Engine advice.....

[AntMan]

Hi there people, hope everyone is alright ;D! Right just want some advice on my engine....! Basically my 1275 cooper engine is at 90,845 miles on the clock and since having the car I have put a bigger head on it + high lift rockers so it is now running at 83.5 Bhp.

I plan on keeping the car for some time but don't want to replace engine with a lower millege 2nd hand one seeing as I have already done some work to this one. With the millege being quite high was wondering what can be done as in the form of engine reconditioning to keep it going/some new life it in!?!

Ant

[Miniböttcher]

either, keep it going till it gives up, keep it well maintained, regular oil and filter changes, just look after it and treat it nice

but other than that its a full rebuild, and to do it properly your looking at £1500-£2000 depends on spec ,this includesdoing gearbox, engine and head, but you already have a new head so that price will come down a bit

to look what needs to be done to rebuild a engine and gearbox, there is a dvd from mini films show how to strip and rebuild a 1380, goes into everything in detail and things to look out for, you dont have to go as far as 1380, but your get the idea, i have the dvd if you want to borrow it, butbeing your at uni and not over this way much go on to mini films and get a copy

[MiniGT5]

Your best bet is to start building up a spare engine if you have space and swap them over when the old one goes bang then start building up the old one as a spare.

Thats what I would do... only I dont have time to do it

N.

[Stephen]

keep changing the oil regularly, re-lap the valves in once a year and it should last a while longer yet

[monkeyjim]

As the others have said ... regular maintenance . You will be amazed how many modern cars I get in that we drain less than a litre of engine oil out of , more worried about the bloody aircon working these days . change oil regularly and use 20/50 , halfords or duckhams has been recommended by tech guys .

To be honest , i find the cost of rebuiding a A series rediculous considering how long its been around now . First went into production in 1952 !

I would also have one in the garage and get it gradually re-built . Once its done put it in and then gradually re-build the one taken out
The engines are also starting to get harder to find . I for one am going to stop chucking them away .

Did you know that Austin Rover or whoever built Minis allegros and Itals at the time invested £30 million (source Austinrover on-line)in re-developing the A series into A+ spec . Redevelopment was primarily for the new car at the time .......... The Metro .
A car which has save many a Mini from the scrap yard by galantly donating its engine and sacrificing itself to the Mini cause and subsequently the scrapyard itself..

[AntMan]

Cheers for the advice and yup do oil change every 6 months using Millers CTV 20/50 semi synthetic oil.

Where is there local/around east sussex/kent area that will rebuild/recondition my 1275 for me to say a 1330/1380? I know of Swiftune out at ashford but they are very busy plus expensive....

Ant

[monkeyjim]

I USE millers in the mk1 as recommended by MED who supplied my engine kit .

AC Dodd is the guy you are after for engine building . Engine building legend . He even came to a club meet and held a technical evening for us. He will chat to you in detail about what you use the car for and advise what he deems necessary for that use . Not just a case of saying I want a 1380 with a lumpy undriveable cam and straight cut box and him going 'ok mate I will build it ' .

I had his phone number and email but cannot find either , sorry .
Send Si a message , sure he will still have it .

Or failing that you will be able to get him via Andy at
ML Motorsport . Do a search on net for website . They are based within M25 in Kent .

Jim had his built by Gerald Dale . Gerald set up my cam timing timing . There is a general engine builders/machine shop in Eastbourne, I think Dean has recommended . You could even go down my route and put together a kit from MED .

[Stephen]

I don't think AC will build you an engine but worth asking. Most of his work goes through MLM, and he's pretty flat out.

Personally I'd go 1293 / 1330 first off- gives you some more meat should you ever want to rebuild again. I'd highly recommend AC / MED as Dave mentioned. Expensive stuff is normally pricey for a reason.

[monkeyjim]

Yes he does normally go through Andy . I must have been lucky . Unfortunately I could not afford AC , hence the kit from MED .

I bought the kit and then saved for the box and put it together with Gerald sorting the timing as I was not happy about that . May not be up to AC build standards or output but it goes ok as far as I am concerned and been reliable . Its is 1330 or 1340 and as Stephen says at that capacity there is still scope for more if needed in future by means of another re-build .

Again its of sensible spec , just a upgrade from the Mg Metro spec engine . However the weight of mine does help with the performance. ;D

[MiniGT5]

I tried to get ML Motorsport / AC Dod to build me an ending before I bought the one in my pickup but there was about a 6-9 month backlog of work

Other good specilist enginebuilders to try are: -
Bill Richard Racing in Ashford he specalises in 8-Ports!
Ian Osbourne @ OAP - He lives in Crawley but his workshop is in Surrey I think? he builds alot of migla winning engines!
Stuart Gurr @ VMAX - builds good engines and specalises in superchargers!

There are cheeper companies out there like Minispeed but I have been told not to use them for Machining as they are not so good.

I think its a case of specing exactly what you want and going to the most suitable company. personally for an every driver I would keep the rebore to the minimum 1293 / 1310 etc. to get the most life out of the block I would also aim for about 90-100hp and maybe ad a supercharger or turbo.


N.

[AntMan]

Cheers again everyone for the advice and idea's... ;D!

Been looking at the MED engine kits and thinking along the lines of their 'road competition' 1293 or 1330 package. Which 1 did you get dave? With this kit can keep my cylinder head + high lift rockers but exchange the block.

This is all just thoughts at the moment seeing as it's going to be quite pricey but worth it for sure

Ant

[Stephen]

If you start buying bits and pieces gradually it's not too bad. I've been buying bits for a couple of years now and I almost have everything. I reckon if you're building yourself you'll still need at least £1500 for the kind of thing you're aiming for. The biggest expenses tend to be gearbox, head and machining work. Don't scrimp on the gearbox rebuild as you'll ruin your newly built engine by throwing swarf everywhere from worn out components. 4-pin diffs are well worth the money too.

[oldgit]

PM sent

[Miniböttcher]

sussex engine centre in eastbourne

www.yell.com/b/Sussex+Engine+Centre+Ltd-Engine+Reconditioning-Eastbourne-BN228QL-840170/index.html

is the bloke i have used, never had him build an engine for me but just had him do my machining work i have always built my own,

if your not confident at building your own or knowning which parts are best with what, buy an engine kit, from above suppliers, med, (not mini sport) mini spares, etc etc,go with a well know company and you will not get problems, have your standard gearbox rebuilt you will not need a straight cut, they are fairly easy when you know what to look for, you can get rebuild kits.

if you can find a servicable 1275 with or with out a gearbox cheap its worth a buy as it could be your donar, or go as an exchange if you buy a kit,

gerald will build you an engine if you give him a budget and tell him what your after, worth getting a price

really look into it, its something important,keep researching , work out the key things you want, the more you tune it, less engine life your have, buy the right engine for what you want it for,

[AntMan]

Cheers Jim for the PM and Dave lol!

Has anyone used or heard of 'Morspeed' product quality? Doing a fair amount of research and got a few idea's in my head....

Ant