15 replies to this topic

[dan.shadbolt]

I am very new to mini's, but I am really wanting to restore a 1980's mini and was wondering what is the best engine and where do I find one? any help will be greatly appreciated

Thankyou

[Cooperman]

Hi Dan,

 

Welcome to our Mini site.

 

When you ask what is the best engine, the question must be 'best for what'?

 

The Mini is a true classic, so the best engine to suit the way you want to use this classic can be anything from a standard 998 from which you'll get real 'period' driving experiences, to a modified 1275 unit which will give you a taste for what it was like to own & drive a Cooper 'S' 50 years ago. It will seem slow and harsh compared to modern cars, but will be such fun.

[Guess-Works.com]

The best engine is the one which works.... all the time !

[rally1380]

How old are you Dan?  The best engine for you might be one you can afford the insurance for....no point plonking a 1275 in if you can't afford to run it.

 

In all honesty I had loads of fun with a 998 in my first mini. Once you've shoved a daft exhaust on it (I was young!!!) and a K&N filter the noise makes it feel like it's far quicker....was probably slower in reality.

[Luke.c123]

my mini is a 998, my first car, like rally1380 said, i also have a loud exhaust and a airfilter and it flies around country lanes,

 

and the best thing is whatever speed you can get, you can normally take into the corners ;) ive had TONS OF FUN in my 998

[hellom8]

There are quite a few Mini engines and also engine conversions.

It's amazing what people put into a Mini, check out project Binky on youtube for example.

[AVV IT]

Hi & Welcome to TMF

As above really, choosing the best engine depends on what you want out of an engine, your budget and who's going to be doing the work. The first choice is going to be wether you want an A-Series (I.e the type of engine that the mini had originally), or a modern engine conversion instead.

A modern engine conversion will provide more power and reliability, but fitting one requires a great deal of work and modification, so you'd need to have sufficient skill and mechanical knowledge to do this yourself, or a very large budget if you intend on getting someone else to do it for you. If you're sticking with the A-series, then a new engine could involve anything from dropping in a standard donor 998 from another car, to buying a reconditioned, rebuilt, 1275 that has been rebored, tuned and modified. As another A-series is a direct replacement for what you have already, then this would be the easiest and cheapest option in terms of fitting. Sourcing one though depends on your budget and how much risk you are willing to take. Donor engines can be found fairly cheaply in the classifieds section here, on eBay & from specialist breakers. You can drop these straight in, in a matter of hours, but as you won't know for sure what condition the engine is in until you've actually fitted it, then this can be risky.

Reconditioned snd completely rebuilt engines are available from most of the big classic mini suppliers, and some offer a fitting service if you aren't able to do this yourself. These come in various sizes and stages of tuning and modification to suit your requirements and your budget. A cheaper option would be to buy one of these in kit form to build yourself, if you have the skills and facilities to do so. The other option would be to strip down and rebuild your existing engine, or source a donor one to rebuild instead. The cost of this option depends on what condition the engine is in, how much work it needs, how much you are able to do yourself and weather you want a standard spec engine or to modify it.

Whichever option you choose, there is a great deal of advice, guidance and experience here, so don't be afraid to ask.

[mk1leg]

Hi..and welcome to TMF and enjoy..................

[Alex_B]

Personally, I think the best engine is a a-series with some 21st century modifications to update its design and improve on its flaws. 

I am currently planning a build of a 1275cc a-series with a BMW 16v twin cam cylinder head. Far from cheap but will hopefully still have the mini feel but with 130bhp ish. (I am however planning to build a fast road / hill climb car so low speed drivability isn't my main aim, thus this sort of engine may not be "best" for you) 

[Bubblebobble]

A-series all the way , the only way for me . Its what gives it its character .

[Pingu]

Engine down to personal choice and how deep are your pockets.
We where going to bore our engine out to 1380 and make to silly crazy engine but we bought a second engine and turns out it has few cooper parts on it and we going to restore back to it's glory and keep it very period.
But all I know is don't matter what engine you have or how fast or slow you are going you will have fun no matter what. Good luck and have fun :0)

[dan.shadbolt]

Thank you for all of the advice

 

I am thinking of doing a full restoration as a hobby so in one sense, money will not be a problem. I would like to the best driving experience so am I right in thinking that a 1275 is best?

 

How much is insurance for this and also how much will the engine cost, where will I get it from

 

Thankyou

[racurtis01]

The 1071 engine is the most free revving and hence always considered the best. But finding one may be difficult.

[Guess-Works.com]

970

[AVV IT]

The cost of insurance is going to depend on many things, your age, driving experience, value of the car, any modifications, your occupation, postcode and the type of policy.

As for where to get an engine, I think I pretty much covered most of the options in my earlier post. Is there any particular option you'd like to know more about?