I have bought a 1275cc engine and am rebuilding it to put into my 998 Mini. The 1275 is currently standard. The plan is to have a sound bottom end to the engine and gradually tune it from there as funds allow. My question is, would it be better to keep the original cam (which appears to be in good condition) and fit some high-lift rockers at a later date, or would it be better to fit a fast road cam while the engine is out and then fit 1.5:1 rockers later? Fitting higher-ratio roller rockers provides a power increase similar to going up to the next level of camshaft. But if you want more power ultimately than will be provided by carb, head and exhaust improvements, I would recommend fitting a fast road cam now; you will not then need to fit high lift rockers (unless you choose to) but you could fit a set of MED 1.3 ratio (slightly higher than standard) roller-tip rockers and have a very nice road set-up. I have recently passed my driving test and have a Fiesta as an everyday car. I have also just bought a 1980 Mini 1000 that I will be restoring and tuning over the next couple of years; hopefully I'll be keeping it long-term and developing it a lot further. The body is quite sound but is having a new front end and sills fitted by my uncle. Engine-wise, to begin with I would like to fit a Stage 1 kit suitable for the 998 engine and wonder if there are any other parts that should be fitted at the same time. Should I also upgrade the cooling system, plus the brakes and suspension?
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