Hello, I have a 78 mini that I am looking to do some restoration work on. I posted an inquiry over on Mini Mania looking for professional help on paint / body work and was steered in the direction of the forum here. I am glad to have received this advice and now to know about this restoration forum.
So here is what I have....A pretty solid 78 mini automatic that belonged to a lady in England until 2006 and had sat in storage here after being imported until I aquired this year. It has been partially resprayed and I think the door skins may have been addressed at some time. But otherwise original looking car. It looks good under boot and bonnet and around the scuttle. Floor pans look good with one hole on driver side but both sides seem to be dented upward , I am guessing from jacking the car up? Door skins are lousy and there are some rusty bubbles creeping around an A panel and seam and a headlamp area.
Overall I feel like its a good candidate to work on. I want to strip this thing and have it painted bracken orange BLVC 93 w/ white top. It has brown / orange striped original interior that is excellent and I feel would look great with that color.
Its a 998 and still runs on lead fuel with an auto trans, It actually runs nice at 23,000km and the transmission shifts pretty good, but I am thinking I will want to swap the engine for another 998 or maybe a larger option with a manual trans. since the auto trans is really beyond my ability to mess with.
While I can tear things down and put them back together and generally handy , I am not a paint / body man , and I am looking for someone who can do this work . I hope it doesnt seem crazy to want to invest in a 78 mini from a value stand point. But it is a fun car. So while I am not looking for a nut and bolt concourse restore , I would like to have the car shell painted inside and out and repaired properly with panels replaced as needed to get me a solid starting platform for my mini project.
Its good to meet you, any help and advice is much appreciated.
Stan
some more pics of the hot rod.
Welcome to the forum!
It's great to see another Mini being rescued from the tin worms.....I don't have a good suggestion for paint and body work, but I have some resources in your area so I'll put out the word and get back to you. You must be aware that rust repair this deep is not going to be cheap to fix properly? Once you find a body shop I'd recommend you remove the engine and entire interior first and just deliver them a bare rolling shell.
The Lawrence British Car club has several Mini owners in it.....you need to join them.
I'm in Overland Park, so if you need something let me know - I hold Mini shop days in my shop periodically.
Dave 913-948-3652 (Edit for phone number change.)
Thanks Dave....I can strip the car to a rolling shell and yes, I do want it fixed right . Good to meet you. I will have to catch you on a Mini shop day . I haven't had the car long and I think I just missed the most recent local show from the British car club here, but I will get in touch with the group soon.
Stan
Welcome to the forum 4.gif. Check your personal messages in a few.
I expect 94 Touring is going to offer you a good deal on some new panels and I would definitely take advantage of that and get them - new panels are the right way to fix this rather than trying to patch the old ones.
Welcome welcome. Glad you made it over here. Dan will not steer you in the wrong direction. I looked at a lot of local body shops that were highly recommended for classic cars, and they all wanted LOT of money, and none had done a mini before. I didn't want to be their science project. There are weird panels and ways of bonding these cars which takes a veteran to understand and get right. Even if Dan won't do the work, his advice is invaluable. He did my car for a bargain compared to the other shops, and it is better than I could have expected it.
And no, you aren't crazy. It's never crazy to save a classic.
Not sure how far you've gotten since the last post on here.
Your idea of going to a manual shift set-up is the same that I made with my 998 auto. The autos can be fun to drive, but do need regular and frequent oil changes....and when/if they break, can be hard to fix.
To swap to a manual, you will of course need to find an engine/gearbox.
Clutch pedal
Shifter ( if a rod shif,t it uses the same mount holes as the auto shifter.
As the subframe is slightly wider, you'll need a 3/8" spacer to go between the engine mount and engine on each side.
Connect the ignition inhibiter wires at the shifter ( or whatever they are called....)
You may also need to change the speedo drive pinion so your speedo isn't too far off.
Well, I have been hot rodding around town in it for a few months ( and changing the oil up a couple times has much improved the shifting in the auto box and kept it pretty smooth. ) Now I am taking as much of it apart as I can figure out how to do so that Dan (94touring) can do the paint and bodywork.
While he has the car, I can then make some decisions about the drivetrain during that time. I think the engine runs good so one possibility is clean up and some refurb on the current engine/autobox and put it back into the newly painted car. But if I could find a 1275 with 4 speed to transplant into it while the paint work is going on then I will go that direction. If I dont find a 1275 /4sp. during that time , then I can deal with it down road.
Good to hear pointers from someone who has made this conversion, and I will ultimately convert this car.
Drop me a line if anyone has a lead on a engine / manual tran .
I have the interior out with the exception of the speedo and some door mechanisms , and most of the exterior trim and lights off. Since this is the first time I have taken apart a car to this degree, I have been labeling and bagging the all parts and taking photos so I don't forget how all this goes back together later.
So far many things I thought looked good as a whole, I realized when removing bit by bit are dry rotted , discolored or rusted. All the rubber is toast and I found 3 mummified micro mice carcasses inside the heater blower fan. I wondered what all that rattling was when I turned it on.
I am moving on to engine removal this coming weekend.
Dan, Can you paint this fuel tank up too ? Looks new on the otherside, looks sorta shitty on this side.
And I am wondering about this ashtray situation. The rear box is riveted in here. I don't want it in there and would like to remove that, but I am not sure if the new carpet sets ( nice ones like Newton ) are slit cut in this area for the ash box standard.
I also am not liking this ashtray hole in the dash .....can this be patched in and smoothed out easy ? I don't see where the ashtray box is really needed as a stopper or support for those paper dash inserts.
Gas tank no problem. Dash ashtray can be removed if you desire. Newton carpet I believe has slits but we will confirm.
Alright ! If those carpets are slit I may be able to stitch and tape it there ?? or just keep it in there . I think the kids will kick the hell out of an ashtray box. I will have to upgrade and add rear seat belts back there so that they can smoke safely while we cruise.
Seat belts just get in the way for when they hold your beer.
Stan you're making great progress, keep taking pics - lots of pics from all different angles - they will be invaluable when you go to reassemble it months from now.....
The carpet does not have the slit/cutout for the ashtray. So I'll yank it.
If the ashtray box needs a new home please let me know. I would LOVE the ashtray box if it's just being trashed, put aside, re-purposed, or even for a nominal fee!
Quote from: 94touring on January 19, 2016, 12:22:05 PM
The carpet does not have the slit/cutout for the ashtray. So I'll yank it.
That is great....problem solved.
Quote from: MiniDave on January 19, 2016, 09:24:39 AM
Stan you're making great progress, keep taking pics - lots of pics from all different angles - they will be invaluable when you go to reassemble it months from now.....
It has been a learning experience Dave. I have tried to be meticulous with the photos , especially the wiring. Tagging and bagging small parts as my memory isn't what it used to be. Hell I can't remember where I set tools down half the time.
Quote from: SoCalMiniFan on January 19, 2016, 08:36:12 PM
If the ashtray box needs a new home please let me know. I would LOVE the ashtray box if it's just being trashed, put aside, re-purposed, or even for a nominal fee!
Send me your info....if you cover shipping you can have the ashtrays .
Quote from: 94touring on January 19, 2016, 12:22:05 PM
The carpet does not have the slit/cutout for the ashtray. So I'll yank it.
That's what she said!
I didn't get the engine out yet, but I tore it down a bit today . I think I need to order a ball joint seperator tool tomorrow , and maybe a CV joint splitter to make things easy for me.... Is there any other specialty tool I may need ?
Will you do me a favor while I'm thinking about it and send the front subby and tower bolts with the car so I can mount it when I align the front end. I have zero single bolt subbies handy at the moment. You can probably leave it mounted as is after you pull the motor.
Yes. I will leave it in there for you....I would like you to paint the subframes for me also.
Roger.
You don't really need the special CV "splitter". A long bar from the top resting on the edge of the CV, with a sharp blow will do it.
Which CV's - inner or outer?
I would leave the outers alone if possible. The inners (if pot joint style) can either be separated in their halves - leaving the shell on the differential and putting a wrapper over each piece, or pried off the output shafts using a large flat-blade or small pry-bar to work them off. I've always been able to just pry with a large flat-blade.
The ball-joint splitter from Harbor Freight works just fine.
Stan, how are you going to get the car down to Dan's shop?
Ok, I found a ball joint splitter tool for about $20....should do the trick. I watched a couple you tube videos on using a screwdriver / pickle fork and a pry bar to loosen CV inner. I just wasn't thrilled with paying $60 or $70 for a special tool for this, even though I believe in the right tool for the job.
Dave, I have not figured out a trailer plan just yet. I have been searching craigslist for a 5 or 6 ' x 10' utility trailer. If I could just buy one, I would have it for return trip and and anything else I could think of......Not much luck there, and tractor supply still wants a bit of money for one new so I have held off.
I have a mini van , so I may be able to rent that big u haul car hauler hog and haul the shell and still be ok on weight. Not sure on bottom clearance with the inside rails on the trailer. Not sure they will rent me the trailer when they see a mini van, even though I would be hauling a 450 pound shell.. The 2 front wheel drag along they have seems to be a bad idea for hauling empty shell and the ramps look as if they could bang the hell out of the sills.
In order to get the inner joint out of the transmission, I always found it easier to release one of the ball joints (usually the bottom one) and the steering knuckle joint, then you can swing the hub out far enough to slide the pot joint out of the transmission - be sure to drain all the oil first....If you were just pulling the engine and putting it right back then you can just release the inner joint boot and slide the joint apart like Mplayle says, then cover everything with plastic bags, but to make the car roll-able that's not a good way to do it...those long axle shafts will bang around as you move the car. You can tie them up, but again....not the best way.
I think I can arrange it with the local British car club for you to use their trailer, I just used it to move Rusty down to Dan's shop and haul Buzz back, it tows nicely and I don't think it's too heavy to use behind your van. Let me know when you're getting close to needing it so I can make a few calls for you. The trailer is under 2K (I know this because in Ks under 2K you don't need to lic it - and it's not licensed. ;D ) It's parked in north west Lawrence so it's easy access for you.
I'm not sure UHaul will rent you one of their car haulers to tow with your van, but a phone call will answer that, and it's an inexpensive way to do it. As long as your car still rolls you'll be good to go either way.
I would disassemble your axles and install just the outer stub back in the hub, that way you can roll it. For that matter, if you take the engine out and install those stubs you can borrow my flat tow bar and haul it that way, it will roll easily behind your van and you don't have to rent anything. I even have magnetic tow lights to mount on the car....just stick them to the rear parcel shelf.
Borrowing a trailer could be great. I did meet Terry from the club in a store parking lot when I was out driving a coule months ago . But I haven't been able to get out of work to go to any meetings and so I don't anyone in the club yet.
The tow bar could be a great and easy way to haul it down there if you don't mind me borrowing that. When the car is nice and newly painted I could then worry about a trailer to haul it back with the added protection to keep it up off the road.
The only things you'll need to do is make sure the bearings are good, the stubaxles are installed and the nut tightened to 160ft lbs or so, the cotter pin is in and so on. Hook the ball joints and steering knuckles back up, leave the key in the ignition in the "on" position so the wheel won't lock and so on.
Then you'll need to replace the front mount bolts with 1/2" (the standard bolts are 3/8")and drill out the mount holes to 1/2", then it's ready to go. The lights are magnetic and use the standard 4 wire flat connector.
I was able to remove the instrument pod/ dash switches and most of the firewall items and pulled the wiring harnesses... and took out the exhaust and battery cable from under the car today.
I found a nest inside the instrument pod.....those 3 dried up micro mice in the heater didn't venture far from their home.
I thought my temp. gauge bulb was burned out, but apparently it was missing. I also found some ugly rust up in the inner fender driver side when I removed the vent tubing.
What is the grey material around the edged of the instrument pod.....door harware , air vent panels. Looks to be any place to prevent an air leak or rattle? It looks just like modeling clay.
I see that grey stuff a lot. I think they used it to prevent rattling.
Finding rust in unexpected areas is part of the Mini experience! ;D
I did some digging online this morning and I am wondering if that grey putty was Dum Dum or similar brand in a tape roll or strips. I guess dum dumb sealant / putty is no longer produced, but I read a post where 3M strip caulk was mentioned as a substitute
I've never given it much thought. I know I've never put new putty in.
Stan, when are you scheduled in to Dan's shop?
Well, I'm almost ready to haul it down there so that Dan can have the car for this spring.
I imagine the "putty" was used around the edge of the pod to limit air/water/sound ingress to the cabin
Yes, I found it there and also quite a bit of it around the door hardware. It's probably carcinogenic and here I have been rolling it up and collecting it in case I want to reuse or replace with a like material.
The grey putty looks and feels to me like the butyl putty tape used in RVs for sealing:
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/caulks-sealants/97741.htm
I've got half a roll leftover from a fiberglass trailer restoration I did a couple of years ago that I will likely use when I put my mini back together.
I was going to say it looks like tacky tape a brand of butyl tape we use on RV's.
The tacky tape branded stuff is the easiest to work with if you go with that.
Jeff
Yeah I think that RV tape looks like a suitable replacement. Its pretty cheap too. I'll pick up a roll just in case I decide to put that stuff back on the car.
I pulled the engine today. Tomorrow I will strip the brake lines and some other small items. I still have to figure out how to get some of the parts out of the door interiors and it will be on its way to Dan pretty soon .
Might as well remove your vin plates too!
Are you staying with the automatic?
I have that on the list of smalls for today Dan....I am drilling out the rivets on those plates and that ashtray thing as well.
I am planning on converting this to a manual trans. Spitz. J
Wow, that's a lot of work (and parts) needed.......
Manual trans uses a slightly different subframe, if you go that route can I have your old one?
Couple options for engine swaps for us to think about... I may very well end up with a full front assembly with subby/1275/disc/rod change off this one divorce car. I mentioned selling that to Stan. Or I sell him the 998 assembly for a bit less and keep the 1275 for myself. Dave you may end up with two 998 autos if you buy the green car for your eventual conversion.
I would keep your subframe from the automatic!
It's slightly wider so 3/8" spacers are used on each side of a manual going in. The wider subframe gives you a little more room to work on other things later on.
I've done the swap.....once you have the clutch pedal ( it simply mounts to your existing pedal box ), and shifter and clutch master etc...it's easy peasy.
Even the shifter mount holes in the tunnel are the same
Spitz, I was also thinking the current subbie would be fine with some spacers. I am looking at what Dan may have available with the 1275 divorce car which would also have a manual subbie available I believe.... If you do have a 998 w/4speed rod change Dan that may be a possibility also.
Dave..... whatever I do in the used engine/ gearbox department ,I would need to have that completely rebuilt. You have the expertise, if you have the time available.
I would then still have my 998 auto and then possible subbie and so however all this may work out , then that could be up for grabs. I could do some partial trading if there is any interest at all in the 998 w/ auto box and or subbie Dave .
I could get a shake and bake engine kit if nothing works out with the divorce car and other options Dan, so no worries.
I'm basically waiting for tax returns and the remainder of my closing cost figures on the shop to roll in and that will determine if I buy the divorce car to part out. I would really prefer to buy the car to get it off my back per say. I have one or two interested parties on a restored shell that would allow me to recoup losses, then theres the engine/subby assembly worth a good bit, nice seats to be had, and other odds ands ends I can use on my truck. My 998 needs the tranny opened up to fix a 2nd gear synchro, otherwise it's been screaming down the highway. I do have a spare tranny sitting in the shop as well and another box of gears.
Stan, if you need some engine/trans work, just let me know.....
I've missed a story somewhere about this "divorce car".
Ah the one red shell/car I have the guy is going through a divorce. Basically I can't get paid to finish the work UNLESS it's "driving", which isn't what I signed up to do. I was being paid to fix the shell and he was putting it back together. The dollar amount he needs is fairly high given the current state of the car so unless someone pays me to do a full build or I sell a restored shell and part the rest, it's a black hole.
Will you get paid what you want if it's driveable? Do you have all the mechanical gubbins at your shop? Would it be worth your while to complete it if someone else got it running so all you had to do was the body?
Stan, my schedule is flexible, but my advice is to slot that 998 right back in once it's home from the body shop and drive it....then you can build up your engine/trans at your leisure while you're having fun with it, and once the engine's ready, it's a weekend job to swap it.
Option 2, if you have a motor already located, I can redo it while the car's at Dan's, then once it's done - in it goes.
The only thing that slows down an engine/trans build is waiting for parts and/or waiting to get in at the machine shop.
I'll get paid for the remainder of the paint job...which I won't do to produce a running end product. It's something to do with her lawyers releasing money for him to pay me. I'd put it back together but I won't be doing it for free and shelling out money for broken odds and ends.
Dave, I have had that thought also of putting the original engine back in the car to tide me over.......but I know when I get the painted shell back from Dan its going to look like a million bucks . I can probably clean this grubby engine up good. But I may want to just hang in and put a new or refurbed to new engine in it and be done with it, even if I had to hang on longer to do it. I would be less at risk of dinking up the new paint if it was a one shot deal.
Depending on what is going on with Dan's engine possibilities.....those options when and if they work out for me would be a determiner of if or when I could pick up an engine and then send it your way Dave to refurb for me. If it turns out to be sooner than later then all things may fall into place and work simultaneously. If you were able to wizard that 998 block of mine to be able to accept a manual gearbox....that could work. I heard that might be a very difficult possibility though.
If everything fails I could just bust out the small rust hole in the floor pan big enough to get my feet through and run this thing around town Flintstone style. :o
What style wheels are you going with? I'll also be recoating 12x5.5 alloys from that car as well.
Dan,
If her lawyers are holding the purse strings and aren't going to pay for work done so far, possibly counter with a "mechanic's lien" for work performed and do no more work without payment terms more favorable?
I got payment for what's been done. Till there's more money I will be doing nothing. But I'm not opposed to buying it to rid the headache.
Ok. Makes a bit more sense.
I have the 10x 3.5 on there now.....I like the 10's... I don't want fender flares on the car.
If you can find some positive off-set 12" wheels, you would be able to go without flares I suppose.
I much prefer 10" though.
Can you get the Rose Petal wheels in an S offset in 4.5"?
You can get them in 10 x 4.75 with correct offset for cooper S type disc brakes. They come with washers and spacers so you can also make some adjustments to the fit. They are a making these as reproduction of the original racing wheels , so they are over engineered for just putting around town but look very nice.
Since I have the car stripped down now, I am starting to clean up parts and see what is salvagable and what needs to be replaced.
I spent the last 3 days refurbing and rewrapping the wiring harnesses. This was far more time consuming than i expected. The first photo is the grubby engine harness beforehand... overall condition was good aside from grime.
I was able to salvage a couple of the original tags on the engine compartment harness. I think I am going to replace and upgrade some of the connectors now and after reading Mini Dave's post on Wilson's Wiring I think I need that blade style fuse panel too.
Neat and tidy job. Well done.
I agree, but keep this up and you go right past your original intention of a nice paint job and a spruce up and sail right over the cliffs of full on restoration! ;D
There be madness! :-\
It's to late Dave...I am halfway down the rabbit hole on this one.
Once you've stripped a car you're pretty much committed to the full restore. Which is why I'm trying to keep my clubby rolling on wheels as I fix here and there. My problem is there isn't enough time!
Every rubber and plastic item and I took off the car looks terrible now that I am sorting through it all and the shopping list grows.
You might as well plan on replacing all rubber lines, be them fuel or hydraulic. Replace wheel bearings, brake cylinders, master/slave cylinders, coil and ignition components, carb rebuild kit. You'll at least be reliable to drive after you've done that. But even my BRAND NEW mechanical fuel pump failed me last week. Electric pump went on and wired up in 15 minutes.
Stan, have you picked a day to haul the body down to Dan's shop? If so which weekend, and do you still need the tow bar?
We spoke yesterday. He's headed down Monday and is using a trailer.
Thanks, we had discussed him using my tow bar to tow it......
Yeah we talked about that over the phone. His front wheels are flopping around though. Do you have a solution to that?
Did he remove the axles? I told him to remove the axles and take the outer joint off then reinstall it and tighten the nut, as long as the steering is connected it should run true, unless somehow removing the weight of the engine affects it.....I wouldn't think that would bother it tho.
Dave , I ended up taking the steering column and steering rack out so Dan wouldn't have to. So I will trailer it now that it's kick a tire to turn . Plus I really wanted to get that pedal box out so I could remove that stubborn nut from up under the dash area. :( The drive shafts are there and easily removable...sloppy wheels without them in there. I'm trying to look at the shafts and cv joints and do some planning...I have the hardy Spicer joint and different shafts because the mini was an automatic. I don't know if I can use any of this when putting a manual in or not.
You'd be best served to get the later potjoints and uprated axles out of a rod change gearbox.....chances are that's the style gearbox will come with the engine anyway.....
I know what I'll use to pull the shell off the subframes .
Neat idea.
That was just a test run. If I get rid of some slack in the strap and add a 2nd one for balancing I could get it off the ground with plenty room to spare.
busy sorting through parts, cleaning and replacing things .....I ended up going with the MiniLites and now I just have to find someone around my area who can put a tire on 10" wheels.
Dan I did get most if not all the subframe goodies lined out...Cones, Hilos, adjustable shocks , lots of bushings .
I haven't worked out the brake line / master cylinder yet . I have diagonal split style with GMC167 master cylinder. That master cylinder seems to hard to find , maybe no longer made. I think Mini Sport may have some ?? There is no easy line kit for the dual split on Minispares though. They do have GMC 227 master cylinder with a front to rear line kit. Not sure if this is actually a safer system. I think I may also need a PWDA valve for this setup....I believe my diagonal split had a single line valve on the rear subbie.
Also went with some Magnolia gauges. My instrument pod had remnants of an old mouse house inside it and the wiring harness had suffered a bit. Although all my gauges worked fine, but I am partial to the magnolia faces, So I just started over. ......I have no idea how the foam piece inside the dash pod looked , only that one existed in tiny nesting bits inside my dash pod , so I crafted 2 new pieces for that. \
Still working on replacing some old connectors on the main wiring harnesses and I believe I will start working on the heater unit and duct work next. The box needs repainted.
That foam should cut down on noise a little. Too bad you couldn't find wheels pre mounted with tires.
Never knew there was foam inside the binnacle like that.
I think 7 ent. sells some wheels w/ tires mounted combos....they just have a few options from what I seen.
I know minisport sells them mounted, and if you don't care about knockoffs, midland wheels sells pre mounted also.
Quote from: 94touring on February 22, 2016, 05:10:05 PM
I know what I'll use to pull the shell off the subframes .
I'd be careful with that...you don't want the straps squeezing the roof line. I've had that happen ( thanks Mr. Farmer ), although the weight of the engine was there also.
I'd use a spreader bar at the top so the straps are pulling straight up
I disassembled the heater today and , while it needs repaint , it does look pretty good and rust spots are minimal. The matrix looks good also but I flushed this 6 times and still has murky mud water coming out of it. I may have to replace this part. Mine just might be full of crud, but are there any techniques to help flush this clean before I give up on it.
fill it up with whit vinger over night. and heat it with a hair drier or heat gun while full a few times.
That's a good heater core, save it if you can.......the replacements are made like modern radiators, with plastic caps crimped on aluminum cores.
I just filled mine almost full with hot water and shook it, drained it out - rinse and repeat till clear water comes out.....it took a while. It's like they collect mud somehow.....
I will keep on cleaning ... they don't make things like they used to. I have been disappointed in a few of the modern replacement parts I have ordered so far.
I would like to clean up the wiper motor and bring it back to a nice metal finish without painting it ( rack and wheelbox also ) ....This one has had some silver paint slopped on the front of the motor . Has anyone been able to get a presentable finish on one of these with a wire wheel or some other technique ?
Probably a little media blasting and quality paint would do the trick.
I fought with mine for a while, but all of the little pieces of webbing and casting marks made for sub-par finish. I ended up stripping it down to bare metal and then cleaning it up before re-painting it. I have a cover for it, but I don't think I'll be using it. I want to show off my DSN brackets.
(https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5836/21585706553_150e5e0815_b.jpg)
I might go back and change the color... who knows.
I've got it in que to move to the main floor for work to happen.
I looked at the image you posted earlier for your lifting strap test.
Perhaps it'd be a good idea to brace between the straps above the roof to prevent possible crushing the roof?
Probably not a bad idea but empty it didn't do anything to it.
71.gif alright alright alright !
I cleaned some vent tubing/ducts this weekend....3 of these have splits and are a bit rough , so I will look on ePay and pick up some replacements since most of these are no longer available.
Starting to sand and primer small parts.
MtyMous ....the DSN bracket looks great. I have been digging on the website now for a couple days.
Demolition day.
I like the clean, shiny plastics. Since I've owned the mini, I've been searching for a better way to get fresh air into the cabin. It's been my mission. I'm ALMOST to the point where I'm willing to make some hard ducting with some sort of plastic or metal tubing. Let me know if you have any luck on fleabay. I might be in the market for some new pieces, too.
I was thinking of doing some vents in the A panels then plumbing them directly into the footwells and dash vents....
I am a little pissed about the duct tubing, and keep finding small splits in the edges of 3 of these . I did manage to pick up what I needed on epay uk ....we shall see what those look like when I get them though. I do like the A panel idea, a direct shot. Could have some shark fin inlet on the sides.
Dan , the mini looks better already. You could cut the rest of that front end off and slap a VTEC onto it for me.
I tell you after cutting into the clubby your car looks like a piece of cake. It really is a solid base shell. I dropped your rear subframe and it's pretty new. With some degreasing it probably will look brand new. I didn't see a spec of rust on it. Just dirt from normal use. I suspect it was replaced not long ago. Nice bonus find! Oh and the trunion bolts were all perfect as well as greased so they came out with zero effort. That never happens!
That is great news. I did get a trunion bolt kit just in case. I also have radius arm repair kits...possibly not needing those either , but good to have spares.
Now that the wet blaster is up and running we can really begin. Found a few areas of filler in the back corner. Looks like a minor accident of some sort, nothing major.
Looks like a solid car to start with, should be an easy resto and paint job......
Was definitely involved in an incident. Has an indent on the A pillar, b pillar, and rear seam. The a pillar one will need pulled. Not sure if it was rolled or slid into something.
Well if it got smacked that may explain the respray and or couple of shades of white on it. No sweat though....I have faith in you Dan 4.gif , I seen that Clubman you are tackling....this one will be a walk in the park .
I'll keep on blasting and see what else I find. Not finding any rot yet, aside from the front end that's been removed.
Ran out of sand but we're moving along.
Yeah, looks pretty solid so far. Hopefully no real rough spots or hidden surprises on the sills.
One ugly patch to redo and a small hole so far is it.
Back next week to finish off the interior.
All that sand will make a good base to pour a concrete pad outside the garage door! 4.gif
See wetblast thread about my need for a pad.
That's quite a bit o'sand there, for sure. You'll probably have piles everywhere.
I imagine you can only vacuum so much, and that there'll be sand stuck in the bottom crease of the wheel arch/body side panel, or inside the cross member etc. How do you plan on removing the sand from the minis small crevices?
Lots o washing. There's no other way really.
I dry blasted my old Jag, but it was so well balanced on the rotisserie that I could spin it - that threw sand out of everywhere!
Don't know that would work with wet sand tho.....
When I do the underside it will be on the rotisserie, which is when the hose will get the sand out.
Forgot to mention Stan, found a few holes in the boot corners under all that black gunk. Another few holes on the valance but none of them are bad.
It's looking good..... There was a lot of black goop swirled around in the boot and some in the firewall.....somebody did some creative patching I suppose. There was also some crafty hand brushing white paint work in the boot too.
It was thick and putty like. Didn't look factory to me whatever it was. Found where the left rear corner was hit and repaired. They did a good job at getting it pretty well back in position. A fair amount of filler over the right arch but not sure why exactly. The seam sealer in the gutter blasted right out too.
Dan how badly are you getting blasted back when you hit something at just the wrong angle? are you wearing a sand colored "wet" suit? ;D
The wrong angle and you get pelted bad. I got a rain suit and need to grab rubber boots and a full face shield. The nice thing with the water is there's no dust to breath in and the wand is long enough you're back pretty far. No static build up either. Occasionally my safety glasses get covered with water and I can't see what I'm doing.
Interior stripped. Found a few rusty spots in the one corner of the floors. Also decided to seal some of the exterior.
Isn't it funny how a coat of primer makes it look so much better? 4.gif
That car is SOLIIIIDDDDD!!! 4.gif
Very few patches seen or previously done! Will clean up nicely!
Few more things before I call it a day.
This phosphoric acid if left on gives a cool patina finish. Now that the front end has been test fitted and I have my mounting points established, I'll do the spot welds with it off, make a few repairs, and refit.
I've seen some rust patina cars that were just clear coated over and that makes a pretty cool finish.
Both scuttles are good. I only had to replace the block off plate on this side. Redid the patchwork on the bottom also, that corner was a mess.
Other corner.
How do you like the new welder?
It's magnificent 4.gif. On these spot welds I didn't even drill out a hole, just crank it to 4 and increase the feed and it blast through the first layer, penetrates the 2nd, then pools in nearly flush.
Front end is on but I'm going to clean up before any photos.
Nice and clean front end.
Are you keeping it the same color?
It's going to be orange. I still nneed to shoot a test panel to confirm.
Creamsicle (orange & white)?
I thought about doing the white top.....so far though I think just all one color bracken orange. Seen a lot of MG's in bracken...only a couple photos of it on a mini though.
That'll be a neat color although the last few cars iv'e seen called bracken were way too orange I hope you'r going with the more orig. bracken that is more brown than orange?
Jeff
I have seen a lot of variation to the color in photos....I think it is one of those colors that changes a bit depending on lighting. But , yes I believe that it is supposed to have a brown tint ,,esp. in low light....very 70's . I like it. I photoshoped a small child out of this picture I found online and added my mini lites so I could get a feel for what it will be.
You didn't photoshop out the rust bubbles on the bottom of the door ;D
Taking the day off but will probably have you on the rotisserie tomorrow to blast the underside. Might try and get some MG Bracken at the local paint supply and see how it turns out. Tried yesterday but they were closed. Needed expoxy sealer primer since I had run out. Ended up getting a quart at the O'Reillys that carries paint but jeezus it hurts not getting a discount there.
Also on the to do list is order a right A panel and two front seam covers. Didn't realize I was out of the A panel, but had a chunk of one to use when I did the front end fitting.
Quote from: 94touring on May 29, 2016, 08:16:14 AM
You didn't photoshop out the rust bubbles on the bottom of the door ;D
Oh I added those in for effect .....haha
What's your time line on finishing Stan's car, first of July-ish?
Not sure honestly. It's moving along fairly quickly but I still have doors and a bonnet to repair and then there's talks of me doing brake and fuel lines. Being home sick this week gave me time to get a bunch done. Next months schedule will give me a couple days a week to work on it too.
Ha! I warned him....once you start one of these there's no stopping till you've done EVERYTHING! ;D
Ha yeah there's an endless amount that can be done.
Ha, you should see the pile of parts, new and old strung all over our house. I have small parts painting and cleaning project stations. My wife is used to my projects so this is nothing new for her. It is a slippery slope so I have found, and I think you are right Dave, fix up everything....I am already looking forward to getting this one tackled so I can hopefully plan another.
The real fun is when you get it back on the road and start driving it again...... 4.gif
By another you mean mini?
yeah...a mini. definitely going to have to do this again....I am having too much fun.
You know I have one for sale....
Oh yeah ! ....and if it isn't moving for you , we may have to discuss it when I am wrapping this one up.
Quote from: stan360 on May 29, 2016, 07:47:40 AM
I have seen a lot of variation to the color in photos....I think it is one of those colors that changes a bit depending on lighting. But , yes I believe that it is supposed to have a brown tint ,,esp. in low light....very 70's . I like it. I photoshoped a small child out of this picture I found online and added my mini lites so I could get a feel for what it will be.
Yep thats the color very cool I like it a lot.
The price would be right!
Gantry to rotisserie.
Looks like that works pretty well.....
It's like having an extra helper!
Complete refurb on the heater....Powder coated all the heater parts and had to straighten out and paint the switch panel bezel edges( which was a pain as I could not remove the plastic knob and therfore could not remove the bezel....so I just masked it off and worked carefully) and also replaced foams in the heater and sealed the side panels with a bead of gasket silicone.....should be sealed tight and hopefully will work much better now. . The original heater core looked good but seemed to have a small leak somewhere so I picked up one of the these FVHL all metal cores as a replacement. The Smith's label sticker was easy to remove and reapply.
You're doing a fantastic job, this car will be mint when you're done!
Got a cill on. Inside wasn't bad at all. Cleaned it up and repainted it before welding it back together.
A panel welded in before I call it a day.
I was wondering if there were going to be any surprises in there....the driver area had a crusty corner at the front I thought. The under coating / paint on the bottom looked pretty thin also...probably fly right off.
Finished stripping the underside and roof. Started cleaning up bare metal and sealing it off.
Looking good......like a new car. Dan , I have some parts I can either bring down or send to you for the subframes....rubber mountings and bushings , rear trunnion kit. ....A new steering rack, Not sure what you need but I probably have it, I also have brake line kit . I am just trying to think of things that you could easily install when replacing the subbies , so I dont have to remove the subframes when the car comes back. I did remove them to take out the original lines, but it was a pain and I don't want to risk scratching up the new car. I am going from split diagonal brakes to front/rear split. So would just want the one line across the bottom and routes between subbie/body instead of the original two lines ( i can do all the smalls in engine compartment ) and there is the fuel line across there too.
Also, you may remember, but in any case........can you weld up and smooth over the ashtray hole in the dash , I don't know why they put that there....and the 4 little holes in the rear hump where the floor ash can was.
Whichever you prefer. If you come down I'm putting you to work lol. Do you have my mailing address still?
Haven't forgotten about the tray.
Still have your addy. Will see how big the box is or becomes.... I might be able to just bring parts when it gets to test paint panel time ( 2 birds with 1 stone) ....depends on if days off coincide.
I found a dupont code online for braken so we shall see how it goes. Are you going to reuse this auto front subbie and if so should I repaint it along with the rear?
Yes on the front subbie....i have some mounts to use it with a manual . I am replacing most of the suspension parts, but planned to keep the rear radius arms...if you are removing parts to paint the rear subbie, can you paint those also if they are shabby looking. I will look at things tonight to see what else may be a keeper .. also i have the 2 holes is the boot lid that someone poked in for a US plate...please fill those in but keep the British plate holes. i know you have seen the color samples online for Bracken, they vary wildly .
Will do. To paint the front and rear subs properly I need to gut them.
Yeah the braken varies on the lighting.
Did you grab rear wheel bearings by chance?
Sure did
Very good.
Tore down the seats this weekend . Done with the old brown interior, I don't think it will look good with the bracken paint and it smells pretty stale , so maybe onto dove grey/grey or black and tan....not sure yet. Driver seat had some surface rust on the front edge from years of sweat and spilled drinks i supppose. Not to bad though. They were worn through the paint on the contact to floor areas , handles and attachment points, so I will send them out for media blast and powder coat. Found a 10 pence coin tucked in one. So I tore down the whole car and the only treasure were one coin and 3 dried up baby mice . :(
Are you reusing the foam? If not I'll take it.
Some areas to repair today.
These Apanels I ordered are slightly thicker steel and I definitely lke the extra strength when I'm clamping the lips together.
Quote from: 94touring on June 14, 2016, 10:43:00 AM
Are you reusing the foam? If not I'll take it.
I am not going to reuse the foam...you can sure have them....the seat base cloths were spray glued to the bases a bit in the centers , so there is some rough spots from separation. Also the thin base wrap around foams are not great....the seat backs however are pretty nice.
Decided to tear into this closing panel and glad I did. Fabbed up a new section and sealed off and even put a nice coat of grease on the inside
Body metal work is done. Have doors and a bonnet to repair yet.
....
Sprayed a test panel but it looks bright when I take photos. The paint lid and can photo is most accurate. Are you planning to head down to exchange parts and grab this or shall I mail it to you?
I can bring the parts down....let me email you tonight or call you tonight or tomorrow and figure out a good day.
Got some color on the bottom with this single stage. Going to give it a once over with base/clear before moving on to the body.
Coming along now......what color will the top be?
100 percent bracken.
This is what a $50 paint spill looks like.
Color looks good!
Quote from: roadhouse on June 27, 2016, 03:43:53 PM
Color looks good!
Yeah, I am diggin' it, but Dan's spilling the paint, so one of the fenders or doors may have to be another color....yellow or red or something. ;D
Salmon? 4.gif
just working on more smalls here today....had the pedal box powder coated and hammered that thing back together today. I was going to do some stainless pedals and I just opted for the standard rubber pads instead. Nothing exciting there. Also cleaned up one of the nice silver and blue bonnet badges ( don't like the leyland wheel thing ) ....I got one of the originals on ebay uk that was a bit rough and so I fixed that up ....only on the heals of buying the new offering online and realizing that it had some cheap crappy sticker on it , not once but twice since I got carried away with a few orders and duplicate parts. No foil logos like the oldies. But, I did find some old style sturdy foils so the badges look correct now...., so now I have one for the car, one for a spare , and one I am sticking in the sell section with some other stuff.
Wow! Those badges look great!
All this sanding...
Unfortunately back to my day job tomorrow.
At least you got some "color" on them now! ;D
Ready for more block sanding post body filler block sanding.
Did both roofs in one shot, and that tailgate. Color looks pretty good 4.gif
One more shot
Very butterscotch! 4.gif
You can paint my roof anytime......oh wait, you already did! ;D
Butterscotch, more fitting than bracken actually.
Yeah ! I like it.....very fitting for a 70's car.
Moving along to interior. Trying something different where I will mask the floors and go back and shoot the remainder. Two reasons for this. One, it's a pain in the butt to lean into the car and spray all the nooks and crannies. This will allow me to sit in the car. Other reason is interiors are notoriously dusty no matter how much you clean. The remaining areas, most of which are exposed after assembly can be prepped better without the risk of excess dust flying around while spraying.
Whoa, that's awesome! 62.gif
Yeah, looking good.... I really like how the dash looks without the ashtray hole
(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=813.0;attach=4906;image)
(http://www.restorationmini.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1012.0;attach=4871;image)
Now I can see the difference in the floor pan where the shifter is, but I still think a remote shift would work, we'd only have to add 1 bracket at the back for the mount.
We reverse engineered off Stan's car to get the cut out location for the rod change on my 60. It was in basically the same line as the old cutout, just further forward.
Wouldn't that mean cutting into Stan's nice shiny floor to accommodate the remote change cutout?
We found that it was 24 inches from the left inner cill to the center of the cutout and 26 inches from the right inner cikl to center and moved forward I want to say 3 inches. It also sits higher so some fab work will need to be done when mounting the shift box.
I did read some info on guys who went from remote to rod by cutting out and changing the tunnel with late body style in doing that. I couldn't find info on anyone who made the opposite transition. The earlier tunnel sets a bit lower.
For going from "remote" change to "rod change" there is an adapter bracket available that takes into account the rounder tunnel shape of the the earlier floor.
Here is a link to the bracket as sold by 7Ent:
http://www.7ent.com/products/bracket-kit-rod-change-shifter-conversion-for036.html (http://www.7ent.com/products/bracket-kit-rod-change-shifter-conversion-for036.html)
Hey that looks handy
Quote from: MPlayle on July 21, 2016, 08:20:35 PM
For going from "remote" change to "rod change" there is an adapter bracket available that takes into account the rounder tunnel shape of the the earlier floor.
Here is a link to the bracket as sold by 7Ent:
http://www.7ent.com/products/bracket-kit-rod-change-shifter-conversion-for036.html (http://www.7ent.com/products/bracket-kit-rod-change-shifter-conversion-for036.html)
Oh that's excellent!
This car is going to look great!
What color will the interior be?
Great tires. Really liked my 032's on my red car.
Regards
towjoe 77.gif
Good to hear the 032 tires worked out for you toejoe.....I hear they are a good grip in wet or dry conditions. Should be ok for tearing up the town.
I have not decided on the interior yet Dave.....I am leaning toward either a tan beige w/ plaid cloth / beige carpet and door panels .
Or maybe a black and tan euro sport car look....black carpet , tan seat w black accent.
I torn down the rear window frames today....the rubber seal was a bit crummy and some rust. I can clean the frames up (these are NLA) and I can still get new rubber... I can also order new latches, but looks like I have to rivet them on the frame. The latches are good, with the exeption of the exterior wrap around area of one. I could possibly smooth that out and use a chrome paint for the area since it is less than a 1"x 1" . But I will probably just replace them.
Ta..da...
Came out to my satisfaction 4.gif
One big butterscotch drop!
Still gotta do the doors, boot lid and bonnet? Then color sand and buff everything?
So, another 2-3 weeks then?
I love it....looks great. This dash mod is is winner too.
Quote from: MiniDave on July 28, 2016, 04:21:39 PM
One big butterscotch drop!
Still gotta do the doors, boot lid and bonnet? Then color sand and buff everything?
So, another 2-3 weeks then?
Bare in mind I have 2 sets of all that to do with Vikram as well as Stan's subbies, a gas tank, and then build suspension and install. So quite a bit of work. I've been working like a madman. The color sanding will be painless, it really laid out nice. Buffing is still a 2 day affair.
Base coat clear coat or single stage? Looks really nice.
Base/clear. Not very often I do single stage.
Here's the latest and greatest on my end. Put some fresh paint on the radius arms and subby and began the rebuild. Stan bought all new parts (in some cases the same part multiple times lol) Waiting for a shell reamer to arrive to finish off the radius arms. Here's a pic of a reamer and the device I intend to fabricate to do it properly.
painting / refurbing small parts today....
hardy spicer flange refurb & replace u joints....
Nice!
Finally had a chance to get back in the shop. Got some brake lines run and a freshly rebuilt rear subframe on. I should have put the kyb adjustable shocks on for show, but they'll be on soon enough.
I'm starting to warm up to the color....which suggests a name for the car - "Butters" ;D
Ya all know Butters last name on South Park is Stotch, right?
Quote from: stan360 on August 21, 2016, 05:04:53 PM
hardy spicer flange refurb & replace u joints....
Are you going to use those with the new engine/transmission? Cause I don't know if those will work with a rod change gearbox......
They look fantastic tho - are those
new axle shafts? The part number looks laser etched....
Ha ! Butters....that is good, I like that.
Yes to Hardy Spicers on the rod change , using the Hardy Spicer output shafts and having to machine the standard sideplate covers to accept the larger diameter shaft. 7ent has some modified side plates .
I picked up some hefty driveshafts after Dan sent me a reminder pic of the ones I have in the car ... these are a bit thicker than the originals, but I can clean the old original ones up and keep them for spares since they are a bit hard to find.
I knew there were mods involved = that it wasn't a straight swap for the pot joints.
So, have you found an engine for this beasty? It's looking gorgeous!
How's the budget holding up? ;D
BTW, are you going to the KC-Lawrence run sat the 24th?
It has became a bigger project than at the onset. Tearing the car completely down has been fun, and I will have a bit better understanding of how things work on the mini.
My Saturdays are always chewed up and that is the day all the good stuff happens.....I will have to make it to one of these runs.....I hope this coming year I can take " Butters".
The 1275 project has been bumbling along....Did find A+ 1275 rod change..turned out to be not what I needed , on to the next one now , earlier A 1275 w/ rod change and ironing out the bugs with that. Would maybe have been easier to redo or remove that rectangular tunnel in the car and use your 1275 block w/remote shift.
I have since acquired a really good 1300 (12G940) head for it, so I'm ready to build that motor now....just need a few bits and bobs which I know I'll find soon.
Getting a lot done on this car. Not much longer now.
Shouldn't the bleed screw be on the top for the front brakes?
Man that is looking good. 4.gif
What a difference! Stan has got to be anxious to get it put back together now!
WillieB has good eyes! I didn't even see that......
Oh probably...funny thing is I referenced other cars here and they were on the bottom too.
Nope, WillieB is right, bleeders have to be at the top for them to work.
Well 4 bolts and a couple brake lines to disconnect, no biggie.
Everything is looking great ....I just organized the parts piles this past weekend, got some things of the house and into the garage to get ready to start putting the rest of the car together. Won't be long. I will be busy over the winter.
Stan = can you share where you got the U-Joints for the Refurb?
Im about to need to do the same for a friends car.... Tranny building now.
Mini Spares.....here is a link
http://www.minispares.com/product/Classic/Drivetrain/GUJ101EVO.aspx?08&ReturnUrl=/search/classic/hardy%20spicer%20joint.aspx|Back%20to%20search
Thank you !
keep this noted for when its time. (SHOOT - Just got 400$ from MS for the transmission)
I probably will grab a set of TR6 speced replacement Joints.. as they are also the same joints used in the Nylon cup type universal joint more commonly upgraded on mini's.
Those joints are always very cheap locally at the local parts stores... then we shall really know!
Still sourcing a few odds and ends parts I need to get the engine ready. I didn't want to pay almost $50 on minispares for a radiator/engine mount bracket that I needed so I found one online for about $15. The downside was that is had been made ready for a mini pimp mobile with a fresh coat of gold paint . But , the part was media blasted before painting so the barely cured gold came right off with stipper.
I found a really cool old shift knob, supposedly out of an early mini. It is made of Bakelite and has a brass thread insert baked into it. I cleaned and polished that back to life. The threading was metric M8 -1mm and did not fit on my shift lever that is the 5/16-18 UNC. I used a tap and it only took about a minute through the brass and it fits perfect. I even found a blackened jam and washer at the hardware store that made it look like it was meant to be.
I could have paint matched your subframes to that gold bracket.
Quote from: 94touring on October 04, 2016, 04:15:57 AM
I could have paint matched your subframes to that gold bracket.
Ha, yeah that would make the car more valuable. I had a good laugh when I seen it . Of all the colors to pick for refinishing that bracket for resale.
Stan, sorry to ask another "wher'ed you get that question'
but im blank here too =
For the HS Outputs = the Round rubber rings behind the Bolt and washer???
Where'd you get those!!!??
Looks good = headed in your direction !
7ent.com
Took me awhile to get around to finishing off paint items. Probably a handful of small odds and ends to do but almost done on my end.
I've warmed up to the butterscotch color, can't wait to see it go together and to see it at a Mini meet or on a run.
Yeah, I am excited to see the finished product. Dan has put a lot of work into the car. I hope to be putting everything back together over the winter and be driving again in the spring.
I spent 2 full days sanding those doors. The media blasting unveiled several pits on the window frames and edging.
Those doors were pretty sad to start with. The crusty skins had seperated from the frame along the bottoms.
I am sure they are much better than factory new now that you have worked them over.
Water tight!
I like the color.
Doors mounted after some shimming.
All the mechanical work on my end is done. Started in on the color sanding and buffing.
Smooth! And, that color is still fantastic! Loving it! 4.gif
Yeah, the color is great. Counting down the days now. 71.gif
Let me know when it's home, I'll drive the racing green up to check it out?
Your workmanship on this project is first class, I hope it lives up to your expectations once it's done, but remember these were cheap little throw away cars when new......it still won't be like a modern car when done. Not trying to be Debby Downer here, just BTDT.
You will have a blast driving it!
You bet Dave, I should be going down to see Dan middle of next week .......then lets get a day for you to come by and check things out. I will keep you posted.
My schedule is flexible, Tuesday is about the only day I'm busy right now.
Few more pics to share of fitting things. We put on new boot rubber. If anyone's ever put on new rubber you know getting the lid closed can be impossible. What I ended up doing was shimming the latch with a couple washers. Works great now. The brake lines with Stans kit for the masters were a tad short after measuring other cars in the shop, plus one had an incompatible thread on one fitting. I have a 25 foot spool of brake line and made up a couple new lines that should have a little extra room to play with.
Can't wait to see it home again in Lawrence, I have a lot of LBC friends in that town, lots of reasons to drive up and visit.
I met a gentleman named Terry last fall when my wife and I had taken the car to the Merc...he gave me a card and told me a bit about the club... I have not been to a meeting yet with my schedule. I would like to get involved in that though
I'm really liking this color. Coming along nicely!
Road trip to Dan's shop today to pick up the mini. The car looks wonderful. Dan put a lot of work into this and I am sure to enjoy driving it for many years to come. Thanks again Dan...... we made it home in one piece , stopped and checked straps 3 or 4 times to be safe and all was well. Now onto putting the rest of it back together.
Congratulations! It looks fantastic!
before picture rehash, so it has come a long ways.
Yikes! :-\
T'was cute enough, but I can totally understandable the project. Well done! 4.gif
In those two pics the color looks even better, deeper, more saturated......can't wait to see it! 4.gif
In direct light it does appear a bit more butterscotch / yellow.... and a darker orange with indirect light. Today was cloudy at Dans and the garage was in evening low lighting.
Hey you're welcome! Glad you made the trip back ok.
Looks fantastic 4.gif
Drove up to Lawrence today to get a look at Stan's Mini - it's really coming along now. Love the custom valve cover!
He's doing an extremely meticulous job, but hopes to have it running by the time warm weather gets here.....can't wait to hear it run!
Looks good, radiator clearance turned out nice.
The engine will rock forward quite a bit once he puts the steadies in, I had to notch the fender a little bit to make room for mine.
That looks great. 4.gif
Thanks for stopping by today Dave. It was great to finally meet you and to meet Don also. The internet can be a pretty amazing place to share ideas and knowledge and common interests , but it's even better when you get to meet the real people that are hanging out in cyber space with you on the mini forum. I have met a few forum members this past year and hopefully to meet some more in the future.
I got to go for a spin in Don's V-tech P'up and that thing hauls ass. I was looking for the Oh Sh*t handle in the cab . I think I need a V-Tech. Very cool center binnacle he designed and Dave had done some customizing of the exhaust manifold area among other things under the hood....... It's just a sharp looking truck.
I got to look over Dave's Racing Green mini with its cool wood dash / wheel and now with the magnolia gauges. The exhaust has a nice rumble too. Next time I will have to go for a spin.
My neighbor had to come over and take pictures as well as a few passer by's stopping to do the same. It was an exciting day in my neighborhood.
Seeing the 2 sharp looking minis today reminds me that I need to keep the pace and get this garage project done, so I can go driving. 4.gif
As much fun as it is to resurrect one like this, the real fun comes when you hit the road and put some (s)miles on it!
Let me know if I can help with the wiring and such.....
So awesome, I just went through this entire thread.
Stan, love your work on refinishing the bit and pieces. Looking great!
Dan, that's some great body work and paint too!
Soon that could be you!
Oh I'm seriously trying hard not to just go into my garage right now and start dismantling things. Would be hard to take to the show this weekend after that though. Looking forward to more updates on this being put back together.
Stan has run into some life changing problems and after about a year of just sitting in his garage, his car is coming to my shop for me to finish getting together and running, it's supposed to come down this Sunday but we'll see if that comes together....pics as it happens!
Alan came this evening to load the mini. Its on the trailer and ready to go to your house tomorrow Dave. Thanks for your help
Excellent, I have the shop cleaned out, all I need to do is pull the racing green Mini off the lift and we can roll yours right on.
See you guys tomorrow then! 77.gif
OK, so now the project is in my hands for the next phase.......the car arrived and we managed to roll it into my shop and onto the lift. Stan brought a bunch of boxes of new parts for me to sort thru, some assembly required! ;D
As we get going Stan will get his interior ordered and once it's running and drivable I'll take it up to the local upholstery shop to have the headliner installed....then we'll go from there.
Pics as it happens!
I may be willing to make a day trip to do the headliner and glass.
Now that you know where my shop is..... ;D
I've got a ways to go before I'm ready for that step......
I figured that's awhile out. Probably easier for me to do it, especially when you'd have to drive there sans windshields.
Today was spent sorting thru the boxes to see what parts I had (and what I didn't have) and laying out the work. I got the front harness laid into place, sorted out the rear harness, installed the alternator, coil and bracket, engine steady and installed the custom valve cover.
I made a list of pieces parts I still need, most of the small bits I can get up at Victoria British, and Stan said he found a couple more boxes of parts in his garage and he'll bring them down tomorrow.
A good start for the first day.
Looks good. It's nice working with new parts.
Yes, but everything is a puzzle....does this go here, or here? How do I get this bolted in? Does it go in before or after this other thing? and so on.....it all takes time to sort out, since I didn't take it apart I have no memories or pics to refer back to. There might be some starts and stops and re-do's, but I'll get there......
I try to imagine what order the factory used when they put it together the first time......
If I ever quit driving mine and actually start taking it apart I'll try to document it well.
Stan brought me a thumbdrive full of pics tonight, but even so he says he still thinks he didn't take enough pics........
I don't think you can take too many pics, especially of details and wiring connections.
A little more accomplished, master cylinders are in and the clutch controls, I also installed his "eyes" so he could see! ;D
I see my brake lines reach 4.gif
I had to put a pretty good kink in the one to shorten it enough to reach......
Easy to make them shorter, hard to make them longer!
I really like that valve cover - it has a 1950s sci-fi look to it. Like it houses an atomic reactor or something. 77.gif
edit: Or like Robby's car in Forbidden Planet !
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/85/d5/16/85d51607a2549c7b4d2a299ea3475801.jpg)
Yep, and Stan customized it to match the rest of the engine scheme......very spendy tho - check DSN for all sorts of cool A series stuff - you should see their timing chain covers......
To open it you just press those buttons on top, and the lid pops open, but I think you'd probably want to take it off to adjust the valves rather than work thru the lid opening.
OK, so the pedal assemblies are in, radiator is in and plumbed, master cylinders are in, clutch controls are in and adjusted, carb and intake are on, new fuse panel installed and a bunch of wiring done.
Moving right along 77.gif
I like that idea, but around here we use our heaters!
I had both for a while on my last Mini, and found it to be pretty accurate, comparing pretty well with the mechanical - but I liked the idea of having actual numbers to work with rather than somebody's idea of what hot and normal are
Quote from: 94touring on December 13, 2017, 05:19:58 PM
Moving right along 77.gif
Seems like I take 3 steps back for every one forward.....I had those master cylinders in and out three times - I had the pedal assy in and out twice and the engine steady in and out at least 5 times......but every day the car gets more complete.
Still trying to figure out the rear wiring harness, I got it passed down thru the A pillar and the engine side buttoned up only to discover that the electrical connectors in the rear won't pass thru the opening I was going to feed them thru, so I may have to pull it out again and feed the front up thru the rear......I hope not but I'm not seeing any other way to do it short of cutting a hole in the rear panel large enough for those ends to pass thru.
Any advice from those who have gone before me?
Flur was the first full build I did, and I had things in and out several times too.
Did you have the rear wiring harness out of the car?
I did not. I've been lucky enough to not have to run the harness from front to back. I stuffed it in the companion box I want to say when I sprayed.
I did the rear wiring harness on a 1961 MK-I a few years back. I ran it from the front to the back. I was able to carefully feed the ends through a gap at the end of the parcel shelf where the factory harness came out.
When I removed the old harness, I used it to pull a "fish line" through the C-pillar for drawing the new harness back down.
Since you are likely to still have the tank out, you could possibly use a piece of stiff "bailing" wire to run up from the boot to the top of the C-pillar to use as a "fish line" to pull the harness back down.
I carefully tape wrapped (masking tape worked fine) the new harness ends and branches into a single strip/bundle to avoid snags - no loose ends.
Yeah, the problem is that these ends won't go thru the gap......I thought that back corner might let them thru, but it doesn't.....
That plug doesn't fit up there in the corner where the parcel shelf meets the c post?
I do not recall mine having those kind of connectors on its ends. Mine was for a MK-I, so I think they were a series of bullet connectors instead.
I agree with Dan, they "should" be able to be squeezed one at a time through the gap at the very back of the C-pillar and parcel shelf. That is the gap mine went down.
Well, I'm going to give it one more go before I cry uncle and pull the harness out and feed it thru from the back to the front, as I already have the front end all buttoned up. Those connectors are for the taillight assemblies and so far I haven't been able to persuade them thru the gap, but I'll give it another go today......
So I wound up taking the rear harness out again and running it from the back to the front, it was a major PITA but at least now I know how it's done.
Still waiting on a few key parts that are at Stan's, I'll pick them up this weekend but I still have plenty I can do yet.....
Now we know! Next time I have my tank out I'll see if my clips fut between the parcel and c post.
I think it's only the cars with the large taillights.....
Mine has the same clips. But I seem to remember feeding them through to paint.
Could just be this car I guess.......
A few more bits installed, wiring harness to the back, shifter and some others.....
Exhaust is done.....it IS nice to be working with new parts.....I spy a loose brake line that didn't get attached.....
Brakes are overrated.
Could you have just released the ends out of the connector and fed the wires through and then put the plastic connector back on or do they not release?
Looking very good nice work Stan, Dan, and Dave
No, the connectors do not release from the harness wires......it wasn't too bad a job once I figured out which way to go, but it was one that benefited from an extra pair of hands, which I did not have, so I had to get creative.....
I just want to say that I am really digging this orange color. Looks great in photos. A nice change from the typical red Mini (nothing against red - I've owned two red Minis myself).
I think once it's all together it will be a showpiece, I wonder what he's going to do for the interior - he says he has something in mind.......I should have it running in a couple of days or so. I'd like to send it home for Xmas!
A few more things finished......the 9 gallon fuel tank is in - next up for that end I need to install the electric fuel pump.
Stan had to tke the left axle out to get the motor installed, so I also buttoned it up for him.
Still working on how to mount the switch panel, the brackets that came with it just dont seem right for this dash...still working that out. Got the accelerator cable and linkage done, got the heater hoses run and the heater installed, got the breather pipes cut and installed.....the engine compartment is starting to get a bit crowded, just like a Mini!
I also got all the fresh air vents tubes and pipes run on the right side, waiting for one more piece to complete the puzzle on the left side.
The switch panel area of the lower dash rail looks like the version that is supposed to have the padded cover. With that style, there are two sort of 'L' brackets that attach on bolts through those tiny holes and have larger holes for the choke and heater cables to go through and hold the switch plate to the brackets. The brackets act as 'stand-offs' to hold the switch plate to the front of the padded cover.
Yep, thanks for the comment Michael....I finally got it sorted tonight - Stan sent me a pic of the original and I figured it out from there. I didn't know the dash pad was so thick there and I hadn't taken the new one out of the package to see how it was made.
Tonight I finished up under the car save for one more task - well two now that I think of it.....I have to slip the main cable under it's clips and put that rear brake line right.
Tonight I did get the exhaust all tightened up and I made a bracket to mount the SU fuel pump, and got it plumbed. I still have to run a wire back to the pump, so I guess I'm not done underneath after all..... ::) ;D
Dave, I appreciate all of your hard work on the mini. Everything looks great. You have really helped me out here. Thank you.
Not a huge amount accomplished today.....installed and wired the center dash panel so I could hook up the choke, heater and accelerator cables. Made a wire loom for the fuel pump and installed that. Installed the oil pressure gauge hose and speedo cable. Started on the center dash binnacle and discovered the new loom didn't have the connector on the end to match up to the new wiring harness, so Stan will come by and pick it up tonight and solder it onto the harness.
In the meantime I still have plenty to do......but it is getting there!
Ahhhh.....the clutch and brake master cylinder clevis pins and cotters - the bane of every Mini owner! I've managed to get both pins in place and the brake cotter in and bent over - I have the clutch cotter in but cannot get ahold of it sufficiently to get even one leg bent over aaagggggghhhhhhh!
Driving me nuts!
However, some small good news, I found the correct harness for the instruments (with the connector already attached) and the missing air box that goes down in the left fender for the fresh air hose
Seems like some enterprising Mini nut would invent a special tool to install the pedal to master cylinder pins and cotter pins in place. Some sort of a pliers thingy that would slid the pins in, then install and bend the cotter pins.
I wonder how the did it on the Mini factory line? And pity the guy whose job was to fit those on the assembly line each day!
Such a thing does exist to install the clevis pins, but I've not seen anything for the cotters.....
Had to go borrow a double flare tool, the reason that brake line wasn't attached was it had the wrong fitting on it, but the right one was there waiting in the T-junction. There's plenty of line so I'll cut it off and re-flare the end with the right fitting on it and it will be good to go.
I also got the linkage sorted for the carb and as luck would have it I found the correct wiring harness for the instruments.
If there was a fitting in the T junction waiting, it must have been on my to do list which was forgotten about. :-[
That was my guess......I think those marks on the fitting on the line indicate it's a metric fitting.
They do. He bought a brake kit but it had the wrong fittings for a t junction as I recall.
Small progress.....it's only 20* out today so it's hard to be in the shop for more than a short while.....
Wired up the instrument cluster, only to find that this newest harness - with the correct end on it - is short one bulb holder, so we'll splice one in from the other harness when Stan brings it back to me. This 3 gauge cluster with the magnolia gauges really looks terrific, and will go great with Stan's interior scheme.
Next I had to sort the shifter, I installed it exactly as it came out of the box brand new and once in the car the shifter just wasn't right. After studying on it a bit, I concluded the shift eye (the part the shift ball goes into) was upside down - all it took to right it was to release the connector at the transmission and rotate it 180* and put the clip back in (Stan bought one of those nifty clips like Bruce did) now it feels pretty right - a little notchy, but there's no oil in the trans so I'll wait till I fill it up and it's running and then see how it does.
Back to the dash, the next thing I need to do is sort out the steering column, it has a lot of play in the lower bushing end, I need to see what's up there, then I can go ahead and install and wire it too.
Once it and the instrument cluster are in I can hook up the battery and start trouble shooting the wiring - you know there are going to be "issues" before it all works as it should, I just hope I don't let any smoke out! I've gone back and forth on fuse holders, Stan has a 4, 6 and 8 fuse holders that take the modern blade style fuses, but I opted for the traditional 4 fuse holder so far to make wiring it up easier. However, I'm not real impressed with the quality of these later "Lucas" fuse holders, I usually have to go in and bend the tabs that hold the fuses as right out of the box they're loose as can be. We'll see how this goes.....
Got the lower bearing in the steering column sorted, it's nice and snug now and will be a bit stiff till it gets some miles on it, the bushing simply wasn't in place - but I had to disassemble the column to get to it. All I need to do now is put the shrouds back on and it's ready....one more thing off the list.
I also had to go in and rob some wires out of the old harness for the reverse lights switch...fortunately I found just what I needed in the old wiring harness - even in the right colors! - although I did have to chew up Stan's nice tape job a bit to get to them......but since he's got a whole new harness for the car it's no loss I guess.
Check out what my girlfriend got for me for christmas !!
Got the steering column all finished up and installed...
Checked the wires I harvested from the old harness and they fit perfectly, even the ends match up - result!
Very cool wallet, Stan....is that a Paul Smith Mini?
Is that a Banta fur rug? ;D
Cool walet 4.gif
thanks, yeah Paul Smith mini.....bed bath beyond fake blankey haha
Everything looks great Dave, thank you.
Home stretch now, I have to make a ground wire for the fuel pump, trace and hookup a few more wire connections under the bonnet and in the dash. Install the gauge panel, bleed the brakes and clutch, adjust the rear brakes and/or handbrake. Install missing clamps on the CVs and axles and tighten the tie rod ends I noticed were loose. Fill the engine with oil, pull the plugs and crank up oil pressure, install the distributor and set the timing. Gas in the tank and water in the radiator and it will be time to twist her tail and make her talk.....
One good warm day or several of the cold ones we're having right now - certainly ready to go home by the first of the year!
A little more progress today, dash is installed, wired up, oil pressure line connected, speedo cable connected. Speedo cable was giving me fits so I pulled it out of the car - I realized the ends were not fitting into their respective sockets both in the transmission and the speedo head, so I took a fine file to those square sections and dressed them out a bit - once that was done both ends fit perfectly. This has to be one of the easier speedo cables to reach on the transmission end - maybe because the Spicer joints are smaller? Dunno, but it wasn't too bad
Anyway, I also found out what's hanging up the shifter - turns out the reverse light switch wasn't adjusted, and had wound itself all the way in so it was blocking the shifter mechanism. Once I backed it out I could easily get all 4 gears, now I'll have to adjust it to get reverse to slot in properly, then at last I'll be done with the shifter!
Got the rest of the wiring harness hooked up under the dash and started testing things - no smoke yet! :D
I now have lights, but I haven't found the flasher units yet to test the turn signals and 4-ways. The wiper motor works and parks, and even the dome light works - with the doors no less!
Next I'll get the fuel pump ground wire made and tested, button up the shifter once and for all, find the flasher relays and continue testing the electrics.
Got the turn signals and flashers working too, I also got the turn signal self canceling to work....I also clamped up the axle boots and tightened the tie rod ends. So the front end is done now, still have to finish sorting out the shifter and the fuel pump.
Next up, put oil in and crank up oil pressure......
It's freakin cold out, but I warmed up the garage enough to do a few things - I got the ground cable for the fuel pump made and installed, put the shifter together, put oil in the engine - man it takes a long time for 20W50 to drain down out of the valve cover when it's this cold and the oil has been sitting on the floor!
I got the distributor in and the base timing set - so it should at least start. Then I pulled the plugs and cranked up oil pressure.
About the only thing left to do to get it to start is connect the hot side of the fuel pump to the fuse panel, wire up the distributor and put some gas in the tank and see what she does!
I also need to adjust the rear brakes and bleed them along with the clutch before I can set it down on it's wheels and get to move itself.
Today Dan drove up from Tulsa to my shop in KC to do the headliner install and front and rear windshields. I knew a headliner was a fiddly job, but man! When it comes time to do mine I'll either have Dan do it or the local upholstery shop.....I just don't have the patience.....
And to me the simpler Mk. I and Mk. II style of headliner looks so much better than the later fussy to install style.
All righty then, headliner is done, and the front and rear windshields are in - took about 5 hours of steady hard work but I think the results are worth it!
It's supposed to warm up some tomorrow so I can open the garage door - tomorrow we'll see if she can make some noise!
The car is coming together nicely. Too bad I couldn't be there on the initial fire up.
That headliner install looks fantastic. It really looks like a jewel of a car. Very clean and sorted.
Thanks. I'd say it's very wrinkle free too.
Interesting the difference in color in the two photographs - mine and Dan's - between our two cellphones.
Quote from: 94touring on January 05, 2018, 06:16:08 PM
Thanks. I'd say it's very wrinkle free too.
Yes. I jealously noticed that. ;D Better than the factory did it for sure.
Dan and I were wondering how they got it done quickly on the assembly line back in the day.......
That photo was enhanced, here's the original. And another angle to the headliner.
Other things to note: original bows are stiffer and easier to work with. The new ones Stan bought were a bit flimsy and also a hair shorter. Not short enough to matter but I noticed.
I guess I'm going to have to drop the shifter assy back out, I cannot get the reverse switch adjusted correctly and I can't tell what's wrong with it in the car.....I can't get this car into reverse.
the car is looking great I like the color. What type of trans is it? Could it just need to be run some to get some fresh oil on everything internal?
It's your basic rod change gearbox, it was assembled when I got the car.....I have oil in the crankcase and I have cranked up oil pressure, so the gears have been spun quite a bit. The lever absolutely doesn't want to move back after you lift it up over the detent, the forward gears feel normal enough.....I'm hoping there's just something amiss in the linkage.....although it's pretty simple.....
Dave, i have the slightly shorter steady rod for 998, do you think this 1/2 inch shorter rod would help this ? The rod on it i am thinking is the later one ?
It's possible that's exactly what's bothering it.......it could be that it can't get 4th or reverse because it can't move it far enough because that rod is just that much too long.....I'm still going to pull the shifter assy out and see about the adjustment of the reverse switch.
I'll go online and see what it says about those steady rods.....
Edit:yep - that could be the answer!
When my rod (giggity) was altered due to being loose, it would do precisely as you have described Dave. Didn't know 998s had a short one. Bet that's it.
Ok, i will be back in a couple days , and can bring it down to you. I remember buying the shorter one after i got the shifter assembly, because like many other parts i acquired, i had no idea what would be correct so i ended up buying some xtras
The steady rod in Stan's shifter now is 18 1/2" from the center of the eye to the flat that butts up against the shift housing - anyone have one from a 998 that you can measure for comparison?
I also found the end of the reverse light switch bent over from moving the shift rod when things weren't put together correctly, but I was able to straighten it and upon testing it with my ohm meter it seems to work fine, so I put it back in in what I think will be the right location and adjustment.
While we're on the subject of shifters, anyone use one of those spring bias devices successfully? One of my friends had one on his car and it was constantly breaking the rubber bobbins at the back of the shift housing and causing him grief. He took it off, put in a new front bushing and two new bobbins and the car shifts perfectly now, and he hasn't broken anything in a few months now......conclusion, the spring adds too much torque and tears the rubbers.....do not use. It might be fine for a race car with a solid mounted shifter but not for street driven cars.
It's. A. Live!
I forgot to hook up the battery......
Yesterday it was 51*, today it's 14*......Stan came to bring me the missing shifter part tonight and I had him start it too, but we only ran it for a moment as it's just too cold to open the garage door.
Left to do.....
Bleed the brakes
Bleed the clutch
Install the shifter
Install and wire the horns
Install and wire the driving lights
I'm sure there's more......
Send it home.
sweet it runs
So is it just typical of these motors to have a slight run on after the ignition is turned off? Sounded like this one did it, and mine does too.
Success!!!
I love the smell of a newly rebuilt motor as the new headers heat up and burn off whatever got on them and the paint on the block cures. Technically it is not great smell at all - but it's all about lots of memories each time I smell it.
Quote from: gr8kornholio on January 11, 2018, 06:52:16 PM
So is it just typical of these motors to have a slight run on after the ignition is turned off? Sounded like this one did it, and mine does too.
It wasn't running on, I don't have the idle set yet, so it just died....slowly.
They will run on if the idle is too high.
Quote from: BruceK on January 11, 2018, 07:08:06 PM
Success!!!
I love the smell of a newly rebuilt motor as the new headers heat up and burn off whatever got on them and the paint on the block cures. Technically it is not great smell at all - but it's all about lots of memories each time I smell it.
It is a great feeling when one starts for the first time.....especially when it pops right off like this and runs smoothly. Rose was trying to get my attention that she was taking the dogs for a walk, with my head buried in the engine I couldn't hear her......
I haven't run it long enough to get everything to start smoking yet, that will have to wait a bit as it's gotten very cold again - 10* tonight and I have to work tomorrow so I won't get back on it till the weather warms up a bit again, that could be a while, it's not supposed to be above 30* til about the 20th of the month and we have many days in the single digits before then.
So, it's been an entire month since I was able to work on Stan's car.....in between I spent a week in hospital with pneumonia and the last three weeks sitting on the couch coughing crap up out of my lungs!
The good news is that I'm finally feeling like I'm getting better - still not there yet by a long shot but as soon as it warms up a bit (supposed to be mid 40's tomorrow and mid 60's Thursday) I can probably get in an hour here and there and make a bit of progress. Stan brought me the shorter shift rod for the rod change and it looks like that will fix the issues I was having with the shifter.
I also have to bleed the brakes and clutch and wire up the fog/driving lights. After that it's tidy up a few loose ends and do a little tuning on the carb and it's ready to go back to Lawrence and Stan's shop. I'm excited to see it move under its own power but with no seats that will have to wait.
I'm looking forward to seeing it on the road too!
Well, I HOPE he's going to drive it, but with a car this perfect and clean, he may be reticent to take it out and play with it for fear of scratching it or getting it dirty - that would be understandable given the investment he's made, but sad just the same.
Slight progress.....got the shifter installed today with the new short steady arm and bingo! works just the way it's supposed to.
I'm only good for an hour here and there right now, but progress is progress.
Glad that solved it!
Slight progress.....
Horns located and wired up - and they work!
Fog lights in and wired up, and they work too! 4.gif
When we ran the engine the other day the temp gauge went to "H", but when I put my digital thermometer on the head and radiator it was right where it should be, so we have a sender that's wrong or something. I did get to adjust the carb a bit, so the engine idles nicely now, still need to add some oil to the carb and do some fine tuning, but it's getting there.
Is it an electrical or mechanical temperature gauge? Was it a rapid jump or slow gradual climb to 'H'?
If electrical, a) could there be a short to ground somewhere else in the wiring for the gauge? b) could it require regulated/reduced voltage to be on the correct scale? (Gauge expects 0-10V and was receiving 0-12V and thus reading high?)
Slow gradual climb, gauge is operating off the voltage stabilizer so it should be getting 9V, not 12V....I need to check that it's getting 9V to make sure but I know it's wired that way.
Last things I need to do are bleed the brakes and clutch, and I may need to pull the wok, something's not right in the clutch assy...I'm wondering if they forgot to put a release bearing in or if it's on backwards or something.
More as I figure it out.....
Well today could be a banner day, I've got the brakes bled and the clutch seems to be operating properly, time to tighten the wheels and see if it will drive itself out of the garage. Of course, it will be really interesting as all I have for a seat is a small step stool!
I only found one leak, the hose at the left caliper wasn't quite tight enough, but it only took a short twist of the wrench to fix it.
Just in time too, Dan is due with his engine and I need the car off the lift to unload it.
More as/if it happens...
One really interesting thing, I noticed what looked like a small light blinking down near the timing marks when it was running the other day - it looks like a static electricity spark jumping between the timing mark tab and the crankshaft pulley - anyone ever experience this before? I have a vid of it if I can figure out how to get it out of my phone...windows did another update and now some things don't work the way they used too.
Hope the brakes are good. It's down hill from your garage and sitting a stool won't be much fun.
The brakes worked - so did the clutch! 71.gif
Here's the weird spark I was talking about! The only thing I can think of is static charge built up the fan belt?
I didn't notice the cop till just now lol.
4.gif Yay! I can't wait to drive it. Maybe I can use a egg crate until I get the seats in . Everything looks great. I really appreciate all your help Dave. And the headliner is amazing Dan, Thank you .
Ha, yeah, the police. Going to get its first ticket for me Dan.
I had a guy cut me off after blowing a yield , and then pass me in town in a 20 mph zone last week with a police officer following and nothing happened to him. I would have had 3 tickets if I did that.
Would have been my first time pulled sitting on a crate, no seatbelts, no hood.
just missing the 6 pack o' beer.
Tossing an empty can out the window as the cop goes by.
I have a couple of leaky bits to sort out, then it's ready to go home....tentatively over this weekend.
Did you pull the clutch hard line to see what the deal was? Anything else on the brakes leaking?
No, I'll look into it tomorrow.....
You guys have done a phenomenal job on the car! I gotta say, the Bracken out in the day looks really good. It is a 'changing' color.
Thanks, just fettling the loose bits now. I had to replace the lines that go to the master cylinders, and I found the copper washers that seal the SS brake lines to the calipers were the wrong size. I'm having a difficult time finding some that will work, but my backup plan is to install a set of new standard rubber brake hoses that I have on hand.
Pics when I'm done.
Finally got all the hydraulic leaks sorted, I had to file the sealing surface where the hose attaches to one of the front calipers, despite changing hoses and sealing washers it still leaked till I got it smoothed out and straight. PITA cheap parts.....I did change the hoses to stock rubber ones too, what a PITA that job is, easy when the subframe is sitting on the floor, in the car it's another matter! To do the left one requires removing the radiator. Oh it's supposed to be doable thru the little window in the inner fender, but I could not get a wrench on the locking nut, so out it came.
Anyway, that should be it....I have to put the radiator back in and add coolant, then start it up and make sure I've got all the air bubbles out. I need to richen the carb another half turn and I think it's there. It starts easily, shifts well and Dan said even on his short run that it seemed to pull strong.
Now "all" Stan has to do is finish the glass and interior and it's a car!
First pic shows that even after I dressed the surface, the center is not being touched, the second shows that's the area the copper washer seals against, the third after I finished it.
Better you than me on those brakes! Never seen a car with so many pesky leaks!
I've never had problems like that sealing up the brakes before, but it's all good now. The pedals right up where it should be and everything is working correctly.
This morning Stan and Alan Miller are coming to get the car, it'll be great to see it driving out under it's own power, ready for Stan to finish the interior and start putting some miles on it.
And she's on her way home!
Stan just text'd me that he's driven his car around the block 6 times since he got it home! Wonder how he did that without a seat? ;D
I like the color more each time I see it. And I like the Baja as the two vehicle too.
I had an egg crate and everyone set on the floor. So fun. Several laps around the block today to get used to how it drives. Thanks Dave !
Glad it's home and drivable, even if it's just an egg crate for now.
Dan, i am ready to install carpet and dash pad. Should i use contact cement for dash pad and carpet under padding, or maybe that scotch super77 spray. I think i even have a super 90 ? something spray
I don't use adhesive for the carpet but that spray adhesive 3m 77 or whatever it is I use for the dash pad.
Ok, the carpet i suppose wont go anywhere after all the seats are in place. Might be easier in the future if i dont have to tear out a pile of jute i glued to the floor .
Your rubber door surrounds hold much of it. Heel boards also have metal tabs. Then seats and seat belts.
Dan, I want to poke those sun visors and the rear view mirror in, but I cannot remember where the holes are. And I didn't seem to take pics of that area on take down. Do you have a mini w/ no liner and can measure the spots close enough for me to stab at it. I dont want to mess up this headliner.
Use a pin to find them, that way the holes are tiny.....don't forget the interior light too.
I'll get some measurements but yeah I usually poke around with a pick.
today I got the windows put in , but not the pop outs as I am redoing the rubber seals inside the chrome trim...this is a pain in the ass and not sure why I took them apart , but only to remove a bit of rust. I may just end up using a black silicone sealer instead , as the mini spares rubber strip is super thick and seemingly impossible. There is very little space on the sides of the glass against the chrome and I am afraid to force the glass back in. I bought new window rail supports for the roll ups but opted not to use them as I was afraid to break the glass taking the old ones off. So I just cleaned up the rusty edges. So I hate messing with glass.
As soon as I get the pop outs put in I can finish the carpet, and buy some seat covers. Woo woo
Hey! That looks like one of those fancy ventilation seats that keep your butt cool. ;D
I'm excited to see Stan carrying on and getting the car put back together....won't be any time at all before he's terrorizing Lawrence in it! ;D
So after trying for 2 hours to use the minispares rubber trim and whacking the edge of the chrome with a mallet , I give up before I break something. Gonna use some black silicone or similar.
I just used clear 100% silcone on mine worked very well, it's easier to clean up after its dry let it squeeze out and dry then use a plastic scraper to remove the excess.
A few years back I did a set of rear pop-out windows on a 1961 Mini I was refurbishing. I found out (the hard way) the replacement sealing rubber available then was just slightly too thick and would not work.
Fortunately for me, I had a contact that had a bundle of the thinner version that worked.
Unfortunately, the thinner was NLA at that time.
Jeff10049's approach seems a good idea.
I tried the silicone and made a mess, so i found some on ebay, just a bit of polishing tp the latches and moving on with it. I think my frames were a bit warped from trying the thick seals, so i gave up there .
Don't toss the other set. Maybe one of us can try our luck with them. What else is left?
I will save them. I am trying to get some seat covers and door cards ordered, just waiting to hear back on that. So , seats, carpet, cards and then sort out any bugs that come up. I will take a pic of tie rod ends, i spaced that off, sorry
Stan good to see your progress! I finally got my mini on the road last week, so all is moving nicely now.
Those @&^%!&%^$!! quarter windows are a PITA to reseal.....thanks in no part to an unamed vendor here in the USA that sells said gasket for these windows that is just too thick. I went the silicone route and they turned out ok. I even found the right rivets for the latches and rivet tool (by hand mind you!).
You can see what I went through here:
http://www.thebluepotato.net/blog/2017/08/report21-the-simple-complexity-and-pain/
I need to find some backup windows that I can hold on to....all the ones on ebay are blue tinted, etc. But I guess if I find good frames, that's all that matters.
I have the carpet jute padding in and spray tacked it with scotch 90 and did the bulkhead carpet which was a bit of an ordeal. On to tacking the sill carpet and cross member. So the large carpet pads have some insulate already tacked to the back on the new sets. There is a rivet kit bag to tack them to the floor at the sill edge. What have any of you used here? Spray tack the carpet to the pad on the floor and also rivet or no spray tack and just rivet the edges or maybe just throw it in there and who cares. Not sure what is best , but I thought maybe to just rivet the edges and didn't feel there would be any movement of the carpet since the two jute backing pads will mate up.
I did have a guy in UK make me some nice floor mats exact match to the Newton carpet set and also a carpet speaker board for under the back seat. I dont plan to put a stereo in the car because now I can just put 2 speakers hidden behind the carpet board and a small amp mounted to it too and just play spotify or whatever from my phone. I will need to run a bit of wire and fuse but I will worry about this later. Just install the board for now.
Dan will be here this week to pick it up and paint the rear quarter I mess up attempting to install quarter window by myself. Seems it would be better as a two person job to hold glass and one inside to tack it in there.
I am waiting on the seat covers , so close and will be driving this thing by May ! Yay! Just in time as I am parting with my b mini.
I would just glue them down, why make more holes in the car? Did you get the shift boot screwed down? I couldn't find the right clips in your boxes of stuff......
I think i will do that. The snaps that they include in the set look high speed and the anchors are already along the bottom of sill area but i have to rivet, not my specialty ha.
No on the shift boot. I have a leather boot to install and just havent done it yet. Maybe tomorrow
If they are just Pop rivets, I can loan you a tool to install them....I have one with an adjustable head, so you can get down into tight spaces or corners.
I have an adjustable rivet tool, i am just not sure of rivet size and super clumsy
"Dan new problem, I riveted the bonnet to the roof"
Quote from: stan360 on April 09, 2018, 09:54:36 AM
I have an adjustable rivet tool, i am just not sure of rivet size
Just glue it down then, if you decide you need it riveted you can always do it later.
Yeah Dave, I think I will tack it down up to the edges and decide on that rivet part a bit later. I did get all the other pieces installed. Hole poked for shifter in front pad and I have yet to cut out the steering column and seat brackets. I will get to it tomorrow and finish all this up.
I am looking for pictures of how the carpet is cut for the manual shifter now. I just cut a small hole for now to flatten it out . The auto has just a very small hole and the box rested on top.
I see some carpets with very large cut outs all the way around the manual boot where the edge is showing , some with the shift boot and plate screwed into the carpet and no obvious carpet edge, some where the plate is under the carpet , I will figure out that part out tonight
Starting to look like a car!
So you have seats on order?
I do , they are going to be two color, brown with cream beige centers with an edging trim that is a tan orange color. Beige cream matching door panels so this should bring the bracken paint, the brown carpet and that cool headliner together and with the magnolia gauges I think it should look sort of classy and retro at the same time.
I have the carpet in good enough for dan to cruise it with a seat. The main mat pieces i didnt tack down yet because ibwant to figure out the shifter area, but i did get tothe dash pad. I initially ordered one from minispares and it had a small dent, so i ordered another and guess what, another small dent , so its on with a small dent, dammit ha. I will wait and have dan hold the quarter windows so i can attach them before the trip and not f up the other quarter panel. 11.gif
Sometimes you can apply a little heat (like from a hairdryer) and those dents will come back out. Dash panel looks great!
Well done!
I will try a hair dryer Dave, I just couldn't bring myself to buy a 3rd dash pad. Ugh. I can live with it otherwise, I am just ready to drive this mini !
Less than a month I know at this point.
Don't overdo it, heck setting the car in the sun will do it sometimes......
It's been a long haul, I'm glad you can see the end of it at last, now it's time for the fun part - driving it!
Yes, so close to finish line. I am excited. Thought for a minute this morning when we loaded it i may be peddling flintstone style with a hole in floor. Ha, shit, so funny. This damn car. And dan spots a dent in upper front fender i probably elbowed in at some point. Well, dan is the man, he can sort all the things and it will be perfect and tearing up L town in a few weeks .
Turns out I can do paintless dent repair. Two elbow dents gone.
Just pushed up gently from underneath with the dollys?
Hot up here today 80* and the wind is blowing like crazy - supposed to snow tomorrow or Sunday!
Yeah bought a dolly and hammer kit. A little brute force over the area and away they went.
Have the garage door open today it's so nice out.
Quote from: stan360 on April 11, 2018, 04:34:35 PM
I have the carpet in good enough for dan to cruise it with a seat. The main mat pieces i didnt tack down yet because ibwant to figure out the shifter area, but i did get tothe dash pad. I initially ordered one from minispares and it had a small dent, so i ordered another and guess what, another small dent , so its on with a small dent, dammit ha. I will wait and have dan hold the quarter windows so i can attach them before the trip and not f up the other quarter panel. 11.gif
On my car I installed the shift boot completely. The carpet had a nice oval hole for the shifter and the boot hung low enough that I put the carpet in the around the boot and it is hid by the boot. Can take it out in a minute if needed.
Quote from: thebluepotato on March 29, 2018, 02:04:16 PM
Stan good to see your progress! I finally got my mini on the road last week, so all is moving nicely now.
The red interior looks great with tweed paint. Such a nice looking mini. So cool
Wille B, I am going to do some fiddling with this thought. I have to work with the 2 bolts that come up through tunnel and hold that shifter in place. They are right close to cross member and cause the carpet to stick up. So some trimming on the jute backing and a bit o scotch 90. I have a leather shift boot I like, but the bast is not small like to rubber factory boot. So I may just put the plate on top of the carpet , but that may also cause the 2 bolts to stick up into carpet farther . I will work out the bugs when Dan is done fixing all my f ups to his nice paint job. I am going to do the dash pad again...I dont think I can live with a very visible dent and maybe I really want to glue it on firmer.
Now I am struggling to find seat belts. Black is easy to find , but I want beige. I can only find nice front belts so far. The car never came with rear belts but has holes for lap belts. I did find some beige rear belts but not sure if i will be happy with them as they seem to be a universal belt that is I hope is not crazy long after adjustment.
The lap belts I put in the rear of mine were way long. A trip to a shoe repair place got them shortened just fine. They have the heavy duty sewing machine needed.
Got Stan all fixed up today. Color sand and buff tomorrow.
Thanks Dan, i was so sick when i scratched the car. Got the seat foams , etc and a third dash pad today. No dents in the dash pad this time, they packed it well. So i will redo the lower dash when dan is done.
Going to prep the seat frames this week and my covers should ship monday. And i ordered some cool dsn door harware. I had to do some digging to find beige seatbelts for the car. No luck finding brown ones.The back had no belts and the front were grey originally. Didnt realize how pricey the belts could be.
I thought there was a ghost in the paint booth until I realized the car's door was open.
BTW, That door hardware is nice!
Yes, it does look like a ghost, ha. Today i am prepping the seat frames , covers are done and ship today, so i better hurry. I didnt seem to take pics of the back seat during tear down to remember what to do with the back pad.
This is the most fun part of a build, finding cool new bits and everything you do makes it that much more of a car....fun times.
Dan brought the mini home today and of course he did an amazing job fixing the quarter , doing some dent popping and buttoning up some loose ends for me, thanks again Dan
car looks great!
Well, i put another dash pad on today as i didnt like the dented one. This time i took the switch panel off instead of cramming it over top the thing. Pad looks good, is secure but i cannot get the damn switch panel in yet. What a pain. I need to fiddle with it to hit the holes and then put the chrome strip on. I did get the main rear carpet pad tacked down and trimmed and will do the front pad tomorrow .
Whenever I encounter a tough assembly like this I try to figure out how it would have gone together on the assembly line.....
I'll try to channel some ziggy stardust ;D
You may need to lower the heater box to get behind the switch plate.
I had it off to install pad, but yeah, I think I need to drop it to mash this panel in there.
You shouldn't have any wonky switch grounding/shorting issues with the panel installed properly now though.
I think that fog lamp switch is cheap, i messed with it a bit and see where it is loose, i may order new cheap switch. Ha. Maybe just open it up and see what is loose
I got my discontinued small washer bottle in mail today. With the new wiring the big one is a no go, so after some digging i was lucky to find one online, woo woo. Not that using the wipers on this car is going to do much, and i probably wont be driving it in the rainy weather.
The big bottles always looked out of place to me, nice find with the small one.
Carpet is DONE! What a pain in the ass, this was. So difficult to make it look perfect, but i think it is close.
Looks good from here!
Are you going to make people take their shoes off before they get in? I would--That looks great!
Ha, i may do that. Put car slippers in there for driving. Ha. Today i got the shift boot sorted and finished front seat foams. I still cannot quite remember how the back seat foam attaches to wire frame and the strip of board, so trying to figure that out now. Tomorrow i will install the seat belts as the rear belts arrived today and wait for seat covers and door cards.
One tip for putting the covers over the foam - put a dry cleaner's bag over the seatback first, then the cover will slip on much easier. Without it, they can be "difficult".
Yeah, the seats had a plastic cover on them as i disassembled, but i think i tossed them. Damn, but i do have some plastic to help, .04 sheet of plastic and a couple dry clearer bags also.
Quote from: stan360 on April 30, 2018, 04:12:55 PM
I still cannot quite remember how the back seat foam attaches to wire frame and the strip of board, so trying to figure that out now.
Without looking at the seat covers I would say they attach with Hog rings ( at least that's what I call them, I don't know the real name for them).
my foam was spray glued and hog ringed to the rear wire frame and board.The hog rings don't hold in the foam great but that's how it was.
Yeah, I cannot remember the hog rings on mine, but its been 3 years, and it makes sense. The board appears to be at the top of frame flat across top and tacked to the top of foam,then folds over on to frame. I will go to hardware store and get some rings and crimp them on.
I got the seat belts in today. Glad I saved the old set so I could use the spacers. Still waiting on covers and cards and trying to prepare myself to fight that switch panel , ha , then DONE ! WOO WOO
If you're talking about a board sewn to the front of the top seat cover, it goes in a slot in the foam, to pull the fabric tight and make it follow the curve of the backrest, after you push it thru the slot, it flips down to lay flat.
In this pic you can see how the fabric tucks in tight near the top of the backrest. There's also one on the bottom cover, that does the same thing towards the front of the seat cushion. On my seats it was right where the fabric changes from the pattern to the solid.
Dave, i am working on the backrest of the rear seat. I did get the belts in and speaker board i made for it. No dash stereo but will ad an amp and speakers in the board and run a wire and play from phone
Door cards and seat covers today ! Door cards are all done for me , I just need to make a couple small cuts through the vinyl to poke the hardware on . I thought maybe I would be glueing covers to old cards, this makes things a lot easier for me.
Stan - looking great! Cannot believe how similar our Minis are in nature.
I love that gray with red seat combo, so cool. Looks classy.
Almost done. Got all the seats sorted and have been driving for a couple weeks. I need to put the dash cards in but just wanted to wait to make sure all the switches are in working order first.
How much cussing was done during the seat job? Car looks great 4.gif
Someone spotted it and posted it on Facebook last week.... 77.gif
I cannot,drive it anywhere without someone to talk to or take pics of the mini
Quote from: stan360 on June 05, 2018, 06:30:02 AM
I cannot,drive it anywhere without someone to talk to or take pics of the mini
Sounds about right 77.gif Looks great!
Your Mini looks great out and about.
Quote from: 94touring on June 05, 2018, 02:04:09 AM
How much cussing was done during the seat job? Car looks great 4.gif
[/quote
I had trouble with the seats. The back seat rest especially. Did it backwards once, wrong the next time. Redo this morning and looks correct finally. So just as i finally sort all that, the passenger window rails fall off . I roll the damn thing down immediatly after finally getting all the seats sorted, and clunk. So i had new rails and rubber so that was my morning. Ha.
Tomorrow, replace flakey choke knob and dash papers. Woo hoo .
Loaded up 5 adults this evening and blasted down the highway about 65 mph , test things out,. Nobody died
Your 1st window rail job will most certainly suck. Just made me laugh thinking about getting Bruce's car all buttoned up, and as soon as I rolled the window down the gearing came apart.
Yes, there were some fearful moments smacking the new rails with a mallet to get them on. I worked through it. Today is the dash, and now one of my headlamps is flakey or bulb burnt out. Always something to mess with.
When I turn car off , oftentimes the car runs a tad bit , clunk clunk off. What to do about this ? I was thinking what you said Dan about maybe needing to get a different needle in the carb to allow a bit more adjustment, so that is on my list.
What usually causes this is the idle speed is too high, as the engine breaks in sometimes the idle will climb a bit - setting it just below 1000 rpm will keep it from doing this.
I agree you may need a richer needle.....if you pull that one out and check the number I have the extras you bought, we can see if one of them is richer so you don't have to order one.
Yeah you need the next needle up. It should rid you of that flat spot on wide open throttle.
Dash done today. Here is pics of interior. Gonna sort out my headlamp tomorrow and straighten out the steering wheel.
4.gif Looks really great! Nice car.
Thanks, just need a tag bracket now so i can get my plate out of back window
Quote from: MiniDave on June 06, 2018, 10:03:16 AM
What usually causes this is the idle speed is too high, as the engine breaks in sometimes the idle will climb a bit - setting it just below 1000 rpm will keep it from doing this.
I agree you may need a richer needle.....if you pull that one out and check the number I have the extras you bought, we can see if one of them is richer so you don't have to order one.
Dave, Here is the carb # FZX3006 HIF44. Not sure what needle that came with . I had extra but cannot remember what. So not sure which one is best to replace. Maybe we can get together and sort it out soon.
Yes, we'll have to remove the top of the carb and remove the needle from the piston so we can read the number off it, then we can refer to the needle chart and find which one will richen it up a bit. I think you had a spare BDL, if that's what's already in there we may have to order something, but it's not too hard to swap them out, and then reset the carb.
Darn, that's a lot of interior work. I love it. <3
Oh, that interior about killed me off. I try so hard and I think its acceptable. Carpet measuring, cutting, guessing Aggghhh! The back seat rest was a bear for me too. Pocket liners were a pain and I ruined one and had to order another, but its done ! Just gotta replace my choke lever and a headlamp that burned out , Do a little carb work with Dave and change a needle. So fun driving and after 3 years on the car I was chomping at the bit to get this to the finish line. Maybe someday down the road I could have some energy to do this again, but I had so much help from Dave and Dan , so I would still be looking at a half finished car if not for them. For now I am going to enjoy some new adventures in life and a few of them of course will be in the mini !
Doing all that will give you one hell of an appreciation for the work that goes into a nice car it's a lot of work.
I remember spending a lot of time looking at your restoration pics and progress and the attention to detail as an inspiration as how I wanted my car to look.
Glad I could help. I like to joke, but it's true, you helped me buy the shop, my townhouse, and your rear quarter damage bought my trailer. Keep the cars coming! You can always come down and put this 66 together or block sand Mark's car for me 4.gif
If I lived closer, I'd be there more to help at least with assembly. No more paint and body work for me though. Just not my bag, Baby.(in best Austin Powers voice)
I am looking to get some sort of bracket holder for an American license plate to mount on bumper of the mini. Right now it's taped in rear window. I don't want to cover my brit plate , just a separate bracket. Any suggestions ?
Also, does anyone have one of the grey plastic boot shelves from mini spares? I thought about getting one for grocery days. Just don't want something that doesn't work well. I don't think I really care to mount the fancy bracket shelf. Don't use boot that much.
AND.....my passenger window is stubborn to roll up and down, should I spray something to help. Driver side fine. I replaced window brackets on passenger side as it was shit and before and now after just stubborn still. Don't want the bracket to fall off again haha
You may be binding on the surround rubber the glass rides in. But you'll need to take the door cards off and see what's going on exactly when you wind it.
Quote from: stan360 on June 23, 2018, 08:32:39 PM
Also, does anyone have one of the grey plastic boot shelves from mini spares? I thought about getting one for grocery days. Just don't want something that doesn't work well. I don't think I really care to mount the fancy bracket shelf.
The grey molded plastic boot floor that came with later Minis? I've got one. It makes the boot area look clean. But mine sits in a corner of my garage. I found it rattles around too much. I've thought about modifying it. I've got some wide industrial Velcro tape. I've thought using just the smooth side - the loop side - because I found that it can make good buffer pads between two surfaces. Just haven't tried it yet.
With how the boot lid drops, it would mean the top of the US plate would have to be no higher than the top of the bumper. That makes it hang real low and at risk of catching on something. Also, it would not be lighted - some states require and are picky about the rear plate being lighted.
That said, I have used simple 'L' brackets from the hardware store to put the front US plates where I want them. I generally have put the rear up under the lamp - either by itself or over the top up an already mounted UK plate.
My plate sits under the rear chrome bumper and a bulb dangles above it for light. It's high into the bumper and basically hides the registration sticker, but haven't had a cop bother me about it.
Quote from: 94touring on June 24, 2018, 08:50:35 AM
My plate sits under the rear chrome bumper and a bulb dangles above it for light. It's high into the bumper and basically hides the registration sticker, but haven't had a cop bother me about it.
In the first photo on the right you can see what Dan describes. Me? I'm on the left and I run just the UK plate about 90% of the time. I've got my TX plate on a magnet mount - the type car dealer use - and I keep it in the boot except for certain times (e.g. when using a toll road so the cameras can read the TX plate). I can put it on/take it off in seconds and the magnet sticks on the flat spot just below the UK plate.
In the 4 years I've driven either of my Minis with only the "Euro" plates, I've never had anyone look askance at it and I've had plenty of cops directly behind me. I keep the Kansas plate and reg in the car, but like I said no one has ever even looked at it.
I think Bruce's idea of using a magnetic holder is the best way if you want to keep the Euro plates on.
I've never been stopped either. The Mini's unique size and a rarity seems to give it some sort immunity. 4.gif
I got my magnetic license mount at Gallagher Promotional Products. Looks like Amazon has them too.
So I ordered the magnets and will give that a try. I think you are right in that the mini may just slide under the radar for cool factor. I like how Dan did the under bumper mount, may try this if magnet is not to my liking. I think I can hold off on that plastic boot shelf for a bit then if it's a rattle box
I checked the rubber surrounds as I had the door apart. Just stumped for the moment on it, but yes, gonna have to take the card off and look some more. Something is a bit off.
So I have started to get a belt squeak in 1st gear . First light then a week and it's pretty noisy. What to do first here?
Tighten the belt?
OK, I just wanted to make sure before I get carried away. Maybe the belt is stretching a bit.
It could be stretching a little. But as long as the belt appears in good shape and you have room for more adjustment then I'd say that's the solution.
tightened belt and adjust idle. Going out today to test. Thanks
That seemed to fix things. My idle is still high with not much adjust left but I am excited for the dyno day to whip things into shape
Ok , I spoke to soon. Drive around today all is well. Late day pick up speed down the highway a bit and then after I hit the light to stop and then go again, squeak is back !?!
Belt dressing?
Some newer belts for our Minis seem to stretch multiple times. I had one a while back that would be fine for a couple days, then start squealing. I would tighten it and be good for another couple days, then the squeal would return. After about 5 or 6 rounds of that, I bought a different belt and stopped having the problem.
Ok,
I will tighten again tomorrow. I always thought belt dressing would mask problem . I did buy some though. Tighten first then I try dressing if no luck maybe. Its been a long time since i used the dressing on belt.
You had paint on your lower crank pulley, that could be acting as a lubricant and making the belt slip/squeal......remember the spark I posted about? That was due to the paint, I'm sure.
Tightened belt today, his time used screwdriver as pry bar to help hold alternator. Seems to have worked.
The spark is still there . It disappeared for a bit and came back.
I tightened up the belt once too and gave it a cleaning which got rid of the spark.
The spark is minimal after tightening belt. Perhaps I need to wrench it a bit tighter to eliminate but , I will drive this week and see where I am at.
When are you coming down so I can look at the needle in the carb?
Soon Dave, I have driven the car enough to feel confident to take to kc. I will free up some time here toward end month I hope to come down then
I'll be gone July 17-24 for my grandson's wedding
I am parting with the mini :'(. Life is moving forward fast for Rita and I and we are moving again and in time soon enough plan to move overseas. I won't have adequate storage soon or workspace for the short haul and can't take it with me in the long haul. I am way to busy to do anything but work at the shop now most everyday (since I have it running 7 days a week )and plan for the future. I hate so much to part with this car because so much effort and love went into building it.
Dave, your battery was sorta old and hard to hold charge and I am sorry but its life was coming to an end , so I will gladly reimburse you for this, since I used it for quite some time.
I appreciate all of the help on here in building and Dan and Dave for so much time they spent on the car.
it will be on bring a trailer in a couple weeks if any of you want to watch it.
pics
Well damn.
That is a bummer. If going the BaT route, read up on the previous mini aucitons on there. Plenty of examples on how to do it and plenty of how not to do it.
Stan, don't worry about the battery....it was just my shop battery and I know it was getting old.
However, if you have any of the extra stuff still leftover let me know and I'll come get it.
Sorry to see you have to sell it but as you say life moves on......should be a fun BaT auction to watch, since you've done one there already you know how to present the car for best effect.
Goodluck with your Future endeavors! Great car and any buyer will be happy.
When contemplating selling with BAT.. Make sure the BAT timeline fits your needs. I dipped my toe into listing a car but did not proceed.
Then I know of a few other Cars that sold successfully on BAT. However from the Initial BAT Contact, to deciding on the listing details to finally posting the auction typically takes 30 - 45 Days. + plus buyer action to ship / pickup the car. It all could take ~60 Days to sell.
Make sure this fits your needed timeline and you dont get held up trying to sell that one place.
Start local! Get Cash in Hand. Move along!
I mean if it takes 60 days and I need to keep it at my place, I guess I'd have to do it. 4.gif
Is he coming to the BBQ?
I never got a response. Busy guy!
The BBQ is this Saturday the 13th at the shop.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1978-austin-mini-3/. :(
Scuffs and scratches?
Yeah, I tried several times to get them to sort a way to word the listing on the car as having very minor or small scuffs or scratches to not give a potential buyer the impression that it was a perfect cream puff and if they find a touch up spot or a rock chip on the bottom not to stress. They just speak in vague generalities on BAT and seem to avoid descriptive terms....that is safe I suppose. So I guess its up to the photos and me chiming in to make sure to aid the description. Hell, I have barely driven it so its near mint. But they didn't like that description.
Getting decent traffic for the first day.....
Yes, that is a good sign. Last year the Bmini listing panned out fine and I was happy. This should be a fun one too.
And I believe I counted 2 photos with Dan making an appearance.
Good luck with the auction! While there will no doubt be some people who try to find faults, they are going to have a very tough time. The car looks fantastic and the choices you made about the build - color, interior, etc. - can't really be faulted IMO.
Quote from: gr8kornholio on April 29, 2019, 10:37:33 AM
And I believe I counted 2 photos with Dan making an appearance.
1 where I had just tackled the headliner at Dave's. I make house calls!
Quote from: stan360 on April 29, 2019, 09:55:30 AM
Yeah, I tried several times to get them to sort a way to word the listing on the car as having very minor or small scuffs or scratches to not give a potential buyer the impression that it was a perfect cream puff and if they find a touch up spot or a rock chip on the bottom not to stress. They just speak in vague generalities on BAT and seem to avoid descriptive terms....that is safe I suppose. So I guess its up to the photos and me chiming in to make sure to aid the description. Hell, I have barely driven it so its near mint. But they didn't like that description.
I wouldn't sweat it the car speaks for itself especially when you look at the other Mini auctions where sellers try to pass off some of the crap as they consider normal.
Nice build it will do well.
thanks for all the kind words. I think the car will do well. Its new and not many miles, so it still looks great. I think that as all classic minis go, it just needs someone who has time to drive and tinker with things and have fun. All I have time to do is work , aargh.
As fate would have it, on my bike ride on Sunday I came upon a car carrier parked in the middle of the street in Lawrence with Stan's Mini on the top bunk. It had just been loaded and the driver was prepping it for it's journey. Bye-Bye pretty Mini! Safe travels and happy trails!
What a coincidence and cool picture!
Nice looking company its with too.
I was glad to see it was in an enclosed carrier - it's more expensive but really protects the car - plus look how they covered the Vette below to make sure nothing drips on it......
They just got out of town in time.....they closed I-70 for a while last night due to storms.
Amazing how different the colour looks out of the sun light.
This carrier seemed pretty thorough but I am certain he did the he-man grip rolling the driver window down like it was an old truck or something and knocked it off track ...when I rewatched my video of the loading I thought i seen it slip, we will see when it arrives , easy fix but ugh.
You have any leftover pieces parts you need me to pick up before you move, or did you already?
Well, I moved and there were 3 small boxes of spares, mostly extra vent duct tubing, the blue standard valve cover, the extra plain grill, spare floor mats , a few brake parts pads , some nuts and bolts and rubber plugs and a few wiring extras, not very much left and so I packed those in the mini for the buyer. I think he made out like a bandit on the sale. Now I need to part with a boat anchor new Hyundai that is on week 8 in repairs at body shop and computer mayhem. I think I will take up walking or get a moped.
sad to se the mini go but today I am giving my wifi driving lessons. bwahaha I am sure she has this sorted better than me .
New Supra?
An 86 ...finally rid of that Hyundai. I didn't trust it anymore after accident