Allegro Club International

[Richard Howe]

Right, I'm having thoughts. I'm always having thoughts like this, but for once I'm having conflicting thoughts.

Gonzo is a lovely little car. He's a Series 3 with an A+ 998cc engine and only 26k recorded miles, I enjoy driving him immensely but there are times when I wish he had a little more "oomph"... I'm not entirely sure that he has any real "collector's value", but while I often entertain dreams of upgrading his powerplant I don't want to overly compromise what may one day be something unusual.

That said, the time will come when petrol is too rare and expensive to use in any of our little friends... Alternatives need to be explored, and pretty much all of them require some amount of engine adjustment, modification, or replacement.

I guess I'm wondering what people's opinions are on modifications, primarily to the drivetrain for increased power, economy/greenness and safety; I'm not too worried about making purely cosmetic body mods, as simply being in an Allegro is unusual enough!
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...that's why Allegro will look as good 5 years from now as it does today.

[brian]

Hi,

I think the most important consideration is the condition of the engine.
The easiest power upgrade would be to drop in a 1275 engine from an allegro 1.3.

But be careful- alot of engines for sale are probably in worse condition than yours, and you might end up with a worse gearbox or an oil burner, or need a rebuild.

I'm sure that there are other ways to get more power out of the 1.0. Check mini forums for tips, as most minis came with that engine.

If you do decide to swap the engine, do yourself and the Allegro community a favour and prepare your old engine for storage properly- drain (and maybe flush) the oil, fill the engine with 'long term storage' oil, and oil up the piston bores through the spark plug holes.... and then store the engine where it is dry! Nothing is more frustrating than a low mileage 'perfect' engine that ran well when removed but deteriorated in storage.

[Richard Howe]

I know a few ways to tweak it up, and I've got Vizard's "Tuning the A-Series Engine" book, but really a swap seems like the most economically viable route - or it would be if the Mini scene didn't snap up every half-decent 1275 engine and stuff it up with a million overtunes. Untuned 1275s are like hens' teeth... The recently mentioned 1275 auto in the Cars & Spares forum did make my spanner hand itchy, but the extra work of swapping the pedalbox and possibly reworking the floorpan makes it even less of a "quick fix" option and if I'm going to those lengths I may as well change the type of engine fitted.

I love the E-series in my Maxi, and having a 5-speed in an Allegro strikes me as very sensible but E-series engines are even thinner on the ground and come with their own set of problems, and I think I'd rather just buy a different Allegro that came with that engine as standard.

So I think I'm more likely to go for something more radical if I ever do actually make a change. I appreciate the advice on storing the engine though, and I'd certainly be sure to keep the engine well protected unless a buyer suggested they wanted to fit it imminently.

Just as a matter of curiosity, do cars without engines show up on the market often? That would remove the worry of what to do with the old powerplant...
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...that's why Allegro will look as good 5 years from now as it does today.

[Laurence]

Hi Richard,

Depending on how twitchy your spanner hand is, you can by rebuilt/part-built engines & gearboxes from Mini Spares www.minispares.com

Four types of 5 speed A+ gearboxes are availible.

You could at the same time convert to Multipoint injection & electronic ignition & I'm sure you could stick a catalytic converter in as well if so desired.

[Dave Coates]

I`ve always been fond of the K-series.....Its a much mis-understood engine. Mention "K-series" and I bet at least one of you thought" head gasket" I`m not suggesting anything as radical as the 1800 vvc motor for an MGF, Perhaps a 1.4 8v ? The early 1100 8v even came with the most basic electronic ignition and an S.U. carb. That`d some how "seem right...
Or how about the little 1.5 xud diesel from the 106? that`d raise a few eye brows......
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A good bolt is better than a bad weld....

[Richard Howe]

The 1.5 is a TUD, the XUD had 1.8, 1.9 & 2.1 versions. The TUD engine is tempting, and familial as it was used in the Metro/Rover 115. It's also incredibly frugal, Keith Adams (AR-Online, Practical Classics, etc.) was getting 72mpg out of his before someone killed it for him

My recent flirtations with 220/25 TDs has also caused them to pop up on my radar as a viable upgrade, although that would get more involved with the ECU and the like. It takes up a reasonable amont of space under the bonnet, but if there's one thing Allegros can offer it's engine room!

I have just bought a ZX with the 1.9 XUD non-turbo engine and it goes well, and seems to measure up nicely... It's also ideal for use with Biodiesel, which would seem to offer the opportunity to keep my car on the road for as long as I could keep it servicable. Should the ZX somehow decide to fall apart at the seams, I'd seriously consider finding a way to make the transplant happen.
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...that's why Allegro will look as good 5 years from now as it does today.

[Dave Coates]

perkins prima anyone?
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A good bolt is better than a bad weld....

[Dave Coates]

richard, ecu`s are a piece of pi.....cake......i seem to remenber the immobilser is defeated by earthing pin 13(although dont hold me to that, its a long time since i looked at my diagrams)
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A good bolt is better than a bad weld....

[Richard Howe]

Right - I've secured a low-mileage (60k) L-series turbodiesel from a Rover 220, and I know it runs well because it's still attached It's also not intercooled, which means that it doesn't have electronic injection, so hopefully the rewiring will be easier as there's no all-powerful ECU.

I'm going to run the car for a month or two to get used to how the engine behaves and to ensure it's as sound as my presale inspection implied, and start planning the heart transplant for hopeful completion over the winter months. As things stand I'm expecting to swap it into Gonzo, but I have a couple of other cars on watch on eBay, and if anyone knows specifically of a car that has engine woes but is structurally roadworthy I'm happy to entertain suggestions.

Brian, could you expound further on the best way to prep an engine for storage? I have been pleasantly surprised by how the 998cc ran over the weekend, and I can see it being of great use in the future so I really don't want to screw it up.
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...that's why Allegro will look as good 5 years from now as it does today.

[Dave Coates]

ooh i can see this being a good thread... all the dieselly torque in an allegro body shell......
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A good bolt is better than a bad weld....

[Craig Thurston]

I certainly don't want to knock anyone's enthusiasm (I’d love a V8 allegro), but the trouble with engines with separate gearboxes is the width causes problems with the inner wings (so I believe). While there is lots of room in the engine bay the width of it is quite narrow. The metro had major changes when it changed to K-series power to accommodate the separate box.

That said about a year ago a chap was putting a 2.7 litre Honda engine in an Allegro; I wonder what happened to that...

Richard, the easiest change is an engine swap to a 1275 a-series; certain members have been known to perform these in less than a day, if so I may well be making an offer on your 1 litre. The normal practice I’ve witnessed is swapping engine box and diff, so if you can get all three it makes the job much easier. The next one up would be an E-Series but there are some changes to engine mounts, radiator and other parts, I’m sure others on here know what it entails.

[Richard Howe]

I bought Murray originally with the intention of nicking his E-series, but in the end he was too good to wreck. Minis make A-series engines expensive to obtain, and I'd be stuck with the 4-speed box I already have - admittedly, I'm still finding out how capable it is, but I have to commute 5/6 times a week and the added economy from a 5th gear can't be ignored. And if I'm going to go for economy, I may as well go the whole hog and get an engine famed for it.

I know it may not be easy to do, and I may not go through with it at all, but it's fun to explore the possibilities. The wings in the 220 seem to be just as intrusive as the Allegro's, but I'll know a lot more once I have the opportunity to stand the cars together and directly compare important measurements. Components can be relocated, panels tweaked, etc.

A V8 is also a possibility if I wanted to go for pure performance, but to fit it I think we'd do best to convert the bodyshell to RWD - not that you can't fit a V8 in the front and retain FWD, as it's been in a Mini; but for myself I'd feel better putting that kind of power through the back.

As for the V6, Jonny Smith's still got that being worked on - and while it's a Honda engine, it's the one that was used in the Rover 827 (which is where he got it from.) He's always threatening to update his blog but the last post about the Allegro was in December; I shall have to poke him some more!
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...that's why Allegro will look as good 5 years from now as it does today.

[Craig Thurston]

On the subject of improved fuel economy I've been reading up on it at this site, http://ecomodder.com/. Some of their tips are marginal, some danagerous, but some are useful and have raised the 220's mps from 33 to 43! Well that and Shell's new fuel save petrol.

Previous BMC/BL Economy runs (run by our very own Dr Aggro) have shown veryy little difference between A and E series cars despite the difference in number of gears.

[Richard Howe]

Murray was a 1750HL & would return just over 30mpg on a run; I got 40+ out of Gonzo last weekend, going faster than I did in Murray! But the thing is, I don't usually do runs in him; I do commuting, and I'm lucky if I get up to 30mpg - my route is very fuel-intensive, uphill both ways is no exaggeration! What I find really ruins my figures is inconsiderate driving by others though...

A large subset of the driving community seem to think that brakes are on/off switches that must be used at the worst times! Just pulled out to overtake someone? Dab the brakes so you don't pass them too quickly. Just pulled in after overtaking? A dab of the brakes lets the person behind know you are now in charge of the lane's speed. Coming to the bottom of a hill? Dab the brakes now and get rid off all that nasty unwanted inertia before you start climbing the next one!

What exactly happens on the economy runs? I couldn't make it this year - well couldn't/was scared to drive Gonzo that far in the first place...
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...that's why Allegro will look as good 5 years from now as it does today.

[M. Irvine]

You are dead right Craig, each year the 'A' and 'E' series cars have both produced outstanding results. Mind you, a certain 'K' series engined car did exceptionally well also!

The site you mentioned is very interesting and like you I don't trust all their conclusions!

One way of improving economy and running, discovered in the last few months, and verified on numerous cars, has surprised and amazed me. Look out for the next Quartic and all will become clearer! Like the Ethanol issue, I think it is only right our members should be in the know first.

Merv.
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ALLEGRO = Agile, Lively, Legendary, Economical, Genial, Reliable & Outstanding.