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AMT
Vauxhall Conversion Kits
I'll
be visiting AMT soon to see their
range of products and services, until then, here's their latest
information pack. They also have some testimonials (page
1 and page 2) from people
that have used their kits. Scroll down or click here
to see pictures of an AMT frame as fitted to a car displayed at
the 40th Anniversary at Silverstone.
Standard
Kit
| Tubular
Frame Assembly
The
tubular frame is designed to take the Vauxhall 16 valve engine
and F20 5-speed gearbox. Part of the frame was designed by
computer (CAD) and with the aid of a stress engineer from
British Aerospace. It is designed to take the original tower
bolt fitting with the addition of brace bars.
The
frame itself is built in a jig when being assembled to ensure
accuracy. It is also fully triangulated to withstand loads
developed from the Vauxhall's high BHP and torque figures
produced and therefore is not a sub-frame that has been cut
and parts added.
The
suspension design of the frame consists of two top rose jointed
arms per side and allows the fitment of coil-over shock absorbers
which carry the Vauxhall engine better, this then retains
the standard hub and allows the normal bottom Mini rose jointed
arms and tie bars to be fitted. The engine mounts have been
produced for the frame so that each one incorporates a set
angle which in turn minimises engine rock under hard acceleration.
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Vauxhall 16v 2.0 litre in the AMT sub-frame
Thanks to Minmax for the pictures
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Body
Modifications
To
ensure the installation of the frame and engine, if fitting in the
Clubman shape, part of the inner wings need to be modified. Apart
from this the installation should be straight-forward. However,
if you wish to retain the round nose end look, it is advisable that
you use the ABS front end as this was specially designed for our
frame.
Bulk
head modifications may also be required to allow access for the
carburettors depending on the inlet manifold used.
Competition
Kit
Frame
Assembly
The
above tubular frame differs from the standard version by allowing
2.25" coil over shock absorbers to be fitted inboard which
in turn allows the shock absorbers to run tangentially to the top
arm, which cannot be achieved when using them at a 90 degree position.
This in turn allows greater suspension control and the car to run
lower.
The
frame has been modified to take the 2.25" coil over shock absorbers
by incorporating the top suspension mounting points onto the frame.
The mountings are coupled by an aluminium rose-jointed strut brace
to eliminate flexing. Additional connections back to the frame are
also made by aluminium rose-jointed bars.
Body
Modifications
As
for the standard assembly with two additional holes per side required
in the front cross member. This frame is designed for competition
and occasional road use.
Advantages
of Vauxhall 16 Valve
The
advantages of fitting a 16V Vauxhall engine to the Mini allows you
to own the ultimate front wheel drive car and offers you the opportunity
to use the latest multi-valve engine technology i.e. full engine
management, traction control etc.
The
prospects of owning a car of this calibre can be seen with the current
two-wheel drive 2 litre rally cars i.e. Peugeot Maxi and Renault
Megane which are running stage times quicker than the current top
four-wheel drive rally cars with the assistance of traction control.
Build
Pack 1 - £995 + carriage
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Fully
triangulated plastic coated subframe |
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Plastic
coated engine mounts and gearbox mounts + rubbers |
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Near
equal-length one-piece |
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Top
rose-jointed arms (4) |
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Bottom
shock absorber brackets |
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Plastic
coated sub-frame brace bars (2) |
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Nut
and bolt kit |
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Brace
bars can be made in aluminium at extra cost |
Build Pack 2 - £1,200
+ carriage
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Fully
triangulated plastic coated subframe |
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Additional
mounts for shock absorbers |
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Plastic
coated engine mounts and gearbox mounts + rubbers |
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Near
equal-length one-piece drive-shafts |
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Top
rose-jointed arms (4) |
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Plastic
coated sub-frame brace bars (2) |
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Rose-jointed
aluminium strut brace |
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Rose-jointed
aluminium shock absorber bracket bars |
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Nut
and bolt kit |
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Brace
bars can be made in aluminium at extra cost |
Parts Required
to Complete Installation
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Vauxhall
2 litre 16V engine and F20 gearbox with CV joint (available
from Calibra, Cavalier, Astra - AMT can advise on engine suppliers) |
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Dummy
drive shaft and CV joint from Calibra/Cavalier |
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Gear
selector linkage, rod and housing |
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2
Allegro 1750 outer CV joints |
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2
Mini rose-jointed bottom arms and tie bars |
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2
front coil over shock absorbers |
Vauxhall
Engine Kits
AMT
has the facilities for building the engines and has been involved
in building multi-valve cylinder engines for approximately 10 years,
starting from motorcycles to the current Vauxhall multi-valve engines.
Stage
1
Starting
with replacing the factory intake system and adding a pair of side-draught
carburettors on a purpose-made manifold. Depending on the type of
ignition system used and the size of the chokes, 170-180 BHP should
be available.
To
take Stage 1 a step further, throttle bodies are added to the intake
system which gives better drivability and greater BHP from the engine.
This requires an engine management system to control the fuelling
and also the ignition which allows you to retain the standard distributor
or distributor-less system.
It
is advisable that up-rated con-rod bolts are fitted to ensure reliability
of the bottom end.
Stage
2
Adds
a pair of cams to the above and should give 190 BHP + if added to
stage 1.
Stage
3
Whilst
the engine is dismantled, a flowbench developed cylinder head is
added to give even greater BHP and with the aid of the flowbench,
we can design the head to suit your requirements. 220-230 BHP should
be available.
Stage
4
Incorporates
high compression forged pistons and allows a higher lift cam to
be used. 250-260 BHP should be available.
Turbo-Charging
We
can also supply and fit the ultimate AMT turbo kit which incorporates
a purpose made exhaust manifold, designed with the aid of a flowbench,
to fit a Garett T3 turbocharger. This installation uses throttle
bodies mated to a purpose-made plenum chamber with a DTA engine
management system. Over 300 BHP is available depending on specification.
Traction
Control
AMT
can now add Racelogic traction control systems to all the above
and can highly recommend it for getting perfect traction in a high-BHP
front wheel drive car.
There
are three levels of traction control systems available:
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Road
Specification - Suitable for road cars and simple race installations |
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Clubman
Specification - As for road spec. but with launch facilities
for quick throttle starts. |
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Professional
Kit - The ultimate specification with many advanced features
including full throttle gear change and in-car adjustable slip. |
AMT has seen
0-60 times of 5 seconds and under, even faster times are available
with traction control. The system will also reduce under-steer and
torque steer and allows the driver to accelerate more smoothly without
uncontrolled wheel-spin.
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