Red Clubman Estate aka "Rusty"

Started by MiniDave, November 22, 2015, 12:16:30 PM

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MiniDave

This thread is to document the restoration of 94 Touring's red Clubman Estate......

Since the car was here in KC when he bought it, the first part will be done in my garage shop, where I'll pull the engine and replace the clutch, then I'll haul it down to Dan's shop where he'll get after the rusty body.

I tried to use my towbar last week to get it, but the towbar didn't quite fit and I didn't have the tools with me to try and make it fit in the PO's driveway on a cold blustery winter day, so today we took the trailer and retrieved it from it's old home and brought it to my shop.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring


MiniDave

Took the hood off so I can assess the repair....I may try and lift it later today but I need to look carefully before I do to make sure I'm on solid metal. Looks like it was a similar color to Buzz before it was painted red.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

Got the car lifted today, rear pads on the rear subframe but the front pads were a problem, as there really isn't any substantive sheet metal left in the floors, sills or A panels and the subframe mount on the right side was torn and no longer attached. I did put some 1/2" bolts thru the front mounts and into the subframe as there were none there. We used some boards that spanned the floor and the bottom of the A panel and the forward edge of the bulkhead and that seems to be holding OK....at least it didn't make any bad sounds!

Then we got to work on pulling the clutch, first we bored a 2" hole in the inner fender so we could get the extension and impact wrench on the 1-1/2" nut that holds the flywheel on - it's torqued to 150ft.lbs or so, so you need some HP to get it off. Once the outer cover was off, the rest was just a matter of fitting the puller and off she came.

I'll do a little cleanup inside the clutch cover and put it back together tomorrow or the next day, then it should be drivable again.....if it was before??!?!?!?   ;D
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

Any ideas what the problem with the clutch actually was?  Sticking like we assumed?

MiniDave

Not sure yet, all I did was take it all out yesterday, today I'll check everything over - he said he thought the clutch arm was what was stuck, and he removed the cover to free it up (there is a nail used as a cotter on one of the clevis pins) and after that it slipped. You can see a couple of blue marks on the flywheel parts showing that it was slipping, but I don't know if he messed with the clutch itself and got it out of whack, and that's why it slipped. It's odd that it's only blue in a couple of places like that.  I'll try to clean up the flywheel surfaces, but both should really be resurfaced. Trouble is, no one I know around here understands how to do this correctly on this style clutch setup. There may be another flywheel in all the parts in the car, I can root around a bit and see what I can find.....there are some pretty good wear grooves on the smaller part of the flywheel assy, if there's a better one in the parts bin I'll use it, but this one will work....it's kinda like putting new pads on old rotors, they have to bed in but they will work.

If it feels flat enough and cleans up OK I'll re-use it all and just put the new disc, cover and release bearing in. He also got a new clutch arm, so I'll put that in too, but he didn't get new clevis pins and those are what usually wears out. I can get those at Victoria British so no worries there....

More as I find it.....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

MiniDave

#6
Got everything cleaned and ready to put back in the car, pressed the new release bearing onto the shaft, got everything polished up and lubed...... tomorrow it goes back in.....

I looked in the parts boxes and I didn't find another flywheel, but this one cleaned up and will work fine, and I did find some rear front subframe mounts to replace the broken ones.......
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

I'm liking this have people do the work for me setup  4.gif

MiniDave

Well, turnabout and all that......wish I lived closer, we could do a fun partnership where I do the mechanicals and you do the paint/body stuff.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

Agreed.  I wish John McGee was closer too.  I could have plenty to paint.  I enjoy mechanical work but sometimes it's a time consuming drag. 

MiniDave

#10
That's exactly how I feel about body work!

I just hope your Clubby doesn't do this when I test drive it after I fix the clutch..... ;D

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring


Spitz

Haha...that looked like a Lada falling to bits....not far off what might actually happen

MiniDave

#13
Houston, we have a problem......looks like someone tried to make a self-tapper out of the bolt that holds the flywheel on. At the very least I'll need a bottom tap to try and clean the threads in the end of the crank, a new bolt, the lock tab (which was missing completely) and the locking tab retainer washer that locates the flywheel to the crank.

If the threads won't clean up in the crank, we're pulling the engine and taking it to a machine shop to have a heli-coil put in, that's not something I can do in my shop - drilling the end of the crank would have to be done precisely or the crank is toast - it may be anyway.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

 :-[  Yikes.  I'm glad you're in charge at this point.

MiniDave

#15
Do you have any spare engine parts lying about? Like the flywheel bolt and lock key? All pre-verto's are the same....

I'll call Dan tomorrow after I've made some inquiries and we'll figure out what to do.

Tap - $20-30
Bolt - $20
Key - $25
Lock tab - $5

Machine shop if we need it, probably $100.

But finding the helicoil may be the problem, I haven't seen one in that thread anywhere.....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

jeff10049

what about going to up to 11/16-16 from the stock 5/8-16 taps are cheap, and at only .030 a side bigger might just be able to re tap the crank in the car. http://www.mutualscrew.com/product/bottom-hand-tap-carbon-steel-84633.cfm?source=froogle&gclid=CjwKEAiAhPCyBRCtwMDS5tzT03gSJADZ8VjRDrLNz7pOkbWpV2fWRL76yZSoLx7pIWsBkiTPD2AHUhoC1nfw_wcB

jeff

94touring

I'll dig through the pickup engine bag o parts and see what I've got.  It will be a few days before I'm in town. 

jeff10049

you might have to have a 11/16-16 bolt made, I can do that if needed no problem at all if you go that route. I could also make a custom thread insert back to standard size but I start to worry about how big the hole in the crank gets at some point.

Jeff

MiniDave

Thanks Jeff, I'm going to call the local machine shop supply and see if they have a tap, then I'll try and clean the threads first, from what I could see they actually look OK. I wonder if the bolt is softer than the crank on purpose so it won't destroy the cranks? I also wonder how in the world they stripped the threads on the bolt in the first place. The end of the crank is tapered, and machined to accept a key that locks the flywheel, I'd have to look at the end to see if there's enough meat, but I would guess that there is.

I can find 5/8-11 and 5/8-18 all day, but no 5/8-16 helicoils anywhere
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

I wonder if the guy who put the engine together on their rebuild hosed that up.  Or if it's a British botch job then export to the US. 

MiniDave

Like Buzz?

I had valid paperwork that said the engine had been rebuilt about 5K before I got the car, when I tore it down there was clear evidence that someone had worked on it, new parts inside and so on. At the same time the work was so bodged.....it was downright pitiful.

I didn't know this engine was rebuilt, there's so much oil and dirt on it. Whom ever had it apart last did the deal.....
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

He at least had a piston replaced and a bore honed.  The bad piston is in one of the boxes.  It was all gouged up.  It was a bit startling but since the thing fires up so easily I tried to pretend I didn't see the piston. 

MiniDave

#23
I ordered a bottoming tap this morning, the local machine shop supply didn't have anything. Helicoils are non existent for this size so I'm going to hope that cleaning up the threads and a new bolt will work. I won't know for sure till I run the tap in, but the threads in the end of the crank don't look that bad....we may be OK.

We will need a new bolt, the locking key and lock plate tho....

I wonder who he had do the work locally? There are very few places that would even look at this engine let alone know how to work on it. Unlike other engines, changing a piston means pulling the engine and separating it from the trans, that's why I know whoever did the engine work did this to the bolt too.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

94touring

He said a friend of his.  I think it was a case of beer type deal.