73 Mini Innocenti 1300 Export

[94touring]

It certainly isn't slow. Real torque monster down low, right where you want it for a street car.

[94touring]

Got a lot of things done on the Inno today.

Changed the oil

Swapped in an aluminum radiator

Added an med air filter kit with the fancy stub stacks

Checked the toe since it drove squirrely in curves and sure enough it was toe in, adjusted it back out

Tightened/replaced loose zip ties on axle boots

Greased all fittings

Front left shock wouldn't adjust so swapped the fronts out with some spare adjustable gax shocks I had sitting around

Adjusted ride height

Added bulkhead cover

Took it for another drive to see how the radiator would do. The new core measured 50mm, the old core was 30mm.  Before it was hanging around 200-210 cruising and creeping to 220 idling. That was on a cooler day as well.  The new radiator it was stuck right at 180-185. Got up to 200 at a prolonged idle. 

Air fuel ratios still perfect with the stub stacks added.

[94touring]

Got it home.  Drove it all over today fiddling with the last bit of quirks.  Might go another notch softer on the shocks, but it's not bad as is. Need to raise the front right about a 1/4" to match the left, minus 1/8 inch total to account for me sitting in it.  Water temp stayed glued right below or at 200 and it was smoldering hot out.  I'm debating an external fan on the inner wing for prolonged idling, it does creep a bit at idle. My blue mini is even worse and the fan does the trick.

[94touring]

Dave wasn't the only one with a blown head gasket!  After driving it the past few days and letting her rip to continue bedding in the rings, I gave it it's post break in physical.  Well it was low on compression between 2 & 3.  Not crazy low, but a solid 20-30 lower than 1 and 4.  Number 1 was really good at around 180 but 4 was the best near 190. Gave it the wet test and they were all around 210 so figured maybe it just needed more miles.  Slept on it and decided to get a leak down tester to have a listen.  It was pretty obvious that pressure was passing between 2 & 3 by the loud hissing coming from the plug hole of each.  So this morning grabbed one of my backup gaskets and tore into it. The hardest part was probably the twin carbs.  Getting to the manifold studs is no easy task. At any rate I got it all cleaned up and buttoned up. Ran it dry for a couple minutes per online suggestions, as well as what Dave said he's read too.  Gave it another compression test and voila numbers were all around 180 across the board. 1 may have had a little blow by as well into 2 just looking at coloration when I pulled it. Plus it came up in compressionn about 5 points. Tomorrow will add fluid and take it for a spin. 

Also...it turned 85,000 KM on the drive to the shop.

[94touring]

Filled with distilled H20 and some rust treatment and took it for a spirited 37.55 mile drive. It's crazy how much mud minis seem to make in the coolant system.  Anyway, after the drive came back and reset the idle and re synched the carbs.  Gave it another compression test to see how it did after getting a proper drive and a heat cycle on the gasket. Numbers are where they need to be!  185-182-180-190. 

Also while I had the head off yesterday thought I'd double check the math on bore, stroke, and volume.  We're actually a 1425cc motor and at 9:75:1 compression.  The loads of torque would match.  It's easy to spin first getting out onto a road with your foot into it.  The 3:10 gears we went with pair perfectly. 

[94touring]

Got everything working on the car. Minus the dome light that keeps shorting.  That can wait.  Fiddled with return spring tension on the carbs to find the sweet spot between too stiff or too light it doesn't return properly.  Brake pressure switch was dead so I didn't have brake lights. Doh! I stole a manual switch that bolts off the brake pedal from my decommissioned mini pickup.  Had to modify it slightly to fit to the inno pedal box. Got it wired up and wires organized through the firewall.  Checked the rocker valve lash again.  Except instead of doing the rule of 9 like I had been doing it, located 180 on the pulley and marked it.  Now to set valve lash I turn the engine 180 to each mark and set a pair of valves at a time like you'd do on a VW. It's much quicker!  Washer fluid nozzles are spraying fluid.  Flushed the coolant 3 times till the distilled water coming out was mostly clear.  Checked rear brake adjustments.  Reset rear exhaust section further into the Y pipe to rid it of a slight leak, using muffler gunk to seal it. Vin plates riveted on.  Side trim adhered to lip with heavy duty double sided tape rather than drilling and screwing. Front tow bar brackets removed and Eye bolts installed. 

Last but not least was the horn button. We found a button but there weren't guts to it. I sat and stared at it for awhile and then went through my spring bin and got it to push like it's supposed to. Pondered awhile thinking how to get the horn wire to ground itself, but only when you push the button.  Then it occurred to me to get a smaller button to set at just the right height under the factory horn button so that when you push the stock button it then pushes the button underneath. It worked perfectly.