Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

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charlie_morris_minor
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by charlie_morris_minor »

if price is important.. what is your budget?

the person selling the twincam engine might and I am only saying might have had an unrealistic idea of the value.
plastic_orange
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by plastic_orange »

Not Andy - one of the easiest guys ever to deal with. I'd suggest you won't find a better deal.

Pete
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/sinky_aps/4e634210.jpg[/img] [img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/sinky_aps/MorrisRain4.jpg[/img]
charlie_morris_minor
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by charlie_morris_minor »

plastic_orange wrote:Not Andy - one of the easiest guys ever to deal with. I'd suggest you won't find a better deal.

Pete
ok..
so what is your budget bald moggy man, if twin cam is not possible I do not think there are many cheaper options price wise
brucek
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by brucek »

Here's the 'drop straight in' option

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mg-midget-127 ... 25686c4f80

Will probably go for more than the current price but you are not going to get things much cheaper than £200 - £300 anyway

Good Luck

Bruce

Iain Hall
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by Iain Hall »

I'm looking at using a Suzuki swift engine (G13b) mated to a Suzuki samurai 4wd 5 speed box (it has a separate transfer case that you don't use) This is fairly light combo and quite compact. Later ones have EFI and the 1600 engine out of a vitara can be hooked up to the same gearbox, for our build we already have a whole swift donor car (well we will have when it is delivered) so all we have to find is a gearbox and that its the engine bay sorted, given that the motor is all alloy I don't think that the suspension will actaully need much upgrading, but It will probably be necessary to readjust the torsion bars to compensate for the lighter donk.
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charlie_morris_minor
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by charlie_morris_minor »

as you say Iain looks at interesting option..what are you doing about the distributor? In the few photos I have seen, it looks like it will hit the bulkhead?
Iain Hall
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by Iain Hall »

If you look at this
Image engine which is like the one I am getting the distributor does not look like too much of a problem . I am going to be using one of the small modern sealed batteries and it won't need much room on the battery shelf so I think that I will be able to get away with just trimming the battery box where it overhangs the cross member.
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charlie_morris_minor
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by charlie_morris_minor »

ah ok.. then ones i was looking at were like this, where the distributor would cause a real problem..[frame]Image[/frame]
Iain Hall
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by Iain Hall »

Well Charlie even with one of those the the distributor would still sit higher than the cross member so I don't think that it would be any big deal to trim the battery box and even put a notch into the firewall to clear the distributor, there would be no problem using a much smaller battery as I am either . It surely has to be an easier swap than a much bigger 4AGE or a Zetec and most importantly the engine will be lighter than the original which has to be an advantage in any Morris.

The biggest limitation with engine swaps into a Morris has to be the steering rack placement , this goes over the gearbox just at a point where you want to have the bell housing so you need a compact transmission and to be honest I don't think that you can move the rack without then being obliged to re-engineer the whole front suspension and over here in Oz that is a very big deal. Further you don't really want to do much to the transverse cross member either unless you are prepared to seriously weaken the structure of the car which is not so good either.

I am going for simple and strong here and a less is more approach to building my daughter's car and I also have to work within a very tight budget and the fact that I have found a Suzuki donor car for about the equivalent of about 30 quid make the Suzuki swap a no brainer for me now all I have to find is the Suzuki Samurai gearbox and as I have a four year build schedule (because my daughter is currently 12) That will turn up at the right price sooner or later as well.
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motherofgod
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by motherofgod »

Alex'n'Ane wrote:
Innovator wrote:
Alex'n'Ane wrote:How about the mx5 engine and box? No one has done it yet, but cant see why not...
There are a few being built.......

The engine is too long for the standard Minor engine bay though.
I have seen the beardmore brothers fitted a minor shell to mx5 running gear, but that was a few years ago and nothing since... Would be interested to hear of any others. Interesting/disappointing to hear its too long :(

Innovator is one of the beardmore's :roll:

charlie_morris_minor
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by charlie_morris_minor »

Iain, sorry i did not mean to sound negative, i am just very curious..

How long / high is the suzuki engine, going off small photos is a bit diffcult.

In my fiat twin cam engined car a notch has been taken out of the bell housing ( can post some photos if you are interested) to clear the rack, is that possible with the Samurai gearbox?
Bald Moggie Man
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by Bald Moggie Man »

Looking for a decent engine, probably 1.8 - 2.0. Seen loads of stuff on ebay that appeals and isn't too expensive (£200 - £300) for complete engines and boxes but I know the minor engine bay is short and narrow! Wanting to keep the car as standard body wise as possible, don't want to lengthen or make stuff wider unless I really have too. Seen a really nice engine but was too big in every way for the moggie! Probably looking 1980's/90's cars as the engines are lighter and more powerful.

Suggestions would be welcomed. If you don't like what I'm suggesting - don't comment. There is enough negativity in the world without people adding there opinions that don't help in the first place!!!

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MarkyB
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by MarkyB »

Short, perhaps, but narrow?
As has been said the engine bay was designed for a flat 4, so it's hardly narrow.
Try an Austin A35 if you fancy a challenging engine bay.

"Once you break something you will see how it was put together"
charlie_morris_minor
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by charlie_morris_minor »

i assume you have looked at bmw engine and boxes? plenty enough to be fairly cheap i would have thought, not sure of the dimensions though but as they are all rear wheel drive you will not have the expense of sorting the gearbox bellhousing etc.

earlier i suggest the 4 age engine.. this one is on ebay at 150..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TOYOTA-COROLL ... 500wt_1054

if you can find a t50 gearbox it will bolt straight on apparently.. or you can get a type 9 gearbox for about 50.. If you are handy with a welder you could make your own bell housing or you can buy one of the shelf but that will cost more than your remaining 100 budget..

might be worth joining one or two of the Locost sites to see if someone is taking a 4age engine out / giving up on their build and therefore is selling all the parts you need..
Iain Hall
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by Iain Hall »

Charlie
I don't have the engine here yet but looking at the one that my brother has its comparable to a Datsun or A serries in Physical size, The fact that it does not run a fan on the engine helps. I will be using the matching Suzuki radiator (with thermo fan) and it is rather thin.
As for the gear box look at this picture:
Image

Its really compact and the bell housing is not that deep the reinforcing ribs at the top look trim able if necessary but I reckon that it will fit well enough.
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charlie_morris_minor
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by charlie_morris_minor »

certainly looks doable and very interesting option please keep us informed of your progress as it looks like it might be a relativly inexpensive option ok i would probably have to spend more than 30 quid on a donor car but..
Iain Hall
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by Iain Hall »

I certainly will keep you guys informed on my progress because finding any suitable RWD engine for an upgrade is getting tough these days when so many cars are now FWD, especially in jurisdictions where radical modifications are seriously frowned upon by the authorities and very expensive to get certified for use on the roads.
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Bald Moggie Man
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by Bald Moggie Man »

I actually have a choice of two engines so I need to get them measured up to see if I can get them to fit! The car will probably not be on the road for at least 6 months to a year.

I am modifying the car and I can promise it won't look like ANY other Moggie in the World.

Some of you might like it but I'm guessing I will get a lot of hassle from the purists out there as I'm messing around with the looks as well as the engine and gearbox. Going to upgrade the suspension but keep it as original as possible. Got my horns on and will be bringing the 4 door saloon out of the darkness and into the spotlight I suppose. Might need to get a bullet proof vest though lol

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Iain Hall
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Re: Engine and suspension swap -advice needed

Post by Iain Hall »

Bald Moggie Man

Do a good job on your build and the quality of your car and the uniqueness of your vision will win over those who are really keen on counting every spot weld on the car and making sure that it is in precisely the right position.

Its your car and your call, for me personally I think that we can all learn form another car designer who used to say "add lightness" and the Bahaus tradition that tells us that form should follow function.
That aside we all build these cars because its fun. The originality bods get my respect as much as the radical modifiers do because deep down we all have a love of the Morris Minor in common, and ain't that what its all about?
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