Started 05/04/08, just before half past four.
The car
It used to be a green Austin Mini Mayfair. Now it's this.
A lot of work has gone into it over the years, but most of the major changes took place when I first built it from several donor cars. All pretty standard Mini modifications (exterior, suspension, brakes, engine), but the interior was mostly a one-off - except the carpets of course.
A recent engine build prompted by a roundabout induced lack of oil pressure saw the installation of a crank trigger and Megajolt unit.
The Engine
MG Metro 1275 base
Ported head (Slark Race Engineering)
CR 10.5
ARP head & con-rod bolts
Megajolt ignition
Standard SU HIF44 carb
Foam filter and ram pipe
Maniflow LCB and exhaust
About 80hp at the flywheel
Project aims
- Run the car in - another 1000 miles should do it
- Rolling road tune for carb and Megajolt
- Fit VEMS for ignition only (current VR and MAP onboard VEMS?? I assume it's possible.)
- Implement knock detection, WB02, EGT and MAT.
Basically everything I can short of Injection. I want to have all the tools and be able to use them beforehand. - Plenum injection
Not much of an improvement over carb, only lean cruise and finer fueling control. Still have problems with charge robbing with the 5-port head (about which I know nothing....yet). - This is where the project aims get hazy.
- Sequential injection on 5 port to overcome charge robbing.
Multiple injectors, funny timing, much experimenting (presumably). Very interesting, but ultimately pointless, because the 5-port will never flow as well as... - BMW K-head conversion.
16V DOHC throttle body injection. Like the previous option, not trivial, and hence interesting. A completely different set of challenges.
- Sequential injection on 5 port to overcome charge robbing.
I guess by that time (and it will be quite some time), I will know what interests me most.
The Driver
Charlie Kemp
Mechanical Engineering student (last year of an MEng)
Part time tractor driver
Car nut
Looking for work...