Ok everyone, I have got my kit all fitted up and the car has been at the tuners and after all things tried and tested, failed to produce any decent hp figures

The kit is fitted to a 1098 with hepalite 40thou oversize pistons, oversized valves, re13 cam, electronic ignition, maniflow lcb extractors, rc40 muffler hif38...

What was found after some rough measurements from outside the motor, is that the cam timing is out! Now what all this means is i now will be pulling out the engine this weekend to get the cam timing set correctly.

While the engine is out i'm going to take the head off and check the compression ratio properly, so i can make a more educated guess as to what boost i can safely run.
So much for bolt on power hey!!!
So far it has been bolt on- @#$%- bolt off- bolt on-@#$%- bolt off- engine out!!

Now that is the run down so far- to the questions...

1) What compression ratio should i be looking at for best boost settings? 8.0:1? or so?
2)How much boost would be safe to run on this engine? Max 12psi on sc12..
3) What successful mods have other kit users achieved?
4) While engine is out should i look at any other things to do in there? Clean up of wiring already on my list!

After I get her back and running i will finally be able to take some new pictures (been about 18 months), and show u all the finished product.

If anyone is interested i may take some progress pics of the re-install as this will be a finished fit up (hopefully) and put 'em in the gallery.

Thanks all,

Carl.

This is the exact reason why my engine is getting completely assembled and setup on an engine stand (ie: a modified subframe on legs)...... so that everything can be accessed easily if required.

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[NATHAN] -- Sold everything mini related and am back in big beautiful BMWs

About your cam timing.

Have you got a simplex chain? If so the addition of a duplex chain might be a good idea. They last a lot longer than simplex, becasue they have twin chains and suffer a lot less from timing scatter. My guess is, if you do have a simplex (single) timing chain that it's streched and worn out.

I'm sorry to hear that's it's not working out with your car.

<edit> I too and having "bolt on, bolt off" issues. The whole setup is out this weekend to attend to a exhaust leak issue. But two people (eg. me and my dad) can take out the charger and carby and all attached in one go, in about 20 mins. Leaving the manifold still attached, getting it back in takes about a half hour.

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T

You don't need to remove the engine to time the cam nor remove the head....but I am curious to know why you don't know the compression ratio anyway?

Also, I have found that with the way GR grinds cams they are usually not that far off, maybe it's something else?

How did the engine tuner map the engine with regard to fueling and ignition for instance?

Regards

Daniel

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Videos - Turbocharged A-Series on Dyno & at Wakefield
Mafs waz not my strong subgeckt at skkol

It is a double row timing chain already.. so no probs there.
Wish i did have access to engine dyno but that's another ball park.

As far as not knowing the comp. ratio, the motor was not going to be blown to start with, more of just a rebuild with cam and slight mods. Yes i probably should have worked it all out properly beforehand but is's a rebuild that sort of ended up going quicker than i should have. All a learning curve, so i won't be cutting corners this time pitting it together!

As to pulling engine out etc. the timing can be set in car with head on but a lot easier to get timing wheel on to the gears while out. So i have been told! Also need to do some cleaning up of cabling that is running close to the extractors which will make my job more accessible.

I'm not exactly sure how the engine was mapped when on the dyno as i was not there, but i know there was a large oscilliscope next to it and he had an air/fuel meter line attached on the exhaust and sensors onto the leads- not sure exact terms but something to that effect. Sound right?

I drove the car home today, it definately had more zip- but so i'm told not what u would expect.
I'm a sparky not a mechanic and this is only my second mini so don't have too much to compare to.

There is one issue i had to deal with- the sc v-belt came off twice when i stopped the engine. As to my opinion it was tight enough. It didn't happen while driving at any stage, only when key turned off. Any ideas on that one?

An update:

Found out why the belt was coming off- When engine warmed up and running, the bottom radiator hose becomes more flexible (as it does) and under pressure, was moving (when the motor was shut down), pushing out over the tensioner pulley and voila, belt off!
Obviously it was too close to start with, as i did notice, but didn't expect the above results.

Today after work i have got everything ready to do the engine lift in the morning. So far haven't had too many dramas, only not knowing how to pull the drive shafts out easily. Doogies (2 s' & a clubman) advice in this thread http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=26507&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=removing+engine&start=0 was very helpful, though i had already pulled the radiator out to aid in getting the blower off, as i thought it would be a bit game of me to pull it out attached.

So all going well, the engine will be off to the tuners to get timing sorted out and then the job off re-installing it back in. I've only worked on rear wheel drive cars b4 this, so it was a bit of a learning day but should all be worth it. Not all that hard in the end anyway!

Had a very similiar day myself.

My bottom hose was touching the tension pulley and cut it a bit, so I bought a new one today, fooled with it, now it clears by a long shot.

Took out the charger and manifold, the whole thing. And re-fitted to fix an exhaust leak issue and to get the tension pulley to NOT grind against the radiator cowling, so that was another job but not a big one. All reassembled now except for the kit's stabiliser, which will go in 2moro morning. So yeah similiar day, should have it running again 2moro. Then when I have braved it, and driven the thing, off to the tuners, well, same tuner as you are using. But first a wash, LOL it's got a thick layer of dust, 2months off the raod with a gravel driveway....dam it's dirty!

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T

I was just about to ask how yours was going!
I drove mine home with speaker cable pulling the hose away from the pulley . Also scored the hose and radiator shroud as u found out..

What did you do to clear the bottom hose? Unless i can use a different hose, or a more permanent way of holding it away, the hose just kept wanting to go back to the same spot!!

The other thing i had to do when fitting (didn't like it but), was to grind some meat from the rocker cover(alloy) and the back of the head. Before this the inlet manifold would not sit flush on the head. There was a little overhang as such restricting it from pulling up neat. Little bit shady, but had to be done!

I also had to run a spacer between carb and inlet flange as the accelerator was touching the firewall- though john (tuner) has since changed the set-up so now may clear. Will check when it all goes back in.

There are a couple of different sorts of bottom radiator hoses some are a bit longer between where they push on the water pump and the bend down to the bottom of the radiator these are the ones that work better as the others cut over the top of the timing cover a bit more and cause a problem with the tensioner.
The kit was really designed to work with a standard rocker cover which ends flush with the head and most alloy covers hang over the edge a bit need a little ground off them, doesn't effect how they work. Its this way to give a little more clearance to the fire wall as it is all pretty tight.
The kit is a basic fit for all mini's and seeing they are all different it may need a bit of modification so as it all fits properly.

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4efte powered Clubman
supercharged 998 race car

The '1 size fits all' part is understood.
I have no problems with the kit, i'd recommend it any day. The fine tuning of parts of my car to suit is all part and parcel of the d.i.y aspect.
I will be fitting every thing up outside the car this time so any problems are easily seen. I'm also forcing myself to be patient getting it back in. MATM is my deadline, so i have plenty of time! I hope.

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Carl
Previous Owner & Driver of 1 Morris "It's not a Cooper!!" 850

I have a different setup for my bottom hose, as Ben said "every Mini is different". And mine is. I have a thermo fan switch from a Jap Rover Mini in it. So I had to cut it, I cut it too short so it turn too quickly, but I bought a new one, and made the top half of it longer (the switch is in an aluminium t Piece halfway down the hose) which makes it go forward much more before it turns downwards. Now it only touchs the metal bracket that the pulley mounts too.

For radiator shroud, I took that out, my dad got the grinder out, I got the hose (total fire ban day) and we fixed it, fits nicely, and doesn't touch the fan, which is what I thought would happen.

Hopefully it all runs nicely now, and if it doesn't I may need to change a few things, again. But this time it looks good.

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T

The same thing happened to me. Second time around, I just put it on better to give plenty of clearance.

[insert hijack here]

Stick with it guys, I think it is worthwhile in the end. This is a semi-complete list of things I have done/had to do:
-Ditch my alloy rocker cover (I just couldn't get a good seal and pushed a whole lotta oil out).
-Unpressurized radiator overflow.
-Oil catch can (for the tiny, tiny amount of oil I sometimes push out the rocker cover breather - maybe 50-100 ml in a month).
-Custom intake to K&N Filter.
-Heat shield between carb and extractors.
-Spacer block between carb and carb manifold (to kick carb away from firewall and down from bonnet - I was fouling on both - I think this is a Moke-only problem).
-Deleted timing chain cover breather (A+ engine problem).
-Custom alloy radiator.
-8" Davies Craig Thermofan in shroud between radiator and guard.
-Additional front-mounted heater core (I had issues with cooling, but now I can drive around on 40 degree days and get stuck in traffic and don't have to panic - I couldn't do that before with the Weber).

Here are a couple of dodgy shots I took the other night. (Will put up better ones in my own thread when I have repainted the rocker cover, cleaned her, and have some time during daylight hours).

Sleeper!


Front on - bonnet just clears.


From driver's side - K&N sucks a lot of air.


Spacer block.


From passenger's side - it's all about the cooling.


In the next few weeks I will be installing an Aquamist water injection system to help keep those inlet temps down - not that I am currently pinging at full tilt - 8.3:1 static compression and currently about 9psi (maybe 10psi) with the pedal mashed to the floor.

Future plans: Put in a different cam - maybe Graham Russell has something up his sleeve that is for blown engines. Up the boost to 12 psi (I have the static compression and will have the water injection to enable it).

Look after the gearbox - I have already rebuilt mine once. It was the honeymoon period (first month) - you know how it is with power upgrades *shrug*. It was money I wasn't planning on spending though.

Cool looking good.

I'm definitely sticking with it! It's ready to run again so we'll see how it goes!

I'm not going for big HP I'm going for safe decent HP from a stock motor plus boost.

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1964 Morris 850, 1330 Supercharged - 81.8hp atws.
1975 Leyland Mini S 1100S powered - Nice and reliable.
1977 Leyland Mini LS - Project LS-T