Motors [Log] Building a Mini Clubman for stock racing

mmm rusty. how lovely.

 

why you only boring it out to a 1300... it will bore to 1380 within reasonable limits..

put a fast road cam instead of the standard on..
try and get super light weight pistons if you can afford it
change the fly wheel for super lightened..
and put twin carbs on it (lets the car breath better...)

 

could go further and go for a 1400 bore.

pop alot of head gasget then but then 210bhp is achivable. .. .. but thats full race spec

 

I'd love to see this Log but resize the pics as its breaking my 512k connection.

 

Those are the head bolts or studs i guess you would call them? Get 2 nuts. Run one down to the bottom, then another down to the first nut. Tighten up the second nut against the first. Then put your spanner on the first nut and turn it anti clockwise. The top one will act as a locking nut and the stud should turn.

Use this technique for removing manifold studs and stuff aswell.

Although the engine is dirty its probably better to keep it as clean as possible. When you removed the head might have been an idea to put it on newspaper or a plastic bag rather than in the dirt. You going to do stem seals and lap in the valves yourself?

 

Sorted. Photo sizes now average <100kb each. Is that enough?

That's exactly what I had in mind.

I'm rather unfamiliar with all this terminology. "Stem cells" just came to mind. I suspect we might not be able to, although I'd like to. We'll have to buy a spring compressor to remove the valves.

/me begins to drool... Perhaps I can persuade my friend to go full out and tune this engine to its max. I don't like the fact that we're making it stock. We're not restoring it to its original specification, we have to splash out and make it real racey.

I must start looking around for places that can have reboring done and prices. But, we must first see what pistons we will be getting and then decide on a size to rebore to. Perhaps skim the head a fraction of a millimeter?

Sputnik

 

Skim the head until its flat. As for the stem seals, they're the bits that seal where the long bits (stems) of the valves move, to prevent oil dripping into the intake/exhaust chamber in the head.

 

Get Vizards Tuning the A Series bible as this has all you need to know about grinding out the head to get the best flow etc. Also look to match the ports on the inlet and exhaust manifold with the head to improve on gas flow.
What kind of carb are you going to fit? There are loads of SU choices from the single carb that you find on MG Metro 1275 engines, twin SU's or, if you fancy boxing out the bulkhead, you can fit a Weber in there as well.
You might want to fit a one piece front end as well as this will make access to the engine bay a lot easier tbh.
Suspension wise, have you looked at fitting a light weight rear beam with coil overs rather than the rear subframe as this will save loads of weight on the car?

 

We haven't thought about carburettors yet. Depending on money available, we'll see what carburettor we will purchase.

As for suspension, the body shell is still sitting in the guy's yard from whom we bought the engine. We haven't given it a full check-up, but it has suspension all around. It has two hubs missing and is a bit smashed up as it came from a previous stock-car racer. This means it also has a rollcage in it as well! And we are getting it for free!

As it so happens, another guy is after the body and so we are in a hurry to fetch it. Thankfully, and I hope, the guy will guard it for us. Can't be 100% sure with these backyard mechanics, but he has been good to us so far.

That "Vizards Tuning the A Series Engine" is going to be a must as well as any other manual about putting this mini back together again.

Money spent to-date on project:
-Engine....... R 800.00

Sputnik

 

theres a point what is the budget. i mean getting 100bhp from a 1380 is fairly easy, think theres a dvd that covers it. but getting more than that we're talking really big money then.

... .... maybe just plonking in a Vtec would be easyer

 

Mmmm, one day I will own a Vtec clubby

 

Yeah BUT i must add that none of the guys (and ladies) in our racing community HAVE ANY WINDOWS AT ALL! plexi or otherwise, at the most they might have a windsheild and glass is also forbidden on the particular track im interested in because of the obvious safety concerns...
And on the topic of minimum weight: there will be NOTHING in it anyway, the shell we got is already totally empty, just rollcage in there. Literally just popping the motor, steering, cooling etc in there.

 

HEY HEY HEY! I'm no heartless fellow! I'll go as far as my students budget allows Sputnik but right now as you know i can give it thousands... I like all these ideas on boring 1400, the light flywheel and the carb ideas and will someday do all of that but for the moment try to remember that were only trying to get on the track. All our dreams will be realised eventually though.

Big_Adam: you asked what my budget is, well, i had R 1500 (South African currency, convert to whatever currency you are familiar with to get an idea.) but i get money from time to time through jobs and parents so this project may take a few months... sadly.

BTW, A huge thank you to every one of you that has contributed, your experience is very very usefull to folks like us.

 

even if its just a shell you can still strip weight. for exsample you can dill out parts of the subframs to reduce weight, loose the rear subby and use a single beam jobbie. then you can remove the rear lip to redice drag. if you weld the passenger door shut you can cut away all the internal door structer.

on to a diffrent point. you've thought about going fast what about slowing down? just thought i'd bring it up as theres a new trick for big stopping power. Mk1 Fiesta breaks will fit a mini, even with 10inch wheels.

and their dirt cheap!

 

. yeah thanks! I weld from time to time and have ALL the equipment needed for the body modifications, as well as some steel lying around. I do intend on cutting most of the unwanted subframe. The doors are already welded shut and lightened thanks. Will look at braking when we get the wheel hubs but me suspects we're limited to drums...

 

waaaa, for a 1.3-1.4 if they make you use drum they should be shot. you'll never stop with them.

get some cheapo disk hubs off ebay. then your sorted.

 

yeah i see what you mean by the drums.... um... an its on a gravel track too so im agreeing even more now. maybe im missinformed, ill check.

 

aye. i mean not going to have much stopping power unless you cut the pads to have more leading edges like on racing bikes of old.

oh, stipping weight again, go google Z Cars' their a company who make superlight minis for bike engines. do 0-60 is lile 3-4 secs. so quick, they have to strip weight for the engines sake,

 

Ok, you're my new best friend!!! the guy that gave me the shell spoke of this, bike engines..... <baron day dreams>

 

its not mine, but i wish it was. but if thats a bit much a BMW K Series bike head will bit on a mini with some work.