new to turbos just a few Q's
Turbo Mini Forums

hey all, well my gearbox died on my 1380 over the weekend so its finaly time to turbo my clubby while the engines out. ive got a standard mg turbo engine and ive just built a s/c c/r box up for it but im wondering if one of my other engines might be a better candidate for turboing as the bores in the turbo are a little warn. im not looking for silly power but 120 - 130hp would be nice.

kicking about ive got the 1380 which is using omega 11cc pistons, 286 cam at the minute, u/l flywheel etc and a good howely stg 3 head with 24cc chambers, i know the compression will be too high using the current head on it so that would have to go but would the rest of the engine be worth using if i got a 30cc turbo head? or is the lack of bore thickness a real downfall?

other than that i have a 1330 again runing 11cc hepolite pistons, and the usual modded crank etc

ive also got a 1275 metro engine but its got very deep dish pistons, both the block and pistons have a B mark stamped into them?, the only engines that seem to match it are some metro comercial engines which run a 8-1 or 8.5 - 1 compression ratio cant remember details off the top of my head, i'll find the piston numbers tonight when i get down to my garrage. that sort of seems like a good candidate for it as the compressions already low but im guessing the pistons might not be up to it?

anyway any thoughts or opinions would be much apreciated as im sort of getting stuck with what best to do looking forward to going turbo whichever way it goes tho
cheers steve.

doh! why did i start messing with it!

I'd use the 1380, replace the cam, and either run very low boost or put on a different head

Team Racing

i would do the same, aim for 8.8 to 9 cr run about 10 psi, change the cam, the 1380 will respond well as long as you get her rolling roaded.

my 1380 turbo is right on the button eg 2k floor the throttle and hey we have boost and she is off.

always looking for them bigger bunches of bannanas

nice one, thanks for the replies. tbh thats just what im after realy, one of my aims was to keep the lag down a little, or at least have some power off boost. i mean i do drive em pretty hard anyway so its not often going to be off boost but theres always the odd ganny doing 30mph in a 60 zone to drop you off it. what cam would i be best going for then? i dont think i have any kicking about other than an mg one so i think an order will be going through to avonbar .
thanks for your thoughts, im sure i'll find some more questions yet.
cheers
steve.

Edited by hippyinamini on 20th Apr, 2005.

doh! why did i start messing with it!

MG cam is suposed ot be similar to the avonbar phase 2 cam? if it is coudl save you a few quid fi the one you have us usable.

Dan

Hi, if you are new to the turbo minis thing, just be aware that a proper rolling road setup is ESSENTIAL before you run any engine build in anger, a lean turbo mini will very quickly detonate and do its pistons a mischief!

A good rule is to run the engine on little or no boost until you have had it tuned and the needle etc modified to suit.

All the best with whatever you decide to do, with a few engines to choose from you have plenty of choice.

yeah dont worry, it'll see a rolling road before it has any boost lol. i aint about to see it go up in smoke now ive finaly got on the right track
cheers dan thats usfull info mate.
cheers steve.

doh! why did i start messing with it!

Which MG cam have you got ? if it's from a normally aspirated MG Metro then it's definately worth using as it's a better cam, if it's from the Turbo then don't bother as it's just standard.

Phil.

WWW.TURBO-MINI.COM

must agree with turbo phil that the mg N/A cam is excellent cam choice for a turbo motor

the avonbar phase 2 in my book is a little too hot for for road applications. its a bit of beast!!!!

its one bit up from the the mg n/a cam in timing figures and a little extra tacked on the exaust for good measure as well

and that makes it a little too LUMPY for the road
in my oppinion!

but.........................................

Ben speaks well, certainly I'm not overly happy with my ph2 now it sports 1.5 rockers. It wasn't too bad on 1.25 mind,

What is interesting is defferent peeps perception of 'road usable' !

well i'm new to all this cam lark and i'm running a ph2 with standard rockers. ticks over at 1k fine and i haven't noticed any lumpiness or any difference in general to how it ran with a standard turbo cam if you get what i mean?

lol its the mg n/a cam i belive so i'll use that if its not warn out lol good point turbo dave, to me the 286 was pretty usable, guarenteed it was a pig in town but most my driving is on old country lanes anyway so plenty of opertunitys to let her rip, before that it was a 649 in my 1330 so im pretty used to keeping the revs up now , i guess cam wise its all pretty location specific i certainly wouldnt want a 286 if i spent 99%of my time in town,

been looking through vizzards book and tried to work out my current CR. from what i can work out ive got about a 9.5 - 1 at the moment, the blocks been decked to piston height or at least very close to it (i dont have any tools to measure perfectly :$ ) anyway looking at it the morspeed or avonbar 30cc heads would give me an 8.5 - 1 CR which is a bit better for a turbo so im learning , anyone got any opinions on the morspeed one? turbo booster head i belive its called,
cheers steve.

doh! why did i start messing with it!

i've got one of the morspeed st2 heads with a 29cc dish, seems fine to me. pretty sure alexF is running the st3 booster head aswell. simons a sound bloke and his work is top notch aswell.

cool i'll give em a bell when ive saved up a bit again, im still skint from buying the s/c gear set just hope the bloody thing works cause i built it up myself!
oh checked the cam and its got kc500 stamped in it, is that the mg one or am i barking up the wrong tree
steve.

doh! why did i start messing with it!

KC500 is the same as the MG metro cam - except made by Kent Cams, rather than the Austin-rover cam supplier.

ah right cool cheers for the info, it'll do the trick then.
steve.

doh! why did i start messing with it!

i am gonna say it and get shouted at but decompression plate from vmax should get you going without forking out for a new head talk to stuart

yeah but its £50 at morspeed to have your chambers enlarged.... about the same price as a plate? and a better way of doing it.

yeah tbh i think id rather do it right and get a turbo head, never realy liked the thought of decompression plates.
steve.

doh! why did i start messing with it!

you dont need a turbo head, they're the same. well as much as matters anyway

bin the sodium filled valves and get some good stainless ones in there.

lol, well the head im using at the moment is an old howely stg 3 head, it seems to give good power in n/a form, and i like the idea of boosting the power that the engine already has with the turbo so if its alright to use i'll keep it for the time being.

its running about the same compression as std mg turbo 9.4 - 1 so im guessing once its fueled right i can keep the 7psi boost, but what could it be safely taken up to with an intercooler etc?
steve.

doh! why did i start messing with it!