Then I broke down (74 mini mild refurb)

Started by 94touring, May 26, 2015, 11:33:03 PM

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94touring

I have a single speed switch but can throw in a two speed one.  It hasn't worked since I got the car so not sure about park. 

gasmini

Quote from: 94touring on June 13, 2015, 09:57:22 AM
Quote from: gasmini on June 10, 2015, 03:28:20 PM
Quote from: 94touring on June 09, 2015, 02:50:25 PM
Got this little guy ordered.
Have you ever ordered a radiator to find out that the over flow tube is pointing the wrong way?
I just got my new aluminum radiator in today and its pointing towards the front of the mini. :-[
Is there another British car with a radiator made this way or did I just get one that was welded wrong?

just stumbled across this...
I had found the same information on the Mini Spares website stating this.
Side mounted for 1990 to 1996 side mounted radiator.UK made

This is a super cool lightweight alloy radiator for 1990 on cars with a 1275 engine which has the overflow pipe facing forward for the expansion tanks which were fitted as standard. this has a screw in type switch which is not supplied but available as C-ARA4445. Many people fit the earlier type c-ARA4441 with overflow hose facing backwards--this is the only difference, 1992 on cars will require a C-ARA4445 switch. Made by Radtec in the UK.

I was going to ask if you and Jim had problems with installing the radiator and also had the radiator cowl. By looking at the pictures you posted I see you don't have the cowl like I do on my pickup. So I'm debating how much of it I should cut off to add the radiator.

94touring

If you have the earlier style with the cowl it might not fit, or you'd have to trim some cowl away. 

94touring

Finally getting back around to fixing odds and ends on this guy.  Note the bulge on the end of the old clutch hose. 

94touring

Got the new wiper motor installed and have wipers again.  As luck would have it the wiper switch busted as soon as I hit the switch.  Luckily had another to swap out.  Also did my stub stack and filter mod.  Dual carbs coming soon...

MiniDave

One of the things I did to Buzz that I've been really happy with was replacing the switches with left drive components - even tho Buzz is right drive, at least the turn signal switch is now in the "right place - same as all my other cars - on the left side of the column.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

Got to play today.  Started in on new door cards.  The dash and carpet will be tomorrow.  My headliner also arrived but not sure when I'll get around to it.  Not previously mentioned was a clunking noise which I've pinpointed to the internals of the steering rack.  Looks like I get to pull this one soon.

94touring

Ordered a number of things this morning.  New steering rack, twin carb rebuild kit for the twins that will go on, Cooper freeflow maniflow header, rc 40 twin box exhaust, and a few other bits and pieces to tidy things up.  Steve the previous owner has an old rookie style dash that needs fixing up I may through in so holding off on the dash for now till I get my hands on that and decide if I want to put it in.   

94touring

#58
Moving along on interior improvements.  The old speakers and board they were in were trash.  Made a new one and also eliminated the crappy cassette player.  Instead I bought a input to rca cable to plug my phone directly into the amp.  I used the old amp that came with the car for now but will probably upgrade it to something more than 50 watts.  All in all sounds good, plus I'm adding 4" speakers in the dash area.  New carpet is in. 

94touring


94touring

Got the rack in.  Pain in the ass.  All my clunking issues are solved.  Built these carbs and put on the headers.  Still need to find a more suitable blanking plug for the manifold and I'd like to soda blast them eventually.  Did the best I could for now.  Definitely gained some oomp.  Any suggestions on needles?  Ran lean down low but to make it run good it idles rich. 

94touring


MiniDave

#62
What did you have to do to get the rack in that was so hard? Was it having to drop the subframe or????

Carbs came out great, no thoughts on needles but I'll look in my books and see if I can learn anything - which engine do you have? Looks like a 998?
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

LilDrunkenSmurf

Yeah, can you write up how you replaced the rack?

94touring

So the steering rack...  ok unhooking everything wasn't the problem.  Though it does take time and is somewhat tedious and if you're not familiar with all the points that need unhooked I can see it being a handful. I dropped the subby just enough to get the rack out.  The problem was getting the damn U bolts back in.  The passenger side is doable, but you need to be able to get a hand on them to put pressure to squeeze the ends, since the rack tends to flare them out to the point they don't line up well enough to just slide in.  I found on the pax side that getting the side toward the front of the car in first made it easy to put pressure on the back side to line it up and then shove it the whole way in.  The drivers side however has the box on the rack, and there simple is no way to get a hand in there to squeeze the bolts, or even see what you're doing.  I use to think the lower rad hose was a pain, this won by a landslide.  I ended up unhooking the rest of the things on the engine/subframe and dropped it several more inches, which still wasn't enough really.  Got a second pair of hands to push from the bottom while I came at it from the top to align the bolt end on my side.   Then the bottom person hit it with a hammer and it went in.  I don't want to admit how much time it took me.  Very frustrating considering it takes all of 3 minutes when I'm doing it on a bare frame.  There was a lot of swearing and some light sobbing.  But, the rack sure is better than the old one.  I need to do ball joints in a bad way, as they are sloppy too I noticed.  Prior to this rack being replaced the car would clunk something fierce, and I'd get wheel judder on braking occasionally.  Now there's no clunking and no wheel judder.  I still need to do a better job at aligning my steering wheel, which I was way off on.  Eye balling wheels straight is harder than you think.  I'd say best practice would be to drive  in a straight line in the driveway, then set the wheel. 

Yeah it's a 998.  Had low end hesitation, but cruised good, pulled the plugs and they were way lean looking.  Richened it up to rid the low end hesitation and it drives great from low end to wide open throttle at 75mph, but idles rich.  The hs4's were easier to adjust.  These hs2's I had to remove the filter and take out a bolt on the lower plate to rotate it to get my hands in there to adjust the mixture.  After 7 or 8 times tweaking and test driving I got good at it though.   

94touring


MiniDave

OK, you'll have to explain that one to me.....I use a Unisyn that I've had since the 60's, works a treat......

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

Willie_B

Looks like if the carbs are out of sync it will pull the fluid from one bottle to the other depending on which side has more vacuum.

94touring


jeff10049

Cool, is this better or just another way than two vacuum gauges?

94touring

I didn't have 2 vacuum gauges.  Works just as good.  I happen to have a port on each carb to hook into. 

94touring

Another mod I did that's not shown was add a lower stabilizer bracket that goes from the rear of the tranny and bolts to the subframe.  Requires drilling a hole on the subframe.  It made a world of difference!  I had new bushings on the upper stabilizer but this really eliminates movement.  Zero clunk sounds if you blip the throttle. 

MiniDave

Didn't later cars come with this from the factory? I know Buzz has one.....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

Yeah but not sure when they started using them.  Mine certainly didn't have one on it, but I have the old 2 bolt style subby too. 

MPlayle

The factory lower stabilizer on later Minis went from the transmission near the oil plug and went forward to the front edge of the subframe.

There are two lower stabilizer kits to go from the transmission back to the rear arms of the subframe - a right and a left.  One goes from under the timing chain cover where the speedometer drive housing is and the other mounts on the clutch side, bottom of the flywheel/drop-gear cover.  Both of these are "aftermarket" kits.