Classic Mini Engine Performance Upgrades

[@peterfeltham5612]

So,so interesting to see this engine transformed by craftsmen on the other side of the world,really good job boys.

[@loripearce3942]

wow beautiful build wish I had this gear back in the day. Used to knock out rod bearings all the time..could pull my engine strip it and have it back on the road in 12 hrs.

[@phildavenport4150]

Back in the day, we sometimes had to strip and rebuild between practise on Saturday and race on Sunday. Can't recall ever taking that long. Mind you, our cars were built for a fast strip and rebuild.

[@jcramond73]

Nice work lads, I can't help wonder that why some drivers would not go with the twin cam head and fuel injection, especially if you run high grade fuel. Myself personally, love the sound of the SU's and keeping the engine looking stock, but as a street sleeper :)

[@TheGoldinge]

This is an awesome looking engine, with lots of power to spare!!

[@barenekid9695]

erm OK but even in bleeding edge race form... It can't equal the Hp output of a Stock late 80's Civic. Just a reality dose.

[@matthewjenkins1161]

Love that crankshaft. Not surprised about it liking higher octane fuels, as UK fuels are higher octane. Before leaded fuel was banned from general sale in 1999 we were using 98 octane and even now our lowest option is 95 octane standard unleaded. Even stock Minis don't run at their best on 95 unleaded, benefitting greatly from octane booster and more timing advance.

[@differentname8051]

We don't calculate Ron and Mon numbers the same as America, it works out to be about the same though.

[@johnpowell5433]

Back in the '70s when I built my 1296 we could get what was referred to as 5 star petrol - 105 octane - from most service stations. Back then there was 2, 3, 4, and 5 star available, each a different octane rating. Only 5 star was good enough for my baby! It used to cost about 80 pence or $1.80 a gallon (4.54 litres). After that petrol prices got a bit silly and now we pay roughly £5.60 a gallon. Most fun car I ever owned.

[@nigeh5326]

John Powell I well remember my Dad in the early 70s complaining to the garage owner about petrol going up to 40p a gallon (we were in an Austin 2200 land crab) no one could have guessed how much an imp gallon costs today.

[@johnpowell5433]

@@nigeh5326 : It was probably 1974 after the 1973 OPEC oil embargo took hold and the price shot up.

[@nigeh5326]

John Powell yep it probably was thanks.

[@bryanduncan1640]

You guys in the States don’t know how lucky you are? When I was tuning BMC “A” series engines in the sixties, we had none of the tuning aids that seem to be so easily obtainable to you - I’m so jealous! Mind you, I would have topped it off with a DCOE Weber instead of the twin SU’s.

[@nigeh5326]

Ooh carburation that was always a point of contention when I was modding my Minis in the 80s. For road use the single 1 3/4 HIF or HIF44 1275 Metro SU was my choice although a mate swore by a single side draught Webber

[@rogergiles5184]

Used to use twin 1 1/2 SUs with MME needles for road use on my 1340. Downton S2 head with all the lightened balanced bits. SC/CR box + tons of other bits. Used to fly!

[@grantmathers6652]

Nothing wrong with SU carbs, they're simple to setup, adaptable to just about any performance engine. They are less complex & proved their performance & reliability in aircraft like the Spitfire...

[@garyrowe58]

Would have loved to see splits on it.

[@denzelw9664]

Really Fulljoy this video guys. Remind me of the days back in Jamaica when I use to assemble ford 1700 cc 1760cc and 1840 engines breathing through some 45 and 48 Weber side draft carburetor. Some Toyota 2T and 3T engines. Never did a lot of work on minis but there’s a guy there who was the mini king George Sherwood.

[@andybawn1]

Get the book "How to modify your Mini" by David Visard fantastic for this! He was the chief engineer for BMC when Mini's ruled the world in the 1960's

[@paulwilliams8536]

That’s a blast from the past built my 1340 with guidance from David Visard 😀

[@RJR1007]

Wow,, this so brings back memory's of rebuilding my 1040 full race engine, nice job guys , always preferred shorter stroke,

[@gegwen7440]

Special Tuning Abington would have loved the parts in that engine, as we would when building our 1071 / 1275's.

[@minder4u1]

Abingdon FFS !!!!!

[@angelsone-five7912]

Very interesting and a very nice engine but I would have thought you`d have fitted new HT leads to the plugs.

[@geraldswain3259]

Forgot to say your work appears to be excellent .

[@regreddy1190]

piece of art, well done

[@psblad2667]

That engine looks fantastic. A lot of goodies in there. However, consider your camera technique; you are "painting" with the camera which makes the video rather nervous to view.

[@christopherbedford9897]

Plus the. Long. Annoying. Pauses. This whole video could probably be 1/2 the length if it were just SCRIPTED. Ninety percent of the videos on YT are like this, channels that just have no respect for their viewers. I DON'T HAVE TIME TO LISTEN TO YOU UMMING AND AAHING AND REPEATING AND CORRECTING YOURSELVES, GUYS. Made it to the 1:50 mark, had enough.

[@henningkock4436]

Great video but damn this guy is fanboying the hell out of these parts😂😂

[@dalybaz]

@Arlo Finn What sort of boyfriend are you that betrays your girlfriend's trust? I know what it feels like because my now ex-girlfriend hacked my phone while I was asleep. as soon as I found out, she no longer had my trust in anything.

[@tomthompson7400]

@@dalybaz yep all trust goes out the window when your girlfriend phones your wife ,,,,

[@DiHandley]

This video really should have an “R” “Adults Only” rating. I think I’m in love! 😍😂

[@robfrye4664]

Um, um, um, um, um, and uh, um, so um, and um... Lordy!

[@dougharlow6037]

The old crank has 1-3/4-inch con rod bearings and the new straight-line rod crank has 1-5/8-inch rod journals. Why wouldn’t they build the 1-3/4” rod journals in the new straight-line rod crank? That multi web engine block and transmission looks incredible. Also doesn’t anyone make a cam gear drive instead of a chain? Couldn’t you get a ¼” smaller diameter crank damper/balancer? So, you wouldn’t have the belt problem. With the engine in the car and you lose a belt, that would be a real big problem. I love the way the engine/heads look in Mini green. This is one GREAT looking Mini engine. Thanks

[@minimania]

A lot of performance cranks and rods use the 1.625" bearing sizing because that was the Cooper S standard. There's toothed belt drives for these engines but not gear drives. Sorry, but was is the "belt problem"?

[@dougharlow6037]

@@minimania You stated you must remove the crankshaft damper to install the fan belt.

[@minimania]

@@dougharlow6037 Right - yeah, that was an aftermarket damper that's much larger than stock. It wouldn't be an issue with the stock type or if we ran a different timing cover without the breather.

[@MEDEngineeringTechVideos]

Nice work Brendan :)

[@chrisedmunds-h5j]

Superb

[@JWest1]

This is nuts, the engine is almost comparable to the dudes hand size lol.

[@pauljeffries]

So you didn't know what the compression of the engine was when it was specced up with the cam/head/pistons etc?

[@minimania]

No, not exactly. We knew that with this piston and head combo it would have higher than normal compression but we didn't CC the head beforehand.

[@innleadair]

Impressive...

[@rogerking7258]

@@minimania I can't imagine ever building an engine with steel crank and rods, forged pistons, etc, and not doing a combustion chamber capacity check before final assembly.

[@minimania]

@@rogerking7258 The customer had talked with the supplier and knew the specs. We were only assembling the engine. Had he needed independent verification we would have given him anything he asked for short of dyno testing.

[@frigglebiscuit7484]

@@rogerking7258 who cares....just get the compression of the engine through a compression check, take the intake valve closing angle ABDC, plug it into a dynamic comp calculator, guess your static comp, and if the answer's cranking psi is the same as you got on your engine, then thats your static comp ratio.

[@alifurniture]

Nice

[@FirstLast-ox5ls]

I have a stock 998 automatic 1989 I want more something that keeps up with traffic on the streets and enough to keep up with traffic I’ve been using you guys to keep my mini on the road still

[@richardwallinger1683]

many years ago i installed a 1275 s motor into a mini pickup truck . It was awesome .

[@raymondo162]

I put an mg 1100 engine in my minivan. it was awesome. tuning made easy. and it immediately showed the need to uprate the brakes

[@EH4-EH4]

Super cool video. 😎

[@repr26]

This guy needs to have someone follow him around for a week, to slap the shit out of him every time he says "and um".

[@khayamata5345]

lmao wow

[@raychambers3646]

And um that's a bit harsh.

[@ef7480]

Easy tiger...

[@wasimiqbal3719]

What more power did the engine make ?

[@pinknblues1]

Brilliant absolutely

[@pasha12343]

What sort of power would this type of set up produce ?

[@herenow2895]

What is the torque wrench setting for the smaller stud on the 12G940 head ?

[@lesterkirby3367]

Yep brings back good times i had 1977 yellow 1100 cc mini dunlop alies 165x10s i put a 850 gear box on a 1000 engine low gearing went like a bat out of hell 😊. I put a morris 1300 engine in a mini . 95 mph . All day long worked in a breaker yard for nearly 6 yrs saw a lot of minis and metros 1275s i found new homes for them to ha Lots of wet drivers seats 😂 hi from ireland .😆

[@loripearce3942]

Used to build these in the 70's 649 cams were the king had 6 mini cooper S from 971 to 1275 miss them boohoo

[@stevehughes9992]

I ended up with STR930 cam, (same as a 649 but star drive) and twin split 45's. Miss it like hell.

[@DiHandley]

Unbelievable I’m subbed!

[@ralphdyson7926]

Thank you, I have learned a lot.

[@seattleman3708]

Nice video! However, I noticed something; The connecting rods that you have chosen, don't have a oiling hole (The hole that pressurized oil get into the piston pin area). Isn't that gonno make the piston pins run dry?!

[@donalfinn4205]

Like they would make such a mistake? Thanks for letting us know you are a know all.

[@ethelmini]

Were you looking at the big or little ends? Big have the crank rotating in them so are oil fed, note that the oil ports are to the the side of the journals to make the centrifugal force throwing oil a bit more even. The small ends don't rotate, they just rock as the rod goes from the side to the side in the block as the crank rotates. Consequently the little end can't "surf" on a film of pressure fed oil like the big ends. But, as the only way to feed oil up the rods would be via the mains bearings and then the big end bearings it would require even more pressure and power through the oil pump. It'd rob oil from the bearings that really need it & take more power from the engine's output. The small ends are, however, directly in the firing line for oil that is thrown out of the big ends

[@crobulari2328]

On assembly did you not use oil some on the crank and pistons ? Nice job but use the oil can.

[@phildavenport4150]

If the tunnel had to be line bored to enable the caps to fit properly, was there any taken from the block? If so, you have the reason for the slightly loose timing chain right there. Also, how could the motor have a compression ratio higher than you originally thought? How did you measure it before and after? And what octane rating was the fuel before and after?

[@mrmusicmanic]

I new he was the sort of guy to use a speed brace before he even got it out lol, old hat lol

[@dfpguitar]

I am pretty certain that the timing chain tension was perfect before you added a tensioner. If anything it was on the tight side (but would loosen up with use to correct tension) Any tighter would create immense amounts of friction and very premature wear of components. If you did this on a bicycle for example, you wouldn't even be able to pedal it.

[@markotison7393]

Hi! I have a jdm 1275 spi mini. Are there any mods to make it go faster while still using the stock ecu?

[@kevbarry6457]

Great video guys. Are you going to put a silencer/muffler on the test bed?

[@ihateemael]

how about a dyno run? lets see what it can do!

[@rocxx.]

Around 160bhp/200bhp I’ve got a carbon front end so there will be room

[@meca13b]

Impressive ! What engine is it exactly?

[@Bluesloverification]

Hi i am doing a full ground up resto on a 1967 Morris Mini it still needs alot more work yet but i would like to know how much horsepower can i get out of my 1275 engine it has already been ported out and had head work done to it before i got the engine it also has a MK1 Cooper S gearbox i have not had the chance to hear the engine run yet but my Dad and i have given it a very close look over and the bores are clean with no lip at all hardly and carburn on the pistons and the head is very clean and smooth ports with double row valve springs and even the valves look great i also have genuine Cooper S Dual SU Carbs and i am putting a Gearbox Oil cooler on it as well later. I want to aim at getting 100HP out of it yet without doing to much work to it so i am wondering how to do that as a 1275 S block?

[@minimania]

Well, the stock Cooper S 1275 has about 75Hp. In order to get it to a hundred would mean going to a big overbore (1330, 1380 ...) with high compression pistons and a lumpy camshaft. As big on the valves as you can go. Big exhaust. Possibly weber carb(s). That's the quickest way.

[@grahamrowland6681]

Just a question why does it run positive crank case pressure modern cars run negative is this because they have a turbo. Great video

[@carlosmejiagranda9891]

Hello guys, good job. I wonder how many hp the engine has? Please let me know 🙏

[@mickholgate3347]

What sort of power on this one?

[@chrisb8075]

Ouch! Sorry but I'd never use that amount of force to drop a piston in. A heavier hammer, with a shorter handle and softer blows is def my preferred approach. It's easier to notice any changes in resistance, feel or sound.

[@rocxx.]

Hi how much do u say it would cost on average I want a track car engine for my rover mini 1987 1000cc and could u use part of my old block to do so

[@IsraelitesUnited]

what sort of speed is that engine doing thanks

[@darryl3392]

I could only dream of having someone like this in my mini. Could you please give a ball park idea of what it cost to put together so I know how much I need to start hiding from my wife. Get build 👍

[@MiniPerformance]

just go to MED's website and add it up, its a lot!!

[@mesco8200]

I know people spending £8k just on the head 😯

[@labarone8910]

About $6,000 for the crankshaft kit (crank, rods, pistons etc) I would guess. I don't think that's too pricey for top shelf parts.

[@theeoddments960]

Holy hell I thought 800 bucks for aluminum heads on a small block Chevrolet was a lot but 6-8k for a fuckin port and polish job? Christ almighty too much cash for such a car like this

[@grdn2607]

Curious Betsy vlogs probably why Honda swaps are so popular

[@rodshop5897]

I see you using cast iron heads, but I recall that aluminum heads are also available. Given the lighter weight, why not use an aluminum head?

[@hlund73]

The thermal properties would be a better reason to go for aluminium. A cast iron head on a cast iron block is innately better at holding gaskets. Since the design was for cast iron having to fit pressed valve seats would be a compromise too.

[@RichardASK]

As far as I recall, BMC never made an alloy head for the A series. The block you're using looks like a series 3 S or 1300(which were the same thing and had no tappet chest covers). There were some light green blocks knocking about in Longbridge experimental, which had thicker walls and allowed bigger overbores. They were all supposed to have been scrapped. Funny how many weren't! However, Arden did make and alloy 8 port head for the track, with a variety of inlet systems on the front, when we had to use a Clubman shaped bonnet. Some people used 40 or 45 Webbers, some used 4 Amal carbs.. One actually had a Lucas F2 metering unit. It took some setting but was quite quick at the top end. Ah memories, but forgive, if a few of the facts may have faded a little.

[@rodshop5897]

I guess I was thinking of the cast aluminum heads from Moss that I recall from the catalog. I believe they already had valve seats pressed into them. Funny to think my original post was from a year ago. Good to be reminded of this vid!

[@jamesmather9990]

at 2.33. How can something be 4 inches lighter!??? And the price of these parts is??

[@willgrime]

Go to the MED website for parts prices. Nick Swift’s Swiftune website is a good alternative, prices much the same for both.

[@Danny_Boel]

it needs to be 4 inches lighter to make the Kessel run in less than 12 Parsecs 😀

[@hdunbavan4844]

A price would be very helpful just say at the end of the video this engine build would cost you...

[@dansmith822]

About how much power would that produce?

[@kevinantoniomorrison2415]

How much would it cost to build the similar engine in the video and ship it to jamaica. But instead of the SU carbs , install the split sidedraft 45mm webbers?.

[@MrArtisticsound]

Hi Guys. Lovely Video. I was wondering if you would build a similar engine for an Austin 1100 1973 for normal driving but well up to date like the one on thid video. Not used for racing but a better performance with mod pistons. Good with engine oil consumption problems and a better torque. Basically to bring it up to modern road speed that I wont have to pull over all the time to let a mile of traffic pass out. Roughly what kind of cost would this amount to. Thank you, Mervyn

[@minimania]

This type of upgrade isn't possible on the 998's and 1098's as this crank, rod, and piston set up are only for 1275cc engines. Upgrades for the small bore engines are much more tame.

[@MrArtisticsound]

@@minimania Do you do the "much more tame" 1098's upgrade A+ and How Much? Thsnks, M

[@willgrime]

You could always start your 1100 upgrade by using a big-bore block. Easily spotted by finding an engine with angled heater valve, BUT not so easy to find one in the first place...

[@fransterhorst3694]

Something like this is probably pretty unaffordable right? looks awesome though! i'd love to put an engine like this in my sprite, wich is pretty aneamic right now since it has the wrong 1098 that someone has put there in the past. shame, it cannot even be bored up since the 1&2 and 3&4 bores are too close together. more likely i will have to put something more recent in that car eventually. light weight and with more pistons.

[@nigeh5326]

I had a Mini with the 1098 long stroke in it. I found it inferior to the 998 which was smoother and could be reliably revved, my 1098 threw a rod so I dropped the 998 in, fitted the 12g295 big valve head (used in the 998 Cooper and possibly the Sprite), a rally cam, double row timing chain and with a free flow exhaust manifold RC40 silencer and 1 3/4 carb it revved to 8k yet was economical.

[@baz5372]

Nice, but not enough technical detail. Such as, what was the material of the rods. Was it a steel crank or nitrided cast iron. What was the spec of the camshaft and followers. A comparison of the OE and the new flywheel would have been interesting. A rev limit for these lovely rotating parts would have been nice. Who manufactured the various components. Some expected bhp and torque figures would also have been nice. Generally could have been much more informative and interesting. A pity, but a really nice engine.

[@minimania]

Check the kinks in the description for more information about the parts.

[@baz5372]

@@minimania Sorry would love to but to someone of my age, checking the kinks has nothing to do with cars! Could you explain what you mean to a tecno dim wit. Thank you.

[@willgrime]

Barry, go to the MED website for all the details on the parts

[@harrygatto]

Do you check the piston ring gaps before fitting the pistons? If so what gap and tolerance? In my day it was 3 thou per inch of bore diameter.

[@eduardodedios8213]

Is an automatic transmission worth building the engine? Or should I start looking for a manual set up?

[@minimania]

There are very few parts available for the automatics. Best to go with a manual gearbox as the parts for those are plentiful.

[@eduardodedios8213]

@@minimania thanks

[@jaydenpitre2853]

How much would a Motor Cost like the one you built in the video

[@minimania]

It's roughly $12K in parts alone. That should give you an idea.

[@tomthompson7400]

@@minimania good on ya for answering , many avoid that question ,

[@kevinantoniomorrison2415]

Where are you located, like your modifications, text me your information. How much would it cost to build a 1440 cc with full race cam and split 45mm sidedraft webbers with straight cut gearbox, and drop gears 1:1 ratio with powerlock differential.

[@geraldswain3259]

The people to go to are the likes of swiftune ,downton eng, m .e. d etc in the UK .

[@TestchannelVP]

I have a 1968 sprite and there is a oil line that come out of the head by the spark plugs. When I finally got the engine running oil came out and I cannot find where the line goes. Do you happen to know where?

[@willgrime]

To the oil pressure gauge...

[@craigtate5930]

Why are the stock con rods offset? Seams like thats asking for problems

[@minimania]

Probably because of the design of the stock crank and the way the weights are arranged.

[@willgrime]

Because when the engine was redesigned with bigger bores (for all the S series engines) the central two cylinders had to move slightly further apart and the end cylinders slightly closer together. Rather than re-engineer the crank for what was going to be a very small series of engines, they chose to re-engineer the rod instead. Had they known how successful the Cooper S was going to be, they’d probably have done it differently...

[@pauljeffries]

What cam is that engine running?

[@minimania]

It was the Piper Cams MED Mini Metro to RS MEc Spec cam. Intake 270 Exhaust 284 duration. Full lift (in degrees) 105 in/110 ex.

[@josephinebennington7247]

Are original Mini Coopers ‘big’ in the States/Canada? This didn’t sound like a workshop in the UK.

[@FRIDAYNIGHTGARAGENIGHT]

is the crank still cast?

[@minimania]

I believe they are billet steel.

[@FRIDAYNIGHTGARAGENIGHT]

@@minimania NICE! good stuff bud! I wouldn't let on you didn't check the combustion chamber cc! you tube keyboard warriors can be savage! keep up the good work and a thumbs up from me

[@984francis]

@@minimania It isn't billet, you can be sure of that because the waisted areas between the throws have an unmachined surface. That could be forged or cast, I'm thinking forged because the surface is fairly smooth.

[@MEDEngineeringTechVideos]

@@984francis They're billet alright.

[@matthewbrown5677]

how do you run in these days....what oils with zinc do you like.

[@minimania]

We use standard 30w, non-synthetic, and then use a zinc additive.

[@frigglebiscuit7484]

stp oil treatment.

[@markloganvw]

Do you send to Denmark? and how much is postage?

[@TheThunderwars]

What kind of RPM do you reckon your 86mm stroked crank can withstand on a daily basis, i.e. for a daily driver 1460cc for example ?

[@minimania]

I wouldn't consider a 1460 power unit for a daily driver. It's not really built for it. This set up isn't one of the 86mm stroked cranks, this one has the standard stroke with .060 over pistons. Still, even this engine is a bit much for a daily driver - especially since the gearbox and drop gear set are all straight cut - more like race set up than a highway cruiser. Something a bit more mild with lower compression and geared for highway driving would be a better choice for daily use.

[@TheThunderwars]

Mini Mania My daily is a 1330cc 10.8:1 CR with a 268° custom Cam. It is very civilized but I thought that a 1460cc would benefit from more torque and low end drivability on par with the added cc's, why would it be problematic ? Vibrations maybe ?

[@minimania]

That 1330 sounds about right for something really workable for daily use and I know lots of folks do this with 1380's as well, as we've built many 1380's over the years. Vibration shouldn't be a problem but the higher spec you go in some instances the less driver friendly an engine can get in terms of fuel choice, cooling, ignition, etc. That's not to say it can't be done but then longevity is also an issue. Daily driver engines tend to be more mild, with gearing for reducing revs at freeway speeds like 3.2:1 or similar.

[@TheThunderwars]

@@minimania Agreed, however considering the normal RPM range of a daily ( 6500 RPM redline) I thought that the longer stroke would not mean a reduction in longevity, and by keeping a mild cam ( around the 270° mark) you should benefit from the extra cc's without drawback .. Well having said that it is true that the cost of such an engine would be insane compared to a simple 1380 due to the special crank and connecting rods.

[@upstate922]

It seems that Thunderwars has better knowledge than mini mania. The cam dictates the personality, and what other parts are needed to make it work at its best.

[@MrFunkia]

I wonder why you have fitted lightening slots to the con-rods on the sides that are suffering the highest bending stresses? Surely you should fit the slots on the other two sides where the bending stresses are much lower.

[@mc1996]

MrFunkia The MED (made by Arrow) rods are designed to be the lightest and strongest, those cuts make no diference to this small natural aspirated engines as they make the power by reving to over 8000rpm and dont have lots of torque.

[@lynnebarkas6906]

Piston, 4 inches lighter??

[@minimania]

it's whole different kind of physics in our engine shop!🤪

[@1ihws]

I hear the accented twaaaang and my immediate thought is, ‘racing motor engineering “specialist”? Righto, maybe, whatever ya reckon … some of us “old folks” think you’re full of shit!

[@gorcer7600]

@2:38 pistons are 4 inches lighter ??? Please enlighten me ! 🧐🤔😂🤣

[@dwansbo]

Three main bearing crank is better than five? More deflection?

[@hlund73]

5 is better in the most basic comparison. The pistons & small end of the conrods have to change direction at the start & end of every stroke. That attempts to alternately stretch and compress the rods and the same forces have to be contained by the crank to stop the pistons flying in to the head. A 5 bearing engine has main bearings on both sides of each conrod to equally share the job of holding on to that big end. 3 bearings are mostly for cost saving, but aren't as bad as 1st appears. The pistons are in pairs so when 1 is at the top its neighbour is at the bottom so the equally and opposite reciprocating forces mostly cancel each other out. Though, the pistons aren't directly opposed (as in a flat 4 engine), so there is some twist on the crank perpendicular to its axis of rotation. Another factor is that the pairs of pistons are mirrored to improve balance that would otherwise cause the engine to rock like a seesaw. This means the middle 2 pistons travel up and down their bores side by side so the centre main bearing has to take virtually all the load off two pistons, there being no bearing on the opposite side of either conrod. Hence that fancy centre main cap with 2 added bolts. On the plus side there's empty space in place of 2 bearings which reduces weight and means there's nothing stop you putting putting 1&2, 3&4 cylinders as close together as possible. So more saving of weigh,t a more compact engine and fewer components and machining operations. The A series is a tough little lump of cast iron, snapped cranks have proved a rarity so it hasn't really suffered for missing a couple of bearings. That fancy crank would really only be justified if your were to spin one particularly fast. Faster than is useful with anything other than a cam that would only be usable on a race track

[@frigglebiscuit7484]

you always want as many main bearings as possible. the key most of the time is to have 1 more main bearing than you have cylinders.

[@willgrime]

@@frigglebiscuit7484 not necessarily so. Setting cost aside, friction is a major concern when it comes to main bearing design. Around twenty years ago as the benefits of synthetic oils were becoming really apparent, race engineers started to reduce the width of bearings to reduce oil drag, and then began to swap five bearings to three to take the idea further. As long as the centre main bearing is up to the job, this proved a useful performance compromise: not as smooth, perhaps, but ultimately more powerful, especially as the new synthetic oils could stand the increased bearing pressures. As always, it’s a matter of compromise.

[@parttimetourist]

It should be a 2 Litre Engine with 4 valves per cylinder twin cam cross-flow head and 2 DCOE 45 webbers😄

[@oldschool1993]

That's an H beam rod

[@greasy8eyes]

i see thats a stroker kit so what is the displacement now. 2000 cc

[@minimania]

Actually, no. This set up has the standard 1275 stroke.

[@greasy8eyes]

looks like i have learned something today and thanks.

[@jamespoplin8409]

All that money on the bottom-end and head, and he runs a carb-and-distributor setup? I don't get it ;-/ Was that just to break it in?

[@hlund73]

Those fancy internals are really for competition cars that have regulations to comply with.

[@jamespoplin8409]

@@hlund73 That was going to be my 2nd guess. I thought maybe he had to meet class restrictions. Otherwise, throw a VTEC in the darn thing!

[@ferrumignis]

@@jamespoplin8409 Honda Vtec requires a fair bit of cutting of the shell and custom subframe design, it's not exactly a throw it in job.

[@jamespoplin8409]

@@ferrumignis I can see going this route for the sake of originality. For the money put into this engine we're talking what, 150 MAYBE 200 ponies? You could get that from a STOCK VTEC and STILL have money left over! Just saying....

[@ferrumignis]

@@jamespoplin8409 In the UK if you cut up the inner wings and subframe your car requires an IVA inspection which is very difficult to pass with an old car, they test things like radius of internal and external parts, many of which will fail on old cars. Additionally insurance for road use will be much higher with major modifications such as fitting a VTEC.

[@propellerhead9197]

About four inches lighter....?

[@peterlisyak5396]

What engine would you recommend for a Morris 1000, slightly warm?

[@minimania]

For the Morris Minors, if you're not concerned about originality, we would recommend a 1275cc engine for more power. We also recommend a front disc brake conversion and possibly a hydraulic clutch conversion, too.

[@peterlisyak5396]

@mini mania just what I was thinking already have the front discs, that’s 1 off the list

[@rossnparfitt]

Morris 1000 ,! Find a marina

[@hlund73]

@@rossnparfitt Montego/Maestro would be a bit more mobern, but all of 'em rocking horse poo now. There must be a simple modern engine swap that'd drop in a RWD Moggy on bigger wheels much easier than a Mini? MX5 Cappuccino?

[@rossnparfitt]

@@hlund73 like I said marina it's already been done,,,

[@johnnyboy2459]

Shame you dont have an RTS clutch

[@yahyaomarjee8370]

I recently bought a classic mini (Leyland Clubman 1100cc) Does anyone know what's the best oil and spark plugs to use?

[@rynyin]

castrol 20w50 ngkbp6es

[@raymondo162]

duckhams Q20/50 LOL

[@willgrime]

Champion N9Y were the plugs of choice back in the day.

[@karlrobertson8728]

How much are these engines to buy

[@minimania]

Because of the specialized parts in this engine, it's expensive when compared to standard rebuilds which start in the $7,000 range for most Minis.

[@MiniPerformance]

would have been interesting to see the primary gear / flywheel fitting etc, don't these cranks need additional work to standard to make it all fit?

[@minimania]

No - the only differences in this case were adding a 4-bolt centre main cap and to clearance the inside of the gearbox to clear the one crank web. Everything else was standard A+ Mini engine type set-up. I mentioned needing to shape and fit the keyway on the crank but there's not much else to do. The only other difference is the straight cut primary gear is held in place with just a spacing collar instead of the standard c-clip since the webbed cranks aren't slotted for those.

[@MiniPerformance]

@@minimania ah! that's what I was thinking of, the c clip difference.

[@karlrobertson8728]

How much is this engine to buy. .?

[@minimania]

Well, parts alone were $12K. That should give you an idea.

[@tomthompson7400]

@@minimania wow ,, you could buy something tasty for that , 12k and youve still only got a Mini.

[@GuyMcLaren]

If I had a drink for every umm, I'd be comatose.

[@herenow2895]

What compression ratio is it ?

[@denissanch385]

👌👌😘

[@herenow2895]

I've never seen a ring compressor like that before. I take it that it is internally tapered ? 8:35

[@herenow2895]

@InfiniteMushroom - I reckon you're probably right.

[@eduardodedios8213]

Yes, it’s common tool on Cummins engines too

[@stevefuller1779]

Every one the wold over uses a hammer handle to fit pistons, no doubt there is an, over priced, snap on tool for the job.

[@louisgordon4388]

Snap on hammer?

[@rossnparfitt]

The poor a series three bearing crank, Siamese ports and no cross flow it didn't stand a chance

[@chriscooke1815]

Nice set up. But why do you keep telling us the same thing.

[@blackhallmillvillage4238]

Back in the day, the best way to tune a mini was to skip the series A three bearing tractor engine and replace it with a Ford BDA. :)

[@ChrisSmith-bw1nt]

5 bearings every time, only way to go.

Don't even tell us where they are! In the UK? In the USA? Where? Does not fill me with confidence when they have to take material off the block to avoid interference.

[@minimania]

If you're referring to MED Engineering, they're in the UK. To your other point, all kinds of modifications need to be made to these older engines to increase performance. Modifications have been done to them since they were new so I wouldn't be concerned. The A-series block has been around since the 1950's.

[@tjmoran3879]

16:01

[@mistag3860]

take a drink every erm. pissed yet?