Irish Mini Owners Club

So heres the story! Bought a 1275 which needs to be rebored. thats fine i think i will go 1293 because im after a reliable set up for road use. A while back i purchased a kent 266 cam.. The question i want to ask is this cam suitable for what im after which is just some good torque and nice to drive around town and for everday use? Also what kind of cylinder head set up should i be going after? I was hoping for something like 80 or 90 bhp if thats achevable and nice to drive daily. I was thinking of using some sort of webber carb.. Budget is 1k maximum if i can.. Just any guidnce and advice on what would be the right set up to suit me woudld be much appreciated im always wanting to learn more
Thanks for viewing!

If you go the Weber route you will have to modify the bulkhead and fit an air box. In my opinion you would be better off with a HIF44 with a good K&N filter and a stubb stack.

The 266 is a fairly mild cam, possibly more suited to a smaller engine, I'd be going for a 276 or 286 instead depending on what head you would go for.
The SW5-07 is another good all round cam that works in all size of engines.

I think you will need to find a bargain of a head though if you are going to get all parts/work and 90bhp for a grand.

Just my thoughts.

Firstly thanks for your thoughts and helping me out! I want the car for everyday use you know? just something thats nippy and fun to drive? I was going to port and polish the head something like 35mm inlet and 29 exhaust.. So im surely letting the engine breath a whole lot more then..I think youre right about the carb.. Putting a big carb on an engine that is too small hp for it could be a wasye.. And that stack looks cool as well I never heard of them until now!.. Hopefully ill get that weber sound from somewhere with a nice exhaust system or something But thanks for helping me out anyway i think ill go with the 266 cam anyway because any bigger might be a pig around town in low revs.

286 can be a bit lumpy in low revs alright, SW5 or even SW10 would be good,
or if you could get your hands on a MG metro cam that would be good too

Your budget is going to make things tricky.

An SW5 in a 1293 goes really well, and coupled with the right head, is a great package.

HIF44 is definitely your best option in terms of reliability and driveability and a lot cheaper and easier to fit!

You should also consider a differential with a hardened diff pin as well if you're going to be running with more power.

Yes i understand! Thanks a million the lot of ye for some good advice! Minisport dont have any conrods in stock for another 2 weeks.... Minispares only sell racing ones which cost around 1k.. Somerford are sold out too... Any reconditioned conrods or new ones at a decent price around?..

I'd suggest you get yourself a copy of Tuning BL's A Series Engine by David Vizard, it has everything you need to know about building a good usable motor.

There is more to engine building than just reboring the block.

Yeah i must source a copy of that, thanks! Also i know, Im going porting and polishing the head as well, 31mm inlet 29mm exhaust.. Maybe lcb and rc40 exhaust.. Was just trying to get my head around the block just to have a foundation to work off of!

You'll probably want to look into a Vernier Duplex timing chain, uprated clutch and diaphram as well as a cross-pin diff.

The Marcos Graveyard wrote:You'll probably want to look into a Vernier Duplex timing chain, uprated clutch and diaphram as well as a cross-pin diff.

Spot on, Thank again

I need some advice about my Cylinder head....
I want to increase flow by using bigger valves.. possibly 35mm inlet and 29mm exhaust.. SO! Surfing all the parts website im getting confused on what kind of valve i want.. single groove.. triple groove... Long stem race spec..
I found a good article with a guy building his head for a 1293 block just like mine but he is using a metro head which has bigger valves to begin with..
So what i want to know does it matter if i use the long stem race valves would that affect the pistons i am using which are just normal 1293 pistons..
With the longer valve are these pistons any good?
Sorry about the big rant now but i am really confused on what set up i need...
By the way the guy building the 1293 was going for around 80-85 bhp so i would like to match that if i could!
Heres a link of the thread http://www.specialistminiforums.com/heads.htm
Thanks everyone for yer help, really appreciate it!

Iirc you're looking for the single groove standard valves {I think these should work for your head, this will keep costs down too, I think?}
The longer race type ones would require the pistons to be pocketed iirc too.
For the build you are trying to achieve cost is everything, most standard parts are well able for the task too,
Look at getting some port work done on the head to allow better flow and a good exhaust system to get rid of all the waste.
Having gone down the route of bigger bhp myself I can tell you this truthfully, bigger bhp costs!