I really want to build a bike engined rear wheel drive old style mini, but good mini's are fetching big money at the moment.

On our drive is a Sorn'ed Fiat Chinq, see where I'm going on this one?

What do you think guys?

G

It'll be "interesting"......

Go for it.

I fancy a v8 4x4 Pug 106 with 6" suspension lift and offroad tyres...

[Edited on 4/7/06 by andyharding]

have to say a seicento would be better, i cant imagine a sorned chinq having particularly tidy bodywork?! Id want the finished product to be very nice and shiny.

I think it'd make a nice street sleeper, ok so maybe it might not be the tidiest car but that means you can concentrate on just getting it finished quickly and cheaply and treat it as a learning experience for when you can get hold of a cheap mini.

Pete

A Chinq (I Can't spell it either!) would be great. My Missus had the Sporting version & it handled like a go-kart. It was easily as much fun as some of the other cars I've had including Beemers, Jags Porsche etc. I had a Fiat Strada Abarth once & it was a real Q car. The Chinq was almost as good as that. Excellent Choice!

theres a lot of BE mini projects around, but a fiat just wouldnt have the street cred

quote:

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Originally posted by peterriley2
theres a lot of BE mini projects around, but a fiat just wouldnt have the street cred

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Especially if people aren't expecting it!

The bodywork isn't great but I don't care! Just means I'll never feel like I have to wash and polish it, just drive it!

So, how on earth would I go about it?

G

A cing would be great. Theres was one in a mag with a cossie lump in the back. $00bhp or summit silly. This it was ppc or something.

Someone, somewhere, not a million miles from me, is building a Cinq with a 3ltr V6 Alfa in the boot.

Hmmmm tasty.

Northy, not sure of exact details but:-

1. Take the pissy engine out the front, put in skip.
2. Chop the boot floor and back seat out.
3. Weld in new roll cage and subframe thingy.
4. Fit great big Alfa engine in, complete with gearbox and driveshafts.
5. Bodge the rest, you'll be fine.

HTH

Mike

quote:

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Originally posted by Guinness
5. Bodge the rest, you'll be fine.

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You'll have to do some serious work to the handling. I nearly binned one years ago on a windy NSL road because I couldn't pull out of the camber doing 40 where my clio would have done 70+ without trouble!

Cheers guys. I'm sure I can build it, I built the Avon after all!

Seeing as I know nothing about BEC my main stumbing blocks would be:

What engine would you guys suggest (good value for power).

What diff could I use? Locost style if possible!

Cheers,

G

I looked at a lot of bike engines at one point and my favourite was the R1 - powerful, light and relatively cheap.

Pete

A mate of mine is actually doing this, putting an R1 into a sporting Chinq, again it was for the reasons you describe, everyone's doing the mini thing and they cost a packet anyhow! His Chinq cost £400 and is a very tidy wee car, runs well and not a spot of rust anywhere.
He hasn't got very far AFAIK he still hasn't stripped the Chinq yet.
Go for it!!

Hey I have a fiat 500 with a triumph triple in the back and the best thing is it's a fibreglass body



trackday1

I also had the first R1 mini on the road and it took me ages to find a decent shell and it still went rusty after a year !!!!!

ive got a reliant kitten with a tl 1000 v-twin in the back and its around 450kg youll need an r1 or similar as be minis are around the 750kg mark . if you can do all the engineering work yourself its worth a go but be mini,s fetch goood money so it might be worth the extra in the long term if you spend a lot on the engine and diff setup. im doing my own locost diff using the rear wheel hub which keeps the cush drive and disc but means no actual diff but im not bothered

I got blown away by a yellow Chinq with a bike engine in it a coulpe of years ago.

I was in a 1.6 focus and probably looking to overtake in 3rd doing about 40 and as i pulled out he left me on the wrong side of the road!

I wound the window down and it was just revving too high to be a car engine and when i met him at the next roundabout he pulled away and the back end was squirming about.

Looked very basic but a wolf in sheeps clothing it certainly was

Welcome back Northy

I have an AVI on my home PC that is a Smart car R1. That is quick off the mark.

Carl

quote:

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Originally posted by uklee70
Hey I have a fiat 500 with a triumph triple in the back and the best thing is it's a fibreglass body



trackday1

I also had the first R1 mini on the road and it took me ages to find a decent shell and it still went rusty after a year !!!!!

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I'm 6' 2"

and MK engineering made it to fit me (with alot of swearing and cursing)

more pics in profile I have had a little hold up because I'm close to sva but getting married this weekend and have been banned from the garage

Lee

hello all, I have been pointed in your direction by Malc at Yorkshire Engines, from whom i recenlty bought a ZX12r engine for my little project. I'm building a rear engined VW Lupo. The car is currently stripped back to the bare essentials to allow me to drive it, its fitted with a rollcage and i have all of the plans ready to cut the back out of the car and fit the spaceframe and engine. It should be very light and look fairly standard until i let the engine stretch its legs! I have found the site very informative, thanks for that!