Mini Vtec- any ideas?
Discussion
I fancy doing one of those mini Vtec conversion using a b18 c4 engine, just finding it hard to get any sort of info. I'm good with spanners so would like to do the work myself, more because i like to accomplish something. Or would it be better just to buy one already built. Can anyone help me please. Thanks.
rmsbs said:
I fancy doing one of those mini Vtec conversion using a b18 c4 engine, just finding it hard to get any sort of info. I'm good with spanners so would like to do the work myself, more because i like to accomplish something. Or would it be better just to buy one already built. Can anyone help me please. Thanks.
I think it depends what you want from the car.I'm sure a well built sorted one would be fab, but it'll be a never ending project with always something to do.
My advice would probably follow along these line:
If you want a fast car - go buy one! There are loads, £3k could buy you a tidy 300hp Impreza easy.
If you want a fast Mini - buy one that's been worked on.
If you want the experience and enjoyment of a custom build then go for it. But make sure that either it will fulfil your wants or you can over look the cost.
I spent years building a vehicle up, its a nice car at the end, but its never performed as well as I wanted/hoped it would and its cost more than buying something else.
Would I do it again? Maybe, but I'd start with different goals and with a different car.
Thanks much needed advise there! Would you recommend i keep the engine in the civic and just turbo it? I was looking for a fast reliable small car really, done the impreza thing before brilliant car, insurance tax and running costs were mental! Thats why i thought this custom thing would be good, trouble i aint got mates that are interested in this sorta thing really. I love making stuff go faster! Anyway what car did you build?
rmsbs said:
Thanks much needed advise there! Would you recommend i keep the engine in the civic and just turbo it? I was looking for a fast reliable small car really, done the impreza thing before brilliant car, insurance tax and running costs were mental! Thats why i thought this custom thing would be good, trouble i aint got mates that are interested in this sorta thing really. I love making stuff go faster! Anyway what car did you build?
If you want to do it - then seriously go for it!!!I feel bad if I maybe swayed you.
I built a TR7 up. I wanted a RWD V8 sports car and couldn't afford a TVR.
I bought a TR7 2.0 litre in 1999 (I personally always liked them anyhow, although I admit they are not everyone's taste)
Over the course of several years and about £10k I swapped in a V8, restored the car, customised it, make it handle better and so on.
It's a nice car and goes well, but its never ending. Also when I started there's wasn't the info that you can now find online so some decisions I made then I wouldn't make if doing it now.
The only part still standard are the doors and boot lid, pretty much everything else has had something done to it to a greater or lesser degree.
It's fairly nippy making over 200hp on the rollers. But I've always felt as though it should be quicker. Also today there are lot of quick cars. Go back 10 years and most people I knew then were in 1.4 Nova's and XR3i's.
The game has moved on.
I admit a VTEC in a Mini would probably be quick no matter what.
This is my TR7:
After I "finished" it, or rather stopped spending money on it (due to busting the diff). I bought this:
It cost less to buy than it did to build the TR7. It's faster, runs better, handles better, is nicer to drive, cheaper to run and just a better car.
I love the TR7 to bits and I could easily spend another £10k on it. But even if I did that I'm not 100% it would do what I want from it.
I guess what I'm saying is this.
So long as you know what you want and are certain your project can deliver it and you realistically think you have the money and time to see it thru go for it.
If you just want to do it for the sake of doing it - go for it.
If you are doing it as you think its a cheap way of doing something else (ie a cheap performance car) then really make sure it'll do this. If so go for it, if not look else where.
A kit car like a Robin Hood engineering caterham-like would probably not cost that different to build, but might offer a better performance package and potentially less rust.
Cliff notes:
go into it with eyes open
Thanks mate for your advice. Been looking on the internet at these mini Vtec's and they are selling for around 8k, thats quite alot considering i could get a really tidy type r civic or integra for less than that! Maybe if i test drive one?
That's a nice TR7, always liked that shape too, my old boss had one and he got us to drop in an rs2000 engine in it, guessing he had it floating around from the development days!
Think i'll build something custom but maybe start with something thats already pretty sorted from the factory, like you said maybe some sort of kit car.
Thanks for all your help once again.
That's a nice TR7, always liked that shape too, my old boss had one and he got us to drop in an rs2000 engine in it, guessing he had it floating around from the development days!
Think i'll build something custom but maybe start with something thats already pretty sorted from the factory, like you said maybe some sort of kit car.
Thanks for all your help once again.
You can buy the whole conversion kit for the mini from allspeed engineering for around £1500 for everything I think then just need another doner engine for about 1k and about £200 on metro 4 pots which you will need with that power and a few hundred on other bits would say budget 3 - 3.5k to do it yourself then another 2k for a decent mini so looking 5.5 - 6 grand in total. That saying in terms of B road blasts for that money would not be much that could keep up looking at around 5 seconds to 60 and top wack of around 135 which is more than enough in a old mini trust me
greggy50 said:
You can buy the whole conversion kit for the mini from allspeed engineering for around £1500 for everything I think then just need another doner engine for about 1k and about £200 on metro 4 pots which you will need with that power and a few hundred on other bits would say budget 3 - 3.5k to do it yourself then another 2k for a decent mini so looking 5.5 - 6 grand in total. That saying in terms of B road blasts for that money would not be much that could keep up looking at around 5 seconds to 60 and top wack of around 135 which is more than enough in a old mini trust me
Sounds brutal , but it must cost more than that??Can you buy a really descent Mini for £2k these days that doesn't need anything doing to it?
What about a gearbox, or would that come with an engine for £1k.
And wouldn't you need to beef up the suspension and wheels/tyres a bit?
ECU?
Wiring?
Fuel?
Exhaust?
Are these all in the conversion price?
I'm actually more curious than trying to knock it. It's just whenever I've looked into any engine conversions before there's always more to do. And if you are going to this effort you'd want the rest of the car to be nice. Good paint, minimal rust, nice seats and interior.
This all means when you spec everything out the cost is often 25-50% more than you thought.
But I'm very happy to be proven wrong
300bhp/ton said:
greggy50 said:
You can buy the whole conversion kit for the mini from allspeed engineering for around £1500 for everything I think then just need another doner engine for about 1k and about £200 on metro 4 pots which you will need with that power and a few hundred on other bits would say budget 3 - 3.5k to do it yourself then another 2k for a decent mini so looking 5.5 - 6 grand in total. That saying in terms of B road blasts for that money would not be much that could keep up looking at around 5 seconds to 60 and top wack of around 135 which is more than enough in a old mini trust me
Sounds brutal , but it must cost more than that??Can you buy a really descent Mini for £2k these days that doesn't need anything doing to it?
What about a gearbox, or would that come with an engine for £1k.
And wouldn't you need to beef up the suspension and wheels/tyres a bit?
ECU?
Wiring?
Fuel?
Exhaust?
Are these all in the conversion price?
I'm actually more curious than trying to knock it. It's just whenever I've looked into any engine conversions before there's always more to do. And if you are going to this effort you'd want the rest of the car to be nice. Good paint, minimal rust, nice seats and interior.
This all means when you spec everything out the cost is often 25-50% more than you thought.
But I'm very happy to be proven wrong
ECU most people go for mega jolt can pick up used if look around for a couple hundred quid
Exhaust a custom jobby would say budget another £300
Fuel I would not know myself :/
With the brakes would go for mg vented metro 4 pots cost me about £150 to convert mine then another £100 probably spent on unpgraded track rods new ball joints etc...
Then suspension would go for coilovers another £500 here
Cage nice interior another £500
Then the car I paid £1600 for mine and apart from the front vallence by the numberplate being a bit rusty the rest is prety mint and already had bucket seats etc...
So looking about 7k I suppose but that is for a pretty basic ish conversion would still be a nice car but if wanted respray fancy bodywork 6 pot brakes and tuning the engine up sure you good quite easily double that but for 7k I would imagine if do most of the work yourself could still make a very fast mini and pretty nice looking car but by no means the best cars can run into 20k it just depends how many toys and fancy bits you want that would be a basic car really but by no means a bad one.
my mate & i done up two mk1's 4years ago. a white 1 with a b18 vtec & a red 1 with 2.0ltr calibra gsi lump!
both costing just over 14grand each
every single thing was changed & the chassis was welded more with internal roll bar's & cage.
the power output compare to weight ratio i could not explain.
pocket rocket
you want fun ? the classic mini is the conversion to do!
both costing just over 14grand each
every single thing was changed & the chassis was welded more with internal roll bar's & cage.
the power output compare to weight ratio i could not explain.
pocket rocket
you want fun ? the classic mini is the conversion to do!
Edited by CB3 on Sunday 11th October 14:14
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