Seems like it's a fairly straightforward swap too. My brother has a 1.3 Micra and it was Pretty surprising how quick it was. Would be impressive in a mini!
I wish they had events where you could go for passenger rides or even drives in different engine swaps so you could get a clearer picture of what you wanted. T hats would be amazing!
@@professionalbodger CGA3DE(1,348 cc), 85 hp 89lbs ft standard, thats at least a swiftune fast road a series. they do a 1275cc and a 1348cc. i would deffo look into it :)
I had a 1.8 Vauxhall motor, in a clubman estate, used as a daily for two years 30,000 miles while I was a student. Use to love the drive from Stockport digs to mums in Winchester twice a month, those where the days! Still got it, hasn’t moved since 2008!
I would say go R1 but I may be bias as thats what I'm doing atm! I see from the way you made a comment on it you really like the sound of the 8-port. why not the best of the two (also what im doing haha) R1 with trumpets, to get that awesome bike engine scream and those sweet induction noises too! the real answer however is what one you think will bring you the most joy not whats most clickbaity or gives you 'street cred'
Now your going on to dream spec engines haha. I think I will keep in a A series platform overall. Big Webber's sounds great. I'm more about the noise a car makes than the speed. If it's not an event every time your drive it, it's not the right choice! Good luck on your build! R1 minis look and sound nuts, way out of my league technical wise though hahaha
@@professionalbodger sounds like you’ve got a good plan then! And to clarify a couple things, firstly it’s being built as a track car and not really for road use and also I work in fabricator and restoration so luckily well within my wheel house! Good luck with the build looking forward to seeing it!
I've got a mildly-tuned A-series in my '58 A35. Most of the sound derives from the wonderful exhaust created by Maniflow of Salisbury (other specialists are available). Sounds like a V8. A stainless exhaust provides a tinny sound. You'll need thick mild steel for the deepest growling. Also - A WONDERFUL VIDEO! WELL DONE !!!
Thankyou so much! I believe you about the v8 sound. I once had the exhaust fall off from the manifold (we all now about those pesky downpipe clamps!!😑) And it was the loudest and most embarrassing experience of my life hahaha. Just got over the first speedbump, off it fell, heavens opened with me holding up the biggest que. The van driver beeped his horn and god knows the look i gave him, but he changed from angry to cowering little boy hahaha. Ended up chucking the whole exhaust in the car hanging out the window. Had to keep turning it off through the order window and collection window. The guy at the collection window asked if it had a v8 haha. Luckily for me, i managed to get out of the drive through (those awkward exit points with the metal frameworks) and by a miracle my brother in law was down the road in his work van eating his mcds haha. Chucked the exhaust in his van and drove home- most of the hearing gone in my ears hahaha. What an experience!
1380 turbo, tune for bottom and mid range smooth on the road but still able to out pace a lot of "apparently faster" cars built right with the right parts and it will be reliable.
@@professionalbodger I had a fire and I am still rebuilding it wanted it ready for racing this year in the CSCC or similar, as I can enter as an ERA mini turbo which was in production from 89 to 91
@@martinfidel7086 ah man! I'm sorry to hear that!! You should document it on TH-cam man! If not for people to learn from and enjoy a rebuild. It's footage you can look back on with admiration (and hate 😅) My main aim of my channel is so I could see my projects progress over time, look back on it one day and hopefully (lots of hope) be proud of the journey! There are alot better people out there to learn from that's for sure 😂 I for one would like to see a turbo mini project rebuild - sounds awesome man 🤘
A while back, a Frend of mine on an RD350lc, lying on the tank, doin 180k's. Another mate rolls past him in his1275 mini, and as he got next to the bike he pulled 4th & shot off. No Bullshit.
That is why they were such a great rally weapon, winning 3 Monte Carlo Rallies outright, not just their class. Would have been 4 if not for the French having a hissy fit. My Jag apparently has a top speed of 145mph that I'll never be able to do anywhere in the UK. Would happily swap it for a proper Mini, with those bends that can be enjoyed daily.
@@professionalbodger As someone who agrees with the purists, you forgot to include an engine combo that at least has the A-series heart: An A-series block with the 16v BMW k1200 series twin cam head. You've probably heard of that, no?
I've had 998, 1275, 1293, 1293 supercharged all in the same car. Good fun but frustrating. I went Rover k series 1.8i and wish I did it years before. More power, lighter engine, sub 6s to 60mph, 5 speed gearbox and reliable. Dry as a bone all the time. If you can upgrade its the dream , old car new style engine . Just don't go too heavy to keep handling
My Mini Cooper started with the original 997 with Piper cam 45 dcso carbs close ratio gearbox limited slip developed 100 bhp. After a rally mishap changed to 950S engine (shorter stroke)
Im building a 1275GT with a Toyota 4AGE 20v Silvertop, 5 speed box. I have nothing but respect for guys who pull off engine swaps. Its a lot of hard work!
25 years ago: 1991 Cooper with LCB and RC40 that was the best sound ever and I would find him with covered eyes today! You never forgrt your LAST Mini !
I had a classic mini running A series 1330cc with cooper S double value spring head, a totally wild cam, SU carb and long centre branch extractors. The car was making huge torque and could strip diff pinon gear teeth. From about 3k rpm is was just a rocket. The cam was utterly crazy with long lift and overlap. The car could be "set" to idle at 400 rpm and sound like a Harley-Davidson with the idle speed hunting between 200 and 600 rpm. One option you didn't show was a 1600cc Ford engine from the early Cortina or Escort. In the UK there used to be an adaptor plate available to directly bolt the Ford motor to the standard gearbox. The Ford 1600cc was also a cross-flow head and these days can be had with 4 valve heads. Or there was the 1600cc Cosworth version of the engine...
Woah this is the type of engine I want! Sounds wild! Must have rattled your teeth at idle haha. Years back when I had my first mini 1275. I managed to shoehorn a twin Webber carbs off a escort by shaving down the inlet manifold on it with a grinder. After some extreme fettling I got it to run, it was scary fast in a straight line and spat flames 🤣 The only reason I removed it was because I couldn't (at the time in my youth) Get the vacuum hose to fit (didn't have a bolt hole on the Inlet) so the brake ran unassisted haha. These days I know I could have tapped and drilled one in. I will have to look up that older crossflow conversion! Appreciate the comment!
@@professionalbodger I was lucky that the mini I was running was an Australian Clubman mini that had 12 inch wheels and 8 inch front discs. The discs were the same size as on a racing Holden Torana (LJ GTR XU1). The mini didn't need all the stopping force of discs that large so the car didn't run a booster. But if you really jumped on the brakes at low speed it was possible to both lock the front wheels and lift the rear end off the ground. Arriving on two squealing tyres really made an entrance. I do miss that car as it was my first one. I owned it for seven years and it was progressively modified over that time. When I parted with it, it was borderline if it was really safe to drive. The power delivery to a non-LSD diff meant it could pull sideways under acceleration if you were not ready for it. The car was crashed and written-off 24 hours after I sold it. Nobody was injured, I suspect someone wasn't ready for it to pull sideways at a speed hump.
@@fluffypuppy1040 that's such a cool story! I don't think anyone gets over losing their first mini! I had a professional photo done at a car show that I keep on the wall like a shrine! I went to the event as a customer and got Sheparded up to park next to a expensive MK1 escort and a Aston I think it was. Still remember the faces of the concourse guys with there immaculate cars as my - let's be fair - boy racer mini got parked next to them 🤣🤣 Such good fun! Never too late to get another mini and build a tribute @fluffypuppy1040
Pretty much what I did with my 1275GT, but only bored to the first oversize (1293 - mainly as I got a set of 2nd hand pistons from a mini show..), 286 cam , big valve racing high compression head etc. The thing would hang with an XR3i until 115mph (private track, obviously...), but man it would eat gearboxes for breakfast!!
I have had the 850 1000 1100special 1275 estate best time, with wonderrull memories , maybe best years of my life . Now i drive a brandnew panamera , but most pleasure i have had with my mini’s.
@@professionalbodger really nice of you to say that, thank you. But of course there was also those very dodgy fashions for men (but the girls did all seem to be beautiful)👍🏻👍🏻
you forgot the combo that keeps the A-series heart: An A series block with the bmw k series twin cam 16v head. I like the idea of staying true to the original A-series, but with the the high-end power and revs of a 16 valver.
The BMW K twin cam head swap is as much as I'd want to do to a mini of mine. If it has to ba a whole engine then the 1 liter ecoboost from Zcars, it fits well under a bull nose front and power goes from 84, 99, 123 to 140bhp with just a map swap apparently and the 5 speed box works with 10" wheels.
I remember a few years back seeing a mini with this conversion in a magazine and it looked amazing. TH-cam research is needed. Thank you for your input!
Have you seen the Honda D16 kit from SMCO? Offers all the Ecoboost swap does, without being known as the EcoBOOM. Why would anybody actually choose a wet belt engine?
Just reading your title, first thing I thought of was the 'busa and second was Binky. Personally I'd go the 'busa route, possibly the newer flat-plane R1 (best sounding engine!).
Wasn't binky a project car on a awesome.channelnon TH-cam? I'm sure I watched one called 'project binky' Man, a flat planed engine would be insane!! Almost a Ferrari right😅
@@professionalbodger Next time you see a newer R1 listen closely to the engine... it's beautifully tuned engine orchestra. Project Binky was an old Mini that they updated with the drivetrain of a Celica All-Trac. AWESOME series, yes on TH-cam.
Its a aluminium engine and gearbox so i guess i will not weigh that much more than the cast iron thing that they came with. And you have to modify the front end basically get rid of most of it and put in some tubes to mount shocks and the engine in . For a bseries. as far as i know .
ONCE BUILT AN 1100 ENGINE WITH mg 1300 HEAD (BIGGER VALVES) not sure but I think the casting number was 12G295? plus, MY MATE WAS A MECHINIST so he lightened the flywheel by a few pounds then balanced the crank with bearings con rods pistons and rings and even the engine pulley fitted!! then took an unknown amount off the head and cylinder faces. I cleaned the ports and made a manifold so I could fit an HS2 1.5 inch su carb with a long centre branch manifold and straight exhaust ending in a Dunstall reverse cone mega motorbike silencer, Finally added a 344to 1 diff and 12 inch wheels + spacers. Went like that brown stuff off a shovel!!!
@@professionalbodger No Idea but it was difficult to pull away in the damp without the wheels spinning, Also gave one or two supposedly fast cars a fright in the twisties!!!
@@professionalbodger A friend also had a 1275 Mini. He once had to drive from Newcastle to Glasgow then on to Coventry, He said on the motorway it was never below 80 mph between fuel stops, He said only real sports cars overtook him!! It did use a bit of oil though resulting in a stripdown and "MODS" much like mine
12G295, great head, fitted as standard to 998 Cooper and MG1100 etc. Put a 12G295 on a 1098 (1100) engine with 3.44 diff in the gearbox. Mini would easily top 100 MPH.
I'd like two in my garage. One with a nicely worked and tuned A series, all "legitimate" parts. The other with a Honda VFR800 V4 bike engine, RWD. Neither over the top, just good fun.
We used to build mini engines using triumph herald pistons, tuftrided crank and cam, slark head, and a jack night gearbox.The police couldnt catch us even with their 3500 rovers and senator 3 litres.
@@professionalbodger The pistons were 1340,s.the pin height was slightly higher from the skirt so we used shorter rods. Longer pistons shorter rods means higher rpm.
@@chrisplace9773 Thats amazing! Where did you learn all this stuff? I'm guessing you would have had to use a thinner or thicker head gasket to compensate somewhere for exact fit? This is proper engine building masterwork!! Would absolutely love to see a vid about that!
Swap in a ported Mazda rotor engine, (wankel) mated to a front drive gear box. Custom axels . maybe a 6speed Honda, something close ratio. That tiny fairly large displacement engine would be awesome especially with a turbo..
Honestly considered this when i had my rx8, but due to the costs alone of the wiring etc and the custom shafts i backed out. Its been done to some degree out there though
I have had the 998, 1100 and 1275 engines in Minis in the past and definitely the 1275 is the one to go for of the A series engines. However, ever since the first 1000cc Gold wings came out I have wondered what a Mini would be like with that engine installed???
Awesome man, I've owned 2 998's before this one. One on the road and one that never ran- bought for parts. And a 1275 that was pretty quick for what it was. My channels mini project is just a humble 998 again with a stage 1 on it. A goldwing engine would be awesome. Proper torquey too! Don't think that been done before 😁
Did the maxi 1750 when we were kids. Lots of torque, heave and involved removing the front wings, building a engine cage attached from the front sub frame and front bulkhead. Put a clubman fibreglass front tilt bonnet. Got specialist turned drive shaft. Ran it on 12inch rims. It had some grunt but was dicey on stoping - put s curbstone in the boot to keep the back down.
@@professionalbodger Not at all. Go racing a 1275 round the circuits and you'll discover just how much more power the car can manage (with the required upgrades, of course) without terrifying the driver. It's all relative, what you're used to.
Those bike engines are great, especially if you want to use the mini for racing, hillclimbs etc (or simply wow-ing people with your manic mini). For regular street use they allways seem a bit over the top (...) for me.
I Bought a 1275GT 4 speed Auto back in mid 90s with 5 month MOT for a Whopping £15 sold as scrap due to not charging! Those where the Days i tell thee, Fixed with a new earth strap and sold on for a mighty profit of £45! 😭
Rover K-Series VVI 160. Much lighter engine than Honda and you can retain the original speedo. It's a proven conversion and it's what would have been installed(1.4 probably..) if the Mini was given a 4th life
The bike engines do sound good, but not as good as Webers! Many years back, a fried showed me how to make a 1600 crossflow Ford fit onto a 1275 gear box. It didn't look that hard....
I know this is 7 months late but couldn't resist getting my two penuths worth in. Stick to an A series, at least put an exhaust on it to give it a bit of throat. All these engine conversions are only really about people wanting a small car with huge power. They've striped the essence out of the car. We all know the mini was about handling and sticking to the apex like glue. Not doing 200 mph in a 6 foot box.
Never too late to back the A Series! Luckily for me, the project has been slow due to health issues and operations etc, so engine wise its still the 998cc though a stage 1. It will probs stay like that for now and eventually il upgrade to a 1275 and go big carb haha. You still drive a mini?
@professionalbodger To be fair the 998 sounded epic. I remember in the olden days (during the war 😂) we used to have 2 or 3 engines kicking about because they were ten a penny. You had the option then of boring the cylinders and at least packing the engine with weld in case it all went tits up. Not sure if that's an option now. Good luck with it anyway mate. Nice to shoot the breeze with another mini fan. Get well soon 👍
@@ohforgodsake8486 appreciate your kind words and old school knowledge haha. When you say pack the engine with weld? is that to hold the block together after boring it out? curious! haha
Nothing that requires changes to the wing height or length. Minis look absolutely hideous with any dimension changes (apart from full minisprint of course 😊)
I’d go for the one with a Hayabusa huge horsepower that would be terrifying but smile when you got back in one piece and a reliable engine with massive horsepower
All depends what you are going to do with it, mate. Well, that and what is audibly pleasing to you. If she's going to be a track car, basically anything goes, eh - even to the point of dropping a Rover 3500 in the beast and driving from the back seat (or putting the Rover where the back seat is and making the car RWD). I'm not a purist by any means - heck, I run a 4.4 litre Leyland P76 engine mated to the original 4-spd manual / overdrive box in my Triumph Stag! However, to me, a car should not sound like a motorbike. Also, when I see a Mini, I sort of expect it to sound like one too....and my mind has difficulty accepting that a strange engine sound is coming from the car I am looking at. I mean, at least the sound the Stag makes is from a V8 and not a rotary or a twin-pot - even if the exhaust note is deeper than the original engine. A fast Mini is still a fast Mini at the end of the day and if you are going to drive it on the street, you don't want anything too lairy for several reasons - two of which are increased attention from Mr Plod and stop / start traffic is not good for heavily modified engines. The little 998 has a lot of potential with a cam and decent breathing gear (which you've already done by the sounds of it). However, if you took the step up to the 1098, those same mods make a bigger difference. I have a 1275cc, balanced crank and pistons, bored 20 thou (1293) with a BCF731 cam, ported / polished heads, a pile of little odds and sods (like twin timing chains, 3-core alloy rad) to ensure reliability, single 1.5" SU with 1.75" LCB headers and RC40 exhaust. I swore to myself that I wasn't going to make it loud and obnoxious, but the engine would breathe easier with the 2" setup and a larger jet, so I'm still debating this....three years later. The one other thing I did with the little car was fit a 3.1:1 diff. The reason for this is that I like to open road cruise the wee beast and 3000rpm at 60mph is so much easier to listen to than 4000! Sure - it means cruising around town you only need third gear at 30, but she's more economical - especially on a trip - and I've also found she's actually easier on the winding hills between where I live and where the rest of the family is located 100 miles away - less gear changes and not stuck at a point where you're too high in the revs in second but the car just dies in third (as it was with the 3.7 / 3.4 mated to the original 998) . Leave it in second and the hills are a breeze between 2000rpm and 5000rpm. Because the 1275 has that bit of extra pep, she also doesn't fall on her face if taking off briskly at the lights with the taller diff ratio either...and the cam comes in at 1500rpm anyway. I haven't taken her on a track, but against similar cars still running the shorter diff, she could likely be a little slower getting up to speed but she'd pass them with the extra legs on the long straights. It certainly hasn't taken the 'Mini-ness' out of the drive - that's for sure.. ...AND she's tame enough that daily driving doesn't hurt it any, long-legged enough that she's pleasant at open road speeds and powerful enough so that when I ask for power to overtake, it's right there - usually without having to change down. Could I beef it up further? Sure, but I've got what I think is a good compromise between stock standard and high speed full-on track fiend already. When the engine needs doing again, barring a catastrophic failure, I will bore the same block out to 40 thou (1310) or 60 thou (1330) and do the same again. Of the ones you demonstrated in the video, the Arden had the loveliest noise, followed by the supercharged A-series. However, I'm not sure how they would cope with everyday driving.... All the best
@@blacksheepphotography you sir, are completely correct! I originally intended to find a 1275 turbo conversion but struggled to find some footage. I will try and find as many turbo options as possible and put out another vid! A turbo mini was one of my original dreams. So much so as a 18 year old I slapped a turbo sticker on the back of my black mini hahaha. Then felt the sting of shame (as I didn't have a turbo) and removed it promptly 😅🤣
@mehboobsumar6532 haha I used to own one! 2.0 si I think. Good little truck with the column change. I don't imagine that swaps ever been done haha. Cool suggestion though
Has to be an A Series for me. I run a 1330cc with a Swiftune SW8 cam in my ADO16 (1968 MG1300 mk2) th-cam.com/video/Q1MfkrSn7Fo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=-Na_UF3fQjTRHjJT
@@professionalbodger it was in the fwd trueno bzr.a friend on mine had one.was a really good car, reliable and pretty strong for what it was.dont know if it came into different chassis though
As a bit of a purist, one of the A series option would be for me. Perhaps the 1275 or 1293. They also seem like the easiest options for you.
micra 1.3 sounds sweet and seems well behaved, right up my street that is
Seems like it's a fairly straightforward swap too. My brother has a 1.3 Micra and it was Pretty surprising how quick it was. Would be impressive in a mini!
@@professionalbodger this one seems to go like stink 😁
I wish they had events where you could go for passenger rides or even drives in different engine swaps so you could get a clearer picture of what you wanted. T hats would be amazing!
@@professionalbodger CGA3DE(1,348 cc), 85 hp 89lbs ft standard, thats at least a swiftune fast road a series. they do a 1275cc and a 1348cc. i would deffo look into it :)
@@professionalbodger howabout this little fucker then 😁th-cam.com/video/hbR3xGoTbqA/w-d-xo.html
I had a 1.8 Vauxhall motor, in a clubman estate, used as a daily for two years 30,000 miles while I was a student. Use to love the drive from Stockport digs to mums in Winchester twice a month, those where the days! Still got it, hasn’t moved since 2008!
I can relate to the hasn't moved.
....seems like only time is moving away from me. But.....we have TH-cam! Life is still good
I would say go R1 but I may be bias as thats what I'm doing atm! I see from the way you made a comment on it you really like the sound of the 8-port. why not the best of the two (also what im doing haha) R1 with trumpets, to get that awesome bike engine scream and those sweet induction noises too! the real answer however is what one you think will bring you the most joy not whats most clickbaity or gives you 'street cred'
Now your going on to dream spec engines haha. I think I will keep in a A series platform overall. Big Webber's sounds great. I'm more about the noise a car makes than the speed. If it's not an event every time your drive it, it's not the right choice!
Good luck on your build! R1 minis look and sound nuts, way out of my league technical wise though hahaha
@@professionalbodger sounds like you’ve got a good plan then! And to clarify a couple things, firstly it’s being built as a track car and not really for road use and also I work in fabricator and restoration so luckily well within my wheel house! Good luck with the build looking forward to seeing it!
The 8 port Arden, a classic era upgrade for a classic era car.
Sounds awesome and looks like it goes like the clappers
That would be my choice
I've got a mildly-tuned A-series in my '58 A35. Most of the sound derives from the wonderful exhaust created by Maniflow of Salisbury (other specialists are available). Sounds like a V8.
A stainless exhaust provides a tinny sound. You'll need thick mild steel for the deepest growling.
Also - A WONDERFUL VIDEO! WELL DONE !!!
Thankyou so much! I believe you about the v8 sound. I once had the exhaust fall off from the manifold (we all now about those pesky downpipe clamps!!😑) And it was the loudest and most embarrassing experience of my life hahaha. Just got over the first speedbump, off it fell, heavens opened with me holding up the biggest que. The van driver beeped his horn and god knows the look i gave him, but he changed from angry to cowering little boy hahaha. Ended up chucking the whole exhaust in the car hanging out the window. Had to keep turning it off through the order window and collection window. The guy at the collection window asked if it had a v8 haha. Luckily for me, i managed to get out of the drive through (those awkward exit points with the metal frameworks) and by a miracle my brother in law was down the road in his work van eating his mcds haha. Chucked the exhaust in his van and drove home- most of the hearing gone in my ears hahaha. What an experience!
1380 turbo, tune for bottom and mid range smooth on the road but still able to out pace a lot of "apparently faster" cars built right with the right parts and it will be reliable.
Niiice! Now that sounds like a winning combo 🤘
@@professionalbodger Thanks it certainly has been for me
@@martinfidel7086 Would LOVE to see some footage of this!! Ever considered putting a vid on youTube?
@@professionalbodger I had a fire and I am still rebuilding it wanted it ready for racing this year in the CSCC or similar, as I can enter as an ERA mini turbo which was in production from 89 to 91
@@martinfidel7086 ah man! I'm sorry to hear that!!
You should document it on TH-cam man! If not for people to learn from and enjoy a rebuild. It's footage you can look back on with admiration (and hate 😅)
My main aim of my channel is so I could see my projects progress over time, look back on it one day and hopefully (lots of hope) be proud of the journey!
There are alot better people out there to learn from that's for sure 😂
I for one would like to see a turbo mini project rebuild - sounds awesome man 🤘
No A-Series, No Mini. Minis are fun for the bends, not for maximum speed.
That's my main thought process with it. Not really a mini without the A series
A while back, a Frend of mine on an RD350lc, lying on the tank, doin 180k's. Another mate rolls past him in his1275 mini, and as he got next to the bike he pulled 4th & shot off. No Bullshit.
Eh. As long as you have ten inch wheels, rubber cone suspension and the bus steering wheel, i could be flexible on the power plant
That is why they were such a great rally weapon, winning 3 Monte Carlo Rallies outright, not just their class.
Would have been 4 if not for the French having a hissy fit.
My Jag apparently has a top speed of 145mph that I'll never be able to do anywhere in the UK.
Would happily swap it for a proper Mini, with those bends that can be enjoyed daily.
@@professionalbodger As someone who agrees with the purists, you forgot to include an engine combo that at least has the A-series heart: An A-series block with the 16v BMW k1200 series twin cam head. You've probably heard of that, no?
A few people have put E series engines in them in Australia, but with limited success due to weight and balance problems.
E series? That's super interesting! Don't think I've heard of this in the uk
I've had 998, 1275, 1293, 1293 supercharged all in the same car. Good fun but frustrating. I went Rover k series 1.8i and wish I did it years before. More power, lighter engine, sub 6s to 60mph, 5 speed gearbox and reliable. Dry as a bone all the time. If you can upgrade its the dream , old car new style engine . Just don't go too heavy to keep handling
My Mini Cooper started with the original 997 with Piper cam 45 dcso carbs close ratio gearbox limited slip developed 100 bhp. After a rally mishap changed to 950S engine (shorter stroke)
jeez that thing must have been a reving machine!! You just dont see them like that these days!!
Is that R1 scrolling "HELP" accross the clocks? 🤣 @2:32
I think its programmed for the enviable crash, a prompt for anyone finding the car on its roof 🤣🤣
Im building a 1275GT with a Toyota 4AGE 20v Silvertop, 5 speed box. I have nothing but respect for guys who pull off engine swaps. Its a lot of hard work!
no way...
Back in the 80s there was a Toyota 4age powered space frame mini ,built by howley race engines, test racedat oulton park and others.
25 years ago: 1991 Cooper with LCB and RC40 that was the best sound ever and I would find him with covered eyes today! You never forgrt your LAST Mini !
man i would love to reacquainted with my first mini!! your right... you never forget them!
I had a classic mini running A series 1330cc with cooper S double value spring head, a totally wild cam, SU carb and long centre branch extractors. The car was making huge torque and could strip diff pinon gear teeth. From about 3k rpm is was just a rocket.
The cam was utterly crazy with long lift and overlap. The car could be "set" to idle at 400 rpm and sound like a Harley-Davidson with the idle speed hunting between 200 and 600 rpm.
One option you didn't show was a 1600cc Ford engine from the early Cortina or Escort. In the UK there used to be an adaptor plate available to directly bolt the Ford motor to the standard gearbox. The Ford 1600cc was also a cross-flow head and these days can be had with 4 valve heads. Or there was the 1600cc Cosworth version of the engine...
Woah this is the type of engine I want! Sounds wild! Must have rattled your teeth at idle haha.
Years back when I had my first mini 1275. I managed to shoehorn a twin Webber carbs off a escort by shaving down the inlet manifold on it with a grinder. After some extreme fettling I got it to run, it was scary fast in a straight line and spat flames 🤣
The only reason I removed it was because I couldn't (at the time in my youth)
Get the vacuum hose to fit (didn't have a bolt hole on the Inlet) so the brake ran unassisted haha. These days I know I could have tapped and drilled one in.
I will have to look up that older crossflow conversion! Appreciate the comment!
@@professionalbodger I was lucky that the mini I was running was an Australian Clubman mini that had 12 inch wheels and 8 inch front discs. The discs were the same size as on a racing Holden Torana (LJ GTR XU1). The mini didn't need all the stopping force of discs that large so the car didn't run a booster. But if you really jumped on the brakes at low speed it was possible to both lock the front wheels and lift the rear end off the ground. Arriving on two squealing tyres really made an entrance.
I do miss that car as it was my first one. I owned it for seven years and it was progressively modified over that time. When I parted with it, it was borderline if it was really safe to drive. The power delivery to a non-LSD diff meant it could pull sideways under acceleration if you were not ready for it.
The car was crashed and written-off 24 hours after I sold it. Nobody was injured, I suspect someone wasn't ready for it to pull sideways at a speed hump.
@@fluffypuppy1040 that's such a cool story!
I don't think anyone gets over losing their first mini! I had a professional photo done at a car show that I keep on the wall like a shrine!
I went to the event as a customer and got Sheparded up to park next to a expensive MK1 escort and a Aston I think it was. Still remember the faces of the concourse guys with there immaculate cars as my - let's be fair - boy racer mini got parked next to them 🤣🤣
Such good fun!
Never too late to get another mini and build a tribute @fluffypuppy1040
Pretty much what I did with my 1275GT, but only bored to the first oversize (1293 - mainly as I got a set of 2nd hand pistons from a mini show..), 286 cam , big valve racing high compression head etc. The thing would hang with an XR3i until 115mph (private track, obviously...), but man it would eat gearboxes for breakfast!!
Man I love car stories like this, super cool to hear of such builds and experiences
I have had the 850 1000 1100special 1275 estate best time, with wonderrull memories , maybe best years of my life . Now i drive a brandnew panamera , but most pleasure i have had with my mini’s.
This was fun.....tHanks for the rides
Your welcome, thank the dudes who's cars they actually are haha
@@professionalbodger .....good point...they had the ideas, the bank accounts, the spirit......but you made them ours for the day!
I went Vauxhall 1600 16v on Jenvey throttle bodies. Got to say any departure from the A series is serious work but brings serious rewards.
@@nudgersssounds awesome man, how does it handle the power?
@@professionalbodger bit like that Arden 8 port would I guess or anything with 150-160hp engine
They all sounded epic, but for a useable road car either the 1293 or the Arden 8 port 👌🏼
He'll yeah to the 8 port!
I owned a cooper s 1071cc in the 70’s and before that an mg engined special. Driving was really great then.
You lived in a awesome era!! super jealous!
@@professionalbodger really nice of you to say that, thank you. But of course there was also those very dodgy fashions for men (but the girls did all seem to be beautiful)👍🏻👍🏻
@@Daniel-deMerrivale i love the fashion haha i even bought myself a 1970s 'pig skin' bomber jacket haha my dad reckons it was from that era!
@@professionalbodger I had one myself!! I loved that coat! Happy days looking back. If you had been there we would have been the best of pals! 👍🏻👍🏻
you forgot the combo that keeps the A-series heart: An A series block with the bmw k series twin cam 16v head. I like the idea of staying true to the original A-series, but with the the high-end power and revs of a 16 valver.
@@Jeff_F7 that's true, it looks awesome too!! I've always thought it looks kinda tricky to do though
The BMW K twin cam head swap is as much as I'd want to do to a mini of mine.
If it has to ba a whole engine then the 1 liter ecoboost from Zcars, it fits well under a bull nose front and power goes from 84, 99, 123 to 140bhp with just a map swap apparently and the 5 speed box works with 10" wheels.
I remember a few years back seeing a mini with this conversion in a magazine and it looked amazing. TH-cam research is needed. Thank you for your input!
Have you seen the Honda D16 kit from SMCO?
Offers all the Ecoboost swap does, without being known as the EcoBOOM.
Why would anybody actually choose a wet belt engine?
All music to my ears🤪
💯 agree!!
Just reading your title, first thing I thought of was the 'busa and second was Binky.
Personally I'd go the 'busa route, possibly the newer flat-plane R1 (best sounding engine!).
Wasn't binky a project car on a awesome.channelnon TH-cam? I'm sure I watched one called 'project binky'
Man, a flat planed engine would be insane!! Almost a Ferrari right😅
@@professionalbodger Next time you see a newer R1 listen closely to the engine... it's beautifully tuned engine orchestra. Project Binky was an old Mini that they updated with the drivetrain of a Celica All-Trac. AWESOME series, yes on TH-cam.
Would definitely choose the vtech ❤
Gotta love a VTEC! I always worried about the handling though. Would it still feel like a mini with all that weight upfront?
Its a aluminium engine and gearbox so i guess i will not weigh that much more than the cast iron thing that they came with. And you have to modify the front end basically get rid of most of it and put in some tubes to mount shocks and the engine in . For a bseries. as far as i know .
@@renzo123123able My road Mini has a Watsons B16A2 conversion and it handles just fine.
ONCE BUILT AN 1100 ENGINE WITH mg 1300 HEAD (BIGGER VALVES) not sure but I think the casting number was 12G295? plus, MY MATE WAS A MECHINIST so he lightened the flywheel by a few pounds then balanced the crank with bearings con rods pistons and rings and even the engine pulley fitted!! then took an unknown amount off the head and cylinder faces. I cleaned the ports and made a manifold so I could fit an HS2 1.5 inch su carb with a long centre branch manifold and straight exhaust ending in a Dunstall reverse cone mega motorbike silencer, Finally added a 344to 1 diff and 12 inch wheels + spacers. Went like that brown stuff off a shovel!!!
Oh that sounds like a heck of a recipe!
I wonder what power that produced?
@@professionalbodger No Idea but it was difficult to pull away in the damp without the wheels spinning, Also gave one or two supposedly fast cars a fright in the twisties!!!
@notwocdivad I would sit there wondering what they would think if they knew it still had a mini engine with all that power hahaha
@@professionalbodger A friend also had a 1275 Mini. He once had to drive from Newcastle to Glasgow then on to Coventry, He said on the motorway it was never below 80 mph between fuel stops, He said only real sports cars overtook him!! It did use a bit of oil though resulting in a stripdown and "MODS" much like mine
12G295, great head, fitted as standard to 998 Cooper and MG1100 etc. Put a 12G295 on a 1098 (1100) engine with 3.44 diff in the gearbox. Mini would easily top 100 MPH.
I'd like two in my garage. One with a nicely worked and tuned A series, all "legitimate" parts. The other with a Honda VFR800 V4 bike engine, RWD.
Neither over the top, just good fun.
Ooh strong choices there! Dont think I've seen a vfr800 swap before.
Immediate research needed!
Thanks for your comment!
I'd go the 8 port head option.
Certainly sounds the best that's for sure!
We used to build mini engines using triumph herald pistons, tuftrided crank and cam, slark head, and a jack night gearbox.The police couldnt catch us even with their 3500 rovers and senator 3 litres.
Man I love the old school ways! Herald pistons? We're they stronger? Lighter?
Heard of the Jack knights, good reputations!
@@professionalbodger
The pistons were 1340,s.the pin height was slightly higher from the skirt so we used shorter rods.
Longer pistons shorter rods means higher rpm.
@@chrisplace9773 Thats amazing! Where did you learn all this stuff? I'm guessing you would have had to use a thinner or thicker head gasket to compensate somewhere for exact fit?
This is proper engine building masterwork!! Would absolutely love to see a vid about that!
@@professionalbodger you can also fit a rover v8 without cutting up the shell.Minimum work is needed on the engine to make it fit.
@@chrisplace9773 HOW!! hahaha. Love a v8 but not sure it would be very driveable in a mini haha
Buy what brings you joy, provided it fits your budget. Ignore the skeptics; criticism is inevitable regardless. I wonder how they sound tho
That's some great advice. I'm swinging towards keeping it A-series, feel like thats once of its qualities. Webber carbs sound the nuts too!
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Swap in a ported Mazda rotor engine, (wankel) mated to a front drive gear box. Custom axels . maybe a 6speed Honda, something close ratio. That tiny fairly large displacement engine would be awesome especially with a turbo..
Honestly considered this when i had my rx8, but due to the costs alone of the wiring etc and the custom shafts i backed out. Its been done to some degree out there though
My Dream Car for 129 HWY.😊
I have had the 998, 1100 and 1275 engines in Minis in the past and definitely the 1275 is the one to go for of the A series engines. However, ever since the first 1000cc Gold wings came out I have wondered what a Mini would be like with that engine installed???
Awesome man, I've owned 2 998's before this one. One on the road and one that never ran- bought for parts. And a 1275 that was pretty quick for what it was.
My channels mini project is just a humble 998 again with a stage 1 on it.
A goldwing engine would be awesome. Proper torquey too! Don't think that been done before 😁
The best upgrade is a 5 speed box. I have a B16 in my mini, defo go with a Honda, the D series is a better conversion and plenty of power
Stick a Rover V8 in it. No worries. Mike in Oz
Love it! That's a proper ozzie choice haha!
How about an Austin Maxi 1750 engine?
I dont think i have heard of this conversion, sounds interesting though
Did the maxi 1750 when we were kids. Lots of torque, heave and involved removing the front wings, building a engine cage attached from the front sub frame and front bulkhead. Put a clubman fibreglass front tilt bonnet. Got specialist turned drive shaft. Ran it on 12inch rims.
It had some grunt but was dicey on stoping - put s curbstone in the boot to keep the back down.
@@a760541 sounds awesome! what kind of year was this? Seems like it must have been before the vtec gen took over
Can't beat the scream of a cammed 1380 on SU's imho
200 Hp in mini ! duck me , what could possibly go wrong :-)
terrifying i bet!!!
@@professionalbodger Not at all. Go racing a 1275 round the circuits and you'll discover just how much more power the car can manage (with the required upgrades, of course) without terrifying the driver. It's all relative, what you're used to.
1340 stage 3 should do the trick
This or a 1380 seems to be my long term plan!
The Micra 1.6 would be my choice. I prefer the sound. Everything after that was too powerful to be safe
Those bike engines are great, especially if you want to use the mini for racing, hillclimbs etc (or simply wow-ing people with your manic mini). For regular street use they allways seem a bit over the top (...) for me.
@@rientsdijkstra4266 id still love to have a go in one! Haha look mental
@@professionalbodger That is true!
Something really light with a better gearbox 🤷 TU engine from Peugeot Citroen?
Like the 1.4 16v? Or even a vts from a saxo? Good input buddy!
Forget all of those … get a BMW 1200 twin cam head and turbo, mine is a monster
Would love to see a video of this man
@@professionalbodger I did a hill climb today , ill upload a vcideo of it and send it to you ... cheers man
@@Mrypants31 oh awesome man, good luck with the run!
850cc A series for me
Old school is cool! Cant beat them for raw sound that's for sure
I Bought a 1275GT 4 speed Auto back in mid 90s with 5 month MOT for a Whopping £15 sold as scrap due to not charging! Those where the Days i tell thee, Fixed with a new earth strap and sold on for a mighty profit of £45! 😭
WHAT! that's crazy haha. What would that work out as in todays coin? (not that its that long ago 😅😅)
Always wanted an Arden 8 port head but my pockets aren`t deep enough.
Rover K-Series VVI 160. Much lighter engine than Honda and you can retain the original speedo. It's a proven conversion and it's what would have been installed(1.4 probably..) if the Mini was given a 4th life
A series 1275 turbo, very cheap and easy to get 140bhp, if I was engine swapping I’d go Vw 1.8t bam engine as you’ve got 260bhp with £90 remapped ecu
Thats a good choice! those engines are pretty rapid in the tts so would be impressive in a mini
The bike engines do sound good, but not as good as Webers! Many years back, a fried showed me how to make a 1600 crossflow Ford fit onto a 1275 gear box. It didn't look that hard....
How about a Ford Zetec or Rover K-Series? Then again, put a Daimler Hemi in it and build a gasser.
K series used to be a popular conversion years ago. Not heard of zetec though. Pretty good engines too.
I know this is 7 months late but couldn't resist getting my two penuths worth in. Stick to an A series, at least put an exhaust on it to give it a bit of throat. All these engine conversions are only really about people wanting a small car with huge power. They've striped the essence out of the car. We all know the mini was about handling and sticking to the apex like glue. Not doing 200 mph in a 6 foot box.
Never too late to back the A Series! Luckily for me, the project has been slow due to health issues and operations etc, so engine wise its still the 998cc though a stage 1. It will probs stay like that for now and eventually il upgrade to a 1275 and go big carb haha. You still drive a mini?
@professionalbodger To be fair the 998 sounded epic. I remember in the olden days (during the war 😂) we used to have 2 or 3 engines kicking about because they were ten a penny. You had the option then of boring the cylinders and at least packing the engine with weld in case it all went tits up. Not sure if that's an option now. Good luck with it anyway mate. Nice to shoot the breeze with another mini fan. Get well soon 👍
@@ohforgodsake8486 appreciate your kind words and old school knowledge haha. When you say pack the engine with weld? is that to hold the block together after boring it out? curious! haha
@professionalbodger Yes mate. Adding strength to thin metal. The good old days when mot's weren't that important 😂
@ohforgodsake8486 I kinda wish I lived such a cool era haha
Nothing that requires changes to the wing height or length. Minis look absolutely hideous with any dimension changes (apart from full minisprint of course 😊)
100% agree!!
I’d go for the one with a Hayabusa huge horsepower that would be terrifying but smile when you got back in one piece and a reliable engine with massive horsepower
hahaha your so right brother
1293 Metro Turbo engine with straight cut gear box and drop gears-Full stop.
@@andrewgardner9615 man I love the sound of straight cut gearboxes! That sounds like an excellent recipe!
All depends what you are going to do with it, mate. Well, that and what is audibly pleasing to you.
If she's going to be a track car, basically anything goes, eh - even to the point of dropping a Rover 3500 in the beast and driving from the back seat (or putting the Rover where the back seat is and making the car RWD).
I'm not a purist by any means - heck, I run a 4.4 litre Leyland P76 engine mated to the original 4-spd manual / overdrive box in my Triumph Stag! However, to me, a car should not sound like a motorbike. Also, when I see a Mini, I sort of expect it to sound like one too....and my mind has difficulty accepting that a strange engine sound is coming from the car I am looking at. I mean, at least the sound the Stag makes is from a V8 and not a rotary or a twin-pot - even if the exhaust note is deeper than the original engine.
A fast Mini is still a fast Mini at the end of the day and if you are going to drive it on the street, you don't want anything too lairy for several reasons - two of which are increased attention from Mr Plod and stop / start traffic is not good for heavily modified engines.
The little 998 has a lot of potential with a cam and decent breathing gear (which you've already done by the sounds of it). However, if you took the step up to the 1098, those same mods make a bigger difference. I have a 1275cc, balanced crank and pistons, bored 20 thou (1293) with a BCF731 cam, ported / polished heads, a pile of little odds and sods (like twin timing chains, 3-core alloy rad) to ensure reliability, single 1.5" SU with 1.75" LCB headers and RC40 exhaust. I swore to myself that I wasn't going to make it loud and obnoxious, but the engine would breathe easier with the 2" setup and a larger jet, so I'm still debating this....three years later.
The one other thing I did with the little car was fit a 3.1:1 diff. The reason for this is that I like to open road cruise the wee beast and 3000rpm at 60mph is so much easier to listen to than 4000! Sure - it means cruising around town you only need third gear at 30, but she's more economical - especially on a trip - and I've also found she's actually easier on the winding hills between where I live and where the rest of the family is located 100 miles away - less gear changes and not stuck at a point where you're too high in the revs in second but the car just dies in third (as it was with the 3.7 / 3.4 mated to the original 998) . Leave it in second and the hills are a breeze between 2000rpm and 5000rpm. Because the 1275 has that bit of extra pep, she also doesn't fall on her face if taking off briskly at the lights with the taller diff ratio either...and the cam comes in at 1500rpm anyway. I haven't taken her on a track, but against similar cars still running the shorter diff, she could likely be a little slower getting up to speed but she'd pass them with the extra legs on the long straights. It certainly hasn't taken the 'Mini-ness' out of the drive - that's for sure..
...AND she's tame enough that daily driving doesn't hurt it any, long-legged enough that she's pleasant at open road speeds and powerful enough so that when I ask for power to overtake, it's right there - usually without having to change down. Could I beef it up further? Sure, but I've got what I think is a good compromise between stock standard and high speed full-on track fiend already. When the engine needs doing again, barring a catastrophic failure, I will bore the same block out to 40 thou (1310) or 60 thou (1330) and do the same again.
Of the ones you demonstrated in the video, the Arden had the loveliest noise, followed by the supercharged A-series. However, I'm not sure how they would cope with everyday driving....
All the best
The best of all sounds not on there. Turbocharged A Series
@@blacksheepphotography you sir, are completely correct! I originally intended to find a 1275 turbo conversion but struggled to find some footage.
I will try and find as many turbo options as possible and put out another vid! A turbo mini was one of my original dreams. So much so as a 18 year old I slapped a turbo sticker on the back of my black mini hahaha. Then felt the sting of shame (as I didn't have a turbo) and removed it promptly 😅🤣
Judd v10 formula 1 engine.
Vtec Honda CRV side column shift auto petrol
@mehboobsumar6532 haha I used to own one! 2.0 si I think. Good little truck with the column change.
I don't imagine that swaps ever been done haha. Cool suggestion though
waiting someone fit a 426 hemi 1968 engine
Now that would be a sight to behold hahaha!
Micra
1.3 16v engine?
Has to be an A Series for me. I run a 1330cc with a Swiftune SW8 cam in my ADO16 (1968 MG1300 mk2) th-cam.com/video/Q1MfkrSn7Fo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=-Na_UF3fQjTRHjJT
@@nigelpowton9509 woah, that thing of yours sounds epic! Deffo something to think about!!!
100 bhp Swift GTi
130 bhp Honda D
160-200 bhp Honda B
Having said all that surely the ultimate small motor of the moment is the Yaris GR 3 cylinder.
These are excellent options! A Yaris swap would be nuts!!
4AGE
il have to look into this one!
@@professionalbodger 1.6,20v,itbs.was a really good engine,I think it also had lsd and 6sp.the blacktop
@@bikeserv this was in he old mr2 right? blacktop name rings a bell...
@@professionalbodger it was in the fwd trueno bzr.a friend on mine had one.was a really good car, reliable and pretty strong for what it was.dont know if it came into different chassis though