Morris Minor Owners Club

I have recently fitted a 1600 xflow into my minor. However as the car is a little lowered / doesn't have the steering rack in quite the same place as ford and as i didn't want to start cutting lumps out of an alloy RS2000 bell housing... the engine is a rather low.

The xflow is from a ford Capri MK1 and so has the rear bowl sump, This is currently getting rather too intimate with many speed bumps (especially those square ones - now have to drive in middle of the road).

So to give more ground clearance, I either need to dry sump although this will cost over £1000 or there is a company called Vulcan engines that do a shallow sump for kit cars but it is still expensive and not that much shallower... the sump £159 + vat + exchange http://www.vulcanengines.com/brocure_2005/page_3.htm and

So does some one know some where on the net / near Sheffield that can do this for a little less.

or should i have a go at modifying the sump to make it flatter...

Has anyone done this?

I was thinking of fabricating a winged sump to try and maintain / increase oil volume, then what about baffles, windage trays and pick-up pipe modification??? I have access to a MIG welder.

Any help / advice greatly appreciated.

Oh and anyone who has done the xflow conversion, which speedo cable did you use, I currently have the minor one which is rather stretched and so the speedo flicks about alot....

Try searching the forum archives on here:

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/

You'll find kit car builders are always chopping sumps....

Interesting conversion! Surely best way would be to cut a bit out that bellhousing - even an inch or two gained would help. But keeping the engine low in the car is a great idea - were there no sumps on other cars with same engine that would be more suitable. You will always need to keep a 'well' for the pick-up to operate - although long 'sausage like' pick-up would work too - it does in a Mini! If you can modify the pick-up - then I would think about just lifting that rear bowl by an inch or two. However - i'm not sure if you will get it completely oil tight with MIG welding - in the past I have modified/welded sumps using gas welding - and no leaks. You could also lift the car an inch on the suspension!!

Burton do a shallow sump kit.