More shite racing. 24 of Lemons 2026. VW Beetle stupidity. Help.

[motorpunk]

Hello. Ignoring all sound advice I am aiming to do the 24h of Lemons, again. I've done it three times now, and have two shite plywood trophies to show for previous heroics in an MX5 and a Rover 620 which used to belong to an F1 driver.  More on that in an old thread here. That car, by the way, now lives in the US and actually won class C outright recently. Pics below, me at the wheel, crying for my mum, concentrating. 

 

So what's the plan for 2026, I hear my girlfriend scream through a bolted door. Actually she's cool. We have a wretched Austin 1100 that is a cut and shut from no fewer than four cars, and it's "just" missing an engine. I think it needs an A series.  It's in America somewhere, we'll have to collect it. We have no money and zero expectations of reliability. If I could find a good engine here I could ship it over, stuff it in the day before the race, and go for it. Alternatively I could try and source on over there. Team members are in Chicago, Boston, Abu Dhabi, and Wales, and I'm in Leicestershire, so that's really feckin' handy. race is in California, I was only there once in my life and someone shot at me, and I also got done for speeding. Did I mention I'm sort-of unemployed at the minute, too? You're a long time dead, right?

So; off racing, need engine, any advice and comments welcome. If you want to send money I would be very happy. To quote Ricky whats-his-name from Kaiser Chiefs "I'd wank a tramp off for a fiver". 

PS - There's no false modesty when I say I literally know zero about Austin 1100 (ADO16 or whaveter) other than John Cleese thrashed one with a branch. 

 

 

[motorpunk]

Now thinking that instead of buying an engine and hoping it works, we’d buy a rotten Metro with an engine we can see running. Maybe also then get some other spares from it. Anyone got an A series Austin Metro for sale? Basket case would be good. Need to get cracking here…

[Matty]

15 hours ago, motorpunk said:

Now thinking that instead of buying an engine and hoping it works, we’d buy a rotten Metro with an engine we can see running. Maybe also then get some other spares from it. Anyone got an A series Austin Metro for sale? Basket case would be good. Need to get cracking here…

In an ideal world i agree. But there isnt much bmc/bl and front driven that isnt worth £s now. You see more basket case 11/1300s now than metros. Buying an engine and box divorced from a car isnt ideal but stripping and refreshing an a series isnt the hardest job ever. Ill admit the in sump gearbox on the feont drivers is a mystery to me but itd be either a case of recondition the engine, chuck the box back on and see. Or pay someone to do it.

Not helpful sorry i know.

[motorpunk]

52 minutes ago, Matty said:

stripping and refreshing an a series isnt the hardest job ever.

We don't really have a central workshop, as the team is based all over the shop, which doesn't help. Plus, we are genuinely all hopeless. Will place a wanted ad and see what we get. 

ETA - Wanted ad now here - 

 

[St.Jude]

I mean, what you really want, is a K Series.

And if you find the right Metro/100, you’ll get the 1.1 which was a SOHC.

More power, more lightness, more shite, more fun.

[motorpunk]

Just now, St.Jude said:

I mean, what you really want, is a K Series.

Yeah, I 100% agree, and have proposed the same already. The guy fitting the engine is doing us a massive favour so I need something that will slot in with zero bother, I suspect sticking a K series into some weird old US spec Austin will be asking for trouble. We've met, so you already know how stupid I am.  Gotta be an A, please.

[St.Jude]

I don’t understand pricing, I’m not a money man.

But A series engines seem cheap?

https://ebay.us/m/zgFa9H 

[Dyslexic Viking]

I would think @Tommyboy12 have loads of A series hidden under the bed and other places.

[Matty]

Ive got a lovely 1098 that came out of mine. But i dont want to sell. Plus is rwd so useless here.

Again not helpful.

Off to have an ebay and try to be helpful.

2 hours ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

I would think @Tommyboy12 have loads of A series hidden under the bed and other places.

Can confirm Tom is very much your boy for advice here. Top man.

[Matty]

3 hours ago, St.Jude said:

I don’t understand pricing, I’m not a money man.

But A series engines seem cheap?

https://ebay.us/m/zgFa9H 

Very much depends. Id imagine 1098 in fwd config to be a rare bird these days. Only went in 1100s Allegros and a small amount of minis (and clubmans obvs). 998s will be affordable but not sure itd be any good for an 1100. 1275s are ££s in any nick.

[EyesWeldedShut]

3 hours ago, St.Jude said:

I mean, what you really want, is a K Series.

Beat me to it - except I was thinking one out of an MGF  

[edit] or a TUD for giggles out of a 100? 

[St.Jude]

31 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Beat me to it - except I was thinking one out of an MGF  

[edit] or a TUD for giggles out of a 100? 

To quote Marge Simpson holding a potato..

”I just think they’re neat”.

Plus the glorious thing with a K series is that the block is the same regardless of CC. The cylinder liners and piston rod dictates that. So you could get a 1.1, change the liner, piston and rods and you’d get 1.8.

That’s what I understand from reading anyway.

[Matty]

13 minutes ago, St.Jude said:

To quote Marge Simpson holding a potato..

”I just think they’re neat”.

Plus the glorious thing with a K series is that the block is the same regardless of CC. The cylinder liners and piston rod dictates that. So you could get a 1.1, change the liner, piston and rods and you’d get 1.8.

That’s what I understand from reading anyway.

Aye theyre brilliant. Typical that they were released underdeveloped. Otherwise a fabulous engine! 

[EyesWeldedShut]

43 minutes ago, St.Jude said:

Plus the glorious thing with a K series is that the block is the same regardless of CC. The cylinder liners and piston rod dictates that. So you could get a 1.1, change the liner, piston and rods and you’d get 1.8.

Every day is a school day for me - never knew that, makes engineering & manufacturing sense

 

 

[Matty]

https://ebay.us/m/Qjnena

This looks good money. @Tommyboy12 can any a series be fwd'd by the addition of any in sump box and relevant oil feed or is it much more complicated?

[Matty]

https://ebay.us/m/Eobppk

Hear me out. Buy this. Rob the engine amd box for the racer. Put engine and box back after and sell again. Really not as stupid an idea as it sounds. Honest.

[Matty]

https://ebay.us/m/kkyz7D

Ditto. And Gainsborough is your neck of the woods as well i think.

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, St.Jude said:

To quote Marge Simpson holding a potato..

”I just think they’re neat”.

Plus the glorious thing with a K series is that the block is the same regardless of CC. The cylinder liners and piston rod dictates that. So you could get a 1.1, change the liner, piston and rods and you’d get 1.8.

That’s what I understand from reading anyway.

A heck of a lot longer gearing than an A series as well, which I imagine would be a killer in this sort of situation.  An endurance race where the engine's pegged on the red line for the entire race sounds like a recipe for borkage.  

[EyesWeldedShut]

2 minutes ago, Matty said:

https://ebay.us/m/kkyz7D

Ditto. And Gainsborough is your neck of the woods as well i think.

Oooh - that takes me back:

Yellow block (but RWD)

 

[Matty]

10 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Oooh - that takes me back:

Yellow block (but RWD)

 

Oh bollocks its an auto. Ive obvs given it a Matt look (TM my missus) again 🤣

[St.Jude]

33 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Every day is a school day for me - never knew that, makes engineering & manufacturing sense

 

 

Neither did I but I found it all out when I was researching an engine for the Lada. Ended up with 2 books on the engine and both of them describe that. There was also a 2.0 variant of the K Series which appeared in the touring cars (I think).

They were a great idea, a great design. Except for the plastic dowels and shit that SAIC fixed which then made the N Series.

Consider that the K Series was developed in the late 80’s and appeared in the early/mid 90s, Ford didn’t match the design until well in to the late 2000’s. But all anyone ever wants to talk about are fucking head gaskets.

Sorry for the thread derailment!

[Tommyboy12]

The resident A-series licker has arrived!

RWD A-series engines can be converted to FWD but they require a crank change, a couple of holes drilling and tapping and the appropriate gearbox. It's not impossible but to be honest the cost of a crank nowadays it's not worth the cost of it when a decent 998 or 1100 can be had for a few hundred. Cranks are often that alone now. 1300s are more like 600+ for FWD versions now. RWD versions are cheaper normally though.

Another thing to note. The 1100/1300 application uses rubber UJs for the gearbox outputs instead of pot joints like metros, most Minis and the Allegro. You will need a gearbox with the appropriate output shafts because the driveshafts can't be converted like a Mini.

If you want to go down the cheap route you could source 998 and stick a 1275 head on and a big carb. That'll make 60hp and can be made to fit with an angle grinder if you want to do it cheap 😅

[EyesWeldedShut]

5 minutes ago, Matty said:

Oh bollocks its an auto. Ive obvs given it a Matt look (TM my missus) again 🤣

According to my wife - I've bought cars on a lesser look. 
Bought a silver Montego at BCA which I then couldn't find in the lot because it wasn't silver 😎

[Tommyboy12]

Also the FWD A-series can be converted from auto to manual and vice versus. But it really isn't worth it. It requires extensive machining of the block so unless you have a milling machine it's not worth it

[Tommyboy12]

Stick a 1275 head on this. You'll be less than £200 into an engine

 

[AnthonyG]

If the car is an old Austin America, it would have had a 1275 engine. The Americas were all two doors  as it was intended as a Beetle competitor. The vast majority of the ones sold were automatics, but manuals were sold as well. 

The ADO16 was also sold in the States as the MG 1100 from 63 to 67. 

I suspect the cheapest route to an A series engine in the US is going to be one out of a dead Midget or Sprite. Have you ( or rather your American teammates) considered looking what a local ‘foreign car’ breakers yard might have lying around? 

[robt100]

12 hours ago, Tommyboy12 said:

Stick a 1275 head on this. You'll be less than £200 into an engine

 

Its seeing screenshots like this that make me consider getting a faceache account. Unless anyone feels like buying via proxy?🤣 (any idea on location of that one @Tommyboy12?)

[Tommyboy12]

20 hours ago, robt100 said:

Its seeing screenshots like this that make me consider getting a faceache account. Unless anyone feels like buying via proxy?🤣 (any idea on location of that one @Tommyboy12?)

That one is near Anglesey but there's plenty on Facebook around the UK. It's about the only reason I have Facebook is to window shop scrap on marketplace 😅

[motorpunk]

Well. Change of plan. We couldn’t find a suitable engine for the Austin 1100 and so now it looks like we have a Beetle and an engine. They’re not as one, but they’re on the same piece of carpark, so that’s near enough. We know absolutely fuck all about Beetles and apparently they’re dog slow and horrible, so that’s good enough for us. Title change needed on this thread. Any tips, anyone? Apparently it will have a 2 litre engine so form an orderly queue to perform sex actions upon us because we are so cool and fast and that.

[bunglebus]

That's a type 3 engine, it will bolt to the gearbox (assuming it's not a 6v car) but it won't fit the engine bay very well. Looking at your pics, the Beetle has 5 bolt wheels, sloping lights, blade bumpers, no external fuel flap and small windows so I hope someone's fitted a later gearbox, or that's not going in without a fair bit of messing, as that all points to a 1960s car

Air cooled engines need a good seal between the top and bottom of the engine, otherwise all it'll do is drag hot air from the exhaust and cylinders into the cooling fan and cook it.

Don't get me wrong, Baja bugs and buggies survive for years with effectively no seal thanks to open engine bays, and the problem is worst at a standstill, but you should bear it in mind