Turbo Riley Elf
Turbo Mini Forums

Introducing my Riley Elf. It has been off the road for three years. Usual turbo tomfoolery.

Started off with a MG Metro engine with a SPI block, MED crank, which I then opened up the chambers and fitted bits from a Metro Turbo to it. Was great but idler gear lunched the casing, fitted straight cut drops.

Wound boost up.

Downfall came after export radiator fan exploded taking out radiator. Cooked engine. Suspect from lack of compression on no. 1 is due to broken piston ring lands.

Then split up from partner, got a new one, had to buy new house, fix it up and had a daughter who is just 8 weeks old. Three years passed....

I have been quietly been acquiring parts. Got a mega-jolt, some 1293 pressure cast omegas, 307 Pug intercooler, BMW undercrown jets, also got ARP rod and cap bolts. IWIS simplex chain.

Going to buy 4 pin diff.

Got a Mitsubishi Turbo off a late Classic SAAB 900 to fit - same stud pattern as Garret. I plan to convert to dry deck.

What i want to do is build a tough power unit, that could survive a blast across Germany - do a ten min lap of the ring and drive back.

Hoss

HOSS

I just released it has been ten years since i posted on here, back when i first converted it to turbo. Scary how a decade just slips by

HOSS

picture

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5.14mb

HOSS

engine bay

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4.47mb

HOSS

ready for the tinkering to commence.

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4.63mb

HOSS

Welcome back.

Looks great!

cool,

was going to say get an intercooler on ther,e but just spotted it on your list.

youve obviously done your homework, only thing I'd say is they Main bearing ARP's arnt really needed, but as you have them anyway... also you will need to relieve the box casing to get those to fit. nothing to hard though.

not sure what that turbo is, but the 900's used t3's at one point, so it might be oldish tech, a lot use the saab 93 GT17, or tyhere is a mitu td04 varient of that, they are smaller and more efficient than the t3s.

Nice car, I have an Elf put aside for a turbo job in the future. You have the oil cooler where I am hoping to put an inter cooler. Does the bonnet cross member clear the carb and pedelumn chamber.

The turbo I am thinking of using is a Mitsubishi TE-05. They fitted them to the classic Saab 900 in place of the T3 in 1990s. Benefit is same stud pattern as T3.

Having had a few Saab 900 turbos, have at least one good one in stock.

Much smaller than T3, on the 2.0 Saab engine comes on boost around 1500 rpm, and runs out of puff before 5000 rpm. Late 900s didn't have the lag of the early ones. Love em.

HOSS

Only the fixing nut of the plenum touches the bonnet cross member. Cut a 10 x 10 mm whole in cross member for clearance.

I am thinking about cutting some bonnet vents above the carb, had some issues with heat soak. I have a copy of the ERA bonnet vent to cover said holes.

The oil cooler is too big. Going to fit smaller one lower down, once I have ditched the distributor. The intercooler will go where the oil cooler currently is.

HOSS

I cut some holes in my bonnet to try to help hot starting heat soak troubles. Made literally no difference.

Need a nice big heat shield on the Carb.

Best cure for heat soak is to turn fuel pump off about 10 -20 seconds before you switch off - as you’re pulling up to the garage, into a parking space or whatever.
When you turn back on, the slug of cold fuel eliminates any issues.

So how many members have cut vents in their bonnets? It would be good not to, as like sleeper look.

I am going to put a fuel pump switch in, which will be easy as already have inertia switch behind dashboard.

HOSS

I fitted an ERA scoop on my mini and it helped a lot.