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Anyone know more about this 'B' Series Mini racer or have more photos?
With those Weber carbs out front I guess it used a version of the original HRG-Derrington crossflow cylinder head for the B-Series below?
HRG-Derrington Heads:-
http://www.rhodo.citymax.com/HRG.html




Paddock at Brands Hatch








More Here:-
http://www.rhodo.citymax.com/f/HRG_story.pdf

Another 'period' Mini engine transplant below, this time based on the Imp engine.......shame few of them survive today as they were so much more interesting than today's Honda Vtec conversions!


I remember this Mini-Imp well and recently discovered this thread with some photos on the Ten Tenths Forum:-
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=122899



Monty Guildford's Mini racer fitted with an Imp engine, he finished it in 1973 after an 18 month build.
The engine was built and tuned by George Bevan but the gear box was designed by my Monty and built by Peter Wise of Goodland engineering of Tonbridge Kent. The crank was a one off. Note also the exhaust coming out of the nearside A panel!

The Imp engine is a far better bet than the B series one. The weight in the front must have been an issue!

The HRG / Derrington alloy head is a nice unit. I have had a couple, but never actually used one as I have never had a B series car.

These old engine swaps are interesting, but isn't that mainly because they are old. The modern swaps seem to be far better all round, more power, more reliable, better weight distribution.

I think they are more interesting than the modern engine swaps partly because they are old and for me nostalgic memories of them racing but also because most use some clever engineering to adapt to the Mini gearbox in sump arrangement. Probably due to a lack of many alternative compact front wheel drive gearboxes at the time, unlike today.

Looked for week then found the photo !!! Here is my B series in a mini , Space frame car , BUT all mini running gear , Front subframe was chopped a fair amount , cannot remember much about it as its 45 years + , mini swinging arm on the back and i think Triumph herald springs and shockers ??? , the engine fitted ok BUT it was front heavy , meaning most of the weight was forward of the front wheels , i think i used two shorter drive shafts or maybe two short AD16 , i remember welding the mini yokes to the 1800 yokes , but probably a fair bit of butchering , gearshift was ok because its cable , engine came out of a 1800 land crab £30 , rebored + reground crank , I fitted bigger valves and gas flowed , full race ST camshaft , Twin two inch SUs , i had to cut pockets in the block for the valves to clear on full lift , was it any good , NO , good talking point though , Built the car and everything else minimum tools , This included Stick welder , Grinder , 7lb hammer , hand drill and not forgetting the wrecking bar nothing else , Sold it to a grass tracker and he put the engine back in a landcrabb , i heard he did OK
The photo was taken at Marsh Lane Bomber track , Near Eckington , Sheffield . Happy days , also we went to Doncaster , York road . got me down as G.Allan ??

Not a 'B' Series engine and nor do I have a pic...but I noticed this while hunting some stuff out. If you look at the image there is a small bit about a prize draw...Mini based rally car with a Maxi engine...
Had a look thru' the programme but it mentions nothing else about the draw or the prize so I don't know anything else about it. I imagine the handling would be err interesting with that lump stuck in the front of a Mini!

It's a pity the Maxi engine was such a nail - if it was any good (i.e tuneable - they were quite robust) it would have been a decent conversion for a road going Mini with the 5 speed gearbox.

The Datsun Cherry 100A and 120A unit was a nicely engineered thing, gearbox in sump as well. The appear top have copied the B Series 1800/Princess clutch set up though.

I believe the Datsun (Nissan) A series engine was licenced from BMC and then developed...

Very similar, ...

Time Bandit wrote:Not a 'B' Series engine and nor do I have a pic...but I noticed this while hunting some stuff out. If you look at the image there is a small bit about a prize draw...Mini based rally car with a Maxi engine...
Had a look thru' the programme but it mentions nothing else about the draw or the prize so I don't know anything else about it. I imagine the handling would be err interesting with that lump stuck in the front of a Mini!

Costafortune wrote:It's a pity the Maxi engine was such a nail - if it was any good (i.e tuneable - they were quite robust) it would have been a decent conversion for a road going Mini with the 5 speed gearbox.

This Mini was originally built by the custom car specialist Andy Saunders in 1992. Built on a new body shell using space frame rear end and 1750cc Austin Maxi engine and 5 speed gearbox. It has twin HIF6 SU carbs. The body is a KAT kit Featured in Fast Car magazine December 1991.

1750cc Mini built as a early 90’s yuppie’s mini.
"Fully de-seamed and de-guttered and much subtle body work to make this car more like a styling concept based around the old mini.
Owned for 2 years by a female councillor who used it as her every day car.
The car is now living in Bermuda in a private collection."
https://www.andysaunders.net/1750-mini/

Exminiman wrote:I believe the Datsun (Nissan) A series engine was licenced from BMC and then developed...

Very similar, ...

F8092645-0AE4-4057-B54C-E7EB71A82607.jpeg

Nissan licensed the B Series from BMC - their first car was the A40 Zummerzet. The first B was a 1200.

AMO997J is long gone - it was built from a shell (Mark 1/2) and registered as a car built from new/used parts. I expect it understeered through a hedge.

Re: 'Ians Hot Maxi/Mini' - He doesn't say it but back in the 1980/90's it was quite common to rob scrapyard Hillman Hunter's (and other Rootes Arrow derivatives) of their remote servos for use in Mini's as they were plentiful and cheap. I don't recall any noticable drop or increase in performance and think only the only physical difference is the air valve piston diameter. Only trouble is, if someone goes to rebuild it later and is unaware a different overhaul kit is needed... (SSB 1061 I think)

The Hillman Grunter, not seen one of those for yonks.

Twinned with the Humber Septic and the Singer Vague.

mab01uk wrote: ↑Sun Feb 10, 2019 7:14 pm

Time Bandit wrote:Not a 'B' Series engine and nor do I have a pic...but I noticed this while hunting some stuff out. If you look at the image there is a small bit about a prize draw...Mini based rally car with a Maxi engine...
Had a look thru' the programme but it mentions nothing else about the draw or the prize so I don't know anything else about it. I imagine the handling would be err interesting with that lump stuck in the front of a Mini!

Costafortune wrote:It's a pity the Maxi engine was such a nail - if it was any good (i.e tuneable - they were quite robust) it would have been a decent conversion for a road going Mini with the 5 speed gearbox.

Hi,new here so thought I might add something to this old post the picture is me standing by the mini I built 50 years ago I continued modifying it with 12” wheels all round from a midget racer fitted a piper development head and cam and various other parts the bonnet was cut and a fiat 500 bonnet was blended in ,the Weber carbs I borrowed from a racing hydroplane I had at the time it went very well and I covered many happy miles before selling it.I missed it so much I made another this time a clubman with a 1750 engine it ended up with twin 45 dellorto

and a Vulcan head and cam again went very well but did not rev so freely as the 1500 again many thousand happy miles before selling it in
Devon were I moved to in 1977 the reg no was JRD892l I wonder if any or all of it still exists in some shed somewhere? Several years ago a local body shop asked me if I would strip a mini pickup purported to be the oldest left in existence to its bare bones so that it could be soda/sand blasted and what was left was repaired with new panels I then had to build it back up reverse engineering the starter push on the floor and refitting the older switch gear, dynamo and regulator all which had been modified over the years,it bought back many happy memories.My apprenticeship was in a Rootes garage in Wokingham but I always have had Austin Morris MG and lastly MG Rover vehicles in my life I now have a Rover 75 tourer and MG ZTT V8 fitted with the mustang engine a bit more comfortable for my old bones,forgive the rambles but a friend sent me some photos of AMO997J which I had not seen before and it ignited my interest.

Welcome to the forum , what an interesting car to have built in period, there are plenty of threads on here about modifications for you to read and enjoy

I must have seen this banging around Sandhurst and Crowthorne in the day, there were some interesting cars being pushed around the area mid-'70's and through the '80's.

How did it handle under the 'Happy Christmas Bridge' into the High Street and down the twist and turns through Tri Lakes?

Wonder what happened to them, probably as most thrashed to within an inch of their life and then moved on.
Like mk1coopers has said welcome to the forum and please share the stories/cars.
Cheers
Gary

rpb203 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 10, 2021 1:41 pm I must have seen this banging around Sandhurst and Crowthorne in the day, there were some interesting cars being pushed around the area mid-'70's and through the '80's.

How did it handle under the 'Happy Christmas Bridge' into the High Street and down the twist and turns through Tri Lakes?

Wonder what happened to them, probably as most thrashed to within an inch of their life and then moved on.
Like mk1coopers has said welcome to the forum and please share the stories/cars.
Cheers
Gary

Hi,it handled very well as of the twist and turns of the tri lakes I was driving back from yateley one evening just before going over the river bridge is a fairly sharp bend which I took much to fast but amazingly went round no problem (the large tree on the corner would have kept me on the road) my passenger said I did not think it would get round I replied me neither l have got a bit more sensible with age!

Know that bridge well!
Was always fun listening to the engine revs go off the scales as you got the car in the air and hope for the best on landing.

3disco wrote: ↑Wed Feb 10, 2021 12:08 pm

mab01uk wrote: ↑Sun Feb 10, 2019 7:14 pm

Time Bandit wrote:Not a 'B' Series engine and nor do I have a pic...but I noticed this while hunting some stuff out. If you look at the image there is a small bit about a prize draw...Mini based rally car with a Maxi engine...
Had a look thru' the programme but it mentions nothing else about the draw or the prize so I don't know anything else about it. I imagine the handling would be err interesting with that lump stuck in the front of a Mini!

Costafortune wrote:It's a pity the Maxi engine was such a nail - if it was any good (i.e tuneable - they were quite robust) it would have been a decent conversion for a road going Mini with the 5 speed gearbox.

Hi,new here so thought I might add something to this old post the picture is me standing by the mini I built 50 years ago I continued modifying it with 12” wheels all round from a midget racer fitted a piper development head and cam and various other parts the bonnet was cut and a fiat 500 bonnet was blended in ,the Weber carbs I borrowed from a racing hydroplane I had at the time it went very well and I covered many happy miles before selling it.I missed it so much I made another this time a clubman with a 1750 engine it ended up with twin 45 dellorto and a Vulcan head and cam again went very well but did not rev so freely as the 1500 again many thousand happy miles before selling it in Devon were I moved to in 1977 the reg no was JRD892l I wonder if any or all of it still exists in some shed somewhere?
...forgive the rambles but a friend sent me some photos of AMO997J which I had not seen before and it ignited my interest.

Welcome and many thanks for relating the story of your couple of unusual Mini-Maxi conversions......maybe you should build a replica, the project build would be of great interest on this forum and the finished car would certainly stand out at the modern Mini shows and would no doubt be wanted as a feature car in one of the monthly Mini magazines!

Looks like JRD 892L (1748 cc) was on the road until 1986/7 on DVLA website, hopefully in a garage or barn somewhere waiting to be discovered.....can you post some more photos of AMO 997J for interest if possible ?

JRD 892L
✗ Untaxed
Tax due: 1 February 1987
Vehicle Details
Vehicle make AUSTIN
Date of first registration May 1976
Year of manufacture 1973
Cylinder capacity 1748 cc
Fuel type PETROL
Export marker No
Vehicle status Untaxed
Vehicle colour RED
Wheelplan 2 AXLE RIGID BODY
Date of last V5C (logbook) issued 12 September 1986

AMO 997J :-
Vehicle details could not be found.