1446 replies to this topic

[alexcrosse]

yer, the fracture split conrods scared the bujebus into me! then i realised they were all the same!

tip for steam seals... 10mm long socket.

[The Matt]

Hmmm, I'm being talked into a VERY tasty bottom end now!

The decent Mahle pistons are only £50 a piece, then there's the ARP bolt set, then there's the...................Oh, I dunno. Just seems that it might as well be the way I want it, now it's all apart and being rebuilt.

Ah well, if it's worth doing at all, it's worth doing properly! isn't it?!?

[mini93]

just buy low compression pistons now and a turbo n that will be just peachy haha or a poopercharger

[The Matt]

Seriously, don't put ideas into my head David!

I've already thought about it!

[mini93]

just of curiosity which would you prefer of the 2? haha damn no devil faces

[The Matt]

Never owned either, but I'd think the turbo would be an option if there was room to fit one on the manifold somewhere.

Anyway, shurrup. It can't happen unless I sell a limb!

[Juju]

Anyway, shurrup. It can't happen unless I sell a limb!

Do it! DO IT!!!
I'll make you a prosthesis!

[jayare]

LOL @ JuJu!

I thought the idea with these Vauxhall lumps is that you throw it in, thrash the living poo out of it and when it breaks, you buy a written off Corsa/Astra/Vectra, alleviate it of it's engine, weigh in the rest and put the 'new' engine in the Mini - just like we used to do with Metros 10 years ago (except the Metros were normally rotten rather than crashed)!

JR

[alexcrosse]

you may chuck in another 1.6 8v... but not a 16v,

the appeal i have to these blocks, is there real engines unlike A series =p 5 bearing cranks, 5 gears, reliable! sorted!

[pod51]

Managed to pick myself up a bargain off of eBay a few weeks back thats similar to what your trying to achieve, god damn its a feckin blast to drive.





Gonna be well worth all the effort your putting into it. Can I ask approx how much £££'s this little project has cost so far ?

[The Matt]

Hey, yeah I saw your thread about the mini you'd bought. Looks like a nice one too!

Cost so far is ridiculous, I've changed my mind that many times, then given parts away that the total's running to many thousands.

If I'd decided to go down this Vauxhall engine conversion route from day 1 and had taken the mini, bought an engine, bought the subframe kit, done a decent job of all the extras like the pedal box, fuel lines, it'd be about £2k ish.

Not bad when you think about how much you can spend on trying to do a decent A series build. If I look at what I spent on the 1380 that I built, with the SCCR gear kit and all the luvvly jubbly A series bits, the costs were far far above that £2k.

I'd agree with Alex 100%, that these engines are so much better than your average A series. But to be fair to the A series, they're an old design, they're made to be a compact unit and that's what gives them their inherent weeknesses (not enough main bearings being a good example! By the time I'd spent all of my money on the A series build, I was already feeling like the engine was just a money pit, waiting for more to be spent. Saying that, perhaps I just took the wrong approach with it in the first place.

I'm in a pretty good position to do a cost comparison of doing a high spec A-series, or a decent Vauxhall conversion and I'd recommend that the conversion route is by far the more sensible option.

[The Matt]

well, I've done something!



Got the gearshift bulkhead box welded in place (hope it's in the right place)

Also trial fitted the gearbox to see how it lines up (looks OK).

Should have my freshly rebuilt engine back in a week too, so I reckon I can really get cracking next weekend! I've also bought an Acewell digital dash, so got to wire that in (along with the ECU and all the other gubbins).

WHEEEEEEEEE!
I have to accept that when I go the ring, it's going to look a dog as I aint got time nor money to do the bodywork. That'll get done when I get back.

Desperately need to get my hands on an MPi rad and fuel tank now though, like tomorrow! Plus I need a pair of tower bolts!

[Juju]

WHEEEEEEEEE!
I have to accept that when I go the ring, it's going to look a dog as I aint got time nor money to do the bodywork. That'll get done when I get back.

So we're going then? Are you suuuuuuuuuuuuuure she's gonna be road worthy on time???

I've got al my bits crossed.

[Bec]

So excited!


Now get cracking and get her ready in time, no excuses.

[Deathrow]

Now now, look at this! Progress!

Keep it coming Matt .