Reggie: The '96 Rover Mini

[MPlayle]

I am at a loss as to what to recommend that will not entail taking it all apart again.

I did find the Keith Calver article on Mini Mania that contains the basic height adjust ratios: http://www.minimania.com/SUSPENSION___Lowering_the_standard_dry_set_up

The front is the 3:1 and the rear is the 5:1.

Depending on how much thicker the built in washer is over the other style, it will result in a 3x increase in ride height.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

It's all good. I picked up those "newer" knuckles over a year ago, so they've been sitting around unused for a while. Worst case, I jack up the rear, and when I take it all apart in a year or so again, I'll put in normal knuckles. I didn't put 2 and 2 together that since I had adjustable hi-los, I didn't really need the higher knuckle.

I think my biggest concern with lifting the back up (other than not living that low life), is how close to the front of the subframe the tire will be.

[MPlayle]

Because of the arc of the rear swing arms, the tires do not get any closer to the subframe.

Rubbing issues at the swing arm mounts on the rear subframe are almost always from the tire size being too tall (or the rare case of badly damaged/bent components).

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Took the car to the gym yesterday morning after dropping the GTI off for some hail repair. Noticed an odd shake in the wheel, like a wheel was loose. Checked all the lugs when I got home, and everything was solid, so I pushed the wheels a bit, and found a small clunk from the front left (RHD passenger side, or LHD drivers side).

Popped the wheel off, everything looked solid, checked the balljoints, camber arm, upper arm, toe link, etc. I'm thinking it might be the wheel bearing starting to go, as the car has 95k KM or 59k miles on it, and I doubt it's ever been done. Before I jump through those hoops, is there any way to confirm?

Shaking the wheels up/down, you can hear a minor metal on metal clunk, almost like the wheel isn't snugged up on the lug nuts, but I can't reproduce without using the wheel itself as leverage, and it doesn't seem to appear side to side. Also, is there any danger on driving on this wheel bearing? As I had just signed up for an AutoX in the car.

[Jimini II]

Could be a number of things. A wheel bearing will usually get louder when turning left or right as you are driving and if it is bad enough it should show play wherever you hold the wheel. It could be the cv nut (the large one in the center of the wheel) as these have high torque settings and sometimes loosen up. Also it could be a tie rod end or the rack bushing on the inner tie rod of the steering rack but these usually make noise when moved back and forth holding the wheel horizontally at 9 and 3. Check all the suspension bushings for deteriation and wear. Lastly it could be ball joints which you can check for play by moving the wheel vertically from 12 to 6.

[MiniDave]

How can an axle nut get loose? They have substantial cotter pins in them.....

I guess if the bearing was failing, creating play?

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

The ball joints, tie rod ends are brand new.

I'll double check the castle nut. I did have it apart previously, so it might just need to be tightened up a wee bit and the cotter pin slid back in. Last time, it ended up between holes in the castle nut, so I backed it off a slight bit for the cotter pin.

[MiniDave]

Oops, that's your problem. You torque it up, then tighten to the next hole.......

[John Gervais]

Yep - you've installed post 1990 knuckle joints which incorporate a spacer and are using 12" wheels instead of the late-model 13" which these knuckles are designed for, so it gives the appearance of more clearance. 

These are the knuckle joints you'd really prefer, and MSC has a good description of the differences as they relate to model changes:

Link:  GSV1118

Sadly, they're a pain in the arse to change.

Regarding suspension ratio, it's 3:1 in the front and 5:1 at the rear.

[John Gervais]

I remembered something else - on the later big-wheeled minis there's also a thick spacer/washer between the bump stop and subframe which effectively lowers the bump stop closer to the upper arm.  If you drop the ride height significantly, you'll want to remove this washer to allow for between 1/8" and 1/4" space between the bump stop and upper arm, otherwise you'll be riding on the bumpstop.

I normally just drop the ride height such that the drive shafts sit parallel to the ground and adjust the rear to between ½" and 3/4" higher than the front as measured from where the heal and toe boards meet the floor panels.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

41  No Yes    SM Jory I           1996 Rover Mini Coop                         
                   Day 1 Set 1  70.042      69.979     (67.632)   
                   Day 1 Set 2  69.012      69.049     (67.683)   
                 Total (both sets): 135.315

Dat consistency.

Tired of the 4x4 stance. Will be ordering non-spaced knuckles for the front so it lower, then I can lower the rear again.

That being said, I haven't seen many pics of the mini in action, so here's some standing shots.


2016-09-25 09.30.37 by Jory Irving, on Flickr

I do indeed suck at Autocross.


2016-09-25 08.24.25 by Jory Irving, on Flickr

Also, this car leaks many oils.


2016-09-29 18.59.07 by Jory Irving, on Flickr

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

037IMG_0681 by Ian Gulinao, on Flickr


037IMG_0684 by Ian Gulinao, on Flickr


037IMG_0911 by Ian Gulinao, on Flickr


037IMG_1091 by Ian Gulinao, on Flickr


037IMG_1092 by Ian Gulinao, on Flickr


037IMG_1093 by Ian Gulinao, on Flickr


YYC AutoX by Jonny W, on Flickr


YYC AutoX by Jonny W, on Flickr


YYC AutoX by Jonny W, on Flickr


YYC AutoX by Jonny W, on Flickr


YYC AutoX by Jonny W, on Flickr


YYC AutoX by Jonny W, on Flickr


YYC AutoX by Jonny W, on Flickr


YYC AutoX by Jonny W, on Flickr


YYC AutoX by Jonny W, on Flickr


YYC AutoX by Jonny W, on Flickr


YYC AutoX by Jonny W, on Flickr

[MiniDave]

All right Jory!

Looks like you got in a number of runs......

Where is your oil leak coming from now? Didn't you replace the shifter shaft seal in the transmission already?

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

All right Jory!

Looks like you got in a number of runs......

Where is your oil leak coming from now? Didn't you replace the shifter shaft seal in the transmission already?

6 runs that day. Mini might be up for AutoX duty again this saturday if the s2k summer tires can't cut the cold weather.

Looks like it's dripping off the front of the block, trickling down the front of the oil pan.

[John Gervais]

That looked like fun!   77.gif

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Ended up swapping the mini in for racing today.

41  No Yes   FSP Jory I           mini                                         
                   Day 1 Set 1  54.895      50.537      50.514     (50.017)   
                   Day 1 Set 2  49.416      50.337      50.021      48.620     (48.422)   
           Total (single best run):  48.422

First run I cruised. Then I put on my big boy pants. For the last 2 runs, I forgot the car had a brake pedal.

52/59 RAW
51/59 PAX
10/10 SPREP

[flipstah]

All right Jory!

Looks like you got in a number of runs......

Where is your oil leak coming from now? Didn't you replace the shifter shaft seal in the transmission already?

6 runs that day. Mini might be up for AutoX duty again this saturday if the s2k summer tires can't cut the cold weather.

Looks like it's dripping off the front of the block, trickling down the front of the oil pan.

That's the same spot of my leak! That and the valve cover just oozing. AutoX looked good

[MPlayle]

Pressure pushing oil out the dip-stick?

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Pressure pushing oil out the dip-stick?

Nope, all clean up there. Potentially on/around the oil filter.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

So I've been flip flopping on this car for a while. It sat all winter, after auto-xing at the end of last season in Calgary. I was ready to sell it, but when spring rolled around and flipstah started posting pics of his mini everywhere, I felt a little love for the car. When someone offered me 9k for it, I had to turn the money down and keep it.

So I kept it. I've swapped the front and rear knuckles to try and get it a bit lower, with absolutely no luck up front. I'm debating swapping from cones to coils, but that's ~300GBP, so it might be a while. I've also noticed the front feels a bit loose, so I'm going to get in there and make sure all the bolts are tight. Also ordering a few small pieces to try and clean up some of the oil leaks, as well as a spare set of front brake pads, and some spare plasic flares in ABS black. They may need to be painted/wrapped to colour match. I'll also hopefully one day be taking it in for an alignment.

One thing I've noticed is that the steering feels mildly delayed. If I "wiggle" the steering wheel back and forth, rather than feeling like it's turning, if feels like the car is pivoting instead. It's a very odd, almost delayed feeling. I'm not sure if it's due to a bad alignment, something loose in the front end. Under/over inflated tires, or something else.

Also, I bought a small baller piece. A leather fuel bib from a company out in BC making the odd classic mini parts.

https://www.stevestonmotorco.com/product-page/fuel-bib-collection-i

#3.

No pics yet, because I always do these updates from work.

[MiniDave]

Glad to see you're still with us!

Check the steering rack mounting u-bolts to be sure they're tight, check the upper control arms to be sure the bearings are still good (didn't you have those out to install the new doughnuts?

Other than that, just have someone move the wheel while you look for looseness. My car was acting a bit odd on turn in, found out my rear control arm bushings were absolutely shot, so you might check that too.

It's hard to sell one of these, isn't it? At the same time you're cursing it for it's "issues", you'd be missing it if you didn't have it!

[flipstah]

So I've been flip flopping on this car for a while. It sat all winter, after auto-xing at the end of last season in Calgary. I was ready to sell it, but when spring rolled around and flipstah started posting pics of his mini everywhere, I felt a little love for the car. When someone offered me 9k for it, I had to turn the money down and keep it.

So I kept it. I've swapped the front and rear knuckles to try and get it a bit lower, with absolutely no luck up front. I'm debating swapping from cones to coils, but that's ~300GBP, so it might be a while. I've also noticed the front feels a bit loose, so I'm going to get in there and make sure all the bolts are tight. Also ordering a few small pieces to try and clean up some of the oil leaks, as well as a spare set of front brake pads, and some spare plasic flares in ABS black. They may need to be painted/wrapped to colour match. I'll also hopefully one day be taking it in for an alignment.

One thing I've noticed is that the steering feels mildly delayed. If I "wiggle" the steering wheel back and forth, rather than feeling like it's turning, if feels like the car is pivoting instead. It's a very odd, almost delayed feeling. I'm not sure if it's due to a bad alignment, something loose in the front end. Under/over inflated tires, or something else.

Also, I bought a small baller piece. A leather fuel bib from a company out in BC making the odd classic mini parts.

https://www.stevestonmotorco.com/product-page/fuel-bib-collection-i

#3.

No pics yet, because I always do these updates from work.

I like how you order things without me. I always think about you whenever I order things.  19.gif

I'm just happy we're still friends.  62.gif

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Glad to see you're still with us!

Check the steering rack mounting u-bolts to be sure they're tight, check the upper control arms to be sure the bearings are still good (didn't you have those out to install the new doughnuts?

Other than that, just have someone move the wheel while you look for looseness. My car was acting a bit odd on turn in, found out my rear control arm bushings were absolutely shot, so you might check that too.

It's hard to sell one of these, isn't it? At the same time you're cursing it for it's "issues", you'd be missing it if you didn't have it!

I'll check the steering rack. I replaced one of the boots already, rebuilt the upper arms, aside from the bearings, as I couldn't get them out, and completely rebuilt the rear arms (had a local shop do it for me).

Also, I hate the new donuts. They're too damn tall.

I like how you order things without me. I always think about you whenever I order things.  19.gif

I'm just happy we're still friends.  62.gif

Well, they're one offs, and I didn't want to fight over colours. Of note, either gimme your lights, or I'm going to have to order some of my own.

[MiniDave]

I forgot you and Flipstah were neighbors and buds!

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

Pulled the front wheels off, everything still looks tight. I checked the air pressures and I was running 28psi all the way around on the 12's, so I've increased the pressure to 32psi to see if it helps.

One other thing I noticed is that at highway speeds (100kph+) it almost "hops" or vibrates up and down. I chalk that up to the alignment for now. Probably some bad toe up front.

Also, dis:


IMG_20170619_202839 by Jory Irving, on Flickr