Need help with turbo'in my clubby
Turbo Mini Forums

Rite then here we go!
Well for a while now ive bin wanting to turbo my mini but i dunno if im up2 it!
Rite few things, wat do i need to do the transformation from 1.3 to 1.3 turbo. I have a metro 1275 rig in my clubman at the mo but i want to change to the turbo for a bit more power and better long journeys. Also how reliable are they?, i love tinkering with my car but i dont wanna spend lots of cash on an engine for it to die within a few runs!
A few pics of your turbo'd minis would b amazing and difficulties that occured with the build wud b brill cheers.
Also wat body mods will i need to do to the clubby to fit the engine an wat sort of time we looking at for building the car??
Cheers for the help guys ill repay you on day at a meet!
cheers

You are as well turbocharging your existing engine - but keep it on low boost, you will at least sort out all the other little niggles that will happen, knowing that the base engine and box is sound (assuming it is???)
All the turbo kit can be got from this site, or Ebay.
Aside from the bulkhead box, everything else is nut and bolt really, so should be pretty easy to sort.
Maybe adding your location will allow others to see where you are, and offer advice, or assistance in person?

D

hey
so im better jus turboin my engine now :S sounds doddgy but worth a try!
Its a unipart gold seal and its not an old engine, the gear box cud do with changin so wud a standard metro 1.3 do the job??
Im in the midlands, leicestershire and the place is whitwick
This sounds like a gud idea, wat sorta p.s.i shud u run, wat turbo (t2 or t3 :S) also wat sorta power gain am i gunna get as i have 74 @ the flywheel at the mo
cheers for the advice turbodave
p.s wat do u have as in mini?

If your box is shot, then i'd advise you get hold of a good, low mileage 1275 metro engine/box and use that as the basis of your conversion.
Darrell Cripps has proven that the std (non-turbo) pistons can take 15+psi of boost and 50hp of Nitrous without failure.
Of course, if you find a good turbo motor for your budget, then grab it! The FAQ section has all you need.

T3 is a good starting point
Uprate the cam for a SW5, 276, or Avonbar ph2 camshaft aswell - much easier to do earlier than later! You can worry about further work (head, intercooler, etc) later. Believe me, 100hp and 100lbft will feel like loads compared to your nat-asp engine!

Most importantly however, whatever you buy - even if guaranteed to be good, split the engine and box, inspect the big ends/mains on the engine, aswell as the oil pump.
Then strip the gearbox replacing the mainshaft, layshaft and idler gear bearings even if they look ok! This is the ONLY way to assure reliability. The Haynes metro manual is the BEST guide for stripping and building gearboxes. Fit a central pickup pipe whilst you're in there also.

my mini is here:
http://www.manchester-minis.cwc.net/members/turbodave.htm

dave, the guy who rebuilt my box with jack knight gears advised me not to fit the central pick up pipe as this means that the box needs to be stripped and cleaned every few thousand miles, have you ever heard of this being the case??

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|

Ahh brill this is all gr8 help!
I need a new clutch at the mo but i was wondering which to go for?
It will jus be for the standard 1293 init, i was wondering what difference an orange diaphram makes to the clutch?
Another thing is the cam. I am thinin of fitting a cam, i was looking at the power band ratings (mini performance booklet) and i was maby thinkin of a KENT MD266 or a KENT MD276. I use the car for gettin to college and back but i can see me doing more milage in it next year, i also like a gud thrash about in her so maby the 276??
cheers for the help guys

can recomend the 266, pulls like a train from idle in 4th gear, very nice to drive day to day.

turbo 16v k-series 11.9@118.9 :)

Denis O'Brien.

hi t3 wty ( arron), I love my 286 cam cos when it hit cam at just under 3k rev the back end drop the front pull up then its party time, just like a good woman. but its a pain in traffic. good site isn't it! told u.


Me and Arron go collage together both in our minis.

Cam profiles need more consideration than just the duration - the dynamic compression ratio is a major factor, and big cams need higher CR's to work effectivly.
Using longer duration cams with the already low CR of a turbo engine will mean the engine will be very sluggish off boost, and when the boost starts increasing, and the dynamic CR increases, the engine will burst into life with a bang! It is a great way of getting a big turbo engine feel from a mildly tuned engine however, but ultimately quite unsatisfying for a road car, unless you can redress the balance with boost retard ignition or something else.

By all means though - fit a 286 and you will be grinning all the way once on song!!!