Morris Minor Owners Club

The 1275 Midget engine and gearbox intended for my custom pickup has been condemned!

Can anyone suggest a relatively easy and not too expensive replacement option (bigger would be better)?[frame][/frame]

What sort of price range are you looking at as that may have some influence, also dont bin the midget items as they will still have quite a value, what is wrong with them.

Midget Engine needs to Pistons and has been bored out already. Also crankshaft is worn, I have been quoted around £1500 for a rebuild ad told that it is pretty dead. Don't want to spend that on a Midget engine (or any other for that matter) but would consider it if it was a bigger engine as that is my long-term goal anyway.

First off, I love the style of the pickup. Very 70's . Something relatively cheap, reliable, economical but very tunable would be something like a Rover K series 1.4 16v. I am going ahead with this conversion and you can pick one up for around £300-500. All the conversion bits are available from a very well know man and seems a fairly simple conversion. Here is a link to a thread I started http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=30628

You would obviously need better brakes and suspension but you already have a suitable rear axle which is a step in the right direction.

P.s. Slotmags rule

It won't cost anything like £1500 to regrind the crankshaft shaft and rebore/new pistons in that Midget engine! More like £500 - and plenty of change to come back! It's easy to assemble the engine - just get the maching work done.

Do what I would do an put a datsun a12 in it! Japanese reliability, bulletproof engine that with uprated valve springs will rev right out to 9000 rpm! Its recommended to enlarge oil galleries for the main bearings if you are going to do that often though. put a lumpy cam in it, a head off an a15 and twin carbs and you have a real screamer. Fits nicely in the morry engine bay with very few mods, just small cut-out in front crossmember and convert to cable clutch, make up engine mounts and gearbox mounts and you are away. Recommended to change to disc brakes and a stronger rear end though if your driving is going to be spirited.

Sure there are better engines than the Datsun a-series but I love how simple and effective it can be.

A Datsun engine isn't particularly easy to find these days, so choose either Midget or K series for a cheapish option.

Pete

twin cam!!

Same comment applies to Twin cam too. Parts are getting difficult to source, and it really isn't that quick in standard tune. You need deep pockets to tweak it - check out Guy Croft prices.

Pete

have you got access to toyota 4age engines? They are a reasonable fit and something like 140hp in standard tune plus there are heaps of aftermarket performance parts for them. If I do another morry minor it will have a 4age in it. The bellhousings for the t50 gearbox are getting a little thin on the ground now so its not a dirt cheap conversion but good value still

Plenty of bell housings for the toyota 4age -Ford Type 9. The 20Valve motors are better engines but cause issues with the rear water take offs.

MED 8 port.

go on, go on, go on.

How about a 1600 crossflow? It'll be in keeping with the style of the rest of the car.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Have decided on Fiat 2L Twin Cam as:

a) it's Italian - always had a bit of a soft spot for Italian engines
b) it's pretty
c) it sounds good
d) it's getting rarer!

d) it's getting rarer!

Just hope that spares for it don't go the same way.

All the more exciting!

Don't worry about the overbore on the 1275 - by the time it's been taken to ~1340 that won't matter.
A crank regrind is hardly going to cost the earth either!

Although you've probably decided already I'd say a 1340 A-series with a 7 port head is a very sweet option and keeps it running a retro british engine in keeping with the rest of the vehicle. The cost of the 7 port is obviously not cheap (although much cheaper than an 8 port) but a screaming A-series is a lovely sound....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWAX:IT

just a thought!

Thanks, bought a 2L 131 Mirafiori with 5 speed box now. Just need to sort out the mountings etc

nice, good choice.

I found some black/polished cam covers to on flebay which finished the look off nicely.