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This is important!

The nearest thing I have to a godson is Rupert (name changed!) and he is going ahead with a plan to convert his perfectly good c.1990 mini 1000/1100(?) into a rear engined job. He is subbing out the work to "some bloke in Newmarket" and it is due to start in February.

When his mum and dad told me of his plans, over dinner last night, I immediately started ranting and generally dissing the whole idea.

Then I realised that I know absolutely nothing about this subject

He is 19, in his 2nd year at university and is due to graduate onto Sandhurst when he finishes his degree. I don't think he is anymore flush than your general loan borrowing student, either. In my opinion, he is NOT the sort of petrolhead to be able to understand the full implications of what he intends to do and he certainly hasn't got the money I think he will need and neither have his parents. And it will bugger up a perfectly good Mini that has actually appreciated in value since he bought it 2 years ago.

Was I right to try to dissuade him?
Does anyone know more on this subject?

doubt he would get insured on it to be honest... good to dsissuade him, better to keep things simple!

Well if its that important that you want opinions ,mine is keep ya nose out of it , its hes car and he can do what he wants with it . Chill out , sounds like ya getting stessed .

Just show him the information about getting engine conversions through BIVA / SVA / IVA tests, plus insurance etc.

It was enough to finally put me off when I had a running K Series that just needed the bodywork doing age 19.

swifty wrote:Well if its that important that you want opinions ,mine is keep ya nose out of it , its hes car and he can do what he wants with it . Chill out , sounds like ya getting stessed .

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I am looking for more information and opinions on rear-engined Mini conversions, not whether I should "chill out" or not.

When I was 19, I.....dropped out of full-time education, gave up rugby, got married, smoked drugs and was generally a bit of a twat. What I needed then was someone I respected to tell me I was being a c***.....because I was. No one did and I didn't really get my life sorted until I was in my late 30s, by which time it was too late to achieve certain things which I regret now not doing.
It's called responsibility, old son and it goes with what is expected of a godfather.

I'd agree with ChrisB. The rules on modifications are being tightened up and apart from costing a packet to get it through the tests, there is the insurance issue to consider and it could end up on a Q-plate, rendering it worth even less.

Advise him to do his homework on these issues before committing himself.

ChrisB wrote:Just show him the information about getting engine conversions through BIVA / SVA / IVA tests, plus insurance etc.

It was enough to finally put me off when I had a running K Series that just needed the bodywork doing age 19.

I remember when I was 19 I had car conversion ideas but that was a long, long time ago. The quote is very sound advice in this day and age. This week I have read the Which comparison between a 1961(?) and a 2011 Mini and the braking distances alone confirm how much has changed in 40 years. To undertake such a conversion would need significant upgrades to the running gear but if the car was not for road use my comments would be different but quite honestly the main factors would be compliance with DVLA rules and then raising a mortgage to secure insurance. I think you have given good advice as a Godfather.

It seems to be a reasonably popular thing to do, sticking a modern lump (or even a bike engine) in a frame in the back of a poor old mini. Some seem to be well engineered, others less so, but I just don't see the appeal......

A mini drives very well as a practical, 4 seater. if you want a mid-engined 2 seater, best to buy one designed by a large car manufacturer who has done it properly and which can be insured etc. There are plenty interesting options out there, old or more recent (I'm a big fan of Porsche 914s) and they will be more fun, predictable and safe (he is your godson, after all)

so, it's a bit like painting tiger stripes on an Elephant. It is possible, but that doesn't mean you should, and you won't end up with a tiger either.

But perhaps he's a better car designer than Issigonis?

I don't think your being over the top trying to set him on the straight and narrow.. It might be his choice but he is a 19 old and by the sounds of it not had any experience of drive a quick car let alone a rear engined mini with over 120bhp. To be honest your probably saving his life and the poor tree he will probably hit. Why people think A 19 year old lad could handle that is beyond me. On the track maybe but not on the road. All that power to the rear is nothing like driving a normal 998 / 1275 or a decent 8 porter.

And my second point would be if he can afford it I would be running a mile, it should cost a considerable amount of money paying someone to do it.. Doing that sort of a conversion would cost a fortune in man hours alone.

The car would have to pass a SVA test & its very unlikely to. Dissuading him will save him a load of cash & heartache.

Latest news is that it's Z cars or something like that. Just looked at the website - it's definitely out of his league.

When I was 19, I.....dropped out of full-time education, gave up rugby, got married, smoked drugs and was generally a bit of a twat. What I needed then was someone I respected to tell me I was being a c***.....because I was. No one did and I didn't really get my life sorted until I was in my late 30s, by which time it was too late to achieve certain things which I regret now not doing.

Also meant to say that the above paragraph also sounded horribly familiar, but I forgot due to loss of brain cells

Everyone I know who has built a rear engined z-car has sold it very soon after completion or in some cases before completion. They basically go round in circles even when just pulling out of junctions.

Why not show him the bike engined front engined minis, maybe a compromise.

wil_h wrote:Everyone I know who has built a rear engined z-car has sold it very soon after completion or in some cases before completion. They basically go round in circles even when just pulling out of junctions.

Why not show him the bike engined front engined minis, maybe a compromise.

Now that is a very good idea

I would suggest going around in circles is (in most cases) a lack of control on behalf of the driver. Let's be honest, there are plenty of high performance RWD cars on the road with great torque that aren't constantly facing the wrong direction.

Obviously if somebody were to drive a RWD Bike Mini in the same way as a fast FWD Mini then they are in for problems.

people since time has begun (1959 actually ) have been sticking what was perceived has being totally mad things in minis and saying things like it,ll never work .you.ll kill yourself in that.you can,t afford it etc .i know what i did at 17 when told not to buy a mini cooper that i could not afford to buy let alone insure ,and lets face it with all the fences that need to be jumped before the car see,s the open road safety should not be an issue only the cost,hands up those of you that have never started something then pushed it in the garage to pull it out ten years later (27 in my case )let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

i did think of doing it, a bought an engine ( which i still have) and was planning on doing a pro motive convertion, but the cost is high around £5000 min with frame and engine, then there is brakes and suspension to think about. plus shaving a soild car

the engine sound lovely when tickking over , and that noise of a bike engine when reved up sounds better.

but sitting on a motorway in a mini with a bike engine reving at 6000-8000 doing 70mph i bet is not nice for your ears,
i dont go on track days, or hill climb so i thought whats the point, there is only so fast you can legally on the road ( we all speed tho), and town driving you never get over 40mph, if you do it you have to use it

its one of those things like most people have said, you do it, have fun with it then get bored, and sell it, its a phase, mid life crisis, teen a boy dream, what ever you want to call it. i nearly did it but, then had a big think, turned old before i was meant to.

let him do it, he has got to live and learn, he will lose money when he sells it, you normally do with cars, but if he enjoys it, has some fun thats what its all about, you only live once

oh and make sure its to a later mini like a mk4, it would be sacrilage to see a early car cut up

(ps if he is after a R1 bike engine i have one for sale. ha ha ha)