Hey all,

As the title, I'm back Most likely..
I've been away from the mini scene for a while but I'm considering investing in a mini project again.

I've recently been married. Things are all settled now, business is steady, and I've been given permission

The missus car will be on it's way out soon and we've been considering a new/near-new car. I've always wanted a 9N VW Polo GTI which was the favored option until I pitched the idea of pouring the new car fund into a mini and building a nice, streetable, quick mini. The answer was: Yeah I'd be ok with that.

Got to take it while the opportunities there right?


So down to business...

It's a fairly fresh idea so I'm very open to all options and opinions, as long as this thread doesn't turn into a 'this-is-better-cause-its-mine-no-you-suck' ok?

What I want from this mini:
. Will be sandblasting and doing necessary repairs to a shell and appropriate rust preventing.
. Mostly new or reconditioned parts.
. Fuel injected
. Parts that are clean and adequate for the job (ie: no budget-breaking 8-pot watercooled superturbocharged unobtanium)
. Air-conditioning (big one for the missus)

...Basically a clean, reconditioned, (fairly)quiet, air-conditioned mini with a fair bit of poke.


The aircon is whats chipping at my brain as the biggest problem at the moment. In most conversions it's tight enough without more compressors and hoses.

Not too keen on the 4EFTE any more.. getting a bit old.
I thought about a reco A-series with a bike head or 7 porter (opinions?) (fuel injection, etc) and adapting the later rover model air con. (No hardcore engineering, mount changing etc)
Or a stock jap 3-pot turbo motor and factory aircon.

These are currently the options in my head, open to criticism, opinions, better options.

Also if you've completed a conversion, a post of a rough estimate of final cost and spec details would be much appreciated and useful.

Looking forward to it!


Cheers,
Sam

buy a finished rover shell & then convert will be way cheaper & look alot nicer.

yeah, just sounds like you want to buy a Rover

So this place got boring while I was gone.
Maybe I should have emphasized the 'bit of poke' part.




Rovers are not quick.





Compared to a turbo GTI.
(and I know; netihers a GTI compared to a V8. You get what I mean)

I have a budget of $18000. Put simply, I think I could build a newer, longer lasting, faster, nicer mini than a Rover.

Things like knowing the shell's perfect, quality soundproofing, the interior the way I want it (classic cooper S style, etc) I just don't see the point spending 10-14K on a Rover to have to change things.



With that comparison in mind, continue

you can pick up a good rover mini cheaply.. im all for a twinky or even a turbo or supercharged A series.

mines sc12 powered & has aircon, i just need a custom condensor & im done.

or use the factory set up.

Warm 1275, no silly cams or whatever... but give it 1430cc and a weber. Nothing sounds cooler than this. Possibly EFI it if you must.

Rover A/C.

Cooper S brake setup. Not exciting, I know, but it works.

10x6/7 split wheels.

Classic colour (almond green, anyone?)

Recaro seats.

Most importantly, lots of effort doing it right the first time.


I DO drive a Polo GTI, and i'd rather have spent my money this way. Count me in! ....except maybe for a 64 Compact Fairlane....

_________________
Cheap, Fast, Reliable. Choose two.

What style/appearance did you have in mind?
I suggest a roundie van on 12x6's, fat flairs, and a period-ish paint job, tubed arches so it can sit low on the wheels.
A crossflow head or BMW twinky can both be injected and should both be able to make decent power n/a on a 1360 or 1380. Fitting the air con in may be a squeeze though....

_________________
Respect mine and I'll respect yours.

http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=69689 ?

http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=31234 ?

Buy that nice auto on carsales. I have a 1275 auto motor. Throw on a set of brakes big wheels and a sway bar and front shocks. Work the engine a bit, and Air con.
Streetable auto in awesome nick for around 12k. Perfect missus car.

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1970 Cooper S ex-Bathurst & ATCC
1964 Austin Cooper S ex-Group C race car
1967 Morris Cooper S ex-Group B
1962 Mini Speed sports sedan
1968-71 ex-Peter Manton Shell car

BLASPHEMY

you can have my auto Rover wih air con and big fat flares and big wheels and hi los for half that money

polo GTI's are not quick, my supercharged clubby is faster.

still i can tell you i'd much rather drive the polo with its low NVH and its many comforts.


B16a, 4EFTE or G13B would be the way to go if you want a classic mini to be quick, i wouldnt waste your time and money with the A-series on that budget.

Otherwise for 18k buy a Bini, less stuffing about.

Super-mini, sorry bud, I think you missed the point.

MINTI, might have to give Matt a bell about that Honda subframe... I know of a complete Jazz front cut for $750.. hmmm.

Kenno, I'm thinking classic mini with a retro spin. Classic three dial dash, leather seats/cards, maybe on 10's, factory paint colour. Stuwey your almost on the money ...and prob the most helpful in terms of you having the car I'm comparing the end result to!

I love Brad's daihatsu conversion, but the engines are getting rarer than hens teeth I'm thinking if I went with a conversion of something along those lines... buy a complete car/front cut, minimal body cutting and a small 3-pot turbo like a suzuki F6A (or even the bigger cc F8B with SOHC turbo manifolds and injection) or a 4-pot Nissan CG13.

I guess I'm weighing up the factors between a rebuilt 1275 with a BMW injected head (easy way to get injection, bolt on-ish, no engineering) to an engine conversion (needs engineering, cvs, 5 speed seperate gearbox)

Cost vs. end result really. I'm thinking and thinking about which direction would achieve what I want best and I'd be happy with...


I prob wouldn't get much change from $7-8k for a rebuilt engine/box and BMW conversion.

If I went with an engine conversion, say $2000 for the basic engine, $3000 for subframe, $1500 for brakes, $500 for wiring, $500 for fuel system.. Whats the rough cost to get a different engine engineered?

From what I've heard an engine conversion will set you back around 10k for a basic working item. More if you go custom turbo set up, fancy arches & rims etc etc
IMO you'd be pushing to get a non A series engined mini on the road for under 10k, if you use the full 18k you might get a turboed, air con, retro looking roundie. But the forced induction will make it hard to fit an air con set up in and we all know hard = expensive .
Look at a rover's engine bay, their tight! adding a cross flow head will mean you may have to reposition the alternator but it should fit a lot easier and your not going to have any trouble with the sub frame.

_________________
Respect mine and I'll respect yours.

My thoughts . . . start with a fuel injected rover mini with an injected 1275, a/c, 8.4 discs, other creature comforts etc to keep your wife happy . . . then plan your modifications and gather desired parts (twinky turbo injected 1380 . . . ) as you have a good basis to start with. If you do it slowly, wifey wont know you have gone over the original budget as it wont be a massive off load of cash to start with just an idea

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDMkVq1jRGU

If I wanted what you've outlined I'd take one of these approaches:

Short term easy build:
Get a late rover in good condition already with most features wanted, then get a stage 3 tuning kit from UK: claimes 85hp.

Meduim build:
Get a late rover in any condition already with most features wanted, then rip the engine out and get the car resprayed and update anything else. Then buy a kit to adapt an Eaton M45 to the SPI system.

Hard build: do what you want from scratch. Start with a 60s car and a late frontcut. Rip the car down and get it painted, rip the frontcut to bits, rebuild the engine to whatever spec you want (1360 SPI, 1293 stage 3 SPI, 1310 M45 SPI, whatever, just note that on the real late cars the alternator mounts to the cylinder head so going 7 porter makes the brackets tricky), or even just forget the rover system and go full BMW.

My point:
If you know what you want just map it out and build it. Don't ask people what you want cause they don't know, though if I may suggest 3 banger jap engines, get something that was sold here as a new car. Tried that avenue myself with a 660 mira 16v turbo: engineer wouldn't look at it cause engine not sold here new).