1071 block in a 1968 Mk 2 cooper for rebuild

[David Griffiths]

I have recently acquired a 1968 Austin Cooper that is in good order and usable. The car has had in the past the 998 block replaced with a 1071 block / gearbox ?? The head is still the original 998 ( as far as I know ) Can I get a 1071 head or is there a suitable unit i should look for? Any Ideas?
Just started the strip down, spare time gone for the next year gone!!!

[china]

Sorry no front seats but i could help you out on the engine side of things if you are looking to replace the 1071 with a 998.

[David Griffiths]

Thanks,,What would you suggest, keep the 1071 ( I understand that it is a desirable unit) or go back the 998 cc and have the car original?
Any help would be much appreciated.

[mk1]

If the car has been fitted with a 1070 S unit, then keep it. Its much better, stronger & potentially a lot more powerful. You can use more or less any large bore A series cylinder head on it, but the best one to use, if you aren't bothered about the Nth degree of authenticity is a 12G 940 that has been stamped with the part number 12 G 1805, this is a large-ish valve MK3 S head that is very reliable & is also a good performer.

They look like this;

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10069

If you want to go back to using a 998 motor then these are still relativity plentiful & are Cheap compared with any S engine.

However having said all that above. I suspect that your car has probably been fitted with a long stroke 1100 engine as opposed to a 1071 S motor, as the 1100 would have used a 998 type cylinder head as standard and was a popular replacement for the 998 when it was worn out.

[David Griffiths]

Hi Thanks for this
The engine number is 9FD-S-H-33*** MCR said that it was out of a 1964 1071 Cooper S ? If it is? I could perhaps change the head , enjoy the extra performance, keep the 998 bits, complete the rebuild and swap the engine over to 998 Cooper at a later date?.
The car has had S Brakes fitted and a oil cooler is fitted.

[mk1]

Yup, Thats a 1071 OK. If I was you I'd definitely keep the engine & fit a sensible head to it.

You can then spend some time accumulating the bits you need to build a 998 "spare" engine. The hardest things to find for a 998 Cooper are the correct "D" top pistons.

[Pete]

I've edited your post David if that's OK, I wouldn't advise publishing your complete 1071 engine number on the internet.

Having seen and driven this (lovely original) car I can say it's a 1071 lump (not just a block!) and just needs an S head on it to make the most of it David (a decent 163 should do it or 940 as Mark suggested), it could well have been in that car a long time (well at least since the early 80's when it last changed owner) so I'd be keeping it if it was my car. You'll probably get a few messages asking if you're selling the engine , and it's worth very good money (especially if it has the S box- check the number on the front) but it's part of the car's history and the best engine they ever put in a Mini so only adds to the car's appeal, in my humble ..etc ..etc

It's your car though!

PS, I doubt you'll be over impressed with the standard original seats, look out for some nice period aftermarket jobbies or some factory recliners! Being a Mk2 any black vinyl seat will match the interior anyway!

[David Griffiths]

Thanks Pete
That`s what I had concluded. getting it up on a ramp next week to see what need to be done to the floor Sub Frames ect. I will take the rocker cover of and see if there a number for the head?, then start looking for a Head 12G940 or S.