I've been talking about this for quite a while now, looks like I'm going to get started on it at last! The donor car will be a late model Fiesta or Focus, the engine the 1 liter turbo charged 3 cylinder Ecoboost Ford engine, with the 6 speed automatic transmichigan. 125 hp and 145 torques...should be more than enough. My plan is to mount it in the rear mid-engine position, allowing me room up front for the donor car's radiator and A/C condenser (yep, it will have A/C - no more driving thru Kansas summers in a classic with no A/C) although the wife pointed out that not only will it not have a back seat for our fur kids, but also no luggage room. so I guess either a trailer or a roof top box will be needed when I want to go to far away Mini events. The fur kids are out of luck, but they're so old (16 now) the only place they ride to these days is the vets.....they won't mind. I also am having a color decision challenge, I want the car to be really bright to show up well in traffic but I'm not interested in salmon pink or yellow, orange, purple or even red. Lord knows there are enough red Minis out there even tho I like it in red. So I'm thinking lazer blue, or maybe a bright green (I don't like those yellow green metallics you see on the new Camaro and such...too yellow) I did see a classic online that was a very pretty gold with a cream interior - with plenty of chrome bits it actually looked really good.....that was not a color I had ever considered but it was pretty cool looking. At any rate that decision is far down the road, and first things first. This is the car that I bought this weekend, a real 67 Cooper S, although the engine is not a Cooper S but a later 1275 with a real Cooper S AEG163 cylinder head. The car used to be rallied regularly so it's a little rough and will need the usual rust repairs to the floors, sills and such. However, before I get pilloried for cutting up an original Cooper S, this is not the car I'm building - I traded it to a friend for a late model shell he has in his shop - that's the one I'll be cutting to bits! First I have to get it home and get the motor pulled, then figure out how and when I can bring it down to my friend's shop. Then I need to buy the donor car - the 3 cyl Ecoboost cars are less than 5% of the wrecked Fiestas and Focus I see online, so it may be a bit before I find the right car, also most of them seem to be hit in the front and I need one that was hit anywhere but the front, as I need all that stuff up there like the radiator, condenser and intercooler. It's going to be an interesting project to say the least. My first inspiration were the Twinis from the 60's, I saw how they mounted the second engine and it seemed to make sense to do a modern engine in the same location. I also was inspired by the Renault 5 turbos I'd seen on BaT, and Jay Leno's Shogun - an early Fiesta with a Taurus SHO motor in the back. Then at MMW I saw a fascinating red Mini that had a Hayabusa turbo mounted in the back - the real interesting part for me was how he did the body, he simply widened the rear slightly to cover the wider track instead of using huge flares, so to the casual onlooker the car looked pretty stock. Good eyes would notice the 14" wheels tho...... I like the little Ecoboost tho because not only is a very small package that makes good hp, lots of torque and great fuel economy, it also is VERY light - almost 100 lbs lighter than a stock Mini engine/trans. More as it happens! This is the 67 Cooper S I bought.....
My goal is a classic Mini that drives very much like a modern car......some say that takes all the character and fun out of it but hey - it's my damn car!
Sounds like a great Project!! My only thought was I could see the 3 cylinder motor you want to use is a stick only combo on the car I recall reading ..An oddity yes, but that motor was sold as the ultra efficient optional motor...got great reviews though!! Guess. It has gotten wider use since then.... Sounds like an awesome project.... One question...are you planning on adding a roll cage to stiffen things up, and maybe add a bit of safety?
In 2015 or 2016 you can get it with a 6 speed automatic, pretty much the same transmission used in the MINIs. I'll be adding reinforcements for sure, but remember it weighs less than a Mini engine, and there are a lot of people running close to that HP in standard Minis, I'm not going to go crazy with the extra metal. I've read that it's not hard to tune it to 150hp, but I won't go any farther than that....if I do anything. Like I said, my goal is to build a car that looks like a classic but drives more like a modern car......so safe (well as safe as it can be in a tin can like a Mini!), quiet, comfortable, good fuel mileage and the reliability of modern engineering.
Sounds like a fun project. Unless a car is a genuine collectible, like a numbers-matching Hemi 'Cuda, I don't see anything wrong with doing something a little crazy with it. I would think the tough part will be fitting the new drivetrain into the old car, and all the electronics. Good luck! CD
YAY :biggrin5: :cornut: Another epic build by MiniDave! I look foreword to all the posts and pictures of your new project.
Thanks for all the encouragement! I'll pick up the 67 S today and bring it home, then pull the motor, and get ready to haul it to Tulsa where the other car is. Then the next step s to find the donor car, seems like wrecked 3 cyl Fiestas have dried up lately......
They are each to find with only rear end damage. Simple steps for finding your perfect donor. Find the year you want with low mileage. Next find out were it lives. (no you are not going to steal it) Go rent a truck from enterprise with Full Coverage option. Find the car after it has been parked and read end it so it's totaled but not destroyed for your needs. :ihih: Return truck. "Oops, but I have full coverage." Track damaged car to junk yard and buy it. Ta-Da. I am only kidding, do not do this. :lol:
That's fine, I think every time you post in the "I saw this today" thread you are going to say "I can see my feet standing up" but we all know that's not going to happen anytime soon. :devil::lol:
Dave, what do you think about this color green? It's not a metallic... http://www.foilacar.ae/portfolio/mini-cooper-s-light-green-matte/
Wow, I will watch this build with interest. I hope you find that donor soon without Dave.0s help. Nice idea, I hope you bought the MINI S cheap enough so you can feel good about gutting it. Don