i'm a long time fan of sticking a modern engine in an old car. the combinations are endless, so as far as individuality is concerned, you can't go wrong.
as far as modern engine advantages and where they come from - A-series has 3 main bearings, all modern engines (4cyl) have 5. this makes it far more reliable.
- A-series is all cast iron. engine and gearbox are nearly half the weight of the car
modern engines with alloy head and maybe alloy block are heaps lighter, so you get an even better power to weight.
- modern engines have fuel injection, so you get a very powerful, flexible engine that gives great fuel economy.
-modern engines have an inlet and exhaust port for each cylinder, no more siamese port problems
disadvantages are that a mini is a bastard to fit anything into. If you can't do it yourself it will cost a packet. you need to find an engineer to sign off before you start (least of your problems i reckon). insurance could be a killer.
a good example - though not mini - is my brothers 1974 corolla sports sedan with 4AGE that puts out about 180hp reliably. most you could have got out of the original 3K engine would be 130hp at twice the price. and it would need rebuilding every few races. Even better is the long term project to go for outright class and stick a lexus 4L V8 in it - this engine is all alloy, so only weighs 50kg more than the cast iron block 4AGE, but you can get 300hp out of it with stock internals.
and as far as only doing it for 1/4 mile ask brad how he enjoyed wakefield park eh?
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66 Mini Minor sponsored by
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It was a pleasure ausmini. I'll miss all you misfits and reprobates