mg midget engine 1500 swap ??

[timetraveller]

hi all
i have been reading some of the posts regarding the popular fitment of 1275 midget engines and their ease of fitting and mating to standard gearboxes however is the same possible with a midget 1500 engine ???
if anyone has tried this what are the pitfalls if any ???
thanks
neil

[bmcecosse]

It's not the greatest of engines........ and would need to be fitted complete with gearbox.

[mike.perry]

If you fit the Spitfire version with gearbox you may be able to fit the overdrive. Just a thought
I have driven a Triumph 1500 engine Traveller, no power below 2000rpm then took off

[Bazzalucas]

A few years ago I put a Herald 1200 engine & 'box in a '58 Bugeye Sprite. I found that I had to cut-and-paste the motor mounts quite a bit, but the only other tight fit was the transmission tunnel. I don't think this would be an issue in a Minor. However, my only justification for such a transplant was that I had a car without a powerplant, and a powerplant without a car, curiosity about whether it would fit, and several long winter evenings. don't think I'd have bothered otherwise.

[timetraveller]

but would it fit..... gearbox and all without chassis/body mods
prop to shorten ??
what about gearing ??

im just looking for options as i dont think i can live with the 1100 in my traveller for every day use
any body done any front wheel drive conversions ??????

thanks
neil

[Bazzalucas]

I don't recall any difficulties with prop shaft or transmission mounts as the engine/box combo was nearly identical in length. I thin that the best means of living with your existing 1098 is a diff swap to 3.9:1.

[timetraveller]

what would a diff swap acheive or whats the difference with a 3.9:1
better acceleration ??
better on the motorway ??

thanks
neil

[bmcecosse]

No point swapping the final drive ratio - until you increase the power from the engine ! A 3.9 will give poorer acceleration - and less revs on the highway - but if the engine doesn't have enough power to pull it - you may end up going even more slowly! Changing to a 1500 Triumph engine means all sorts of changes - the gearbox is wider and will likely foul the tunnel - different engine and gearbox mounts will be required - a new exhaust and various plumbing changes - and probably the two biggest problems - making up a suitable prop shaft - and a clutch operating mechanism! My view - don't even think about it! Look for a 1275 Spridget engine - or increase the power from the 1098 engine.

[pfgiz]

Hi Neil,

The 1500 and 1300 Triumph engines are pratically identicle in physical size, a little like the good old A series, so either will fit with a bit of jiggery pokery.. What you'll end up with is something looking like the car in this article, http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f= ... 72#p327372
Nice amount of power though, a definate step up from the standard 1098/948, but I would have thought you can always tweak the A series to get the same sort of power, in one guise or another....

[timetraveller]

i had a morris van around 8 years ago but when i bought it was fitted with a 1300 chevette engine and had heavily modified running gear,when that engine went i fitted a vauxhall corsa 1.4 engine with a ford gearbox (because it was free)
so ive never had a standard morris minor before
this question will probably be a minefield of differing opinion but
what are the easiest fitting and best available power increases for a standard 1100 engine ??
i dont want to 1/4 mile sprint it,just a bit more poke for everyday driving would be nice

thanks
neil

[timetraveller]

Hi Neil,

The 1500 and 1300 Triumph engines are pratically identicle in physical size, a little like the good old A series, so either will fit with a bit of jiggery pokery.. What you'll end up with is something looking like the car in this article, http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f= ... 72#p327372
Nice amount of power though, a definate step up from the standard 1098/948, but I would have thought you can always tweak the A series to get the same sort of power, in one guise or another....

hi and thanks for that
looks like a squeeze in there
which side is the exhaust manifold on.....under the carbs ??
any cooling problems ??
using original engine and gearbox mounts ??
propshaft shortened ??
is it running a different rear axle ??
thanks
neil

[twincamman]

i had a morris van around 8 years ago but when i bought it was fitted with a 1300 chevette engine and had heavily modified running gear,when that engine went i fitted a vauxhall corsa 1.4 engine with a ford gearbox (because it was free)
so ive never had a standard morris minor before
this question will probably be a minefield of differing opinion but
what are the easiest fitting and best available power increases for a standard 1100 engine ??
i dont want to 1/4 mile sprint it,just a bit more poke for everyday driving would be nice

thanks
neil

Was your van finished in metalflake by any chance?

[timetraveller]

Was your van finished in metalflake by any chance?

hi
no not metalflake but there was a silver metalflake one featured in retro cars magazine a few years ago quite local to me oddly enough i never met the owner or seen the van in the flesh
thanks
neil

[pfgiz]

Hi Neil,

The 1500 and 1300 Triumph engines are pratically identicle in physical size, a little like the good old A series, so either will fit with a bit of jiggery pokery.. What you'll end up with is something looking like the car in this article, http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f= ... 72#p327372
Nice amount of power though, a definate step up from the standard 1098/948, but I would have thought you can always tweak the A series to get the same sort of power, in one guise or another....

hi and thanks for that
looks like a squeeze in there
which side is the exhaust manifold on.....under the carbs ??
any cooling problems ??
using original engine and gearbox mounts ??
propshaft shortened ??
is it running a different rear axle ??
thanks
neil

Hi,
Some of these I can answer, as the engine is the same as the one in my Spitfire.
The exaust is under the carbs, on the oposite side to the A series
I, and many others like me, have a cooling issue with the 1500 in cars they were meant to be in, as for this one with it's radiator turned I can't say but would have expected an oil cooler at the very least
As for the other questions regarding mounts and stuff, I can't answer then as the car is not mine.

Personally I'd go with a 1275 and tweak the living daylights out of it, but then I've never been one to fabricate mounts for things that weren't made to fit......

Best of luck...
Peter.

[GeorgeHurst]

Hi Neil,
You asked about tweaking the 1098, I was going to go down this route until I found a 1300 ital engine. From the research I did and all the great help on here I decided the way to go was as follows:
12G940 cylinder head (available regularly on ebay for about £40 - search Metro and Mini)
HIF38 SU carb with AAA needle
Metro alloy inlet manifold
LCB exhaust manifold and big bore exhaust

That's a pretty cheap combo if you get some ebay bargains and adds a fair bit of poke to the 1098 apparently.

HTH
George

[bmcecosse]

Apparently ....

[GeorgeHurst]

haha, sorry, I didn't mean to question the advice, I just meant I have never had any experience of it

[timetraveller]

thanks for your replies guys

seems a viable option to tweak the 1098 after a quick look on ebay

just a couple of questions

hif 38 su carb with aaa needle.................is this from a mini and is the aaa needle standard or from something else ??
metro alloy inlet manifold......................does the above carb fit straight onto this manifold without modification

any other info anyone ???

thanks
neil

[GeorgeHurst]

Hi Neil,

I don't know which car the HIF38 originates from, but it will certainly appear frequently in the Mini listings on ebay. Also, not sure what the standard needle is, but the AAA needle is available new from SU Carbs for about £6 (SU: 01722 412 500).

The HIF38 fits straight onto the inlet, have a look at the mounting face in the second photo on this inlet: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mini-1-3-4-inlet- ... 4aa43f53d5 you will see the four stud pattern, this is the same the HIF38

It's also worth getting a heatshield, often sold with the carb, as the float bowl for the HIF carbs are beneath the carb (rather than to the side like HS carbs) and consequently is quite close to the exhaust manifold so you risk a bit of vapourising.

You may also want to fit a different diff, 3.9 or 3.7 from Midgets are a straight swap and will give you less revs at high speeds, but they are super expensive / rare! bmcesscosse above has this set up I believe and reports excellent cruising speeds.

[timetraveller]

hi george

according to the info i found a HIF38 carb has a 1.5" bore and are from a mini 1000

your pointing me to a 1.3/4 inlet manifold

it all doesnt seem to add up

neil