What would yo do?!
Turbo Mini Forums

Hi guys, ive been rebuilding my turbo engine for about a year now, things have been moving really slow as im a student with a part time job so can only afford about a part a month lol. Im off to university in september and am in debt from my turbo build already! (not good going to uni in debt is it lol) and think i may have to sell the mini to get me through the first/coming years.

I really dont want to but if the worst comes to worst i wouldnt know what to do, i have 2 options:
1. finish the conversion on a budget, get it running well and sell it.
2. build the engine on a budget but leave out the turbo so i dont have to buy fuel pumps and tanks and lines and boxes etc. and then sell it. and flog the turbo seperately.

The car has been sat for a year now and is beggining to rust a bit but i can sort that. What would you guys do if you where in my position?

personally, id buy a 998 engine and box, dump that in the mini, sell it. but keep your turbo kit lump.
youve had a mini so your obviously going to miss it and get another. by then youll have finished your turbo engine so youll just have to dump it in and run the lines.

Project - 998 turbo

*gulps as he enters his second year of BSC Multimedia design after reading the previous post*

Project - 998 turbo

Other thing to do is make your grades better than just 'average'.

And if that involves knuckling down and not messing about with cars for the next two years, then so be it...

I worked like a mexican on commision in the last two years of my degree - and got a 2:1... Which is pretty much the 'minimum' required these days. But even a first counts for little without experience or if you have the charisma and personality of a damp towel (not saying you have LOL).

As regards the mini - well, I don't know what to say.
Minis with 1275 motors sell for more than minis with 998's.
Minis with turbo's sell for more than minis with 1275's ***to the right buyer***

BUT - if it's a pre-1981 mini then you open up a new world of potential buyers called 'Americans'. Offer to drive it to the docks, assist with paperwork etc, and you'll have a few wanting to do business with you. :)

998's sell quicker though lol

WQrite to companies if you get stuck, it could start as cheap labour, but could end up as an apprenticeship.

if you do arrange overseas selling, watch out for nigerian emails..

Project - 998 turbo

How much will it cost you to finish the car? Will the sale of the parts clear the debt? If you are in debt already maybe it's time to cut your losses? I should've done this years ago lol!

hmmmm 1.8vvc

MGF displacers
MGF gearbox with LSD

13" slicks

12.5" brakes (well almost lol)

Lovely little car that Rover 100 :p

Alex

AlexF

Thanks for the reply's guys it really does help giving me options because im having tearing hair out times at the moment!

Im going to swansea intitute uni on the 25th of sept to do a degree in motorsport engineering so i dont think its a pants degree really, i can get a decent job somewhere when i come out. Im £500 overdrawn on a £600 overdraft. My car is rusting like a swine where its been sat a while.

Someone might remember that my n/a engine popped around xmas - the reason why i started the turbo build. I have the engine, a 1275 minus the head and carb but everything else is there, the big/main bearings need replaceing and maybe the rings. Im thinking of ripping it down slapping it back together and painiting it, sorting the rust and selling it. Ive got 4 weeks to do it :/

I always get told that engineers are in short supply...

But then it seems they still dont want to pay them very much unless your going to work away from home!

Fortunately i dont mind working away otherwise the wages round here are pants!

To fix up my 1275 engine and sort the rust will cost me about £100 im thinking. With a lick of paint and abit of a nip and tuck the car should be quite tidy. Im not sure how much it will be worth though. I bought it for 2k and the shell has done 63k miles in all, since i bought it ive added:
Gaz shocks and hi-los
Sports pack arches
7x13 ultralites with good yoko tyres
3 clock dash and mountney steering wheel

and when its fixed up a perfectly good 1275 motor. a years MOT.

How much would it be worth? £2500? Could i get £3000? would be pretty good figure but im nout sure really. Sounds depressing but i will keep the turbo engine and get a shell to refurb one day in the future like someone suggested.