Hello, I am new to the mini game and have an idea and need some help. I have built many cars before but ever a mini and want to get some idea on what I'm getting into.I am looking into buying a 2004 Mini Cooper (non s) the engine is shot. I am going to take it and the trans out and rebuild the motor with forged intrernals,head studs ,turbo etc. backed by the (s) 6 speed trans and mega squirt ecu. Mainly looking for someone who has done something like this.

 

Welcome to NAM.

Have you done any thread searching in both the Non-s and Drivetrain (Cooper S) sections here in Gen1? Should get some more responses here as well.

 

Don't want to dampen your enthusiasm but, IMHO, you must be a masochist with a lot of money and time on your hands.

 

@NC Trackrat - that is a new way of saying "just get an S." Well played, sir.


I have been contemplating this as well and am in the initial stages of planning the ill-advised build.


My $0.02.


What I have started to find is that it is harder to find good internals from an S. This is THE only issue. New internals are stupid expensive so used are the "reasonable" only option. They are harder to come by then you would think. The rest is the same for the Justa's and the S's.


I still find it funny that people will spend the same $3000 on a big valve S head and mock the Justa's that do the same. Yes you get more power from the S but really, it's the same dollar amount, not per HP but the wallets are lighter by the same amount.


The Justa's just start out at a higher dollar amount for the power mods. Everything else is essentially the same.

 

@ Anthony Warner - There have been very few if any that have done what you and I are thinking of doing unless you plan to make a race car out of it. There are several of those but they are race cars and not for the road.
The ONLY problem that I am running into is good internals. There are some out there but are very far from where I live. I may have to start talking to the local dealership and repair shops to see where they get the internals when (more likely IF) they need them. Not even sure that they would.