I just bought a 1977 Mini. Engine and gearbox are strong but I came across another engine for sale locally. From what I have read, these 1300 turbo cars aren't that common. Does anyone think this might be a good pickup? I am going to call the guy today about the condition. I assume it would be a simple swap? I was unsure how turbo is controlled. A primitive computer? Fully mechanical?
Pulling and installing the engine in a Mini is fairly straightforward. I don't have any first hand experience with the turbos, but would assume no electronics and a blow through carb setup.
A blow through SU carb....that ought to be entertaining. Are you going to ship that thing from Tunisia to 'Muricah or do you have a line on one like the one in the link?
The cars did grow port fuel injection later in life. It's a bit weird due to the central siamesed intake port. IIRC, the turbo engine is actually from an MG Metro.
I wouldn't put it in my car, but that's because I like the nature of the normal A series with some tweaks. The question is: do you want a turbo Mini?
Oops, second picture looks like it's a draw through set up.
I currently live in Tunis. I've only had the Mini for a month. I finished sorting out the electrics. The engine currently in the car runs great. I'm not set on a turbo Mini - just floating some ideas. It's a blast to drive as is.
I really, really enjoyed my stock 998, and as much as my name suggests I like boost (and I do), I think I'd like a nice 1275 instead. How much power does that 1300 make?
Mine has a 1275 that is 0.060" over with a fairly aggressive cam and a little porting done to the head. It is no drag car, but it has enough power to be fun and it sounds really nice. I personally would convert to a Honda D series engine if I wanted more power. The siamese ported head thrawt my desire to go with EFI and any of the 7 or 8 port heads end up costing more than a Honda engine conversion.
If it is from a Metro turbo, IIRC it's a blow-through carb setup. Make sure you get the carb and all the other associated parts with it, otherwise good luck finding them.
This was a fairly common swap in the UK at some point in the dim and distant past so I'd hunt around some UK-based Mini forums or the like. The engine and gearbox should drop right in, but (again, from vague memories) either the turbo or the turbo plumbing tends to have co-spatial events with the firewall.
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