Practically Classics Forum

I must admit that I'd go the 1275 route (with Marina discs etc) if I bought (or buy) a Minor. There are one or two about with Fiat twin cam engines (and I saw one with a Cossie engine on eBay the other evening!!), but I think they'd be a bit of a handful and, to be honest, the car should have an A-series engine (even if they were designed for flat four engines) they don't look right otherwise! However, I did see one listed with a 1400 Datsun(?) engine and, if memory serves, that engine was a "copy" of the A-series, so should look the part. OK, the Japanese aren't good at copying - the Datsun engines don't leak oil like a proper engine should!

The modern engine swap of choice for a mog is the K series rover (1.4, 1.6 or 1.8). JLH restoration do a kit so you can slot it in with a type 9 ford box (Jonathon is also a really nice guy if you want advice on upgrades). Personally I would go for the 1275 a series that way you get the same characteristics of the standard car but enough power and torque for the extra bulk of the traveller. Also escort brakes are the choice option rather than Marina ones as parts are easier to come by.

tractorman wrote:......I did see one listed with a 1400 Datsun(?) engine and, if memory serves, that engine was a "copy" of the A-series, so should look the part. OK, the Japanese aren't good at copying - the Datsun engines don't leak oil like a proper engine should!

The Datsun (It's a 140Y Violet engine) was fitted because the PO of that car wanted an automatic transmission and naturally, they preferred to fit the dribbly Aisin-Warner unit to the dependable Borg Warner 65 that would have come with a Marina!
That trans is of the same family as those found in countless rwd Volvos, every one of which is invariably found with its parking bay marked out by pink spots on the floor.

Need an automatic Minor that doesn't leak and will perform every bit as well and then some? See this:



There, sorted.

wow i didnt think id get so much info on one post i think the 1275 is the best engine for me staying with the A-series means no need for any major mods to fit it and it will keep up with traffic a little better. im not a fan of the K-series after having 3 rover 200s having gasket problems although i do plan on giving the A-series motor a going over to sqeeze al little more power out the little motor as iv ordered the guide to do so just need the car now lol

andypandy wrote:having 3 rover 200s

Is that really the sort of thing you want to admit to on a public forum?

andypandy wrote:wow i didnt think id get so much info on one post i think the 1275 is the best engine for me staying with the A-series means no need for any major mods to fit it and it will keep up with traffic a little better. im not a fan of the K-series after having 3 rover 200s having gasket problems although i do plan on giving the A-series motor a going over to sqeeze al little more power out the little motor as iv ordered the guide to do so just need the car now lol

It's your hobby and your car, so go ahead and do what you want. However, a word of caution would be that you seem to be diving straight into the "modify mode" - I'd personally recommend that you buy and drive a standard car, and just make any modifications that you feel you really need, rather than planning major engine & brake changes before you've even bought the thing. After all, how much driving experience do you have in classic cars? If the answer is little or none, perhaps you should try standard cars before presuming that they'll need lots of upgrades. Often updgrades are done because the original equipment wasn't maintained properly or was faulty, which is really unneccessary in my opinion!
We run a Moggie which is totally standard in every way except for halogen headlamps, and they were only done because of the unavailability of replacement sealed beam units. It goes, stops and handles plenty well enough for modern traffic, and in our view is all the more fun for being standard.

However, whatever you do, have fun!

Luxobarge wrote:

andypandy wrote:wow i didnt think id get so much info on one post i think the 1275 is the best engine for me staying with the A-series means no need for any major mods to fit it and it will keep up with traffic a little better. im not a fan of the K-series after having 3 rover 200s having gasket problems although i do plan on giving the A-series motor a going over to sqeeze al little more power out the little motor as iv ordered the guide to do so just need the car now lol

It's your hobby and your car, so go ahead and do what you want. However, a word of caution would be that you seem to be diving straight into the "modify mode" - I'd personally recommend that you buy and drive a standard car, and just make any modifications that you feel you really need, rather than planning major engine & brake changes before you've even bought the thing. After all, how much driving experience do you have in classic cars? If the answer is little or none, perhaps you should try standard cars before presuming that they'll need lots of upgrades. Often updgrades are done because the original equipment wasn't maintained properly or was faulty, which is really unneccessary in my opinion!
We run a Moggie which is totally standard in every way except for halogen headlamps, and they were only done because of the unavailability of replacement sealed beam units. It goes, stops and handles plenty well enough for modern traffic, and in our view is all the more fun for being standard.

However, whatever you do, have fun!

great advice here ^^

as well as my singer vogue project, i run an early (1988) mazda eunos mk1..1.6
now, to me it seems, in the mazda world you need forced induction, v6 conversions, huge disc brake set ups etc etc etc.
mine is totally standard apart from going upto 15" rims (tyres are cheaper for 15" than 14") but very well sorted. totally reliable and drives faster than i need and stops quicker than i need (hopefully).
buy your car on condition if you can (unless you really want to restore one), get it serviced and reliable and enjoy it. plenty of time for modding

kev

i fully understand where your coming from with mods ect its just what id like to do but my main aim is to get a good old classic back on the road tip top safe again for more years of motoring. i did however think the moggy 1000 would be under powered as haveing a few classics over the years being a porsche 924s/mk2 golf gti/vw beatle/ cortina crusader/mg maestro/opal manta ect ect. so theres my excuse lol. but a do agree but when i do a project why im looking for the next one. i like to see what i can do without making to big of a change future proof it if you like!!

TerryG wrote:

andypandy wrote:having 3 rover 200s

Is that really the sort of thing you want to admit to on a public forum?

errm!!! not my idea to buy them its was the wife honest

TerryG wrote:

andypandy wrote:having 3 rover 200s

Is that really the sort of thing you want to admit to on a public forum?

I've had several 200s and 400s (plus 6 and 800s for that) and I don't care what others say, they are decent enough motors and far nicer than an equivalent Escort or Astra! Yeah, so the head gasket can be an issue, but that's easily sorted for good with the uprated gasket (god knows why MG-R never fitted it as standard, but probably because it cost £5 more than a crap one so it was a truckload of pies less Fat Kev could get for lunch!) and if you're handy with the spanners can be done in a few hours for less than £300 including new water pump, stat and timing belt!

This was my old 216 I bought for £20 with HGF, all fixed and sorted, tarted up and looking like this for just over £300 total cost, 54,000 genuine mileage too, and as far as I know still going strong.



I'd happily run a K in a Minor