Morris Minor Owners Club

if i was you i would recommend putting in a five speed to a marina 1300 engine with an escort? axel. that should give you a bit more power, and stay away from the Q-plate. of course, it's your opinion, but i think that the a-series is an excellent thing.

i do have the whole car as it happens, an e reg champagne gold mk3 granada. my step dad baught it for £240 3 years back and used it untill may when the mot ran out. it was great fun, but needs a little too much work to be worth putting back on the road. shame though, as its original in everyway, right down to the ford standard radio and equaliser.

This sounds like a bad idea. The Minor is a lightweight car and fitting a huge Ford V6 will make it very nose-heavy, which is likely to result in poor handling. IIRC the Essex V6 weighs more than a Rover V8, and I can't imagine the Cologne being much lighter as it's still a cast-iron engine. Minors are much better suited to lightweight 4-cylinder engines. It'd be all to easy to end up with a hacked-about Minor shell good only for scrap, or an ill-handling cobbled 'bitsa' on a Q-plate.

Far better would be to either restore the Granada, or drop it into a car that can better cope with it like a lower-spec Capri or Cortina.

I know you already have the engine and all but it'll be a lot of work for not the greatest amount of power. You'll also throw out the handling with such a heavy engine. You could get that power from a lighter engine that would fit without cutting things about and getting q plates. Eg Rotary, Fiat T/C, Subaru boxer.

Also for that weight and power you'll need new drivetrain, brakes and suspension.

Yes I know its heavy, that's why I'm slinging it as far back as I can. I know thereslghte more powerfull engines, but I don't want those I want the cologne. I know it wil have a detrimental effect on the handling, but provided al the weighs behind the front wheels so its not dangerous, I'm not to fussed. I've sen a minor with a v8 in, much bigger and heavier than mine, butit works well so its of no concern providd I do a good job.

Sounds a very interesting project, phurn, and although it's not my bag I wish you many hours of fun with it

Seems you are researching it very thoroughly and you have good reasons for using the V6, if this is your dream then stick with it, and just do all the legwork to make sure you minimise any issues with handling, braking, licensing etc.

Have you posted about your plans over at http://morrisminorowners.co.uk? Some handy fellows use both these forums, some one more than the other, and that one, like this one, has a section dedicated to modified Minors.

Keep posting, this is an interesting thread!

Good luck

im actually wondering if it would be possible to shorten the entire granada drive train. thus solving the problem of me finding suitable ratios ect. i imagine it isnt cheap to get so much shortened, though i kinda like the idea of using a 924 auto box so half the weight is moved to the back of the car, balancing out the load abit might keep the handling reasonable. if i can make it fit that is. im not starting this till may/june so ive got plenty of time for research.

Hi Phurn you might cosider using ford axle+ box as the 924 is basicaly a volkswagen van item like half the 924 engine .Why not save money on machining costs etc also you will have odd wheel sizes axle ratios etc more work the old ford formula 2 stock cars can be bought cheap without an engine and have good drivetrains and i have seen some with lsd etc

yeah thats what i was thinking, and the engine is an audi lump not a vw one =p was out of the audi 100, but porsche put thier own head unit on it. van use came long after the 924 had it =] even then, only s a retro fit as porsche lost the license to use the engine, hence the arrival of the 944... wider arches and porsches own engine. and a few 924's as the 924s.

Phurn have a look at rossrox s post in[ custom and modified ][ sierra cosworth engine] it may help the early 924 used a volkswagen ltd van bottom half of the engine

the one i had was definatly audi! straight out the 100. and i quote:
"The 924 was originally intended to be Volkswagen's flagship coupé sports car. Volkswagen commissioned Porsche to design the car (VW project number 425), who developed a fresh chassis and transmission that would work with an existing Audi I4 engine. They also handled the suspension, and the interior and exterior design. Porsche decided on a rear wheel drive layout, and chose a rear transaxle to help provide 48/52 front/rear weight distribution. This slight rear weight bias, despite the front-mounted engine, aided both traction and brake balance."

when i was in the 924 owners club they used to bersekr at anyone who said it was a van engine. was quite funny to see a bunch of balding middle aged men go bright red tbh. i did encounter alot of peple who hated those cars though, and for no real reason, i still dont udnerstand why.

im,e middle aged but not bald i hve had 3 924,s 4 911,s and a 944 convertible oh and a 3.2 boxster all good cars