The vin on my engine is a 10H74-3j-h2508. Which I think should be a 1974 1098cc. The car is a South African build so the 1098 was one of the more common engines they used. However, a few things make me believe that it not a 1098. I would like to figure out what the engine is actually from so I can get the correct parts for it.

1) I read that the 1098 engine was supposed to have a removable cover on the side of the block for the pushrods. Mine does not.

2) The oil filter is directly above the starter motor and comes out of the block at a 45 degree angle. The filter goes directly onto the block and the center stud for the filter is removable. I am almost thinking that the filter may have been a conversion from a canister type because the machining of the block where the filter goes looks kinda sloppy and theres a threaded hole with a plug in it that goes into the crankcase directly below the filter.

I searched the web for pictures of clubmans with the 1098 and I could not find one that had a similar filter setup.

Here is a picture of the filter. https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...2_progress.JPG

3) I also was reading that the 1098 should have a crankcase vent from the tappet chest, whereas the 1275 has a crankcase vent from the timing chain cover. I did not see anything that looks like a vent from either place, but I don't have any what I'm looking for.


The casting number on the side of the block is 12G 2398. I could not find anything that linked this casting to a specific engine though.

I also know that the distributor is the regular A series type, not the A+.

I was using this write up as a guide. http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgccy/pdf/enginehist.pdf

Sorry for the long post, but If anyone has any ideas on what else to look for or any other good references on identifying the engine I'd appreciate it.

I guess the next step is to take off the head and measure the stroke and bore.

 

you can also contact Dion at djminis.com since he did a bit of work on that motor..(not a whole lot but a bit).........also chuck heckler on the minimania board know alot about the SA mini's.....that was my referance when i had questions about it........i cant remember but i thought it was a mix and match head and block....

 

that mini was a pain in the rear.....everything is different than a mini not built in SA.....from bolt sizes to oil filter.........i was always a pain to figure things out with it...........the seam covers were pop-rivited on as well ......actually almost everything was pop-rivited on that mini it seamed.......

 

I would consider it a junkyard car because probably the only thing that actually belongs on that car is the vin plate.

If I can't figure out what that engine came out of I might as well take it out to the curb. What good is it If I can't get the right parts?

By the way Norm, I have the body pretty much stripped so I think I found most of the surprises. The only thing that I didn't expect was the hole in the passenger rear lower sill. I also saw that the rear subframe was changed cause it has junkyard type markings on it.

 

yeah .....that car was a real hoot.......im not sure what car that motor came out of but the amount of time i spent trying to just get an oil filter for the damn things was stupid.........as far as the body work goes .....the guy i used to do the work didn't go over it as well as i wanted him to, thus the reason I dont use him anymore..lol. ......here are some old pics for ya......since you up to your shoulders in it anyways

 

The one thing that really surprised me is that the underside of the floor boards did not have any rust at all except for where the two front jack points caved in. Whatever that thick rubbery undercoating was, it was a pain to strip and worked really well.

I guess that body could have been much worse than it is. There's nothing on it that can't be fixed.

I remember you saying that the car smelled pretty bad. I pulled the headliner and it smelled like death under there.

This car is really working on my wallet thats for sure.

I wanted a nice mini and that I will have whatever it takes.

 

yeah we didn't replace the headliner we just painted it.........it had a few stains on it but my budget at the time wouldn't alow for a new one.........the body guy charged me 3500.00 for all the work that was done to it...........are you keeping the interior?......if not let me know please !!!

 

The interior is the only thing that is nice on the car. One of the door cards has a scuff and one of the poles in the back seat cushion poked through but I'll probably just get those pieces fixed. The cloth stuff has some water stains on it but thats easy to replace.

I hate to say it but those patches that were put in never had a chance of lasting. The one in the front by the windshield wasn't even coated from the back side. Just bare metal.

There actually was a big glob of bondo on the back side of the headliner from the roof hole.

 

The block you have there is refered to as a marina block. I bought a brand new 1300 one, that is currently in my mini. The internals are the same. I believe you have a 1300 as well, because the 1000 and 1098 had removable covers, such as the 1300 did not. You have the right head on it as well. The way to find out what you truly have is remove the cylinder and measure the bore. Hope this helps. If you do keep the engine, I would replace the distributor with a electronic one. It is easier to time and you won't have problems with the ignition. I will post some pics of my engine when I get them uploaded

 

i was told it was a 1300 once but it never ran like it.......everyone was confused because of it being a SA mini

 

Well the timing is a little bit different on those, but mine runs great. I had the cylinder head shaved 1mm and the compression is around 10:1. i had it dyno and it puts out 72hp at the flywheel and about 132ft-lbs of torque. So it runs well. I'll psot some pics later.

 

Miniroll, are you able to get parts for yours? Cylinder #3 on mine has low compression and the exhaust port for that cylinder is pretty carboned up. I was planning on replacing it initially because I didn't really want to dump money into a 1098. I had my suspicions about the engine and now I'm reconsidering. I guess the it will really depend on the availability of parts to rebuild it.

I really wonder why the engine was re-vinned. If it truly is a marina block it would have been older than 25 years old anyway? I know, in PA you don't have to get smog if its a 1975 or older engine so maybe it was some reason like that.

Thanks for your help.

 

yes, you can get parts for it, it's the same as any other mini engine as long as you know the size....998, 1098, 1275, etc. The internals of the engine is the same, just the block is machined a little different. I like having the oil filter up top. No more taking the grill off to get the filter out!! The engine I have is brand new. I am not really sure about the engine number. Just pm me here and I will identify it.

 

It's a 1275. Measured the bore to be 70.53mm. Cylinder #3 didn't look bad but the exhaust valve isn't seating very well so theres probably the compression problem.

I put marvel mystery oil in the cylinders when i stored it but theres still a little bit of rust. Is there something better to use?

I took some pictures:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...y.php/cat/2300

 

Corrosion-X
http://www.corrosionx.com/hd.html

 

hi stratman977 and everyone else on this particular forum.
i recently purchased a mini to rebuild it..... (also south african engine)
on the engine side the number on the block is the same as yours 12g 2398...
so now i know it's a 1275 but i'm not sure which parts to buy for the rebuild(this is where i need help and advise from someone that has gone through the heartache :-) )
my head number is 12g940.
from searching the internet i've come up with this....
the engine must have come from a mg midget mk3/ marina/ maybe mini 1275gt...period between 1966-74ish.

1. can i use the block g12 with the head 12g940?
2.stratmann if you had the same head, which parts did you buy for it and what should i look out for.
3. which parts did you buy for the block eg: piston and what should i lookout for.

i know i'm alittle all over the place at the moment but any help and advice will really be great

 

I'd either call Seven
http://www.7ent.com/

or MiniMania
http://www.minimania.com/home.cfm

they will help you but in fairness don't consume their time unless you plan to buy . . .

Minimania also has a very active board if you haven't found it yet