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...
MembersPage/CharlieKemp/Research
MembersPage/PhatBob There are a few people on the forum who've got VEMS controlling their Mini's
- Thanks for the link Bob. So much reading to do. Shall keep all the links on the Research Page, mainly for my own benefit, but maybe so other people can follow my path in the future.