Replacement engine

[cameronhenderson]

Driving my traveller the other day on an 80 mile round trip finding it a bit fraught at 60. So I'm thinking about replacing the engine with a bigger unit, something like a Marina 1300 and a Ford type 9 5 speed gearbox or something similar. Just looking for more restful cruising rather than performance. Any thoughts anyone?

[oliver90owner]

Don’t forget brakes and rear axle ratio.

Brakes to arrest any extra performance. Rear axle to lower the engine revs at cruising speed - unless the gearbox has a suitable 5th gear ratio...

RAB

[cameronhenderson]

Thanks RAB, yes I would probably upgrade to front discs, and hopefully 5 speed box would alleviate the need to change the diff?

[BrianHawley]

Go for it!

Ive got a Marina 1275 on a 5 speed Celica box. Front Marina discs and vertical shocks all round. Standard diff, toughened half shafts.

Not the fastest Moggy around but works very well for me and happy at 70 mph all day.

Have not managed to break anything yet, but I'm working on it.

[ManyMinors]

A standard Minor in reasonable condition should cover an 80mile trip without any problem at all. Before you do anything, just make sure that it is all working properly. You will spend a small fortune carrying out all those modifications.
If that is what you really want to do then fair enough but having owned both standard and modified Minors over the years, I can't say that costly modifications have always been money well spent and for general driving I really prefer a good standard car.

[liammonty]

I completely agree with ManyMinors on this one - make sure that all is as it should be first. If it’s a standard 1098cc car, assuming it has the standard 4.22:1 diff ratio, you should be able to cruise relatively comfortably at 60. My car with this ratio often travels up from Dartmoor to Oxfordshire on the M5 at 65 mph without trouble. Granted the revs are higher than in a modern car, but it’s fine.

Assuming your engine is good, if you want to drop the revs at cruise, the simplest way is to fit a 3.9:1 diff from a Midget or Wolseley 1500 - that makes a noticeable improvement at speed without losing too much acceleration. It will likely give a similar reduction in revs to fitting a 5 speed type 9 gearbox at a fraction of the cost.

Of course, if you really fancy an uprated engine and gearbox, then go for it, but don’t underestimate the cost

[ManyMinors]

happy at 70 mph all day.

Have not managed to break anything yet, but I'm working on it.

That's impressive Brian. I had you down as a low mileage Minor driver but, on that basis, and depending on how long your day is, even just an eight hour day will see you cover 560miles which certainly beats my record . How many miles per year do you cover?

[BrianHawley]

happy at 70 mph all day.

Have not managed to break anything yet, but I'm working on it.

That's impressive Brian. I had you down as a low mileage Minor driver but, on that basis, and depending on how long your day is, even just an eight hour day will see you cover 560miles which certainly beats my record . How many miles per year do you cover?

Not at all. My philosophy is if it isn’t in bits I’ll drive it.

Sadly my annual mileage is low as I’m posted to Saudi Arabia at the moment and only get to drive Jodie during holidays. But I drive the hell out of her during those few weeks each year. Did Bristol to Norwich recently and never missed a beat. That’s about 250 miles - not all at 70 of course. It’s not all motorway.

All credit to those who have totally original cars - and all mods to Jodie are easily reversible in future, so I’m not destroying history here - but that bit of extra zap to keep up with the traffic on motorways suits me. If most of the driving is on country roads, then 60 is great .

[cameronhenderson]

Well thanks guys for all the advice. My car is rebuilt, finished in January last year, no changes to standard so I
guess the diff will be the standard 4.22:1. Might think about the Wolseley 1500 diff. Would that be the same as a Riley 1.5? Maybe not as it was sportier. Maybe I'll just drive it a bit more and get used to it.

[RobThomas]

I may be in a minority here but after owning a v8 supercar I find that downsizing to a 27hp sidevalve Morris has made journeys into little adventures. Will I get up this hill in 3rd? Can I overtake this Milk Float? How many people will wave at me today? Travelling has become about the bit BETWEEN A & B rather than the 2 ends themselves.
If I had an extra 100bhp then I'd not enjoy it so much.
If the train behind me exceedes 5 cars then I'll pull into a lay-by to let them pass.

[myoldjalopy]

Respect!

[les]

Travelling is better than arriving!