73 Mini Innocenti 1300 Export

[MiniDave]

These are 1 3/4", I think all the 2 piston AP calipers use them....not sure about the 4 piston calipers on the 8.4" discs but I would have to guess those are smaller, not bigger.

Are your calipers for an early Cooper S or a later car?

[94touring]

Believe my 4 pots are smaller and the 8 4s I have are bigger for sure.

[velopackrat]

Stupid me,

These calipers as it turns out are later Lockheeds for 8.4" rotors, part # 3243 377c and 338c.  I bought them off eBay thinking I was so clever to score a pair of S calipers...
Anyone need them or have 7.5" calipers to trade?

[MiniDave]

I have an extra set of 8.4's also......

[MiniDave]

Calipers stripped, cleaned thoroughly, etch primed and top coated. After they dry and cure for a couple of days I'll go ahead and put the new seals in and put them back together. This stuff takes for freaking ever to clean, prime and paint, then cure before you can reassemble......and I still have a few hundred others yet to do, but I'm getting there.

[gr8kornholio]

If y’all do put this on BaT it should set a new bar for non cooper/s mini prices.

[MiniGene]

Those look great with the color you went with.

[MiniDave]

If y’all do put this on BaT it should set a new bar for non cooper/s mini prices.

I'm not so sure, it seems things have cooled a bit at BaT, but we'll see. We still have a ways to go before it will be driveable. My goal is to have it done in time for the MMEMW in Aspen next summer....then we'll see what we do with it.

[MiniDave]

Those look great with the color you went with.

I think they tuned out well, since it will mostly be all black under there it's good to have a little contrast. Mostly I want it to look stock. I remember a really nice Mini on BaT that didn't bring anything near what it was worth and I think a part of the problem was the bright blue subframes and weird colors chosen for the suspension bits put people off, even tho it was clearly a well built car.

[MiniDave]

I went ahead and finished up the calipers tonight, another piece added to the pile of parts ready to go back on the car.

[94touring]

Suspension parts look clean and properly colored as well!

[MiniDave]

I've been looking everywhere for some air filter elements to replace the ones that were on the Inno, as these are completely filthy. The filters seem to be an odd size and I haven't been able to find any anywhere, so we decided to go another route. Dan found some K&N style filters on a VW site that were reasonably priced but they did not fit our housings - to complicate matters we wanted to use the stubstacks that were on the car too - so the next step, I bought a set of inexpensive pancake filters from Vicky Brits and we mooshed the two all together - and it works! I had to notch the stub stacks slighty for clearance on the screws that hold it all together, and I'm going to use some tubing over those long screws so we don't bend the cover plate tightening it all up.

So now we have proper sized filters for these carbs, oiled like K&N and we can use the stubstacks too.....Result! As Edd and Ant would say!

[94touring]

VW Bug part number 9048 on those filters from jbugs.com.  $10 each vs $35 each for k&n.  They also sell them in a foam and paper element style as well as a 3 inch height. 

[MiniDave]

Took the tires over today to get mounted and balanced, I thought the old tire weres in good shape, but when I took a closer look they were weather checked, especially on the insides. We'll have new rubber all around, including the spare.

[94touring]

Those backing plates and odds and ends I sent up look good?

[MiniDave]

Yes, I already cleaned up the plates and gave them a coat of black Rusty, it will take a couple of days to cure out. I'm working on the motor now, to see if it will start. I had to do a lot of shop cleanup and reorganizing so I could get the engine stand near the door. Should be mid 50's today so I want to see if it will make some good noises.

Now that I have your reamer I can build up the rear subby once the paint cures out, but the front will be another week or so before I get the front hubs back from the coaters.

[Jimini II]

I've been looking everywhere for some air filter elements to replace the ones that were on the Inno, as these are completely filthy. The filters seem to be an odd size and I haven't been able to find any anywhere, so we decided to go another route. Dan found some K&N style filters on a VW site that were reasonably priced but they did not fit our housings - to complicate matters we waned to use the stubstacks that were on the car too - so the next step, I bought a set of inexpensive pancake filters from Vicky Brits and we mooshed the two all together - and it works! I had to notch the stub stacks slighty for clearance on the screws that hold it all together, and I'm going to use some tubing over those long screws so we don't bend the cover plate tightening it all up.

So now we have proper sized filters for these carbs, oiled like K&N and we can use the stubstacks too.....Result! As Edd and Ant would say!

Nice upgrade, those original foam ones are no help very restrictive.

[MiniDave]

Dan sent some old rear brake backing plates up, the ones on the Inno were well past it, so I got out the wire brush and went at then. The paint came off very easily....no wonder they rust. Anyway, a thorough clean up in the solvent tank and a wipe down with lacquer thinner then a good coat of self etch primer.

After that I brushed on a coat of black RustyOleum and they turned out great, the paint laid out really smoothly - plus I don't think they'll rust again! Once the paint cures out thoroughly I can go ahead and build them up and start assembling the rear subby. By then I'm hoping the last bits will be back from the coaters and I can assemble the front subby too. I really need to put some of this car back together before I tear any more of it apart....but I do need to change the steering rack before the front subframe goes back in.

[MiniGene]

They look clean enough to eat off of now.

[MiniDave]

Today I disassembled the carb setup.....it was so encased with old dried gas that the throttle shafts were completely stuck, as were the pistons and jets. I'm going to take it all over to a friends who has a fine bead blaster and I'll clean everything up to look and function like new. I'm not sure about this manifold - I noticed that it wasn't centered on the head, which is strange as it has the indentations to use the centering rings, but the head has been ported so maybe the ports don't have the indentations for the rings anymore.

[mascher]

It's best to avoid even fine bead blasting of the inside of the suction chamber or the piston that runs inside it. Any even minor changes in size or finish will change its function, generally for the worse. Usually it will clean up with lacquer thinner.

Kelley

[MiniDave]

Good point Kelley.....

I've been doing these for decades so I'm aware that you don't screw with the suction chambers and pistons. Truth be told very little of what I'm going to do will have any impact on the performance - they'll just look a whole lot better! 

I do like nice, fresh, clean looking parts.....Unlike Edd Chinar I can't put dirty greasy parts back on the cars I work on.

[mascher]

I was pretty sure you knew that. People new to SUs are another story.
I have no problem using dirty greasy parts. A decade later I can say they look the same as the day I put them on. 
Kelley

[MiniGene]

I do like nice, fresh, clean looking parts.....Unlike Edd Chinar I can't put dirty greasy parts back on the cars I work on.

As much as I loved that show, that did drive me nuts.  Also, he'd work on the cars while they were dirty--that just bugged me.  C'mon Ed, give them a good scrubbing before you bring them into the workshop!  Haha

[MiniDave]

Carbs! I took my parts over to my buddy's shop to use his bead blaster before the weather closed in - which it's doing now, fog, rain turning to sleet, going to be a real mess - and cleaned everything up - I really like the way things turn out of the glass bead blaster.

A few pics to show what I mean.....