I notice that your profile says Italy???... in which case MM is not your best bet for parts... the price you will pay is at least the UK price + transatlantic shipping + US duty ... and US to Italy shipping is going to be more than trans Europe freight...

I find it strange that Mini Spares would want to package a 1300 cc block with a small bore head (presumably what you enquired about?)... Their website lists a number of uprated small bore options.

While the BMW head will produce power its not exactly a bolt on conversion - even with the kit... And you would definitely not stick it on top of a 30 year old engine without a rebuild...

Have look at Keith Calver's article on the Spares website about small bore development options..

Graham Russel Engineering (here in Oz) also has some great articles on small bore development....

Cheers, Ian

Get the Specialist Components twinkam book, see how easy it is to put a modern DOHC head on an A series block.  

https://www.specialist-components.co.uk/index.php/shop/twinkam-16v-conversion/accessories/twin-kam-build-guide-guide-d-assemblage.html

Grab K1100 series bike head, cams, throttle bodies cheap on Ebay, get the conversion kit from SC.  My guess is you stay close to your $3K budget.

Also, if you have a bike junkyard nearby grab a shortblock just to get the pistons...since you have access to an engine shop, keep in mind the K1100 had 67mm bore, pistons had 18mm pins.  Not sure how much deck thickness  on the 998 block, maybe not enough to deck for the shorter BMW pistons,  I need to check that, but bore is OK.  Search this forum for 998 max bore, people are offset boring to 68mm.

Ask yourself what you want - torque or power ?
The 998 can be made to work very well; one of my wild ones is over 60 whp.

+.080" overbore, 12G295 head, MG Metro cam (repro'd as the Kent 500 iirc), balanced everything, lightened flywheel, 3.2 fd, and that's give you a great reliable road engine for a fraction of the price of a knackered 1275.

Swap it for a stock 1275... A stock 60s Cooper put out 55hp ... about what you might expect from a warmed mover 998. An "ordinary/stock" but much newer 1275 had 65... throw in a HiF44 on a Metro alloy manifold (or the MSpares copy) and a decent set of extractors with an RC40 exhaust and you should be pushing stock Cooper S power...

Maybe ask "Coopertune" in Newport VA if he's got anything suitable..

Cheers, Ian

I have a 91 with a 998 in it I'm looking for a blueprint for a fast street engine that won't break the bank, mini spares has a nice half but they won't sell it to me without a matching 1300cc block. What can I do for 3-5k to make it fast and reliable? Any help would be appreciated. I would get the full set up from MM but they seem a little steep. I have a full service shop at my disposal and the know how. I'm just not familiar with minis and the best way to get the most out of them. Thanks in advance for the advice!