Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all,
I've been off work all week with evil tooth ache and thoughts have once again returned to morris minors!
Would I be castrated by the minor community for for fitting a front wheel drive engine and 'box into a minor? Something like a vtec or saab turbo? I know it would be a lot of work building a sub frame and tying it into the rest of the car but there's a fair bit of work needed to sort a RWD conversion buy the time you've mated a gearbox, found an axle etc.
Or, how about fitting a front wheel drive unit behind the driver, making a mid mounted configuration? A bit like the Z-cars mini conversions (http://www.zcars.org.uk/mini/civic.htm)?
oh to day dream

Jim

You don't know until you try. I believe some of the rwd vauxhall boxes mate to the Saab engine (GM family connection).
You certainly wouldn't be castrated by any one in the Minor world - can't say the same for the Saab guys though

Pete

According to my book on morries its been done by Morris/BMC/Whoever already!
Apparently they made a FWD version of the car with rubber cone suspension just to try out the idea... sounds spookily like the Mini doesn't it.
Personally I wouldn't do it because I love going around corners and roundabouts sideways.

There's a kit you can get for the Mini that replaces the rear suspension (and rear seats) with a turbocharged Hayabusa engine, gearbox, suspension and drivetrain. A maximum of around 400bhp, or so I've read. Presumably for about 20 minutes before the engine goes boom, but what a 20 minutes...

I think it's about £8k for the whole lot, engine and all.

What about something similar for the Minor? Wind the power back a bit - 300bhp ought to be adequate.

The Mini bulkhead etc is very like the Minor in that area - you can clearly see where it's parentage was ! I reckon it would be reltively easy to pop a Mini front subframe into a Minor - which would make it front wheel drive very easily. Next step would be to see if the Metro frame could be fitted - they can be fitted into Minis - and then that paves the way for a K series engine - or as the Mini lads do - fit either a Vauxhall unit - or Honda Vtec unit!! So someone with an old bodyshell and some time on their hands - there's a project for you!

I htink i recall from somewhere that Jonathon said he had someone working for him that was considering a honda front wheel drive conversion?? please feel free to shoot at me if wrong. But I reckon it is a brilliant idea!

I reckon it would be reltively easy to pop a Mini front subframe into a Minor

What would you do about the chassis legs? It is they which form the primary structural element of the front of the vehicle. The engine would sit above and the driveshafts would have to be in line or below them.

I have put an 1800 diesel ford into a traveller. So far 2 1/2 years to do but hopefully at the National this year.

The chassis legs are only there for the front suspension to hang on - so the Mini front subby would be doing that instead - exactly as it did on the Mini. They would just be shortened off and plated over. The torsion bars etc would be dumped - and the big advantgae would be good disc brakes (!) and the Minor wheels will fit because same pcd on the Mini hubs.

Somebody has already done this, it was up for sale for quite a time fairly recently but seems to have disappeared now.

I love the idea of the mid engine conversion. One of these days (when I've got one back on the road) I must investigate it further. That would be LCV, so chassis based, mind...

Ideal really - plenty space there for an engine. Could be done like the Metro 6R4 !!

Mate's got a cheap Kawasaki bike engine up for grabs - 900 cc about 130 hp - fit in the back a treat, and you could put your messages where the A series went.

Pete

That's one of the ideas. Last time I mentioned it, it was poo pooed, but it just won't go away

Humm,
All food for thought. I don't know about a bike engine though, I know its well tried and tested in various kit cars and minis but the moggy is a bit bigger than most of these. I don't think it would be much fun to drive around town in.
How about rather than changing the morris' running gear simply remount the moggy shell on a suitable donor? Not sure what would fit but might be an easier route? I wonder if it would fit over a Civic Type R, they a fair bit of welly?

We tried a Metro GTI front sub frame in a scrap 2 door, the track is quite a bit wider and if retaining the hydrolastic suspension then they demand that the bulkhead cross member ends are removed, Apart from removing the chassis legs, building a heel board and some refab of the inner wings the conversion would seem pretty straightforward.
A mid engined version can be made by using the front end frame but with the driveshafts locked into position. The GTM Rosso kit car employs this method and has been very successfull.
The Honda engined front wheel drive car was started but became too involved and time consuming and so was abandoned.
We hope in the next few years to produce a space framed mid engined minor with a glass fiber body, for use mainly as a fun day racer and trackday car, with the possibility of renting them out for trackdays, or sale.
The bike engines are great for light weight cars like the V Max minis but you would need to shed loads of weight in a moggy to allow the low torqued motor to do its best.

Willie - the front wheel drive you mentioned was that the Corsa running gear one on eBay?

JimK - you mentioned my dream bike! 428bhp 1300cc Hiyabusa (drules) My only concern is how long I'd live if I had one as the front wheel still lifts at 230mph!!!

6th - There is a Minor bodied Nissan summit-or-other floating round somewhere. It's the original floorpan but shortened a bit with the sills up of a minor saloon welded on. there was quite a long thread on here about it but I can't find it now

would you be able to mot a mid engined moggy??? Just curious as I thought that with new laws on the way if you ove or alter the chassis rails then you were in trouble with the road worthy people???
I would love to put subaru wrx motor in the front of one with the 4wd system.
cheers,michael.

JimK - you mentioned my dream bike! 428bhp 1300cc Hiyabusa

I've been to some varied motorsport events in my time but the one sound that sticks in my mind was that of the twin Hiyabusa engined hill climb car I saw at Gurston Down. The most incredible noise. A frenetic, possessed, demonic banshee high 2 gallons of Sunny Delight and Skittles with it's a**e roughed up with a cheese grater and dipped in a bath of salt and vinegar wouldn't even come close.

There is lots of interesting reading at this web site, http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewforum ... 13590770b0 , on different engine conversions into minis. You should get lots of ideas from there. There is some inspiring engineering there.
Another source of inspiration (or horror) could be http://www.sxoc.co.uk/vbb/showthread.ph ... 69&page=22