All our heavily modified mid engined mini should be SVA tested and be Q registered according to the DVLA website, if you take a look at the link below in the Radically Altered Vehicle section, you will see the car would fail on the first and most important criteria

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/regrebil.htm

You could legally have a FWD bike engined mini especially if the subframe was kept

Although I have a mate who has his ZCars R1 mini on the road with a MOT and the original registration, so it can be done

Cheers
David

I've now taken a look at my new engine and powerflex diff unit. A rough measurement shows that overall length from the centre of the diff output to the front of the engine gives 28".

This is with the diff unit horizontal - this distance can be shortened by rotating the position of the diff unit in relation to the gearbox, which would mean sitting the engine really low (that's got to be good) with the diff unit almost on top of the gearbox. There would be nothing to stop me siting the diff outputs behind the centre line of the rear wheels and angling the shafts. This would make this a 'doable' option in a Mini going by Minicooper (David's) comments.

I've attached a photo of the engine etc in the Darrian in which it currently lives.
Rescued attachment P1010009.JPG

Wyn,

Looks as though it should fit fine, you can angle the shafts back quite a bit, at the very least 2 inches if not more. Especially if you keep the engine box central with relation to keeping the driveshafts equal.

Does the engine have a dry sump as well? There is a lot of expensive parts in that engine bay, the powertec box alone would have been the best part of three grand

You will be the first with a proper reverse in a bike engine mini!!!!

Cheers
David

Thanks David

The engine and box are secondhand although the diff unit has only done 6 hours! It'll be one of the few Minis with 6 reverse gears! My mate's just bought a Radical SR3 so is selling his Darrian rally car and, with all the problems surrounding rally specials, he has decided to sell the bike engine stuff separately.

All I've got to do now is work out what car to put it in!!

my mate is building a midi mini.... I think he calls himself F1mini..... he's doing a full tubular chassis with a turbocharged Bussa in the back.
He choped the roof and made a carbon one and also chopped the floor.
It's gona be a mental peice of kit, I can't wait to race him again.

Looks like the fun is starting sooner that you think Wyn

So what are all you lot doing about that heavy old subframe up front then?

Still got the subframe in, a radiator, fuel tank, and thats it. Fiberglass two piece front end on order.
Rescued attachment !CID__wDOXMwSuFQ_.jpg

I guess there are loads of ways of trimming off even more weight - losing the front subframe would be one - I believe Z cars have just produced a tubular one, which, obviously, doesn't need to carry the weight of the engine. Then there's carbon fibre front, roof, doors, followed by bankruptcy!

I guess if I go the Mini route I’ll stick with the basics for a starting point but, maybe, improve it over time. I’ve spent enough on the engine and diff!

Regards

Wyn

Welderman - Is there a hole in the fuel tank for the air to get out of the rad?

Cheers

Fred WB

Valid point Fred

Wyn,

There are two schools of thought on the matter of weight from the front subframe.
One is get rid and replace with a fully space-framed front end, which in T45 will be light & strong, fabricate new wishbones etc.
The other is to modify the subframe and integrate it with a semi space-framed front, so retaining the original style of suspension geometry. The beauty of this approach is that the negative camber bottom arms & adjustable tie rods etc. are available from any good Mini accessory outlet and you're not re-inventing the wheel. The other advantage of the 2nd route is that you do maintain weight at the front end to help compensate for the manic understeer that can be generated by rear engined RWD installations. Please remember that weight transfer is a necessity for both cornering and braking. Too light on the front and neither will happen effectively.
Here endeth the sermon. JM2PW

regards,
Ken.

The words 'hole' and 'fuel tank' in the same sentence frighten me - Ken (Dreckly) will understand!

Ken - 'sermon' much appreciated - I like the simplicity of maintaining the existing geometry and the availability of parts.

Regards

Wyn

No there is no hole in the tank for the air to get out, but the rad is a heavy duty 4 core one so im hoping this will disperse (get rid of) the heat quickly enough.
As wyn says this is just a learning curve, so the next one hopfullly will be better.

There won't be a next one (at least with that engine) if you don't duct the heat away from that radiator.
Put a hair dryer on full blast and hold the nozzle against your arm. It will be a race to see which gives up first, the hair dryer, your jacket, or your flesh.
You've got to get that heat away - and properly.

Hi there Rorty, the front set up is similar to the Zcars Mini. I have based my build around this, there are no ducts to let the hot air escape. But i don't have any inner wings as on there cars so i HOPE this will work.
Thanks for your interest, the more comments that are posted helps not just me but all builders going down this route.

Joe

I would strongly suggest that you try to get at least some sort of gap between the tank and the rad. It's the air going through the rad that does the cooling, and I dont see that air will flow into the high pressure area that is going to form against the slab tank front once the car is moving.

I realize that fan will move air through the rad somehow, but you don't want to run it all the time - it takes power, that comes from the alternator, that is powered by the engine, so slowing you down

Cheers

Fred WB

[Edited on 17/11/05 by Fred W B]

Any suggestions apart from this.
Rescued attachment subarubonnet.jpg

Thers is also a 50mm gap between rad and tank. Looking at my picture it looks as if it is touching.

quote:

---

Originally posted by welderman
.....the front set up is similar to the Zcars Mini. I have based my build around this....

---

Sorry Joe,
Last comment was really unfair on your Mini.....

You wern't slating my cousin Chris were you? Did I tell you he plays the Banjo!

quote:

---

Originally posted by welderman
Thers is also a 50mm gap between rad and tank. Looking at my picture it looks as if it is touching.

---

Gotta say I agree with Rorty the rad possition is asking for a serious problem........

If your struggling for space, use two smaller rads possitioned for through air flow.

I still have the old R1 rad, may see if that will fit in there some how. Got me a little concerned now. Keep them coming though all part of the fun.

[Edited on 18/11/05 by welderman]

Have you got space to angle the rad at about 45 degrees?. Then duct in from the front and out through the top of the bonnet (but know you dont want to spoil the looks) or the wheel arches

Fred WB

As there are no inner arches i wonder if i fitted some 100mm ducting near both front wheels and re-direct the air towards the space behind the back of the radiator.

Another thing that you may not have thought about is the heat that IS escaping from your radiator is going to be heating your fuel up, which is very bad....!!

Whats the front set up like on yous then. Is it standard Zcars.

Yes it is standard Z cars, but i have got about 8-10" gap between the radiator and the fuel tank which contains my battery, starter solenoid, fuel pump etc etc. Also, the top half of the radiator doesnt have anything behind it, except the bulkhead!

It looks like your fuel tank is a lot deeper, can't you get the radiator further forward??

[Edited on 18/11/05 by R1minimagic]

Actually, your fuel tank is probably about the same size but your radiator is a lot further back and a lot deeper than mine. I would try to get it further forward or get a thinner one.
Rescued attachment mini radiator.jpg

What about laying the radiator horizontally and ducting the air either up or down through it? Probably hard to setup and bleed but may be the best option for space. You could get a fair sized rad to fit just inside the inside 'rails' of the subframe.


Regards

Wyn
(deep in thought!)

I could actually put a hole in the tank front to back or several smaller ones, might even look trick.(BLING BLING)

Yeh, that should heat up the fuel pretty good

Fancy a bbq. lol.
Will have a good think about this problem.

what do you think. Lift the rad about 100mm so its just under the bonnet and sits about 120mm above the top of my fuel tank.
Rescued attachment side.front.jpg

It looks like your fuel tank is forward of the bulkhead by quite a distance. How much gap have you got down the back??

I deliberately mounted my tank as far back as possible (about 5mm off the bulkhead at the top) in case of an accident. The cooling pipes run down the side of the tank rather than down the back, unlike other zcars minis.

You might be able to get away with just moving the tank back an inch or two, if not then i think the fiat uno radiator would give you more clearance...

Give me the dimensions of your tank and rad and i will compare against mine.

[Edited on 18/11/05 by R1minimagic]

[Edited on 18/11/05 by R1minimagic]

your rad is deffo smaller than mine, could cut and re-weld tank to fit a bit better, but gap will be about 100mm between rad and tank.

My rad is huge in terms of area but very thin (about 11/2". Yours seems the opposite, smaller area but very thick..

will measure up on monday. I know it is thick though.

Hi Guys

Great debate - I realise I kicked this topic off but don't seem to be contributing much! I am taking a great deal of interest though!!

Wyn

R1minimagic, my rad measures 430mmX460mmX70mm. Looking at your's it looks to have a bigger open area, give us the sizes may swap this around at get a smaller one.

The size of the core is 435x325x30mm(wxhxd). The overall size is 590x420x70mm

Going to get an ally core rad, see what Ebay has to offer.