Just curious if anyones ever tried anything like this for the mini and if so what was involved? I'm guessing you could reroute the exhaust and have the driveshaft run through that channel, after that how complicated does it get?

Just curious, thanks.

 

Routing the driveshaft and finding a different path for the exhaust is the easiest part. It's nothing compared to;

-building a rear subframe to hold the diff/suspension
-rear hub-carriers
-figuring out a way to rotate the engine 90 degrees and everything that comes with doing this...
-transmission solutions...

Not impossible, but certainly not something you can even begin to fathom without damn good fabrication skills and know-how.

 

do a web search for the qvick s3 car... mini shell more or less with m3 powerplant and rwd.

 

I'd just remove all the forward gears and drive only in reverse.
Instant rear wheel drive MINI!
I'd get crappy mpg though.

Wait, how would I reverse?!?
Darn it!

 

Getrag did a AWD conversion, (which includes getting the rear wheels driven of course).
Here's the link on motoringfile:
http://motoringfile.com/2005/06/29/g...mini_in-depth/

 

Wouldn't it still be a front wheel drive, but facing the wrong way?

 

Seems like it'd be easier to move the engine to the rear, than to setup a front engine/ rwd setup? Wait, i've seen this before... anyone else remember a Mini that was converted to mid engine?

 

I remember a Mini of sorts that ran the autocross circuit in DC about 20-25 years ago. Whoever built the car took the engine and running gear from a Mini and stuck it in the back of a tube framed special with no body work atall. So it was a rear-engined Mini. Sort of.

Ugly, but it ran like stink.