Rod's build thread - new title - TSCi
Turbo Mini Forums

Thanks for all the comments, but it doesn't look like it will be running this weekend......

It turns out my Mk1 Metro radiator isn't like it should be and has the fan switch in from the back rather than from the end.

In from the back fouls the alternator so I can't mount it where I want using Metro hoses......

http://www.turbominis.co.uk/forums/index.php?p=vt&tid=362887

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

After all the grief with the radiator see here,


Expansion tank still too big, need on 1/2 to 1/3 the size.



Trying to cram all the pipework in is a nightmare, don't know how you people out there with steel round nose achieve it...


and I need to cut a lump out of the bottom of my injection plenum.... another thing I hadn't seen coming....

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

I assume that you need to modify the plenum to get the outlet from the compressor on?

I put a 90 degree bend on the compressor oulet and brought it out sideways before turning it over the thermostat.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

We have one of those in-line fan switches in the van, what temp range does your's operate at?

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Our's came with the switch - fan on at 90 and of at 80. Means we have to run a 72 degree thermostat to make sure the fan actually goes of when the water cools down again. I need one for my mini so will be interested to know what/if you find.

Any good?:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/classic-mini-expansi...=item3a5b90c3a3

Some progress at last....

Made up an adapter for the coolant (not neat but it will work) and one for the intercooler pipework (again, not neat but it will work)

(I hate welding aluminium).



Coolant pipework



And intercooler




Still a fair bit to do, fuel lines still need re-routing but I'm getting there.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Looks great Rod ! I really like the flip-front

"So wat we gonna do tonight Brain?"
"Same thing we do evernight Pinky!"
"Try to take over the world!"

top stuff

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

Nice job Rod.
I would not control the fan through the ECU, or would at least install a manual switch to have a parallel control. Don't trust electronics, they fail.

How many vertical and horizontal layers is the rad ? I've got one of recent design for Metro and it looks much worse than the old interleaved design.

std 998 A+, g295, MD266, RHF4, 109hp @0.8bar/5400rpm

Thanks all.

Alpa, I no longer need to use the ECU to control the fan, by moving the radiator well over to the left I can fit the switch even though it is in an unusual position on this particular radiator (sticking out the back instead of out the end).

It has 21 rows but only a single stack. Others on here have said that there are two different thicknesses of the core, I've obviously got the thinner one. Annoying as I got it advertised as NOS (which it was, the labels on the box were very faded) so I was hoping it would be the thicker one. This is the only Mk1 Metro radiator I have seen but I remember at least one of the Mk2s I scapped was thicker and interleaved - most of the fins had corroded away so the two row of tubes were easy to see........

Because it looks marginal, I've bought the Fiat ones (one early and one late) but because the Metro one is so much easier to mount, I'll try it first.

Edited by Rod S on 1st Jul, 2010.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

I'm interested in your trial, this one layer seems to me too thin. The most interesting being when you drive hard and then stop in idle, would it be able to keep temperature under 95C (even with a fan on).
Right now I have this nice interleaved rad that I found years ago on a perfect Metro in scrap yard. But I'm afraid they are no longer available.
BTW in my case I could not make fan turn on under 100C, it's certainly due to the flow partially bypassing the rad through the turbo and the head bypass (restricted to 4 or 3mm, don't remember). So I added a manual switch, which is also convenient on track days.

Edited by alpa on 1st Jul, 2010.

std 998 A+, g295, MD266, RHF4, 109hp @0.8bar/5400rpm

Some of these piccys are out of order due to the server outage.......

Some more welding to make up intercooler tubes and put beads on existing tubes to shorten them (the 90 degree one has been cut shorter after the blob of weld part way down the outside).


I ran into a lot of other problems with the aluminium welding, see another of my posts (later).

The template to make sure the front will fit over it all




How the intercooler, dump valve, air filter, coolant pipes and expansion tank fit together....


How to reroute the intercooler pipework to get the expansion tank higher


And the other end


Obviously this end is all wrong....

I orignally designed the plenum/injection and throttle body to point downwards to go under a round nose steel front.
The intercooler also happens to have its outlet pointing upwards.....

Now that I'm on a clubman fibreglass front, if the intercooler proves to be big enough, I'll take the plastic end headers off and weld up some purpose made aluminium headers and re-make the plenum inlet pipe and throttle body nearer to horizontal.

But this will do for testing.
The missing bit is because I just received in the post a 51mm bend instead of the 57mm I ordered....

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Rod, you have some blue splodge stuff trying to hide on you ic pipe

seriously though great work :)

Yes i moved to the darkside

Instagram @jdm_brett

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

On 7th Jul, 2010 Brett said:
Rod, you have some blue splodge stuff trying to hide on you ic pipe

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

They are all the same company Rod I believe.

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Rod, why do you bother with a recycling DV ?

std 998 A+, g295, MD266, RHF4, 109hp @0.8bar/5400rpm

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

I can't believe I hadn't read this thread until now. Fantastic build, one to be really proud of.

Keep up the great work, Rod!