Recommend me a spec please
Turbo Mini Forums

Hi all,

Im new here and after umming and arring about what engine to use in my mini i had for the past 6 months or so had my mind set on doing the Promotive R1 conversion.However,when you add up everything its going to come to around 6-7k.

I got to thinking that i could have a well built turbo engine and box along with all the other bits needed and possibly have some cash left over.The car will be stripped and caged so really its a toy only and will be used on the weekends and maybe to get me to work very occasionally.

I would like to get around about 180 bhp along with everything needed to make it run reliably,is this realistic? I have a decent idea of the parts required but if anyone could recommend an engine spec to suit bearing in mind i also need to buy everything to go with the engine then that would be great.

Cheers Ross.

t25
mirage manifolds
ecu of some sort
decent head
pahse 2 cam
good intercooler
s/c box/drops
4 pin diff, although probably better with the swifty quaife.
cast or forged pistons with a dish to match your head, between 8.0 and 8.5:1
metty fuel pump
metty fuel reg
turbo inlet
std turbo carb
RR setup
maybe 18psi of boost
happy days



i would say 4k ish would see you right

Thanks for the quick reply,only thing i forgot to say was that i had been looking at megajolt to control the ignition side of things.Would this be up to the job?

Many thanks,Ross.

ross, heres one i did for a chap and just sold it....... http://turbominis.co.uk/forums/index.php?p=vt&tid=298868

megajolt is great!

Benross

I had been looking at that the other day,i think thats the sort of thing im looking for.

Im not looking to buy right now as i still have lots of welding to do on the shell but i would have been tempted by that,ive seen your work on here before and it looks very good.

Mini13

It seems like a nice solution for not too much money.Think it will be the way i go as i couldnt face wiring in something like megasquirt.

Cheers Ross.

Edited by rosco454 on 9th Aug, 2009.

wiring for the megajolt or megasquirt would be the same for ignition only

i havent used either but they would be fine, just depends on future plans.

I used an emerald ECU as at the time all the megajolt/squirt stuff was early days with less info/people using it so i wanted an off the shelf solution.

VEMS is another option.

Sorry,Iain yes i suppose it would be.For some reason i had it in mind as more of a system to control fueling as well when used with injection but as you say theres no reason why it couldnt be used for ignition only.

As you may have guessed im not big on wiring

This is probably a very basic question but is the mirage manifold better flowing than the standard T3 one from the metro?Also i believe it takes up less space at the back of the block when used with a smaller turbo,is this right?

Edited by rosco454 on 9th Aug, 2009.

basically its a case of do you want to cut the bulkhead or not.

there are arguements for and against mirage manifolds

The fast road legal turbo 5 port A series mini on here uses mirage...

I use mirage and they're fine.

All depends what you have and what you want to do.

Turbo selection makes a difference as you would have to adapt a T3 manifold for a T2 style flange. a lot of the GT range uses a T2 style flange as well i believe so more choice.

End of the day, its all a bit of what you want as there are so many variations

I dont mind cutting the bulkhead as the car is a bare shell rebuild and im doing all the welding myself.

I think i probably need to select a turbo and go from there.The only thing that springs to mind when ive looked at the marage is it looks like it wont flow very well as the design looks restricted (obviously due to not much space available).

Thanks for all your help by the way,Ross.

like i say, "looks", and "are" are two different things!

dont worry about it not flowing well enough, there are far more important bits than the manifold. the manifold is good enough to toruble the clutch and gearbox and do 12 second quarters. what more do you want?

That will do for me then,if the choice of turbos is better as well then it seems like its the one to go for.

I think that while im on with the bodywork,i will have to do some research as theres loads of things im uncertain of,decide on a spec and then go from there.

If anyone else has any other suggestions i would be interested to hear them.

Cheers Ross.