73 Mini Innocenti 1300 Export

[MiniDave]

Yes, I did it with Buzz, but that place is out of business.....and the place cleaning the gas tanks says no radiator shops have hot tanks anymore.....so I don't know where to go now.

I've gotten most of it off now, so I'll probably just take solvent to the greasy parts and call it good and haul it down to the master blaster's.

Dan's convinced his wetblaster would laugh at it too, so Jeff may be on to something.

[Ingman]

Gents, really enjoying this resto!  Thanks for posting.  I have a '75 Export (mine went from France to England in 1980, but retained LHD) that needs doing in the next few years.  Maybe I can send her out there? 

I love that you are bringing her back to period original, so cool. Good luck with the rest!

[94touring]

So long as Dave gets the part where all the reassembly occurs and I just make the body look pretty!

[MiniDave]

It will be late 2019 before I can even consider it....

[MiniDave]

Got the first round of parts back from the powder coaters and they look terrific, like new parts. I have to say tho, had I the wherewithal to sandblast them, I think they would have been fine just painting them. However, the subframe came out amazing and was well worth the effort and money. I didn't unwrap it as I won't be working on it till next week sometime.

[94touring]

Can't wait to see that subframe.


If anyone is interested in a set of cromadoras like our inno has, my Italian inno parts guy has a set with a brand new finish and center caps. 

[MiniDave]

A few weeks ago I sent the fuel sender off to a specialist in New York who called me today to say he had it done, it reads correctly and even the low fuel warning light part works.... considering just how badly encrusted with rust and varnish it was I'll be excited to see how he did. It was $pendy but there are no correct fuel senders that I can find so you do what you have too I guess.
 
I've read that the Jaeger benzina gauge is not compatible with the Mini senders available, plus they don't have the low fuel warning light circuit - I think. At any rate, it's done. When I get it back I'll post a pic of it, before and after. I now have the fuel system all done, the pump survived and still works, the tanks are cleaned and coated, and with the sender I can put it all back together.
 
I also got the Monza gas caps to install. I know they didn't have them from new but like the Cromadora wheels and Abarth steering wheel, I consider it a period accessory.
 
The left tank is interesting, it's the large 9 gallon (7.5 Imperial) tank but it has the screwed on sender instead of the one with the twist in retaining ring. Since it also has the right side 5 gallon tank, I can do a LONG trip without refueling!

And just for Dan......

[MiniDave]

I'm mostly in scrape and clean mode on the Inno right now, all the little parts that put it all back together need to be thoroughly cleaned and assessed - bearings and joints repacked, parts cleaned and painted - which I can't do right now because of the cold weather. I also need to disassemble and clean all the parts I took off the rear subframe so I can send them to the powder coaters...….but I'm still making progress.

[94touring]

Some more detailed inno parts.  Pedal rubber!

[BruceK]

When you guys go to sell this car, you're going to have to show hundreds of photos of all the little Inno-unique details.

[94touring]

Another vital piece arrived.

[MiniDave]

The needles?   

[MiniDave]

When you guys go to sell this car, you're going to have to show hundreds of photos of all the little Inno-unique details.

Dan's been on a quest....he's made an Italian connection.....

[94touring]

I know way more about innocentis than I ever planned.

Needles go to my car. Another set to try.

[Jimini II]

A trick i learnt when working at the SU service department years ago was to move the needle up into the piston to effectively make it work slightly richer through the whole range. Not the perfect answer but a good get me by when there is no rolling road and saves on the wasted cost of needles you may never use.

[MiniDave]

If you've been reading his thread on the refurbishment of his 74 Mini he has a wideband setup so he can look at the mixture in real time and under different load conditions.

I've been in scrape and clean mode for a couple of days, I've got both sets of front end parts clean, although I'm going to need to clean them further with wire brush on the angle grinder so I can repaint everything. Either that or send them to the powder coater too. I also need to rebuild the calipers, tho I have new caliper kits and new pistons in stock if I need them.

Interesting that the inner u-joints don't seem to have any way to grease them, which means I'm going to have to take them apart to thoroughly clean and lube them - I was hoping to just pump some new grease in as they feel fine....no stckiness in movement or noise.

tomorrow I'll do the same with the rear assemblies, so I can take the various parts and the rear subframe up to the powder coater/blaster guy so he can work on them while I'm gone to Oregon for the next 2 weeks or so. I'm hopeful that when I get back it will all be done and I can start re-assembly.

The last pic is of the front cone and a new one - quite a difference!

[94touring]

A trick i learnt when working at the SU service department years ago was to move the needle up into the piston to effectively make it work slightly richer through the whole range. Not the perfect answer but a good get me by when there is no rolling road and saves on the wasted cost of needles you may never use.

Dave pointed out the wideband. I've become intimately familiar with twin carbs and everything needle related.  I got fueling damn close but I'm aiming for perfect under all loads, so I've been slowly narrowing down the best needle for the job.

[MiniDave]

One rear side done, but my parts washer tank has run out of fluid, so I'm going to have to get some more delivered before I can do the other side, don't know how quickly that will happen. If I can't get a quick delivery I can always buy a 5 gallon drum of Kerosene.

I need to finish these tomorrow so I can get it all up to the blaster/coaters so he can work on them while I'm gone....

[John Gervais]

Wow!  That's going to be nice!   

[jedduh01]

One rear side done, but my parts washer tank has run out of fluid, so I'm going to have to get some more delivered before I can do the other side, don't know how quickly that will happen. If I can't get a quick delivery I can always buy a 5 gallon drum of Kerosene.

I need to finish these tomorrow so I can get it all up to the blaster/coaters so he can work on them while I'm gone....

 I use and have had good results from Parts washer solution from Tractor supply:

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/crown-psc-1000-parts-cleaner-5-gal?cm_vc=-10005 

It smells less than Kero , cleans just as 'well"  and is an easy pickup!  ( i do keep my parts washer in a separate shed = but with the Lid closed you can barely tell its there Not much Evap too!
 
Whats your go to solution otherwise?

[velopackrat]

Dave's full on attack of this Mini project, plus Dan's world-over shopping spree surely has to set some kind of a record time to clean up and square away an old desirable Mini.  No moss is growing here.  This thing will be the star attraction of BaT by about March at the current rate of progress.  Go boys, go!

 

[MiniDave]

Jedduh, thanks for that tip - I was headed over to TSC for a 5 gallon of Kero this morning, but as the cleaner solvent is is the same price I'll do that.

I usually use "Crystal Clean" brand solvent, a 30 gallon barrel delivered and the old hauled off costs $165.00, tho this stuff seems to evaporate quicker than Safety Kleen solvent does - but it works fine and SK is now over $400 delivered for the same amount.

I guess I could just buy a couple of these from TSC, that should last me a good long while.

Velopackrat - the cold weather, the cleanup, waiting for things to come back from the coaters and the fact that I'm also rebuilding the subframes for a Moke has slowed me down a bit, I have so little room in the shop I can only do one thing at a time. I'm hoping to have my part done by the first of Feb, so Dan can pretty it all up and it will be ready to drive by the time we have our Restoration 10 Year Reunion April 29th. Of course he isn't busy at all - he only has the '66 to finish, Mark's car to paint, his own '73 to finish and his wedding between now and then among other things - like his day job!

[MiniDave]

Acting on Jedduh's advice, I drove 15 miles out to my usual Tractor Supply in Olathe Ks. only to find it closed and gone! I've been using that TSC for at least two decades (after all, I do own an actual tractor) so I was surprised to say the least. Consulting the references I find one 25 miles away in Belton, Mo.,  one 30 miles away in Independence, Mo and one 40 miles away in Lawrence, Ks. I go to Belton. On the way I notice traffic going the other way on the interstate is down to one very slow moving lane.....so much for this idea. When I get to TSC in Belton I ask the young lady where the solvent is and she says we don't carry any. Huh? So I pull up Jedduhs link (thanks for that!) while she's looking in the store's computer and not finding it under parts washer solvent (what else would it be?) once I show her the picture in Jedduh's link she says "Oh, we have that" and walks me straight back to it. so I pay and load it into the MINI and head out to go home...…

The road is very busy, traffic is stopped for the light up the road a bit and the left lane is blocked while they fill potholes. I get an opening in the right lane and start to pull out when a woman in an SUV jumps in front of me into the space. I just look at here like you dumb broad and she apparently can read my mind as she pulls up a little - enough for me to pull out behind her - and stops. traffic behind me is honking (I'm sure she thinks it's me)  and she rolls forward very slowly, there is no one in front of her so I start to go around her and she immediately jumps in front of me again, so I go right to get back into the right lane and she blocks me again. W.T.actual F? She starts rolling forward again and we come to the red light. a little further up is another right lane which will lead to the highway onramp, I signal and pull into the lane and she jumps in front of me again! She has Ks plates and I'm wondering if I'm going to have this idiot in front on me the whole 30 miles home or what. As we approach the on ramp she suddenly jumps into the left lane to go straight thru the intersection and I take the on ramp - very pleased to no longer be behind or anywhere near this idiot.

Moral of the story - it's the Christmas season and the crazies are out in force!

[94touring]

I was waiting for the degreaser to burst open!

[gr8kornholio]

The Calification of TX has led to all day every day idiot drivers.  Not saying TX ones weren't stupid to begin with, but stupid + crazy x huge population = we try not to leave our little suburb.