73 Mini Innocenti 1300 Export

Started by MiniDave, October 23, 2018, 01:33:44 PM

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MiniDave

No, it was still being used as a commercial building at that time, I'm sure had I bought it they would have been less, but still stupid high.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

So, back to work on the Innocenti.....today I'm back on wiring. since the car went to England it was converted to RHD, and I'm converting it back to LHD again. In England, not only did they move the wheel and pedals, they also added some banging tunes, big speakers, a power antenna and the required immobilizer - all of which I'm removing again. (I'll leave the antenna)

We also noticed a hole in the switch panel, and Dan acquired the correct switch...which according to the wiring diagram is to turn on the reverse lights. There is no switch in the shift linkage like on rod change cars, and none in the gearbox as I've seen on some cars too.

I had to drop the heater to get to the steering column wiring, and when I did I found the wires for that switch - wired together?!? Seems like this would mean the reverse lights were on all the time? Plus too and also, the rear taillight assemblies had been replaced with English ones, they're the same except for the name on the lenses but the wires coming out of the bulb sockets are different colors than the Italian ones. So, I'll need to sort all that out before I hook things up again.

First pic is of the new switch to replace the missing one, then the wires that go to the switch.

Next pic is of the wires coming out of the tail light assemblies, and the last is the Italian wires, showing the difference in color scheme.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#277
More wiring fun.....good thing I decided to pull the heater down, I found these wires behind it.....the grey one is for the handbrake on light, the yellow I haven't traced back yet, as yellow wires are used as power supply wires much like red on most cars. No idea what made the insulation crack like this.....

And then I found these two in the engine compartment, no idea what they are for - according to the wiring diagram all the extraneous purple wires are accounted for, but they have factory crimped on ends so they must be OEM and used for something. I may have to untape the harness and see if I can trace them back where they go.

I haven't had to pull the dash out yet, I'm hopeful I won't have to......
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

BruceK

I would have absolutely no idea what the icon on that switch meant - not intuitive at all for reverse lights.   I would suggest some symbol that looks like the R on a gearknob combined with a lightbulb symbol.

Considering how people don't necessarily use turn signals -- and we all know how to use the switch for those - I wonder if the reverse light switch ever really got any use?
1988 Austin Mini
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

MiniDave

#279
I agree, that switch made no sense to me either, but that's what is supposed to be there, so we're gonna put one in and make it work!

Seems to me it would be easy to leave it on inadvertently and drive around with them on all the time.....

We talked about using it for fog lights instead but haven't reached a consensus yet.

I also found a relay that doesn't seem to operate anything mounted on the left inner fender, it might have been there for fog lights that were on the front of the car, but it looks like factory wiring to me and the fog lights that were on there weren't even wired up..and I can't find a switch for fog/driving lights that connects to this relay.

I've been working on installing the bulkhead insulation too.

The red and white wires in the last pic above are for the power antenna, and the big black wire is the antenna coax lead. None of those will be used right now.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

We can probably yank that antenna.  If I'm giving it a spritz of paint and some new clear, that hole will be disappearing too.

MPlayle

The icon on that switch makes me think of instrument lights.


MiniDave

#282
Well, it's always sumthin.....

I was thinking about how to route the heater hoses over to the other side of the car, as they come out on the left side now, and the hoses will interfere with the accelerator, when I took a good look at the other side of the heater case and viola! the solution appeared! There are holes already in the other side, all I have to do is open up the box and turn the matrix around to the other side, then the hoses will be on the right side to go thru the bulkhead. Easy peasy!

Except.....

Well first of all if you look carefully at the first pic, notice the fan switch with the light green wire.....looks like someone gobbed on some JB weld to hold the wire on!

Next, when I drained the matrix nothing but nice clean coolant came out, but when I took it out of the box.....well the pic tells the story.

So, instead of a quick touch up to the paint, now I'll be cleaning and painting the casing, replacing the matrix and the switch, and of course new foam around the matrix and on the heater door. But it will all be solid when it's done. I don't know why these heater cores fall apart like this......but I've replaced it in every Mini I've owned except the Green one, and I wouldn't be surprised but what it needs it too although it doesn't seem to be leaking or smelling like coolant.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

One of the last things I needed to do on the interior was to fix the broken turn signal switch, the boss that the handle fit into was broken - I figure I can build it up with some JB Weld and file it down to match the other one, but I needed to remove it to make it easier to reach all the different sides of it. We also have a new stock steering wheel and hub to put on, so that meant removing the Abarth hub.

And THAT was the problem. It's held on with 6 allen head screws and only one of them would come out, the others either would not turn or the allen part stripped/rounded out. That left drilling them out. At first I used a 1/2" bit, to try and remove the head down to the shaft, that wasn't working so well so I switched to a 1/4" bit, to drill out the centers - that worked a treat, as soon as I was down to the shaft the heads just popped right off and I was able to pry off the adaptor plate to get to the nut on the steering shaft under the plate.

Once that was off it was easy to remove the switch assembly - the one we have is in good shape except for the broken handle, which is common on these, the plastic gets brittle and the mechanism gets stiff from the lubrication drying up, next thing you know you have the handle in your hand, and these - like many Inno pieces - are unobtanium plated. (I did finally find one for $200 plus shipping, but I'll try to fix this one first)

Once I finish this, I can start putting the interior back together....I did have to buy a brake master cylinder - the pic shows why......this one had leaked badly and rusted, I can't get it apart. Of course, they don't sell this master cylinder anymore, it's been superceeded by one with metric lines and fittings. Which means you have to buy a specially made brake pipe with a metric fitting on one end and an English one on the other end. I was going to have to make up new lines anyway as we're moving it from the right side to the left, which meant longer pipes.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

jedduh01

Good Job... One thing turns into  ALL THE THINGS...
  Barn finds are great!!!

MiniDave

#285
In between other things, I have been working on the Inno, but the cold means I can't paint anything just yet.....we're not supposed to get warm weather for another week or two - it's really frustrating me! I did get the first layer of JB Weld on the turn signal switch handle and it looks like it's going to work fine...the switch moves easily now and all I have to do is build up a few layers so that I can match the style of the other handle. Then file it down to shape and give it a lick of black paint and it will be good as new.

I took the various pieces of the heater over to my friend's batcave and bead blasted everything clean, and while I was there I retrieved the Racing Green Mini and towed it home, - damn thing wouldn't start after sitting for 4 months, don't know why yet - I just got it home and into the shop for now.

I bought another shelving unit so I could get some more stuff up off the floor, when you have a small shop organization is everything! But having a Mini on the other side instead of the Jag sure frees up a lot of extra room! I sold the green Jaguar sign to a local enthusiast and president of the KC Jaguar club and he was thrilled to get it .....he's taking it down to a local sign shop and having a light box made for it, then it will go into his mancave I also have some service books and parts books and he said he could help me sell them.

Dang, I should have given him that little Jaguar parking sign too....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

Tell him $25 or 50 for the little sign?

MiniDave

Nah, I would give it to him, he's a really nice guy and a great supporter of the Jaguar community and British car community. I took the $$ references back out of my post.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#288
Despite the cold weather I managed to get some more painting today as the sun came out - it only got to 40* but I heated the paint first and then shot them outside, then hung the parts in the sun and it helped keep the fumes down when I put them back in the garage to finish curing.

I painted all the heater parts, so once the matrix gets here about Wed or Thurs I can put it all together....I think it will have hardened off enough by then. The master cylinder is coming in the same shipment, so I should be able to pretty much reassemble the dash, bulkhead, steering column and brake/clutch pedal assembly.

I also put layers 4 and 5 of JB Weld on the turn signal switch handle, the stuff tends to run a bit so I have to keep orienting the part to keep it in the right place till it stiffens up enough to hold. I found you don't want to put the stuff on thick anyway, it won't cure out for weeks if you do - thin coats are best. I'm hopeful this is the last coat and I can start filing it to shape now.

Lastly I made a cover plate for the opening in the center of the dash, I have a bulkhead insulation panel to put over it, originally it had a piece of carboard with some insulation behind it, but it was thoroughly trashed. This should help with engine noise too.....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

BruceK

Dave, you may already know this, but there are several marine versions of JB Weld that cure in about 6 minutes.  I used one to secure a broken shark fin antenna on my daughter's car (wanted the all-weather protection).  About 5 minutes in it goes from uncured to cured in about 30 seconds so you need to be ready!
1988 Austin Mini
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

MiniDave

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

My last layer of JB went on really well, now it's just a matter of finishing it off to match the other handle and giving it a little paint and it's good to go. I'll put up pics when I'm done with it tomorrow.

Too damn cold to work in the shop today, and it's supposed to get much colder the next couple of days.....and all next week. Really putting a damper on my efforts.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#292
Got a little more done today, tho not as much as I had hoped - but then that's normal for any resto job. It always takes longer than you think it will and little problems always crop up.

I got the heater core in so I decided to put the heater together, put some foam in to seal the core, bolted in the fan motor and assembled the box, but once I had it together I realized there was a small problem. The flap that controls where the air flow goes is held by some small notches in the front panel, the one that holds the flap so that you get air on your feet has been worn practically off, so it won't hold the flap in place. So I'll remove the front panel again and try to fix it. If I have to weld on it I'll only have to repaint the one panel, not the whole heater box.

I bought a new fan switch as someone had JB Welded the wire onto the old one, but unfortunately, the Inno switch is different, so the new Mini one I bought won't fit. This one is still working so I'll go ahead and reuse it.

I'm happy with how the turn signal switch turned out, I put a coat of paint on the parts I fixed and it's ready to go back into the car.


Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

This morning I managed to get the pedal cluster installed, I had to remove the accelerator pedal assembly as the end didn't line up with where the cable comes thru the firewall, a quick trip to the vise and a little bend and all is good now.

Next up was the steering column and the upper bracket - had to loosen the steering rack to get it all lined up properly, then it all went together as it should. I installed the column switch and stuck a late model steering wheel on it just for grins - it doesn't fit the turn signal switch so it's just sitting there. Dan found us a standard Hellbore steering wheel and hub assembly so it will all fit properly when we're done.

I also trial fit the master cylinders - as you can see the new master is made for a right hand drive car - the pipes come out on the "wrong" side, so it will be interesting getting it all to work - I bought the special brake lines that have a metric fitting on one end and the English on the other but figuring out how to run them will be interesting - before I bend them. I've been using coat hangers to mock up how I'm going to run then, but without the carbs in there it's all just a guess. The clutch master will require a really tight bend in the line at the top then the other end has to work around the engine steady and heater hoses.

More as it happens.......next up I'll mount the heater and run all the wiring to the steering column switch and remount the ignition switch. I'll also have to repair a few wires that the insulation has cracked on in several places - no idea what caused that - they're not burned like they shorted out, just cracked and broken insulation.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MPlayle

Can you rotate the brake master 180* to get the clearance for the pipes?


MiniDave

No, then the air cleaners on the carbs interfere with the master cylinder reservoir. Believe me I wanted to!  ::)
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

Quote from: MPlayle on February 17, 2019, 07:23:12 PM
The icon on that switch makes me think of instrument lights.

I think you're right, Michael - that would explain why the wires were tied together.....I'm assuming the power comes from the light switch and that way the dash lights were on any time the headlights were - although why you would want a switch to control the dashlights I have no idea....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#297
I found a diagram of the switches, and indeed that missing switch is for dash lights....

I decided while I had the dash all exposed to go ahead and start checking out the entire electrical system, so I installed the battery and turned a few things on.....uh-oh.

Nothing smoked but some things are definitely not wired up correctly.....headlights only come on when I use the turn signal switch and....well I stopped there to look at the wiring diagram I have, but it doesn't seem to be quite right for this car. There is a relay on the left front inner fender that I think was for driving lights but the wires attached to it are for the fuel sender - according to the wiring diagram.....some more sleuthing is definitely in order. Also, there is no switch not being used, so I can't find what those wires and relay would be controlled by.

I did find another wiring diagram that was posted just this month, I downloaded it to a thumb drive with the idea that I'd head over to Kinkos and have them print me out a BIG copy - but they're closed.

There are also two unused wires that again, the diagram indicates are used for something completely not possible on that end of the car.

God forbid I have to trace these wires one at a time and sort out what they do - that will take ages.

Better now than when the car is all assembled tho......

Edit: I got a wiring diagram I can actually read!


Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

amanley

Hey Dave, so I'm the owner of the '78 mini that came out of the same shed with this one and I've been digging into the wiring on it. I'll tell you from what I've seen on mine that the wiring is all kinds of modified. My recent discovery? They wired the horn to the dome lights...  :-[ even with the existing horn wiring functioning and in place. I've also found a few wires that have been cut and are just hanging around. It's enough to make me want to check the rest of the wiring. So assuming the previous owner did some similar things on the Innocenti, it may be worth thoroughly checking.  ::)
1978 BL mini 1000
2005 MINI Cooper S JCW
2013 MINI Countryman All4

MiniDave

Yep, I've been going thru it all, one circuit at a time, at least there are good, accurate diagrams out there for your car....I thought the one I had was, but there were a few things that didn't match. The one I got reprinted and enlarged I think is more accurate, but we'll see. It's certainly easier to read!   ;D

I know the wiring for your car inside out, but the Inno's are completely different. I think a lot of my issues stem from the car being converted from LHD to RHD and now back to LHD again. And then the additions of some banging tunes and the required in England Immobilizer that were so poorly done didn't help. But I'll get it all straightened out by the time I'm done.

Glad you came to the forum, put up a thread on your purchase, I'm sure the other guys would like to read about it - Don't forget the pics, we like pics!  77.gif
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad