Susan's 63 Mini

Started by MiniDave, October 30, 2016, 04:08:23 PM

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towjoe

MiniDave
I just changed my fuel sender. The gasket I received miked .121. The whole thing went back together very easy. I did remove the boot cover , it made the job so much easier.
Regards
towjoe 77.gif

MiniDave

#26
Susan's car is back in my shop today, I'm building her a tow bar so she can flat tow the Mini with her Hyundai Veloster on our Texas adventure in March.

I decided to build hers different than Dan's version in the DIY, he uses a piece of 1 1/2" angle iron, with the center necked down slightly so the angle will sit over the mounting holes and still pass thru the lic plate brackets. On this car those brackets have been repaired and will not let the angle thru, so I decided to build it similar to the one I built for Buzz, which will sit outside the brackets. We used it to tow WillieB's car down from Omaha and it worked perfectly so I know it will haul hers too.

I used 2" X 1/4" angle for extra strength, and black pipe for the spacers with it's extra wall thickness and strength. I welded the spacers to the angle for even more solidness and used 1/2" grade 8 bolts to pull it all together. It will clear the lic plate so she won't have to remove it. Easy two bolt install and removal....

Tomorrow I'll take another run at the carb and see if I can straighten it out and get it to idle. I'm also installing a speedo cable and going to see if I can get her fuel tank sending unit to work, then she'll be mostly ready for our trip.....she said she couldn't get her heater to work, I don't know if she just didn't know how to work it or if the valve is stuck, so I'll check it out.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

towjoe

Looking Good Dave!  Nice, you cannot beat the price with 20% off coupon.
Regards
towjoe 77.gif

MiniDave

Yep, I think it's a great deal, and it works perfectly.....I also got mine with 20% off!

How are you feeling, Joe?
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

Yeah can't really fit a bar behind those old style front plate brackets.

MiniDave

#30
NOW you tell me, after I spent hours cutting up 1 1/2" angle, grinding on it and trying to fit it yesterday!   ::)

So, I think you need to amend your DIY to include this info, and the fact that you need to narrow the angle iron in the center so it will line up with the mounting holes and so on.

Also, is it just on the pick up that the outer edges of the lower valance cut upward just past the subframe mounting holes? Cause this one goes all the way across, but I noticed the difference on the pick ups.....



Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

Willie_B

My 1975 does not go all the way.

MiniDave

Why do we put the bar across to the hitch mounts instead of simply bolting them to the subframe the way Willie B did it?
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MPlayle

Regarding the front valance: the early MK-Is had the full length valance (per Susan's) and the later Minis (I think the transition was with the MK-IIs) had the stepped valance to permit more airflow to the front brakes.

Regarding the tow brackets: the cross bar is to provide extra strength and prevent flex of the tow bar.  The one I had fail was mounted like Willie-B did his, but I had mine spacered out a bit more and they flexed enough to have the grade 8 bolts bend and shear.  If up close to the valance (as was the case on my first Moke) then the cross bar is not necessary.  Harder to get as close to the valance on the Saloons due to the curvatures in the panel.


jeff10049

#34
I would absolutely recommend a cross bar no matter how close to the valance you get it much safer set up. At one time I wanted to bring an affordable classic mini tow package to market but... to make something meeting reasonable standards the cost would be high and involve adding reinforcing brackets to the sub frame we gave up figuring most people would balk at the cost.

When viewed in a FEA program the crossbar takes about 30% of the load off of the inside bolt in a turn FEA results show a guaranteed failure without a bar just a matter of when. Even bolted tight against the frame the frame failed without a cross bar.(millions of cycles so for most of us non issue)

With a cross bar it's fair but still a fail for a marketable item. However it's good enough for how far/often most classic mini owners tow.

Something to keep in mind also is that the bar needs to be as close to level as possible to prevent upward or downward forces on the mounting bolts on acceleration and stopping. A 4" upslope to the tow vehicle hitch showed failure in only 2000 cycles of normal stop and go driving and immediate failure in one panic stop the bolts sheared and the mini subframe broke. With a level bar stresses were acceptable for millions of cycles and panic stops were not a problem.  The failure test was repeated outside of FEA and done with a actual mini sub frame and a hydraulic simulator same result.

So keep those bars level and replace the mounting hardware periodically and you should be fine.

Dave, welding the spacers to the crossbar was a very good idea makes a huge difference.



MiniDave

#35
I believe in the idea of overbuilding and I think this one will work well.

I also solved the fuel gauge problem, turns out it's a bad gauge. I had one in an old speedo, took it out and hooked it into the circuit and used a coat hanger to raise the float in the tank and it all worked perfectly. Glad it wasn't anything I had done or not done......

I put a new speedo cable in and hooked it to the speedo first, then used my drill to turn the cable and the speedo seems to work fine, so I went ahead and hooked it to the transmission. We'll see when I drive it if that fixed her problem, but the old cable was not broken and didn't seem rough or anything.

Oh, and I found out why she didn't have any heat, a picture's worth a thousand words.....  ;D
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#36
I had originally made a gasket for the sending unit as I just could not get the one from MiniSpares to work, it was too thick to get the lock ring to even start. I mic'd it and just as Towjoe said it was .120 thick. My gasket didn't work, it seeped slightly so I had her order a new seal, it was the same thickness as the other one so I decided to attack the problem from a different angle....I took the lock ring to the grinder and thinned out the starting part of the ramp so it would fit under the locking tabs, then tapped it around with a small hammer and punch and it went right in. Lesson learned.

That's interesting about keeping the tow bar (to the tow vehicle I assume) level, when we towed WillieB's car it had a bit of an upward slope to my Audi, I'll have to check it on the Clubman once I get the new hitch installed next week. That's why BruceK's friend modified his, to get it to sit level and to reinforce it.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MPlayle

Dave,

When you tested the new speedometer cable on the speedometer, which way did you have the drill spinning (forward or reverse)?

I need to test the speedometer on the Moke.  I have a new cable to try.  I would like to confirm my issue is the cable (as according to the Big-Al - the most immediate previous owner of the Moke) and not the speedometer.


MiniDave

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MPlayle

Thanks!  If I get a chance, I will give that a try.


BruceK

#40
Quote from: MiniDave on February 05, 2017, 09:19:16 AM

Also, is it just on the pick up that the outer edges of the lower valance cut upward just past the subframe mounting holes? Cause this one goes all the way across, but I noticed the difference on the pick ups.....


That valance panel changed for all Minis about 1964.  Just the early Mk. I cars had the full coverage.  My '65 Traveller had the cut-outs.  The change was made to help with brake cooling.

Edit: Now I see that Michael also answered this. 
1988 Austin Mini
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

BruceK

Quote from: MiniDave on February 05, 2017, 05:52:53 PM
I believe in the idea of overbuilding and I think this one will work well.

Why not add the crossbar to draw a line across the middle of the "A"?   I guess you'd lose the nice fold-up feature for easy storage.  But then again, you'd also lose the not-so-nice fold-up feature for towing, if you know what I mean.
1988 Austin Mini
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

MiniDave

#42
The next thing I wanted to sort out was the inop fuel gauge, nothing more disconcerting than not having either a working gas gauge or an odometer to gauge how many miles you can go on a tank of gas, especially when you're driving a new to you car and between towns 40 miles or more apart.

After a bunch of testing I decided the problem was the gauge itself, I rooted around in my old parts stash and found a gauge, hooked it up to the battery and to my considerable surprise it worked! Next I hooked it up to the sender and raised the arm up - it worked there too. So all (!) I had to do was remove the old speedo head and swap out the gauge. Once that was done since the tank was still empty from fixing the sending unit seal, I used a coat hanger to raise the sender arm and it works. Result!

I also installed an aux power port so she can use a Garmin and charge her phone. Since this car doesn't have the original engine or transmission I have no idea how accurate the speedo will be - or that will work at all - I changed the cable and tested it with my drill and it works, but we'll see what it does from here. She wanted one that was discrete and I found one at O'Reilys that has a cover, you can barely see it under the dash on the left side.

The last thing I need to sort out on this trip to the shop is the carb. The engine is a built 1330 running an HIF44 and I have no idea what needle he used, so I'm just guestimating for now. She said she had to use the choke sometimes or it would idle down and die at a light, so I'll see if I can smooth it out some. The engine's just getting broken in so I might have to fiddle with it again after it does some miles.

More as it happens....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#43
Drove Susan's Mini up to her in Lawrence and it was an interesting drive, up to about 40-50 mph the speedo worked fine, any faster and it wanted to go all the way around to the other side! Need to send this one in to be repaired or something.....it was a good 10 mph fast at 45 mph too......at least she can plug her Garmin in and use it for a speedo.

I think the car has 3:1 diff gears as it easily ran 70 mph - it doesn't have a tach so I was only going by the engine sound but it didn't sound like it was near as wound up as mine does at that speed. The engine was strong but the carb still isn't right, so a friend will pull the pot and see what needle it has - the carb is brandy new so I'm sure it's just a matter of getting the right needle in it and then getting it set correctly. The engine is STRONG tho....really likes to rev.....

Other than that and needing an alignment, the car drove well. Like most all Minis it has it's share of rattles and such....

Oh, and even tho I had the hot water valve on the head turned "on" and there seemed to be plenty of heat going thru the pipe I got no heat in the car, need to check into that too. It might not be an issue in Texas in the spring, but on the highway in 32* Kansas, it gets mighty cold in there!

Gas gauge worked perfectly tho!   4.gif

It was fun to put some miles on another car if nothing else than to see how it drove compared to mine.

The car has a K&N air filter and I'm told those are the best for getting performance out of the engine, but I would happily trade for a standard air filter like I had on Buzz - those suckers are LOUD!
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

Willie_B

Remind Susan that the car needs to be in neutral with the parking brake off while towing. And do not get in a place that would require backing up.

MiniDave

I'm planning to go up and do a little tuning on her carb, then once that's done I'll show her how to hook it up and we'll go on a few short drives.

Thanks for the reminders...... 4.gif
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

towjoe

Hi Dave ,
I put a small 2" channel across to strengthen side to side.
Check my No Christmas  in the lounge.
Regards
towjoe 77.gif

MiniDave

Where did you add that Joe? I have one built into the part that attaches to the Mini?
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

towjoe

#48
Hi Dave

Behind the  two standoff for front plate.


I have a video to move the plate out of the way on BMW Minis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqd4Sy-4-tA

If you need the dimension of the channel it is:  3/8 x 3/8  x 1/8 ".

Regards
Joe 77.gif

MiniDave

#49
Sunday after the event at Clancy's raceshop I headed over to Susan's to see if I could get her car to run right, I had already found out which needle they put in and it seemed to be fine for this application, so I was convinced it was just a matter of getting the jet height set right to get the mixture in line.

I noticed when I had it running at my shop that it was smoking pretty badly - blue smoke - and I don't know if the rings are stuck due to the engine sitting for a long time after it was built or what, but I knew it needed an oil change as the oil was black and nasty, so I did that first.

Incidentally, one of Kent Prather's (engine builder) top tips had to do with oil.....he says the race oils like Valvoline VR1 and even Brad Penn that I use don't contain any detergents like modern oils do, and for this reason are not the best thing to use in vintage engines, although they do have the zinc needed to keep the cam lubricated. What he does is buy a special 100% zinc additive, and runs the cheapest OReilys 20W50 on the shelf, then simply adds the appropriate amount of the zinc/phosphorous additive. He also said you need about 1500ppm of zinc, and that VR1 only has 1250 - which is borderline. The Brad Penn has 1500ppm, fwiw. However, I think the short drain intervals we use mitigate that quite a bit, but I'm going to look into the zinc additive he uses if nothing else just to save some money, especially on the engines I'm building and running in. The owner can then use whatever he likes......

So I changed the oil and then on warmup fiddled with the mixture, as the engine warmed I could tell I was getting it into range so we took a couple of screwdrivers and headed to the nearby highway. After about 20 minutes of driving and tuning I got it running really sweet! She has a strong engine too!

That was the last thing I needed to do to the car to get it ready for our Texas trip, later she took it to a friends to have the alignment set, all she has left to do is hook it to the tow car and do a few practice miles as she's never towed anything before. It's still smoking more than I like but it runs really well, so I'm hoping if it is stuck rings they'll free up after running  some more.

Now she needs to put some miles on the Mini, now that it runs properly!

Edit: I also checked into why there was no heat in the car - the matrix is not hooked up to the engine! Guess he figured to only drive it in warm weather, but we can fix that after the Texas trip.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad