The Panhandler. 1958 Panhard Dyna Z 2.5RS

IN to lend a hand when possible

We shall taunt you a second time!

In reply to QuasiMofo (John Brown) :

I love that everything discussed at the Challenge is now null and void.

In reply to QuasiMofo (John Brown) :

Just remember...."Measure twice...cut once".....

if you wind up with a set of these cheap I'll help with recoup so I have a set to experiment with on my Miata

ChatGPT bringing the motivation. 

Has this project kicked off yet?

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Garage is 50% sorted and on schedule. I picked up two shifts this weekend so I need to put in more weekday hours. The 2002 MINI will start the disassembly process next Saturday and once cataloging and pictures are done the Marketplace/eBay/Forum sales start.The real work starts after the second MINI arrives and that body is parted and chopped and I see where I need to section the floor and what needs moved as far as wiring/fuel/hydraulics. The Clubman has a 3" longer wheelbase than the R50 but I'm pretty certain that I will need 2 more inches to get the look and stance I desire. 

Once the Clubman is cut down the engine will come out to have the issues addressed. The Panhard will be defloored and the initial test fits will start in earnest. I'll need to be able to roll the chassis in and out and have the second car cut down to swap out the rear cuts. It's going to either fly by or we will be welding in the parking lot. 

QuasiMofo (John Brown) said:

In reply to wvumtnbkr :

Garage is 50% sorted and on schedule. I picked up two shifts this weekend so I need to put in more weekday hours. The 2002 MINI will start the disassembly process next Saturday and once cataloging and pictures are done the Marketplace/eBay/Forum sales start.The real work starts after the second MINI arrives and that body is parted and chopped and I see where I need to section the floor and what needs moved as far as wiring/fuel/hydraulics. The Clubman has a 3" longer wheelbase than the R50 but I'm pretty certain that I will need 2 more inches to get the look and stance I desire. 

Once the Clubman is cut down the engine will come out to have the issues addressed. The Panhard will be defloored and the initial test fits will start in earnest. I'll need to be able to roll the chassis in and out and have the second car cut down to swap out the rear cuts. It's going to either fly by or we will be welding in the parking lot. 

I love me some parking lot welding!

But, I hope it doesn't come to that.

Woo hoo! Glad to see this back. Do you think you'll be able to preserve the controls?

In reply to Crackers (Forum Supporter) :

No. The entire interior including the sweet gauge pod will all have to make room. Positive is that the 2011 MINI Clubman interior could be used a lot in the dash and floor. 

I am going to do my absolute beat to retain HVAC as well. 

In reply to QuasiMofo (John Brown) :

HVAC was the first to go in Colin when I made the trans tunnel.  The case sits squarely in the middle of the transmission even with no floor present 

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

In reply to QuasiMofo (John Brown) :

HVAC was the first to go in Colin when I made the trans tunnel.  The case sits squarely in the middle of the transmission even with no floor present 

That's a longitudinal layout though, right?  I think this is staying fwd.  Right?

MINI interior is even weirder than the original Panhard.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

FWD MINI staying in place. 

In reply to QuasiMofo (John Brown) :

You have two Minis, right?  RWD Mini as well?

In reply to Mr_Asa :

Too much complexity 

 Adding 5 inches of wheelbase is going to be enough. 

I may need to convert the 2011 to a R53 drivetrain as the engine may not be reparable cheap enough.

QuasiMofo (John Brown) said:

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

FWD MINI staying in place. 

Ah, ok, I saw the thread subject and thought this was going to be a bizarre Subaru-Mini-Panhard thingus.

Although... with Panhard body so the engine didn't need to be set so far back, and the axle centerline further forward from the firewall, and a (significantly smaller) manual trans, it just might work. FWD would have been a load easier, too.

The nice(?) thing about the Mini, at least the R50/R53 variant, is that BMW didn't really do anything with CAN for anything not drivetrain and ABS related.  The HVAC was a dumb system, as was the radio and windows and stuff.  The downside is wrist thick wiring harnesses because so many things are discrete wires.  Like the windows, which need the body control module to work because they have to move down to open the doors, so the windows have tk be controlled... but it is all discrete wires, no door modules, so there are actual switch wires running from the door jamb and door handles to the BCM as well.

BMW was WEIRD in that timeframe.  They passed themselves off as high tech but the more I dug into the R53 the more I was surprised that the engine didn't have an SU carburettor and a points distributor.  Other Euro makes had ditched the wiring in favor of CAN all the things by that point!

Hit a curve ball with the R56. I cannot afford a replacement engine. 

So I am buying a broken R53 tomorrow. 

I will be parting the R50 down and using the sales to purchase a pair of bomber seats and a used R53 engine. 

After driving and sorting the R53 I will then complete choppy choppy time.

R53 six speed with engine playing "Kick Drum by Felix tha housekat

17 Rota RB looking wheels

Pretty nice little piece of crap for $800.

Hood scoop means supercharger, no? Don't those SCs make hella noise when they go bad? Perhaps it's not bottom end?

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

R53 means supercharger, too 

Damn, for $800 I'd have bought that.  I know where there's a good used R53 engine that I could buy, too.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

R53 means supercharger, too 

Damn, for $800 I'd have bought that.  I know where there's a good used R53 engine that I could buy, too.

Today I learned...

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

R53 means supercharger, too 

Damn, for $800 I'd have bought that.  I know where there's a good used R53 engine that I could buy, too.

I mean is that engine is available for any old Mofo to buy? 

This is a carryover from the Enablers Unanimous post on FB but if anyone is here and not there I would love some advice:

I need some advice. 

I have two similar engines.

Engine 1 is a natural aspirated 10.6:1CR engine that runs well.

Engine 2 is a supercharged 8.3:1CR engine that knocks. 

The supercharged engine has 380cc injectors. I have larger 750cc ones with the correct impedance and dimensions. 

Can I... Swap the long block with the high compression one, add bigger injectors and throw E85 at the mess?

My current options are:

- Rebuild the broken R53 engine.

- Swap in the entire R50 engine with harness and all the other modules that go with it.

- Locate a good, cheap, unknown used engine.

- Use known High Compression long block, add injectors, fuel pump and E85 and hope for the best. 

Thoughts?