I've been wanting to do this for a while, so I can run in the cam and do some general tuning on the engines I build.
I started with a treadmill I found on the curb at a neighbor's house the other day, cutting up the frame and piecing it back together in a size commensurate with the engine's requirements. The hardest part so far has been getting the angle of the motor mounts right! I found the remains of a weight bench there too and got some more good steel out of it (the black parts) free metal is good metal!
I added some plates so I could put casters on it - my favorite metal supplier is clear across town but their prices are so reasonable it's worth the drive - they made 4 - 4 1/2"X 4"x 3/16" plates for me for a grand total of $5.21......the time it saved me not having to cut each plate out of a long bar was more than worth it! It took them about 8 minutes to shear them to the right length from the time I walked in the door till the time I was back in the car....
Today I mocked it up with some parts I had lying about the shop to see where I was at - I still need to add a couple of braces and build a "dashboard" with some switches for ign, starter and fuel pump, and a tach, oil pressure and water temp gauge. I'll add a shelf under to hold a gas can and battery, then mount a fuel pump, filter and pressure regulator on the cross bar in front. Then wire it up and she'll be ready to go......
My welds improved considerably with some new tips and a fresh spool of wire I also bought at the metal supplier.....also very reasonably priced!
I'll clean up some of my turkey turd welds and give it a coat of paint once it's all done, but I think I have a good start on it.
Is this the official announcement you're the restoration-mini engine builder?
Have I been conferred that honor? 71.gif
It will have more gravitas when I actually build one! ;D
Lol true. Take lots of pics and we'll set you up a page eventually.
Using the metal from an old treadmill and weight bench--that's an awesome way to 'up-cycle' those things! Nice work on this stand.
Looks awesome, but my ankles hurt just thinking about knocking against one of those faster feet. I'd round those suckers off. haha
Yeah, I'd be a bit worried about my ankles too. It looks really nice, but I'd have only installed 2 castors and retained either 2 legs or a skid along one end.
I'd love a break-in stand, but with the 1 engine I intend to build for the next 20 years I just can't justify it. haha. I'm definitely following this build though.
So, I have the new instruments ordered - Tacho, oil press, water temp and volt gauges and some pretty cool push button switches that were pretty cheap - aluminum bodies, push to latch with LED illumination 4 for $15 shipped.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51n4GTeS0tL._SL1020_.jpg)
I also bought a battery ($33 for 650 cranking amps) and dug out an old electric fuel pump and pressure regulator.
Next I need an LCB just to make sure it will clear the frame, then all I have left to build is the engine steady and the dash board and it will be ready for the first start up. I'll still need a couple of battery cables and to wire the dash and relays up but that will have to wait till I determine the layout, which I will do once I get the instruments.
Lastly, I cleaned up the radiator shroud and found a small crack in it. A quick pass with the welder and she's good to go now. I also sourced an electric fan for the radiator too....it's amazing what people have lying around in their garages. This fan has been in my buddy's garage for at least 20 years that I know of, and it's brand new! He was happy to see it go, one less thing in the garage......
That little hole in the weld is where I started to weld without the gas turned on....I hate it when that happens! :-)
Coming along 4.gif
Yep, all I need now is a radiator and some parts to build the engine and we'll be getting somewhere.....
BTW, are you shipping me an exhaust header along with the rest of the new stuff?
Yeah as parts roll in I'll send a header. I may likely have a full exhaust from a 1098 you can have.
Right now I just need something so I can mock it up and make sure it will clear everything......a muffler would probably be a good idea if you have an old one lying about, just so the neighbors don't complain!
I hooked that fan up to the battery just to test it and man does it put out some air!
Yeah we can use the old muffler and add it to it for noise reduction.
Some more pieces to the puzzle.....aluminum rad - $60 shipped! and gauges.
Now I need to settle on where I'm putting the dash and what it's going to look like and I can finish it up.
I also have a fuel pump and starter solenoid for the early style starters, I even have an old left over fuse panel I can use.....
Still to come, the switches I bought and to build a bracket to hold the electric fan.
I had my last class yesterday, all that's left is to grade papers from the semester and give the final exam next Thursday....so my time should free up a bit more. Of course now I'm mowing grass about every 4 days and trying to keep ahead of the weeds and brush growth too.....plus my dealership driving gig.
Gotta love those chinese rads!
They had them for a few $$ less, but I wanted the threaded drain plug so I could either use it to drain the water or install a temp switch there for the electric fan...right now I'm just planning a manual switch. I think the electric fan may over cool the engine, so I may want to put it on a thermoswitch.....
The aluminum rad I put in my pup kept the temp down to 170 but now I have to chase down why my fuel is getting too hot.
Are you getting vapor lock?
Does it have an electric or mechanical fuel pump? some installations run the fuel hose right next to the exhaust pipe - I wrapped my header and it knocked under hood temps down a bunch.
Quote from: MiniDave on May 14, 2016, 11:12:46 AM
Are you getting vapor lock?
Does it have an electric or mechanical fuel pump? some installations run the fuel hose right next to the exhaust pipe - I wrapped my header and it knocked under hood temps down a bunch.
I beleve vapor lock is what its callled. After driving for a while there are bubbles coming from the fuel line into the filter.
I have a mechanical fuel pump. I had the header ceramic coated which I thought would cut down on some of the heat. Now I'm thinking of wrapping the fuel line in some heat resistant tape.
Quote from: gasmini on May 15, 2016, 09:41:41 AM
Quote from: MiniDave on May 14, 2016, 11:12:46 AM
Are you getting vapor lock?
Does it have an electric or mechanical fuel pump? some installations run the fuel hose right next to the exhaust pipe - I wrapped my header and it knocked under hood temps down a bunch.
Now I'm thinking of wrapping the fuel line in some heat resistant tape.
That should do it....either that or add an electric pump back by the fuel tank.
My switches came in today, so I'm trying to figure out the layout for them and the gauges.....any thoughts?
It probably doesn't matter in the least but I'd like to have it look good as well as function....I also can't decide between painted metal or a nice piece of aluminum or stainless sheet to set them in.
The first arrangement is more compact. I would also be inclined to swap the positions of the Temperature gauge and the Voltage gauge. (Tach, Oil and Temp representing the "health" of the engine versus Voltage indicating the battery health.)
Do you a big kill switch is case something goes bad?
Actually, I do have a kill switch and a bigger red start switch coming......but nothing's going to go wrong....(he says while whistling in the dark) ;D
Can't wait to see more.
What are you going to do for throttle and choke control? The transmission will be installed on the motor, so will you have to 'lock' it into neutral while running the engine in? Sorry for all the questions--this is a neat build.
Thanks, I probably won't have any choke or throttle controls at least at first, when I'm running in the cam I'll just turn up the idle screw till I get the RPM I need.
The transmission will stay in neutral without any help from me....
I still need to work out the exhaust - I plan on using a muffler so I can hear myself think (and not annoy the neighbors too badly) and a long straight pipe off that to get the exhaust out of the shop.
In looking at other engine stand builds online, a lot of guys just take a 2 level cart and bolt a couple of bracket/stands on that, battery and gas tank on the lower shelf and off they go. I'll probably re-engineer this thing a half dozen times as I use it and find better ways to do things. 8.gif
At the risk of boring everyone to tears, I'm still trying to work out my dash gauges and switches layout, I found an old heavy duty SS restaurant shelf and cut it down to fit the stand, now all I need to do is bore a bunch of holes in it (where's that plasma cutter when I need it?) but first I made some cardboard cutouts to try an envision how it's going to look.....I'm still conflicted. I figure I can build a holder to fit that opening to drop tools in while I'm tuning....
I tend to like either the second one or the last one.
I'm still moving the dots around....I'm leaning toward one of these I think.....the four round switches are for fuel pump, ignition on, electric cooling fan and a spare......is there anything else I should leave room for on the panel? Big red button is the starter button, and the two small lights are for the alternator light and ign on.....I may not use those. I guess I could buy a cheap ign key switch and use that instead of the ign switch and starter button. The idea behind using the individual switches was that I could crank it over with the fuel pump and ign off to build oil pressure or do valve adjustments or whatever......
Looks like I made a decision - no going back now! ;D
Looking good. The large opening must be for the radio huh!
Ha!
This was a restaurant style shelf made out of really thick stainless and it's a real PITA to drill these large holes in it (I killed a brand new hole saw making the smaller holes) but it's what I had, so......the big hole was for a pan of some sort, I'll make something to go in there to hold tools while I run the engine.....or maybe put my 8-track in it!
Down to the last decision, where to put the switches - then it's on to wiring......
That's coming right along. Looking great!
What about a massive kill switch. A nice big red button.
http://www.alliedelec.com/switches/pushbutton/?navigation=4294765067-4294957187
Well, I already have switches for the ign and fuel pump, either of those will kill the engine......I do have room for it if I decide I need to add one, but I'm not sure I see the need.
I like the upper pic with the switches in a row under the gauges. So the ignition switch will turn power on/off to the dist? Then your right, that would be the kill switch.
Yes, the ign switch will kill the power to the coil......
Email sent, thanks!
Quote from: Willie_B on May 23, 2016, 01:28:40 PM
I like the upper pic with the switches in a row under the gauges. So the ignition switch will turn power on/off to the dist? Then your right, that would be the kill switch.
I like this as well - and I think it looks great!
I was thinking a big red button for killing the battery to the stand. In case of fire; fuel spill; short circuit; solenoid contact welding... Basically an oh shit button as well as a power off button.
I will have a quick disconnect on the + terminal of the battery.
...But is it RED!??!!?...
Yes, actually! ;D
(https://d2pbmlo3fglvvr.cloudfront.net/product/large/Z3FM-vfo5oy.JPG)
I had a set of those battery disconnects on Buzz and I really liked them, all you do is flick the top up to disconnect it - easy peasy.
I got a little more done on my engine stand, tonight I built the electric fan bracket and the engine steady. Both were fairly custom, requiring a bit of engineering to make them work and look decent. The engine steady in particular took a little thought as I needed it to be adjustable so the engine would sit level. I made a bracket to bolt onto the case at the bottom where it would have the most leverage and used a 3/8" turnbuckle so I could level it out. It may vibrate a bit as it has no rubber bushings but it will do the job. If I find it vibrates too much I can add some bushings.
Tomorrow I'll build the tray underneath to hold the battery and fuel tank, then I can figure out where to mount the fuel pump, pressure regulator and starter solenoid, and the associated relays for the rest of the functions - then I'll be ready to wire it up. Once I get everything placed, I'll blow it apart, clean up and/or finish any welding it needs and give it a coat of paint. Then it will be ready to go to work......
Switches are now installed, still waiting for one more, the big red starter button. Fuel pump, starter relay and any other electrical gubbins will get mounted to the crossbar below the dash......
Also got the battery/fuel tank tray mounted, it sits forward to leave room for a muffler at the back. Electric cooling fan is mounted, I fired it up and it sucks a LOT of air thru the rad......it combined with the aluminum radiator will probably overcool the engine, so I may need to wire in a variable speed pot to slow it down some.
I got to looking at my engine steady this evening and it might not work with an LCB header - I might wind up redoing that.....and I'm trying to decide if I need to shroud that fan to keep someone from losing a finger tip or something......
nice test stand If I would of run the engine out of my 1960 first I could of found the front seal leak. It was a bitch to fix in the car brand new seal leaked for some reason second one is working fine.
Where did you get the quick disconnect terminals I really like those I unhook my battery when the car is sitting. I did a quick google search but that style only came up as fitting 4-8 gauge wire my mini is 2 gauge and a lot of older american cars are even larger wire. I imagine it would open up enough to accept 2 gauge.
Another Dave that goes by D-M on here almost had his mini and shop burn down when his floor starter switch decided to internally short to ground getting red hot and flaming he happened to be in his shop when it did and pulled the battery cable and put out the fire. So I unhook mine.
Jeff
They're sold under the brand name "Battery Doctor", they will easily work with #2 or bigger wire.....they were on Buzz when I got him and I used them all the time when working under the hood.
Here's to the link where I bought them......
http://www.amazon.com/WirthCo-20158-Battery-Doctor-Disconnect/dp/B000CQBNDU?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00 (http://www.amazon.com/WirthCo-20158-Battery-Doctor-Disconnect/dp/B000CQBNDU?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00)
In the pic in the link the negative terminal looks blue, but it's actually black.
I keep the battery in my Jag unhooked for the same reason, plus too and also it runs the battery down over time. You really only need one per car but they seem to only come in pairs. I'm going to use the red one in the engine stand and the black one on the Jag....BTW, lifting the cover releases the clamp, but you still have to pull it off the battery.
I'm closing in on the final bits I need for the engine stand build, today I received a box from California with 10, 30-40 amp relays with pre-wired connectors - they were shipped 2 day priority mail so they got here quick - all for $20 - shipped! They seem to be really nice, quality made stuff too....these are 5 pin relays so they can be wired either n/o or n/c.
How do they do it for the money?
That's pretty incredible actually.
I thought so - I found 10 relays for $25 with no harness, and 5 for $15 no harness, then I ran across these and snapped them up!
China, that's how they do it!
I have a huge stash of those from eBay that I bought a few years ago. Used a bunch of those all the time. eBay is the king for random shit.
I've done pretty well on Amazon too, that's where I got the instruments for chepe, cheap, cheep.....
Ill have to look there as well. I know when it comes to the crap in the paper packages at autozone, eBay has ten of them for the same price.
Been working on the test stand some more, the block is my old block from Buzz and the head is off Dan's engine - they're just sitting there so I can mock things up.
Got the relays in and most things wired up, final ends to be determined once I have the engine completed so I know how long to make the wires and what sorts of ends to use.....I can figure most of this out ahead of time but it will be good to get everything located in it's proper place. Oh, and it looks like my engine steady will clear the exhaust just fine too.......
I'll tidy up the wiring once it's all done, but I'm going to leave the underside of the dash open.
Dan had some old exhaust pieces he wasn't going to use so I've cut them up and will build an exhaust out of them....got that all mocked up today too.....
Some more parts are on their way so I should be able to start the build soon.
And for those who mentioned it, I haven't hit my feet OR ankles on any of the wheels or protruding metal parts - yet! ;D
Welded up the header, since I have plenty of room it goes in and out in one piece, unlike when it's in a car. It was a bit tricky as the metal was pretty thin and a little rusty.......I had to weld in a series of spots, allowing it to cool a little in between. Doesn't look pretty but it should do the job......
Yeah that y pipe was in pretty bad shape. Glad it worked out.
Have you considered getting a wide band o2 and gauge to fine tune on the stand? I already have one in my rx7 and will have at least a bung in my mini exhaust for a temporary one to tune on the road.
I'm not that advanced....... ;D
A simple exhaust gas analyzer would probably work better for these engines, I've seen them advertised for about $200.....maybe for Xmas.....
Considering that I'm not on a dyno and just free running, about all I can accurately tune is the idle, right? Don't you need to load the engine to get any sort of accurate A/F ratio readings?
I'm not planning on getting into changing a bunch of needles......I'll let the owners do that.
The plan for the test stand is to run in the cam and make sure there aren't any leaks, then cool it down, retorque the head and readjust the valves and see that it runs smoothly, doesn't leak and is free of "funny" noises. A dyno would be nice, but way out of my price range......
I wasn't sure if it would be ideal for running engines up for 20 minutes at 2500rpms. But yeah to tune properly there needs to be load. All I know is I'm tired of guessing what my AF ratio is. I tune my rx7 with a wideband so why not a mini.
No question you can get a good read on what the carb is doing, but to effect any changes requires changing the needle - at $20 each experimentation can get expensive - but it would be worth it to get it dialed in well. In England they have plenty of specialists who strap the car to a rolling road and have a supply of different needles to swap out, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone here that does.....the main thing is to make sure it doesn't go too lean.
Figure if I'm spending so much on a fast road engine that optimizing the actual tune only makes sense. I'd never throw a bigger turbo on the rx7 and guestimate my air/fuel.
Of course, it's just that all it takes to change it on an FI car is the right software, with a Mini it takes hardware.....I agree that it's important to getting the most out of the engine, but there is enough experience out there to get you started with the right needles, the rest is pretty easy.....
I probably need to grab a few different needles when I build up these twin hs4's.
It's alive...... ;D
So, to get ready for the new engine run in, I decided to mount Dan's 1100 in the stand and see if it will run. The engine came to me fairly complete although I will need a few parts before I start it up....it takes a top radiator hose unlike any I've seen, going to have to dig around the parts catalogs and see what I can find. I also need a dipstick.....the rest I either have or can fab up as needed.
Edit: Looks like I need an 850/998 upper hose, anyone have one lying about?
Looks like this....
(http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server5600/79cdd/products/1775/images/2797/GRH245__59633.1293044393.220.220.jpg?c=2)
I had to re-engineer my engine steady, the bolt pattern on the rod change gearbox is different than this remote style, so I simply moved it up to where the slave cylinder mounts, as I won't be operating the clutch anyway....seems to work fine.
I bought a MiniSpares intake manifold and a used HIF 38 carb, and Dan supplied me with an exhaust header and muffler, next up I'll wire and plumb everything, then see if it will crank. After than I'll put some gasoline to it and see what happens! Stay tuned for that! ;D
I read this and thought...I have an 1100? Oh right I do lol.
Came out of Vikram's car? I think you said it ran but leaked gasoline everywhere so you didn't run it long. I haven't cleaned it up, just mounted it in the stand. I put the dipstick from my car in it to check that it had oil and it does, and the oil looks really clean too.
My dipstick doesn't fit this car tho, as mine has the O-rings at the top.
Still need an upper hose - anyone have one, even used is OK as long as it holds water - 850 or 998 should be right. Stan?
If it doesn't smoke and the compression's good, maybe just clean it up and use it as is?
Did come out of mine. Engine should run fine, however I believe the clutch needs adjusting.
Yeah, it may need a clutch actually - I think I'd put one in while the engine's out and it's easy to do. It will need a new slave cylinder too, this one's done.
That would be a good move. The clutch felt like it was going, eventually it would barely disengage the engine from the gearbox, and the car would pull with the clutch fully depressed. It would only go into gear with the engine off, and I'd have to get the rpm just right when shifting on the go.
I tried adjusting it, but with no success.
I look forward to seeing what the issue/issues were.
I think the issue was that it needs a new clutch! ;D
I noticed someone has put an adjustable push rod in the slave cylinder - those are rarely a good idea - if the clutch is right you don't need one of those to get it to release. It's not set right either......you can actually push the clutch too far and it won't release.
I wouldn't be surprised to find the clutch arm ball and other linkage is worn badly too.
What happened to the oil dipstick?
That one will be turned into a 1218cc, and once I pull the 998 to swap in my 1275 thinking about combining parts to make it rod change
Just prior to putting the last plate on my 13b.
When will you have it running again?
Soon hopefully. Not much else left to buy for it really. Waiting on a new flywheel to come in and h20 injection.
What does one of those weigh all built up?
Well not much in short block form, I was simply building it on a work bench. After I get all the manifolds, flywheel, turbo on, it will be too heavy to man handle by myself. I'll have to google final weight, kinda curious myself.
"All the Mazda rotary engines have been praised because of their light weight. The unmodified 13B-MSP Renesis Engine has a weight of 112 kg (247 lbs), including all standard attachments (except airbox), but without engine fluids (such as coolant, oil, etc.)"
Edit: tranny weighs 112lbs for a total of about 360lbs. A mini engine and trans weigh 330lbs. I'll make about 400hp more with the same displacement in my rotary vs my 1275 you're building.
https://www.atkinsrotary.com/index.php?pag=14
Maybe this is perfect for a mini...
Interesting concept. The engineering to mate a transmission to drive the Mini's front wheels would likely be tricky.
A bit out of my league in price and complexity for the Moke.
I'll likely end up doing mods to my existing 850 in the Moke.
Got the 1100 to crank over today - making progress!
I spun it with the plugs in and then took them out to run compression. On the second crank I got almost 60lbs of oil pressure!
Compression test #1-145 #2-145 #3-135 #4-135 and that's cold without even checking valve clearances.
I think it's actually in pretty good shape internally, just needs a good clean up. Next up I'll finish the wiring and see if all my gauges and switches are going to work. Then plumb up the fuel system and see if it pops off.
Parts still needed: Lower radiator hose, distributor cap for a 25D (top entry not side) and I think that's about it, I had a rotor and wires in stock.
I could not get the top hose to work no matter what I did, and I even went down to the parts store and bought a couple hoping I could cut a section out of one but nothing would work. I had a spare thermostat housing and when I compared them I could see why, so I changed it out and with a little more fettling it all came together.
Here are a coupe quick vids....I was holding the camera in landscape but it still processes in portrait....anyone know how to turn it on it's side?
A few more bits arrived from MiniSpares today, the lower radiator hose, the 25D distributor cap - however it seems the rotor I had on hand doesn't work with this cap, so I may have to trek up to Victoria British and get a different rotor bug. All the wiring is done and everything now works, all the gauges, cooling fan, fuel pump and so on.....just need to tidy things up with some Zip ties. I need to make a coil mounting bracket tho, the one I have won't fit my coil...wish I had thought of that when I made my MiniSpares order! Once that's all done I'll roll it over by the door, point the exhaust outside and see if it will run!
I also got some of those rubber kits for the engine stays, I decided to modify mine so it would have a bit of compliance in it rather than be hard mounted as it is now.
Susan's car is back for the weekend so I can build her a tow bar, get her heater to work and put a speedo cable in. I'm also going to see if I can wire her in an aux port so her Garmin will work and make the new style fuel sender work with her MkI wiring and fuel gauge.
Lots to do this weekend, it's supposed to warm up by Monday so I can get Rose's Audi to run, (hopefully) it's been dead in the driveway for a week now, good thing we have a fleet of cars to drive! I think all I have to do is change out the coolant temp sensor, but of course I have to disassemble half the damn car to get to it, and when it's under 20* outside it's just going to have to wait.
I've been driving the racing green car as my daily and it seems to run better the more I drive it. Sure starts easier now than when I leave it sit for a week or two.
Got the last bits installed, I even built a wiring harness for the alternator.....all I need now is some gasoline and some warmer weather.
I got the right distributor rotor and bought a new coil with a bracket - the one I was going to use was off of Buzz, and while I think it still works OK I decided to just buy a new one.....hey, it's only money, right?
I was rummaging around my old parts bins and I even found the correct radiator stay bracket, along with another thermostat housing - I knew I had one, I just couldn't find it! Like JG, I keep all sorts of weird Mini parts, you never know when someone will need something - or me!
I also bought a blanking kit for the bypass hose between the head and the water pump for the racing green car, I'm going to see if it makes any difference on cold weather running...the theory is that the bypass allows cold water back into the engine so the thermostat can't really do it's job. Not sure I agree with this thinking but it's easy enough to change back again. On our drive up to Lawrence I completely blocked the entire grill with cardboard and that did help get the engine up to temp, but then it warmed up in the afternoon and I was concerned it might run too hot, so I removed it again.
OH, and a thank you to Dan for sending the header and muffler, and a big shout out to Bikewiz for sending the box of goodies, as you can see I'm using a lot of them on this build. However, I'm sorry - I used the clock in my Racing Green car, it just went so well with the triple clocks Vikram gave me from his car, and the other two I bought from MiniSpares.....hope you don't mind!
The bypass hose between the head and water pump allows the pump to draw water from the head while the thermostat is closed. The theory as I understand it was to provide some circulation in the head/engine to reduce the "hot spots" near cylinder #4 before the thermostat starts opening.
The later cars that had the inline heater valve (versus on the end of the head) had a convoluted hose arrangement that did the equivalent from the sandwich plate.
My car has the heater valve inline, but uses the same lower hose arrangement as the earlier cars.....
Like I said I'm not convinced it's going to help either, but I do not understand why the car won't come up to temperature on a cold day - seems to me the thermostat should be closed tight until the engine comes up to temp - but it never gets there, and I'm running a 180* thermostat.
The other thing I'm going to do is plumb the intake manifold for hot water too - it's really easy on this engine as the hose for the heater comes out of the tap on the end of the head where the heater valve used to be, and runs across the head to the inline heater valve. All I need to do is cut the hose and put the loose ends onto the pipes in the intake....easy peasy.
I figure any time I need heat in the car, I need it in the manifold too - and opening the heater valve runs hot water thru the intake as well. Since I'm running a K&N filter there's no way to pump hot air from the exhaust manifold, maybe this will help.
Years ago when I was living in Ft. Collins, CO, I had the same problem getting the 1275 engine in my Clubman Estate to warm up in winter. I wound up using scrap lexan from work to make shields to zip-tie to the grill to block most of the upper grill. That seemed to do the trick - allowed the cast iron block to actually build and retain heat. Otherwise the hard, cold air in from the grill kept chilling the block and no heat pocket would develop.
Since your heat comes off the head above cylinder #4 and not from a sandwich plate under the thermostat housing, you have the transition format plumbing. It is most often seen on 998's of the late 1980's Minis and did indeed use the same lower radiator hose as the earlier Minis. Your style setup with the inline valve is much simpler than the later style setup using the same valve and feeding from the sandwich plate.
I made a cold weather shield plate for behind the grill from the top of a large plastic Euro Box shipping/storage box. It blocks around 2/3rds of the grill, and it's reversible so I can block off the radiator end or the #4 cylinder end, depending upon which works better. If you've got grill buttons holding the grill on, it's really easy to install or remove.
Okay, it wasn't really "cold" in the northern sense, but it was about 40 degrees here when I drove my Mini to and from C&C this weekend. I used the heater for the first time since I got the car and it worked great! Nice warm air, no leaks at the heater valve, and a quiet fan. Got toasty pretty quickly too.
I've been driving mine to school twice a week on these cold winter days and it works pretty OK - the heater door rattles like crazy tho, one more thing to fix!
OK, so I kind left this alone for a while, but Dan is coming to get his engine this weekend so I decided to see if it would all work.
I still have the old 1100 engine mounted in the stand for my guinea pig, I bought a used HIF38 from a friend and a new intake manifold from Mini Spares, Dan came up with the header and muffler and the rest is cobbled together from old bits I had laying around, like the old fuel pump from Buzz that quits every so often! I don't have a clue how the carb is set up so I'll have to fiddle with that as I go along....assuming it works at all!
So today I hooked it all up, checked the timing, plugs, put water in the radiator and gave it a go!
The smoke off the header is just from my oily paws when I put it together, it should burn off. I only had a little bit of gas in the gas can, so that's why it died....you can hear the fuel pump clicking away. Next I'll go get some gas and warm it up thoroughly.
My only complaint with it so far is that it's difficult to get the dist cap off in the stand, the "dashboard" is too close, other than that it seems to work just fine. I was so busy keeping it running I didn't even get a chance to see if the instruments were working!
If anyone has an old pancake air filter they'd like to contribute to the cause, let me know.
Very cool! Well done sir.
I took a second video of the engine running and the gauges....I bought this carb used from a guy and it's clearly messed up - the only way the engine will run is with the choke on fully, that's why it's running so fast - I did manage to get it to idle down to about 1500 rpm after I stopped recording this.
I'm pumped that all the gauges work. This engine seems to be in really good shape internally, I pulled the valve cover off to fix a small oil leak (needs a new gasket) and it's clean as a pin inside, carries good oil pressure and runs up to temp just fine. I told Dan I'd be tempted to drop this is one of his cars and use it just as it is.
All in all a successful test, once I get this carb or another sorted out so I can run Dan's engine in properly I'll put his hot rod motor in the stand next and give it a go.
I think I found the problem with the carb, the needle was installed incorrectly and it also is damaged - there's a section of corrosion right up in the idle section of the needle, so it will need a new needle at the least - probably a new jet too. Even so I was able to get it to idle without the choke now, although it's erratic and will die sometimes......I also found an unused opening in the throttle body after the throttle plate and temporarily closed it off with a bit of gaffer tape...that had to be making the too-lean situation worse.
Speaking of needles, this one has an ABD....there are two sizes of needles for the HIF carbs, one for the 38 and a different range for the 44 throttle bores, this is the correct range, but I can't find it's use in any of the charts I've found online. I'm thinking of going with the standard needle for an 1100 even tho that will be a bit small for a 1275, I don't think it will matter for what I'm doing as the engines are not under load. If anyone had some needles lying about (bias style, with the boss for the spring on top) I could use one....several different sizes will work, anything with a three letter designation starting with "A" will probably work just fine.
I do have a needle and jet for a 44 carb, I don't know if they will fit this body tho and I don't want to take it apart again till I have some new parts for it. With the correct needle and new jet and it should run OK. All I need then is an air filter, one of those pancake style would work fine.
Edit: found the ABD needle was used in a 72-74 MGB with the HIF38 carb
If you change the jet to 0.100" as per HIF44, you can use 0.100" HIF44 needles in an HIF38/HIF4 carb and vice versa. This gives greater flexibility when choosing needles, especially if one has a penchant for a, or normally work with a, particular jet size.
I sometimes advise/assist at a local MG/Spridget/Mini service center & race shop where 80% of their business is with 0.090", but a high number of their track-day clients use 0.100"-type carbs (HS6 & HIF44), so he's begun using only 0.090" jets/needles to keep his needle inventory low. On customer pickup, he orders the proper 0.100" needle for their existing 1.75" carbs.
http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/technical_carb.htm (http://mk1-performance-conversions.co.uk/technical_carb.htm) has a function where you can compare various needle diameter station's annular areas between 0.090" and 0.100" needles.
Thanks John for confirming what I already suspected - that the jets would interchange.
I found an ABD needle in Michigan for less shipped that the big "2" wanted just for the needle - on top of that they've already shipped it! I figure since this came on an MGB - well two of them - (1800cc) it should be fine for a 998 just as it is. Again, since I'm not trying to dial in these engines for ultimate performance - rather just to get them to run, break in the cam, check for leaks and set the timing I don't need it to be perfect. Also, I don't have a dyno and the engines are not under load so the mixture won't be critical.
Cool - 77.gif
I got the new needle installed in the carb but it still doesn't work the way it should, however it does start easily and if I run it with a little bit of choke it idles down and runs smoothly enough - at least for what I'm doing - I'd rather have it work correctly, but this will do for now. It still acts like it has a small vacuum leak but I've covered all the open ports and nothing changes anything...I know the float is set correctly...there's not a lot more to these carbs.
I think this 1100 is a good motor and ready to be used - it does have a
little blow by, but nothing much and it does not smoke. All these Mini engines sound a bit rattly and thrashy when you video them, although this one clearly needs a valve adjustment. Now I'm ready to pull it out and put Dan's engine in for the run up and cam break in. More as it happens.....
I think the next thing I want to do is rig up a better fuel tank setup.
A quick video of it idling.
Ah we're tearing it down still! Lol. 1098 monster build!
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Dave, I'm curious as to why you've plugged the float chamber vent and not the crankcase breather nipple. There should also be a plug on the manifold flange nipple, perhaps also a hose for the fuel overflow routed into a catch bottle.
Edit - http://www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/topic/315124-hif-carb-are-my-pipes-correct/
Edit - http://www.mg-cars.net/mg-midget-sprite-technical-bbs/hif44-connections-2013051713314615794.htm
Edit - http://www.eraturbo.co.uk/eraturbo/oldsite/buyersguide/fuelexhaust.htm
I have seen these carbs with the manifold flange nipple connected via a short hose to the lower right nipple (beside the fuel inlet) - using the upper left nipple as the fuel overflow.
nice work
Thanks Minty, I'm pretty happy with it these days, now that I've run several engines thru it, I can think of several things to improve but for now it certainly does the job.
Quote from: beck6 on May 10, 2019, 07:37:25 PM
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outstanding.. Dave you are awesome..