Thanks, this one should prove a challenge to say the least. It also promises to take a LONGGGG time to complete!
Finally! They sent everything including the kitchen sink.....pedals, linkages, brake booster, axles, uprights, brakes.......sheesh!
A tiny teaser - I don't have fuel hooked up to it yet so it's just running on what's in the fuel rail https://youtube.com/shorts/R3OEvH8YQT4
Now that I know the engine runs (and sounds bad to the bone too!) I'll start stripping it down so I can begin figuring out how to build the new subframe and rear suspension - I have a LOT to learn about that so I'll be doing a lot of reading first....not to mention getting the axles sorted. The radiator they sent with the engine is just too big to fit in the front of the Mini so I'll be looking for a different one.....this appears to be a single core, single pass radiator, I'm thinking a dual core, dual pass will do as well in a smaller overall size. I found a fuel tank and will be ordering it soon, I've made contact with a guy who welds aluminum (or aluminium) and I will sub the modification of that and the weld up of the SS exhaust to him, once I figure out exactly how I want to build them. Then I've got to figure out all the piping that needs to go from the engine to the front, my plan is to run everything thru the tunnel and have an almost completely flat floor under the car. Clancy has offered to do all the pipes for me - he has the tools and knows the best places to get SS braided hose and AN fittings. There will be a LOT of pipes - fuel, coolant, brakes, A/C lines. This engine has a vacuum pump (since it's turbocharged) and I'm wondering about using the brake booster, since it will have 4 wheel discs now and the bias will be different with the engine in the back. If so, that's yet another pipe thru the tunnel. Plus I'll need to figure out coolant to the heater..... Wiring is yet another challenge, I'll be using a lot of the original harness, adding what's needed for the engine and building an entire new dash harness as I don't plan to use the Mini instruments as they're not compatible with a modern engines electrical system Plus too and also I'm going to add A/C. Dan and I are working out the logistics of getting the shell up to me, but before that comes I need to finish up some more gearboxes and diffs that got dropped on me (surprise!) and do some more cleaning and re-arranging of the shop and basement - there will be a lot of stuff that needs to be warehoused while I build this. Once I have it completed and running I'll blow it all back apart and send it back down to Dan for paint. Still don't know what color to paint it, but that decision is WAY down the road.
And the car is here......Dan brought the shell up to me (on the only rainy day we had this weekend!) and it did wash off a little bit of the "barn find" that was all over it from sitting in his shed for several years.....but it still needs a lot of cleanup/ There's no front subframe in it although the back is on wheels, I need to figure out how to get it mobile so I can get it out in the front drive and see if I can wash it down some more. If that doesn't do it I'm going to look into one of those mobile blasting outfits and have them strip the shell. I'll need that done anyway, so why not get it done up front? So, that's where I'm at right now, the engine is here and running, preliminary measurements show that it will fit, next I need to strip it down to a bare shell and see if I can borrow a rotisserie so I can work on the bottom - my scissor lift is not conducive to bottom work. I'm also having a 10X16 shed built in the backyard for storage of all my yard equipment and the extra parts I won't be working with for a good while....that will help me get some more working space in my tiny garage.
Very cool. I can’t remember if this was asked already, so I ask anyway. Will you be using the OEM ECU, or a standalone?
OEM, but it's been modified to get rid of all the things that would keep it from working in a non original car - things like alarm systems, door locks, ABS, yaw control sensors and on and on...that's the biggest issue with using modern engines in older cars. Then if you complicate it with direct injection, variable valve timing and boost controls it gets really hard to do with an aftermarket ECU. It IS doable, but you really have to know your stuff - and I don't - so I went this way.
I give a lot of credit to those who have learned to change programing in today’s cars as it’s definitely way over my abilities.
Not a lot to report on this build so far, I have the car completely stripped down to a bare shell, and I have been measuring and figuring for various parts - I reinstalled the bare front subframe for example, so I could figure out the fuel tank and radiator and A/C condenser locations and size. I ordered a fuel tank, and the first order of panels to repair the rust in the front of the car/sills should arrive by the end of the week, according to DHL. Just in time for typical Kansas summer weather to arrive - hot and oh so muggy! Time to switch the shop unit over from heat to A/C! I got a small bench top media blaster at a garage sale and decided to try it out on an upper control arm - it did great, but I made the mistake of leaving the air plugged in. I was upstairs having lunch and I heard the air compressor kick on - usually it takes about a minute to recharge the tank but it seemed to go on and on, so I headed down to see why it was still running. When I opened the door to the shop the air was full of dust - the hose inside the unit had popped off and it was blowing the media around inside - forcing the dust out around the seal for the window! I popped the air off the connector and gave it an hour for the dust to settle so I could see again.....not a lot of media got out, mostly just the dust but I think in the future I will roll this thing out on my hydraulic table and use it outside!
Buncha stuff showed up yesterday, a box full of panels and later my gas tank. I got new front floor pans, door step, both sills, all the repair panels across the back including a new valance and a set of louvers to help vent the front compartment. The radiator and A/C condenser will be in the front, so I wanted plenty of openings to get the hot air out of the front compartment. The gas tank came in and I'm really impressed with the quality - especially for the price I paid for it. The welds look almost machine done rather than hand done, and it came with three -8 fittings on top - one is the fuel pickup, one is the vent and one is the return line. It also has the sending unit and of course the cap. Too bad I'm going to have to shorten it to fit in the space in the front, but I know a guy who's a wiz with a TiG - we'll see how he does in comparison. It's 17 gallons now and it'll be 10 when I cut it down. $125 and free shipping!
Dave... Not being able to get the 1 Liter 3 cylinder ecoboost Ford engine may have been a blessing in disguise... This just came out 6 days ago... Have you seen this video and Ford's wet timing belt idea? Not a great idea...
I haven't seen the video yet, but the engine I bought also uses the belt that runs in the oil...... Edit: After watching the video it's clear that the tensioner failed, which took out the belt, then the engine was running without oil pressure.....which is probably what killed the turbo bearings too. But it's also clear that you'll need to replace those timing belts as a maintenance item. I was planning to change mine anyway, One thing fun, I found out my engine only has 39K on it.
I've been working on my fuel tank, I cut the end off as I knew it had to be shortened to fit in the front end (by my calculations I'll have right at 10 gallons) and so I could fit the in-tank fuel pump and pickup. I'll also need to relocate the fuel sender and find a bulkhead fitting for the wires for the pump. I'm also considering making some baffles - one to surround the pickup and maybe one in the middle to keep the fuel from sloshing around as I drive. Dunno about that yet.... I'm also figuring out how to mount the tank solidly, whether to use straps ala Binky or use some rubber padded angle iron.
Why not have a fuel tank made to your specifications? They you wouldn't have to modify an existing tank.