What to do?????
Turbo Mini Forums

As i stated in my welcome post in getting back into the mini scene after a number of years out of it. So im on the lookout for a project car. Now at the moment im in two minds do i build a car around the engine or do i build a engine around a car?? decisions decisions

I suppose it will depend on what you are looking for and what makes you tick. Will also depend on your budget and what is available at the time.

Edited by Rob Gavin on 18th Jan, 2015.

Which ever way i go it will be a 2 stage project shell and engine.

Well i'd try and find a good rolling shell. Some cars are worth more in bits and accordingly quite well prepped shells do come up fairly often

im in a similar situation but i found a decent "breaker" locally before Christmas decent shell had the work done in the right places just had the interior stripped and a few bits nicked off the mg metro lump brake master etc
being just before Christmas and the owner having pillaged the bits they needed i got it for a bargain price.

plan for me is to recon the front and rear subbys and get the shell to where i want it chuck a thou in it and have a giggle whilst building the 1293 turbo to mate with it after.

Outside the box

Thats why im thinking about starting with the engine until a decent shell turns up

i think looking as i have you will be waiting a while for a decent shell unless you visit heritages website


but you never know what will turn up

Outside the box

thats why im thinking i can get started on the engine and if / when a shell comes up id go for it. If not could be quite a while before i get started

lol i started with a gt1752 off my old mans saab (wanting a recon ) a saab 9000 engine complete and a lust to replace the vtec mini and my van

now up to a mini project
metro manifold
the same gt1752 wanting a recon
and a mrs wanting my blood again !

ahh how the time flies whilst making cardboard templates .............

Outside the box

how about a tatty car with an mot, that way it shouldn't need too much doing to the shell. That's the way I went when I started mine, although it was still a rot box. Lol

is tatty car not the same as a "mini project" on ebay but just a third of the price ?

Edited by monsterob on 18th Jan, 2015.

Outside the box