i am about to rebuild my 1275 ls engine i am looking at getting a little more torque out of my engine to make it more of a power cruiser which will sit comfortably at highway speed but also good for zipping around locally
was thinking of a plus 20 bore stroker with a single su 1 3/4 carby
anybody done something similar and roughly what kind of cash am i looking at
anhy other suggestions will be taken on board will be taking a visit to graham russell soon to get his opinion see what i can get from him

cheers bob

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1978 NUGGET GOLD 1275 LS

Bob

My motor is exactly what you want. Its 1310, balanced, MG Metro cam with a larger valved and ported 12G940 head. I also have a HIF44 and (so far) 3 into 1 extractors.

The engine machine work cost me about $700 including piston with rings. The balance was $250 and was done by a Sydney concern as our local engine machine shop doesn't balance.

I pretty much followed Colin Dodds's "must do" list with oil pump, cam bearings cam followers, water pump and timing chain, clutch kit, bronze welsh plugs and bronze valve guides.

The motor is a very torquey motor but very drivable and will pull 7,000 in all four gears if you ask it to. The car will poke reasonably happy at 50 km in fourth although its just begining to hunt at that. The previous 1100 motor I had which had a Cooper S cam in it wouldn't be comfortable at 50 km which is our local town speed.

All up - total cost is a bit over a $1,000 but remember is Mudgee / Gulgong we are talking about.

I have spent thousands and thousands.

It really depends on what you WANT from the engine.

$1000 doesn't go far in the way of 'hotting-up'... I'll tell ya that much

I would presume that Bob is asking how little can he spend to have a motor that he will enjoy as against how much can he spend to have "the motor".

I wasn't married when I first got into hot cars and motor racing and my mother was more likey to spend the board money on clothes for me than on housekeeping.

However, my wife once i was married, was known to say she would have more fun standing on Gladesville bridge tossing twenty dollar notes into the river than watching me bury money into cars and race cars.

Some of us have reached the point where we have to watch not only what we spend on a car but also simply what we spend.

It is not how much you spend, it is how you spend it. There are a lot of ways to waste money.

When I was racing I learned how far a dollar could go into making a car go better. My last full season I spent $6000 and nearly won a championship. (I missed the final round due to having spent all my budget) Some of the blokes at the rear of the grid were spending $30,000 or more.

I would go with what Mike has said.

sounds good as im still a beginner in engine building i dont totally understand a few of the things said but im getting there
basically i want to do everything the right way why do something half arsed and have to redo it later i want it done the right way and how i want it the first time round
so pretty much alothough id like to keep costs down its no object it just means the more it costs me the longer itll take to get finished.
i am still not sure wether im going to return the car to being a daily driver once completed or just club plates and keep it garaged and get another run around its going to all depend on what it cost to get it insured because the insurance was the reason i took it of the road it was costing me nealry 3000 a year for insurance maily because im only 20 and now im ganna have a loss of license on their to bump it up so ill just worry bout building the best damn engine i can
thanks for your suggestions any more ideas let me know
thinking of having a bit of bbq sometime get some of you blokes around stand around my car and talk

cheers bob

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1978 NUGGET GOLD 1275 LS

http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21438

(You don't have to do all the things I did, but most of the ideas contained within are good and cheap or free)

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Lillee - 1969 Morris Mini K

heh Mike,
It would be a bloody big toss to get a twenty from Gulgong to Gladesville !!!!

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There are advantages and disadvantages to club plates. The advantages are that its an awful lot cheaper and because its essentially an unregistered (but inspected) vehicle that periodically has permission to be driven on public roads then that is reflected in the costs - Less than a $100 for rego and that includes the RTA type of green slip. Insurance is also a lot cheaper.

I am insured with Shannons for $7000 - the car is modified and noted as such and I pay about $300. But I am 59 and have a good driving record.

The down sides are that the club plates are not permission to hoon or use the car as a daily driver. You must be a member of a car club and abide by their rules for the use of club plates. This varies enormously from club to club.

Many clubs only have club "runs" periodically and this frustrates many who would prefer to use of enjoy their cars more often.

Back to the point of the engine - Bob - pm me with your email and I will send you a copy of what Colin Dodds recommends. Its not that different to GR just in a more readable form.

Haha - yes - twice in my adult life I have had the pleasure of living near the Gladesville bridge. Once in Drummoyne and once in Abbotsford. I had race cars on both occasions.

Gulgong is a tree change (pasture grass for me actually) probably specifically so I'm not forced to stand on the parapit on the bridge tossing money.