Morris Minor Owners Club

my engine and gearbox have recently been murdered so i thought i would take the oppertunity to swap them with a slightly larger engine and a 5-speed box. the only problem is, i dont know what engine i need.

can i use modern engines from a front wheel drive car? because thats all my local scrappy has

if anyone knows what the perfect engine for this job is then please let me know,

1275 A series + Ford type 9 5 speed
a

There's no 'prefect' engine. What you can fit depends on a lot of things and everyone will see this differently.
Size shape and weight of the engine are important - not just BHP's
Some engine conversions are common and fitting kits can be bought off the shelf for a few different engines.
Some conversions are simple as pie in relation to others. Fitting a 1275 A series is not that hard, where as some engine conversions need a lot of engineering know how.

People are starting to use Toyota RWD boxes but the most common 5 sp box is the one already mentioned by Andrew. (Ford type 9 was fitted to Sierra's and some others too).

If you're upgrading engine power you can make your car very dangerous unless other things are modified too. Don't forget brakes, suspension, dampers, and even seats, seatbelts etc...

is that engine the sort of thing that comes out of a mini metro

davidmayo wrote:is that engine the sort of thing that comes out of a mini metro

No, Metros are front wheel drive and apparently their rear oil seal arrangement isn't suitable for use with a rear wheel drive gearbox. I think most of the 1275 A Series engines that have been fitted to Minors came out of scrap Morris Marinas, but they are getting rather thin on the ground these days.

is there any fwd cars that have engines that you can put a rwd gearbox on a stick it in a morris because my local scrappy has an endless supply of fwd cars and that would be the easiest option for me.

thanks, david

does anyone know if a ford sierra engine will fit into a morris because i think there may be one up the scrapyard

davidmayo wrote:is there any fwd cars that have engines that you can put a rwd gearbox on a stick it in a morris because my local scrappy has an endless supply of fwd cars and that would be the easiest option for me.

thanks, david

Johnathon (JLH) is the expert over this, but isn't allowed to sell his wares on this board. Try sending him a PM

You can fit ANY engine in a Minor - if you have enough knowledge, skill and cash. Judging from your replies here - you had better stick to just replacing what came out of the car with identical units. Metro etc engines are NO USE - unless you are going for a whole front wheel drive conversion!!

well i really would like to have a five speed box and i never done anything like this before which is why i have posted this thread to get some help and ideas.

Better to stick to standard until you know what you are doing. Anything else is going to require extensive modifications - including cutting and welding - are you geared up for that ?

If cost is the issue, making you want whatever the local srap yard has, then sadly it's long shot.
The 'cheapest' enine to fit would be the 1275 inline A-series (Marina Ital, Midget, Sprite etc...) but the engine itself is unlikely to be very cheap as they are getting harder to find. They do however change hands in MG circles and occasionally come up in the theive's paradise (ebay).
The engines you will find cheaply in the scrapyard are likely to end up more expensive by the time you've fitted them - however this isn't a hard and fast rule.
Shopping around via classic car mags and the internet, and club meetings etc... can lead to all kinds of savings. I've had a 5 speed box and fitting kit for less than the market rate, and recently got a 2 litre Fiat engine + box including fitting kit and exhaust for a great price.
The downside is that you need to be in the right place at the right time to get these good deals, so you need to know what you're after and what it's worth to be able to say 'yes' before you're beaten to it.

It's a fun subject and worth doing as much research as possible as the options are almost endless.

yes, cutting and welding is no problem at all, i have all the means to do that at home and my car is far from mint condition so its not going to break my heart when i chop bits off.
im imagining that once you have got a nice engine and gearbox fitting together that fitting it in the car is rather self explanitary as i cant see everyones conversions looking identicle.
i already have a morris marina gearbox and have just scrapped the engine because it was long past its sell by date having been left uncovered for many years. so now i just need an engine with a bit of power to fit onto it then i can have a go.

Get a 1098 CC Midget engine (larger mains, more robust). Throw a few tweeks at it to get it up to standard 1275 power.

Get a Triumph 4 cylinder overdrive box. Hunt for the right backplate, clutch etc to cobble it all together, and have a 6 speed with a proper engine in it.

Simple

I'm interested in a five speed box conversion for the standard trav running gear. The existing one grinds when going 3rd to 2nd, figure if it needs sorting would be a good opportunity to get a five speed in there.
Anyone know the cost of these kits? Can lay my hands on several sierra boxes so might be the ideal solution.

Well if you want more power what about Neils nice one thats currently on ebay and mentioned in the For Sale section
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... :IT&ih=007

Anyone know the cost of these kits?

£300 - £400 they are shown in the Minor Matters ads.

£300 - £400 OUCH !!
Hmm might have to have a rethink there then, should have the saved from the scrapyard marina estate delivered here soon, think that might be a cheaper way as its good running gear.
Wont give me the 5 speeds bit bigger engine will help. Was reluctant to take the trav engine out as its only done 5k miles since fitted a new unit.

Orkney wrote:£300 - £400 OUCH !!
Hmm might have to have a rethink there then, should have the saved from the scrapyard marina estate delivered here soon, think that might be a cheaper way as its good running gear.
Wont give me the 5 speeds bit bigger engine will help. Was reluctant to take the trav engine out as its only done 5k miles since fitted a new unit.

If the Marina engine is a 1275 A Series then it's definitely worth keeping. The larger B Series ones are apparently more difficult to fit.

But will go in - and lots more torque!