My daily driver is a 2006 Scion xA with 221,000 miles on it. No hot rod, but only thing changed so far (not counting oil/filters/plugs) is a water pump at 193000. My "fun" car is a 1976 Mini. 1310 British A-series with 11:1 compression, Kent cam, header, Weber 45 DCOE, steel flywheel, etc. Pretty good for a 60 year old design. Leaks oil. Sucks gas. Breaks often (I beat it pretty bad). I was looking at the 1NZFE in the Scion, and looking at the space in the Mini. Cast iron vs all alloy. Pushrod vs DOHC. Carb vs FI. Autozone vs England. Got me thinking. So what I need to know is:
Weight for complete engine and gearbox with assessories
Which gearbox has the highest final drive ( I have 165/70/10 tyres)
What that final drive is (I thinik the Echo has the tallest gears, but not sure)
How much power can I get with intake/headers, and eliminating PS pump, and all smog equipment (I don't need to get smog checked)
IF I decide to go the blower/turbo route later, how much power I could get out of a stock block before it becomes as reliable as the British motor I would be replacing.
It looks like it would be a pretty good fit,and I could keep the suspension setup I already have (it is really stiff and pretty good). What do you guys think??

 

I would not waste my time and effort to stuff that engine in.Imo i would go with a B16/B18(c5) honda engine.There was a mini with this setup and a mini with a mr2 engine a while back and was in a mag.(Kit car) Ill see if i can find it for you.With a B16/B18 makes plenty of power NA and on FI and still not to bad on the wallet.

Here is the mini that was built locally to me this thing was awesome in person

http://www.kitcarmag.com/featuredveh...rid/index.html


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYuN0...eature=related

 

B Series, K Series, or even D series are common, and a nice swap. Engines aren't all that expensive. Problem is the rest of the swap. With a B-Series, you either have to buy the $1300+ custom 3.47 final drive, or buzz the engine at 5-6 grand to keep up with traffic, and 1st gear is useless. D-series is a good swap, and a D15B is 130 bhp. The kit to do the Honda swap is about $2500. Most who have done the swap say they end up spending upwards of $5,000. 1NZFE has exhaust on the rear, intake on the front, and looks to be quite a bit more compact and lighter than the Hondas. A Mini only weighs 1400 lbs. 100 bhp in a Mini is about the same as 200 bhp in a xB.

 

4age redtop from a corolla gts ae92, exhaust in front intake in back. c-52 is close enough to 120kph in 5 with 14 inches tires

 

1NZ Engine weights about 180lbs (80kg).
It does not take abuse well, needs to have ECU to properly work VVT system. I'm sure there are better options for the Mini swap if you have to do one.

 

I'd use the ECU if I used the 1NZFE. IF by abuse, you mean lots of boost, I'd heard that before. If by abuse, you mean going to redline frequently, I think mine has done fine. The idea is a decent powertrain with minimal fuss. If I could get 120 bhp out of a NA 1.5, that probably would be enough. Most "built" A-series Minis make less than 100 bhp. To understand how fun a Mini would be with 106bhp, you have to understand just how tiny the car is. I'll have to post a photo of the Mini next to my xA....need to ask one of my teenagers how to do that.

 

I think if you get rid of CAT, match the intake and header properly, you are going to have more than 110HP motor that's as reliable as stock. The "fuss" is actually wiring everything to the ECU, etc. Remember that ECU wants to see individual wheel sensors, ABS control unit data. May be very early Echos have less features built into the the ECU control so that could be a better donor than xB/xA.

 

xA/xB gear ratio would be too short, and the idea is to go with an Echo engine and 5 speed. Since they don't have all the bells and whistles that the Scions do, the electronics should be easier. My main concerns are gear ratios available, and how much power I can get out of the engine without wrecking it. I figured you guys would know more about the engine than an Echo forum (if there is one). I've seen just about every type of engine swapped into a Mini, from small block Chev to Hayabusa. I'm looking for a well balanced, effecient, fun ride.