mk1-forum.net

You may have seen this before......but you have to admire the engineering skills and its practically all British Leyland parts, transverse mounted engine and front wheel drive just like proper Mini's !
More here:
http://reocities.com/MotorCity/factory/2760/Viku2.html

Rover V8 3.5L engine on transverse Austin Princess fwd gearbox for the Mini Clubman V8








"Plan included fitting the engine transversely like the original Mini layout, finding a suitable gearbox/diff and mating everything together. Gearbox is originally from an Austin Princess. It is of Mini design, located underneath the engine. Surprisingly the Rover V8 block and Austin Princess gearbox fitted pretty easily (?) together with only a few adapter plates. Flywheel is a combination of Range Rover and Princess parts. The clutch is a combination of late model Rover clutch plate and Saab turbo diaphragm. A new final drive was specially designed and machined for this engine, ratio is around 2,7:1. The engine is tilted backwards about 10 degrees. Carb is a 390 cfm Holley which also needed modifications to gain bonnet clearance. Engine is rebuilt and fitted with a hotter camshaft. Owner Viku Perala from Finland, fabricated one-off exhaust manifolds with stainless steel and mild steel tubing. His Mini has "only" a single exhaust because the dual would not fit and he wanted some stealth effect… Well, the exhaust note is hard to miss !!! Cooling is taken care of with a Mini 2-row super cool radiator and a specially made auxiliary radiator. Surprisingly enough suspension components and suspension pickup points are all ORIGINAL. Furthermore, bulkhead is also original, no cutting was required !!! Like you see in the photos, the package is pretty tight but everything fits. What is even more surprising is that this car does not feel over engined. It runs just about the same way an original Mini does. Only difference being the extra torque....."

That's some engineering job!

I love it!

Al

Where's the "like" button?
To use a retro term, That's ACE!
If you're going to put a V8 in a mini, this is how you do it, no rear wheel drive, no bulges, no gearbox in the cabin.
Proper job.
Impressed..........
Great work, well done.

Roger

I remember seeing a small picture of that in miniworld years ago! Looked fantastic then but even more so now.

I love mods like this, as much BL std parts as possible. I have a distinct dislike of Vauxhall/Honda conversions, just too far removed in my opinion. Fast, yes, but not my float.
This is in a league of it's own, a real clever combination and excellent execution.
Roger

I had a picture of this on the front of my engineering folder when I was a school. It's certainly a cool set-up.

That is so cool!! I'm sat here looking at a 4.6 rover and TR8 transmission destined for my 54 MG TD but now I wonder.............................Or maybe that DFV in the shop next door..............................

I'd rather have one of these;



http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.u ... eering.htm

M

Gordon Allen's Jaguar based Twini Mini engines were also interesting feats of 1960's hybrid Mini engineering......
Information on the amazing 'Twin Jag Mini' below is from the John Baggott 'Mini Racing Story' book.

Allen Jag-Mini engine as seen at the NEC 2010 on MCR stand (Photo: Miniholic-MCR)

Wouldn't we all, Mark!

Petition at Blyton demanding production starts???



Interesting to see the Allen 'Jag' engine out the car. Neat, isn't it.

Al

I believe endaf owens now has Gordon Allen's BDA block moulds

These guys have done both types of V8 Mini, not as immaculate as the black one, but very ingenious.
http://www.spagweb.com/v8mini/

Lord Croker wrote:These guys have done both types of V8 Mini, not as immaculate as the black one, but very ingenious.
http://www.spagweb.com/v8mini/

'Practical Performance Car' Magazine - Aug 04 page 30-36 write up on the yellow FWD V8 Mini Clubman here.
Scroll Down:
http://spagweb.com/v8mini/gallery/scrap/index.htm

This is incredible friends the truth that a work of engineering

Maybe I should put a rover v8 in the front of my Morris 1300??

Matt Read (Mad Matt on the forum) built one a few years back. I think he had the 4.2 litre Leyland engine in his.

Really super nice awesome great top-shelf work on all these conversions, especially to Gordon Allen who did so much way back when, he seemed to be quite a pioneer in much of the radical outside the box type conversion stuff.

Joel Glass is in the Dartford area I think & has plenty of experience of fitting V8's into Mini's. Not sure if ant members know him ? I would like to speak to as he was a previous owner of my MK 2 Cooper. The only mod he may have fitted 'iwas more rust !!!

My chum Ralph put a RV8 in the back of his metro. It is most certainly the way to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbhGmOJkd0A

It looks like grannies metro and goes like a rocket

In the shed wrote:My chum Ralph put a RV8 in the back of his metro. It is most certainly the way to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbhGmOJkd0A

It looks like grannies metro and goes like a rocket

Looks interesting!

Any more photos or details of the build?