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Articles search results for Moon

Showing 1 to 11 of 11 articles
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Cylinder Heads - Valves, Shape, Material and Finish

For the very good and simple reason it minimised airflow obstruction by having the least amount of material in the way. Very plausible, and a design that many have stayed with to this day - surprising considering the magnitude of expertise housed in the more recognised A-series tuners. Probably something along the lines of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it', or perhaps (and more likely?) 'Can't teach an old dog new tricks'.

However, as time and technology progressed, man's ever-inquisitive nature started to determine more exactly what and why - and airflow activity was not passed over. Not only 'how much' was being measured, but 'where and how' to further determine where improvements could be made. After all - it has long since been realised that the engine is essentially an air pump. The more you get in, the more you get out, so improving the air's tortuous route to the cylinder has to help.

Distributor - Electronic Ignition

Since the A-Series has such an efficient combustion chamber design, the standard points set-up is perfectly capable of providing sufficient sparks for effective combustion when new. And this is the problem. They require regular servicing to maintain maximum performance. This can be a chore, so is generally neglected. And it doesn't take long before deterioration seriously affects performance. Points bounce is also a problem on high-revving race motors.

Deterioration of the points set-up can be caused by several factors - wear and tear on the dizzy spindle bearings creating 'wobble', electrical erosion of the points, and wear of the points cam heal. All have the same effect - dwell angle alteration. This in turn reduces spark effectiveness. The consequences are a loss in power and economy, poor starting performance, and general poor running.

Air filtration - K&N Air cleaner test.

In the forefront of Mini tuning, improving the over-all breathing capability of the very asthmatic A-series the air filter set-up is one that sees priority attention. All the widely available (and widely varying) stage one tuning kits include at the very least a replacement - and hopefully - high-flow air filter element to fit into the standard plastic case,

In the past few years (well, must be nearly 6 years by now!) since I got involved with writing for the specialist Mini Magazines I have been continually fighting with the problem of limited space. This has limited what I have been able to cover, both in subjects and in details. Up until recently (say the past year or so) I have been covering fairly broad topics in a fairly broad terms and detail. Basically trying to cover perhaps the most popular areas dabbled in by the Mini owning masses.

Electrical - Terminal fixation

'To solder or not to solder, that is the question'

Despite having spent something in the order of 26 years delving into all things automotive and some 24 of those concentrating a great deal on the Mini, I have never assumed I know it all. In fact I'm very much one of those to support the 'you never stop learning' theory. My latest endeavours to get out racing again have caused me to look at all things connected (sorry - pun) with racecar preparation - the wiring loom being one such item.

I decided to canvas everybody I knew that was involved with electronics and electrics to any degree to see what the latest state of ply was concerning fixing terminals to cables. 'To solder or not to solder, that is the question'. All my previous racecars (last one built about 14 years ago) had all the terminals carefully soldered on. It used to take me ages; taking a remarkably long time to become proficient at it - largely because of the 'not too hot' soldering iron I'd purchased to do th

2003-08, Oil gallery plugs

Here's something unusual that cropped up a little while ago that I've never commented on before - main oil gallery plugs/bungs.

I'd been conversing via e-mail with a guy that was experiencing weird oil flow/supply problems with his performance street engine. Initially he'd been blaming it on the supposedly superior oil pump he'd bought. He sent it to me; I inspected it and found it to be in perfect health with no signs of causing the issues in hand. Firstly there was a claimed total oil drain down from the pump causing lack of initial supply on start-up for a few seconds, and then repeated crank bearing failures when used in anger (i.e. at high rpm for protracted periods). Unless there is something drastically wrong with the oil pump and fitment - cracked pump body, non-flat mounting surface, mounting bolts too long, split gasket, etc. - it will not drain down simply because the inlet and outlet ports are above the centerline, near the top of the pump as it is mounted to the block.

C-AHT770 & C-AHT770A Inlet manifold information

These single SU carb manifolds were developed to provide optimum airflow and air speed for the vast majority of road-used cars. The development program saw a significant increase in efficiency following production to the point where they are the best 'off the shelf' manifolds on the market for a majority of applications, including motorsport where only a single SU is allowed, yet not at extreme expense since sand casting methods were employed to keep costs down.

C-AHT770 & C-AHT770A

These single SU carb manifolds were developed to provide optimum airflow and air speed for the vast majority of road-used cars. The development program saw a significant increase in efficiency following production to the point where they are the best 'off the shelf' manifolds on the market for a majority of applications, including motorsport where only a single SU is allowed, yet not at extreme expense since sand casting methods were employed to keep costs down.

Alex Comis ends 2006 Super Mighty Minis Championship in true nail biting fashion

The 2006 Super Mighty Minis Championship ended in true nail biting fashion with Alex Comis finish in 3rd place, and nearly snatching 2nd in the final round.

With such a strong finish, the 2007 season looks to be one of the closest contested championships yet. Round 1 took kicked off at Mallory Park on a glorious ...

Mini Production dates

We have tried to get together as complete list as possible to show all the models made from 1985 onwards, hopefully this will help identify those cars that have been modified over the years. If you have any information that you know is correct or anything that you think is not right please let us know.

Historical Article-August 1994-Synchronicity

Synchronicity A question that regularly crops up is which is best, synchro or 'dog' selection gearboxes. Well,hold on to your hats - here comes the explosion of a myth. It would appear that a very large majority of people racing Minis believe that a 'dog' engagement box is the ultimate. Sorry, but this is not necessarily so. Much of this depends on the ability of the user. Before we go any further, some background information may be useful... ...

Historical Article-August 1994-Synchronicity

Synchronicity A question that regularly crops up is which is best, synchro or 'dog' selection gearboxes. Well,hold on to your hats - here comes the explosion of a myth. It would appear that a very large majority of people racing Minis believe that a 'dog' engagement box is the ultimate. Sorry, but this is not necessarily so. Much of this depends on the ability of the user. Before we go any further, some background information may be useful... ...
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