What engines can be fitted into a mini/clubman??
Turbo Mini Forums

Me and a m8 were thinking of buying a mini (maybe a clubman) for as cheap as possible to use as a track day car. I am good with all things mechanical, and he is an engineer, so can make engine mounts etc etc

We were wondering what the possibilities are concerning engines? We are ideally looking for something with a bit more capacity than the metro turbo 1.3, maybe 1.6+? We want something that doesn't break the bank, which will be a reliable engine with good scope for more power.

What is the size of the engine bay compared to a Ford KA? is it a lot smaller? I am asking that because is there any chance of possibly squeezing in a fiesta turbo engine? You can get them in the KA bay without too much trouble.

Thanks for any help

i have seen an rs turbo engine in the rear of a mini, but the only two engines i would like to try in a mini is the 1.6 honda b16 v-tec lump, or vauxhall xe 2ltr engine.

A-series power! 1972|1310|T3 turbo|Omega pistons|Cantre main strap|Orange clutch diaphragm|AP race plate|Comp pressure plate|Lightened steel flywheel|13-row oil cooler|Vernier duplex timing gear|Phase 2 Piper cam|Green air filter|Hi boost carb needle/spring|2"Stainless exhaust|3"Play mini stainless rear box|Jack Knight s/c 4spd gearbox|Jack Knight s/c drop gears|Silicon coolant hoses|Lumenition HT leads|GAZ lowered height shocks all round|Steel flip-front|Rear safety devices cage|Group 5 arches|6x12 deep dish Minilites|Surf blue/Old english white|

Well you definitely need a Rover V8 ! Cheap, relatively easy to fit and plenty of scope to exceed the roadholding capabilities...

Jukka

You can find almost anything in, I've seen v6 alfa engines, get your grinder out

Team Racing

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Factory/2760/Viku2.html

Here you go for my favouritist conversion of them all....

That is such a neat install, it's better laid out than most A series engine. Much better than mine for sure

Team Racing

Yes, it is neat and sadly the photos fail to show all the tiny details.

Jukka

Cheers for the replies!!

So are rover v8s easy to find then? Sounds like a good idea to me. Would this engine be perfect for track days etc? Whats the reliability factor like with this engine? The gearbox is mounted underneath the engine? Sounds perfect.

Jukka whats the performance like with this engine in the mini? Sorry for all the questions, we just want to get it all right first time

:cool:

Have you thought about the Vauxhall 2L XE lump

Team Racing

Dunno m8, tell me a bit more about em please??!

How easy r they 2 fit, power they produce, tuning capabilities, what cars are they found in- easy to find??

cheers peeps :cool:

I don't know much about them, but the engines can be found in Astra, and cavaliers

Team Racing

these engines can be picked up for relitvely little money, i couldnt suggest it on my limited experiance tho...the bloke i shared a unit with for some time was swapping one out of an astra after it suffered from a complete ring failure of one of the cylinders. The engine was less than 40k miles old and was owned by a work colleague (she is no boy racer)...

couldnt tell you how much it'd cost to tune aswell

I've seen the future and tbh its Pie

Go for the jap Honda VTEC, v reliable and the availability of tuning parts is Huge.

Just have to extend the round nose shell 90mm tho

Rover V8 is a strong and reliable unit. The Princess box used in the conversion is a strong unit as well. Rest is basically up to the builder, who carefully and skilfully the adapter pieces are crafted.

As for performance, try imagine 250 hp and 200+ lb ft in a 790 kg Mini... I have sat in the car on a track, only 4th gear was needed if not in a hurry (some of the croners were slow 135+ degree ones) but there?s plenty of poke if one gets enthusiastic. There?s one similar conversion registered in UK, see www.v8mini.co.uk. Judging by the pics Spag did not have that much patience with the bits and pieces but it?s a MoT?d runner nevertheless !

Jukka

I've met spag, and seen his mini, it's not pretty, but he's a nice guys and would tell you anything you needed to know if you emailed him

Team Racing

Thanks everyone, i think we will go for the rover v8 :cool: Just gotta do a bit more research and start looking round for a clubman first

Thanks for all your help peeps, i'll be bk on if we need any more help, and hopefully you can point us in the right direction. Spag could be useful aswell

Jon