JDM Sleeper Mini [Season Premiere]

with our Haltech is to have several different driving modes. So, we can have our 140 kilowatts, lots of power, wheels spinning, all kinds of crazy stuff, set it up with different VTEC modes and stuff. But you could also create a valet mode where we can wind the car up so it has sort of 35 or 40 kilowatts behind the wheel and essentially it should feel like a Mini again, which means you can lend it to someone and just say : 'Great, it's in Mini mode, this mode, that mode, that mode...' You could have so many different modes. And that's it, the supercharger is coming off and the guys said they had a special place to keep it for me.

BACK MY SUPERCHARGER!!! Next we will remove all the wiring from the 'A Series' engine and radiator fans. So this is it, we think everything that needs to be disconnected has been disconnected, so you're ready to lift the car and the engine should stay exactly where it is and the rest should just be lifted and we say goodbye to the A series. ' and hello to the 'series B'. We'll put a jack under the engine and then, with the engine mounts removed, we can use the hoist to lift the rest of the car. Hey, what do Mini and Honda owners have in common?

Ah yes, Mini owners do it this way. Honda owners do it that way, right? And that's it, the engine is off. This is a quality example of the 'A Series' engine so it will remain in force, possibly for another project in the future. But for now, it's all about the Honda and the real question: will it fit my Mini? Since this B16 is second hand, we thought now would probably be the best time to open it up and take a look at it before installing it in the car. Dude, this engine is clean! -Yes I know.

It looks like it really has been repaired and/or hasn't gotten very far. It looks like it's new. It seems to be what? -New. New?! Initial investigations suggest that in some ways this engine may actually be new. That's what you want man, when you buy a second hand engine, that's what you want it to look like. Will hit VTEC. Look, he just arrived at VTEC. Oh look, he's doing some VTECcy. The mystery of why the inside of this engine looks new will have to wait because now we have another job to do. Cutting the Mini. If you're a die-hard lover of the classic Mini, you should probably close your eyes for the next 15 seconds.

With most of the bulky cutting done, we can now get the subframe and see if it actually fits inside the engine bay. This will be much easier to do now than when you also have the weight of the engine. This then allows us to see if everything lines up and what else needs to be cut to make it fit correctly. So we just did a subframe fit test and realized there are a few things in the way. Some of them are large pieces of metal that are attached to the body of the car, which we are going to have to cut away.

Other things are like the fuel lines here, so when this, when this new subframe goes up, it doesn't actually clear all of these fuel lines, so they have to be CUT OFF from under the car, so we'll lift them up and then we'll have to relocate all the others. With these fenders, the inner fenders are gone, there's actually a lot of room here, it's deceptive, actually, how much room there really is, so we're going to cut the fuel lines, we've got to give it a little CHOP down here, and then we will be one step closer to our crazy VTEC Mini.

Craziness. The trick now is to keep cutting away any small pieces of metal that get in the way of the new subframe. Now it's just a matter of trial and error and lifting the subframe until everything lines up perfectly. Our test fit is starting to look pretty good. Our next job: drain the fuel tank. Meanwhile, back to the engine, there is still a deep mystery surrounding how this engine could be new. What would you expect to see in a used engine that we don't see now? Signs of combustion. Which he doesn't have. So before we go to the effort of making sure the motor fits inside this, I'm just going to double check that the brackets fit the motor because if they do then we'll know we're really in business.

Come on. It's not ideal. Do you remember that time when we made the Honda 'B Series' engine and then the bracket that is for a Honda 'B Series' engine didn't fit the Honda 'B Series' engine, remember that time? It doesn't fit... ...the Honda. It literally doesn't fit the Honda. Not wanting construction to stop, Marty and Turbo Yoda set out to find Honda engine mounts at the local wrecker. And after searching through every Honda, we are sad to say that we have realized that there are many different mounts and none of them will work for us. While we're not in a position to permanently attach the engine to the subframe just yet, we're going to do a test run to make sure everything else lines up.

So it turns out that there are actually a lot of engine mounts for Hondas and over the years this engine has been in a ton of different Hondas. Well, not this particular engine, but B16s have been in many. from Honda and all have slightly different mounting methods. Some that look like this, some that look like big cribs, some that look like this but have a slightly different offset, all things we are learning. That's right, so this kit came with what appears to be a DC5 motor mount. Oh, which has a 3 prong configuration, but the actual engine mounting bracket on the side of the engine is 2 prong, so you have a choice of changing the engine mount or changing the bracket and I think, Martin, that Last night you went and caught some Mighty Mods action.

We posted on the Mighty Mods Facebook page and said, “Does anyone have this?” So we made a call and I drove about an hour south and this legend drove an hour north to meet me and we got this motor mount that should be better. It may still take a little fiddling, we may have to mix and match our motor mounts and tips and the 3 and 2 tips, I don't know, it's Honda, it's Honda stuff. Turns out the bracket Marty grabbed from a Mighty Car Mods fan doesn't fit either, so we're just going to bolt a bolt into the supplied bracket so we can continue working on the car.

The engine will need to come out again, but now we have the opportunity to put the engine into the subframe and then lower the Mini frame over it to see if it actually fits. So we're doing a test fit on the engine, we don't have all the engine mounts and mounts and stuff figured out yet, but it's in position, so we're just seeing if it's... ...if it's going to work. This needs to move a little further on this side, Miles. Yeah. See if you can push it forward against that... It looks like it almost fits. Except this heat shield here on the exhaust is getting stuck here on the front.

So we'll delete it and then try again. So what you are seeing here, ladies and gentlemen, is a B16B going into a Mini. This is happening. This is real. This is automotive perfection right here. Wait, not entirely. I'm foaming from several orifices at the same time. If you're wondering, does this fit my Mini? The answer is yes. The Honda engine fits. So now we can remove the engine and then finish the rest of the subframe installation. In addition to the engine upgrade, we are also upgrading the suspension with a set of quality coil-over shocks. So when you're doing a big engine conversion on your crazy little Mini, it's one thing to go, but it's another thing to stop, so here we have a great brake kit from Mini Sport in South Australia and, umm, this goes. to give us the incredible stopping power we need when performing VTEC like bosses on the race track.

And here we have some moisturizer, which is the first thing someone needs when making a big brace kit because it's going to look really good. Already assembled. You have your big brake kit. It's going to look a little like this. Slotted and ventilated. These are 4 cans. They are big. And they are ready to go. Angry. This Mini is going to be faster than anyone could have imagined, so a big brake kit is a must. And yes, as far as Minis go, this brake kit is huge. They are grooved, vented and made in England and we will match them with custom braided brake lines.

So the brakes are on, the wheels are on, the subframe is on and that all looks pretty good, but the next step is to get out some, umm, I don't know, hacksaws and other cutting blades and other things that They are It will hurt the feelings of many people. And we're going to remove the carpet and take out the dash, because the next big component of this installation is moving the steering rack. Now on left hand drive Minis you don't have to do this, but on right hand drive Minis the entire steering rack has to move back further into the car and I say inside the car because there is nowhere to it. enter except inside the car because the B16's gearbox collides with it.

Now, how does a steering rack move rearward when there is metal in the way? You remove the metal. You cut it. So we'll probably cut something this size into the firewall. Move the steering rack back to the car and then cover it. And, umm... It's pretty epic, actually, with a car that's this beautiful and this quality, but it's what's required if you want crazy power, VTEC and unicorn. You need... there have to be some sacrifices. And in this case, it's a big part of the firewall. We are installing a very large engine in a very small space, so it was expected to take a long time and a lot of testing with assembly, disassembly, reassembly, and most importantly with anything you do, whether you buy. a kit or if you do it yourself, it doesn't always fit the first time, sometimes you have to make your own arrangements, which, in this case, we have to do.

And I mean it's going to be a great car when it's finished, I mean the car looks great and drives great and this will be the last piece of the puzzle. Now everything will go as well as it deserves. The next step is to remove the panel and any components that get in the way when we modify the firewall. So as part of the process to relocate the steering rack, we actually need to get rid of the dash, get rid of the evaporator and also the heater matrix here, because these are in the way where we're going to have to cut. and then solder.

Now, when I first bought this Mini, it was leaking a little bit of water under here, so there's also a little rust spot that we're going to fix. But I actually replaced this heating array here with Marty, which was a really painful job to do. When we opened it up and took a look, it was absolutely full of stop leak plugs, so someone had had a leak at some point in the radiator, tilted it in, that system goes through here, using this lever, it opens up and It closes, the hot water passes through and gives you hot air.

It was a totally painful job to fix. These are really hard to get. And that's why we must be careful not to break it. Last time, we had to get one from abroad, they are very, very difficult and very rare. So this has to come out, this has to come out, then we have to remove the carpet, and then the car will be ready to CUT... to remove the steering rack because it's a straight Mini. , which is necessary so that we can fit the subframe kit and could rub against the Honda's gearbox. These things just... Which seems kind of simple, and it's really not, but you find that when you do these projects, one thing leads to the next and leads to the next and ends up being this wacky Car Mod Chess game. where every move depends on other things that are happening.

And in this case, the measure is to get an angle grinder and cut the firewall. With all of these components removed, this is as far as we can go until more parts arrive from overseas. So now we have to wait. It sucks because these types of parts, also with a car like this, you can't just go to your local parts store and ask, you know, Oh, I need a specialized extended tie rod end or I need a tie rod end. extended and specialized direction. Mini VTEC kit... Yeah... A lot of these parts come from overseas and that means if you don't have exactly the right part and you say "Hey, I need some" you'll be waiting weeks.

Yeah, so we need to get some pieces from America, possibly some pieces from England, one or two pieces from Japan and a couple of pieces that we think we could get from Australia. Therefore, it is a multicultural construction. They are the United Nations of Mini Constructions. And it's as far as we can go right now. Yes, which is... I want to do more! I want, I want to do a VTEC drift. That's all. For this part of Mighty Car Mods, Martin. We will not be defeated. We will be VTECd. We will be delayed, but they will not defeat us.

We're like a human turbocharger, Martin. -Yeah.We're like, warming it up before turning it off. Getting ready before the boost kicks in and the VTECs on you. -Yeah. See you. He's going to be good, man. He's going to be so good. Just think about the first time, when the revolutions reached 5 thousand, all the time. -I know. No impulse. -I know. He's going to be fabulous. I love the delay and no momentum. And when it switches on that different camera and it makes a crazy noise and comes out the back of this thing! Amazing. There is! What boss! -Mmm, boss.

He'd be here saying, 'Oh, this thing's not coming out!' and he said, 'You have to squeeze it twice, turn it like two bits and then pull it out, just like you had to do on the old Minis.' Yes. He is a boss. Oh, and thanks to Al too, old Turbo Yoda. He got involved. -He did. We're done. That's all. We'll be back. We will be back. With a VTEC Mini. And we will take you with us.