallied together in them winning many national historic events. 

Then my Grandson & I restored a 998 Mayfair into a 1060 cc well modified version with 66 bhp and a 1997 Cooper 1275 MPI (rust free and currently for sale if anyone wants a really good Mini).

My Grandson has helped me to do the rally preparation and repairs since he was 4 years old and he is 19 next week.

I can only say that it has all been such fun to work with those youngsters and I'm proud that my son is now a senior design consultant working in Formula 1, partly as a result of gaining an interest and basic skills from working with his old dad.

[Jonesy1275]

Easy option here!! Go see your father!! Mine's been gone 2 years now and how I would love him to be helping me and his grandson!!

What he said!  my Dad used to build Minis from scratch and i wish he was still around to enjoy mine. Get over to see him, maybe the experience will bring you back together!

[zerobelow]

Easy option here!! Go see your father!! Mine's been gone 2 years now and how I would love him to be helping me and his grandson!!

 

I've been putting my Mini Marcos kit car for the last few months, a few hours here and there after work, with the help of my dad. It's amazing how helpful another set of hands are. (And, he's retired, so if a shop run needs to be done during business hours, he's able pick stuff up while I'm at work). It's been really fun working on car projects together.

 

Also, I've been getting some help and borrowed tools from local Mini enthusiasts. Advice, tools, and encouragement is always good to have around. 

[Cooperman]

All the young Mini owners seem to come around to see me, especially when they have a problem, and I'm delighted to be able to help them with their classic cars.

My Grandson has now sold his Cooper MPI and bought a 1971 MGB-GT for restoration. We'll get started on that as soon as the 850 Mini we are currently doing is a bit further along with the body resto complete and painted. It will be good to work on something other than a Mini and I'm looking forward to doing the MGB engine - it's just a big-Mini engine really.

As 'zerobelow' says, being retired is great.