'70 Mini - Rust repairs to Daily Driver (hopefully)

[Bahowe1]

Yeah Dave, Vintage air seemed to have the best pricing.  I checked with a Pirtek - a chain that makes hoses - as well as a few other online sites and Vintage Air was a clear winner. 

[94touring]

Test bracken on your new boot lid.

[BruceK]

Purty.

[Bahowe1]

It's yellow??
Kidding... looks awesome!

[94touring]

Looks different in person and in various light too.

[Bahowe1]

Updates:  I replaced the radiator fan.  Old fan was a 10" no-name, so who knows the flow.  New fan, 10" heavy duty from JEGs - Maradyne that flows 950cfm.  Question:  the sheet said to make sure blades were 1/4" from radiator to allow for flex in accel/decel.  I mounted the shroud directly against the radiator - There is a good 1/4" (maybe slightly more) between blades and radiator now.  But then, in the mounting instructions (that I read after I got it installed) said to use rubber spacers if mounting directly to the radiator, to allow correct spacing.  Those spacers were probably another 1/8th or better.  So am I good, or does anyone think I need a bit more?
Anyways, also had to re-run new wires for the heavier amp draw.
Also worked on the AC/heat/defrost system.  The inside unit is in it's final resting place.  It looks pretty good in there.  Also, got a load of fittings in, so I started clocking those - and had to make another order for some changes.  Got the dryer mounted as well, and made a bracket for the heater valve that'll mount that valve to the firewall.
And found some molded hoses for the heater hoses to get that nice and tidy.
Also got some brackets made to mount the control panel for the unit.
Busy weekend.
Whew... I feel like April CMU event is coming quickly!
Pictures - old fan has the fancy aluminum brackets.  New fan has the homemade brackets but much better fan.

[MPlayle]

Your fan spacing should be fine.  The "mounted directly to radiator" spacing described in the installation instructions are for using the supplied "zip" straps that go through the radiator fins.  Your brackets hold it out further than if the fan housing was directly against the radiator fins.

[Bahowe1]

@Mplyle - thanks!  But actually my brackets don't hold it out further than those zip straps. The way I built the brackets, it puts the fan shroud directly against the radiator (and the blades about a quarter inch away).
The paperwork with the fan was junk. It said do not use those zip straps, but then told you how to use them and they were supplied.
This is why I question it, rather than just space it out. I'd like the shroud to be on the radiator to force flow to come through the radiator, but also don't want to find out the hard way it needed more spacing.

[MPlayle]

If you think some additional blade clearance is needed, you could adjust your brackets and then add a strip of foam weather-stripping material around the edge of the fan housing to seal against the radiator.  That would also get you the fan flow forced to be through the radiator as desired.

[Bahowe1]

Some of you may remember I needed a new boot lid.  I had planned to re-skin, but it was too far gone once I got the old skin off.  Dan and I worked out a deal and he was shipping me one.
Well, yesterday evening, I get home from a long day of work.  My wife is super giddy, so I'm thinking, cool, it's Valentine's day.  My wife also likes to collect beautiful (read - expensive) lamp stands, and has had her eye on one that is sliver/bronze with hand blown glass.  I've refused because it is super expensive.  Anyways, I ask her, what are you so excited about?  'Nothing... did you notice you got a package in the mail?'  So I head toward the front door, where she has dragged in the box and it dawns on me... It's Valentines day, and this would be about the right sized box for a silver and bronze hand blown glass lamp stand.

So... I had to get online last night and make a purchase.  Know what it was?  Some suckers... suckers you ask?  Yup, I plan to give one to each of you that I had going on this story!  Ha!  Lamp stands, really?  It was the best thing I could think of.  Ha!
Dan, I got the boot lid, thanks! 

[94touring]

Lol yes you had me fooled.  Toss out the complimentary carpet underlay!

Also, yah or nah on the bracken?

[Bahowe1]

Ha!  The carpet underlay was awesome.  I was not expecting that when I opened it.
I plan to take a real look at the bracken tonight and bring it to a family vote.  I only had time to glance in the box yesterday and needed to get on with V-day festivities.

[Bahowe1]

Whew... not sure that anyone is feeling love for bracken. Funny how these little cars become a little family member. We used to have a (more) original mini. It was harvest gold. The family wanted this one to look like the other one, but maybe a shade different. Bracken was supposedly it.
So... back to the drawing board- but bright-ish is a requirement. I'm really liking nightfire red ... but I'm hesitant to make another red mini. There is a lot of them for a reason, they look good.
Anyways, I ran a fan test this weekend. I straight wired it, then shook the mess out of the empty radiator. No blade hitting the radiator, I should be good - you were right MPlayle. And man, does that fan suck!  Serious, I could feel air being sucked in from a good foot or more away.
I also applied some foam to the condenser and crimped and ran most ac hoses and heater hoses. I had to order two more fittings to make it 'right' instead of just ok. It's coming together really nicely and clean. Working on wiring it up next weekend.

[94touring]

Swing and a miss on bracken!  I wasn't a huge fan at first but it grew on me and looked good on a fully painted car.  Cool retro look.  I should have sprayed some of the tan that Daves clubman was painted in, though it's not bright necessarily.

[MiniDave]

Is that hose near the header going to be OK or will you have to shield it?

I had to make a steady bracket for Don's hoses as the vibrations from the engine broke them off right at the compressor.

[Bahowe1]

Good to know that about the vibration Dave. I'll pay attention to that. I'm not sure if that hose is too close, what I know is it's not as close as that picture makes it seem. Also, from looking at the few other AC builds out there, they do similar, but worse, they send the cooled line back over the header, which I opted out of.
Also, our buddy longlivekel had a similar build out and I believe his worked well.

[MiniDave]

I didn't know you knew Kel?

He did a terrific job on his D series swap, but I didn't know if he got his A/C working successfully or not

[Bahowe1]

Small (mini) world. I've never actually met him, I found some posts of his and wrote him some questions. He's been a big help. And you're right, his build was extraordinary. He is the one that highly dissuaded me from giving up on fitting the condesnor up front. Once he moved his up front, he had good function.

[Bahowe1]

Dave, what'd you use to make the line bracing?

[MiniDave]

I'll see if I can get Don to email me a pic, but both his lines went over to the fender on the left side, so I made a simple bracket that bolted onto the engine with a couple of insulated clamps, just to keep the hoses from vibrating with the engine vibrations...stopped the breakage once and for all.

[Bahowe1]

Several more things checked off the list this weekend.  I got the last two AC lines crimped up and installed.  So it is now a closed system.  Still need to check for pressure leaks and see if it'll hold refrigerant and work. Also ran the rest of the heater lines.  I checked what I could of the system and the blower works and the dampers seem to be operating properly, so it appears to be all wired up right.
Also I got some tunes installed.  Radio is in, the rear speakers are mounted and I got sound!  I've still gotta make some boxes for the front speakers.   Also got the power antenna installed... which required a square hole - weird.   
Last project of the weekend was to get the door seam sealed that I re-skinned, so I can start building those doors back up and putting them back on the car.   
This weekend is not looking great for getting mini work done... have to fly out to Belgium.  February is gone... March looks like several trips of travel and mid-April is sneaking up!

[Bahowe1]

I tried to pressurize the AC system the weekend before last --failed.  For the interface of the hoses to the compressor, I had to get some compressor block fittings from the junkyard, and then cut off the hose fittings, then buy new fittings to cut up and weld onto the compressor block fittings.  After that, I got the hoses crimped on.  The guy who tig'd them on for me evidently had no idea what he was doing, and it leaked like 10 different places when I was trying to pressurize the system.  I took them to a different guy that I know can TIG and he tried to repair them... and did.  But... the hoses were still connected (they were already crimped) and unfortunately, when we tried the second time to pressurize, the hose failed (which I was afraid was going to happen - too hot from welding).  So... I restarted with getting guy 2 to TIG a new fitting on the compressor block fitting and then getting a new hose crimped on the new fitting.  Hopefully at the end of this week I can try to re-pressurize.
I also made some little speaker boxes for the front two speakers... didn't carpet them yet. 
This past weekend, I got some more pieces of the puzzle done.  I got the doors built back up.  After watching Dan's post on weights and then lifting a door that has been built back up, it makes me not want to put them on the car!  Those jokers ARE heavy.  (So I didn't put them back on yet - makes it easier to work on in the garage too)
Anyways, I also got the side glass and back glass back in.
I went ahead and made a temporary gauge and dummy light holder so it won't rattle around and continuously fall during turns.  After I made it, I really like the look of it, so I'll have to make something similar when I get ready to do the actual dash.
The things I have left before the April CMU mini event are:  get the boot lid on, pressurize the AC system (so I'll be able to test it all out), put the front end back on and get the hood and grill to look right,  get about 400 more miles of driving on it. 
She's gonna be ugly!  But hopefully will be reliable and quick.
I can't wait to tear it back down for paint and clean up all the wiring!  It irks me to no end.

[Bahowe1]

Oh... one more thing.  On the boot lid.  I noticed some of the screws that should fit the boot lid are too small for the new one (like the screws for the wires that hold up the lid, and the screws for the latch).  I am guessing this is a later lid?  And my old boot lid had little clips that hold the seal on, for the new one, does it just glue on? 
Thanks

[94touring]

Later lid but the screws should be the same  8.gif.  You can glue that rubber on if you have to. 

[MPlayle]

The later Minis had the boot seal around the body opening rather than on the boot lid.  for fitting an early seal (early body) to a later lid, gluing as Dan suggests seems the option.