76 Austin mini named Skidittle

Started by Dmulder, November 12, 2015, 04:11:05 PM

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Dmulder

I'd have to look at the specs. Next time I'm over in the garage I'll take a look. From the pics can you tell if this is a dry suspension?  Sorry for the questions but I'm new to the British cars and I'm trying to learn this car as I go and I'm full of questions.
"In like a lamb, Out like a lion."

94touring

Yes dry.  Wet is very early and fairly rare. 

Dmulder

Quote from: MPlayle on December 12, 2015, 12:05:43 PM
There are really only two 12" tire sizes for the Mini: 145/70/12 and 165/60/12.  These two sizes are rarely available from standard US tire shops and have to be ordered from the Mini part specialists in the US or from overseas.

If anything other than these two sizes, the sidewall may be just enough taller to rub.  Usually, people are asking about the 165/70/12 tires that can more readily be gotten through standard US tire shops.  For that size, more often it is the rubbing on the trailing arm mounting bracket at the rear that draws the complaints.

For the fronts, it may also be the rim offset and backspacing - especially if the tires are one of the two sizes first stated above.

When you say the trailing arm mounts at the rear you mean the rear trailing arms correct. Not talking about the front of the car. The rub comes only under heavy cornering and it is always in the front and usually driver side which is the side that sags. I've looked at the clearance when wheels are fully turned and you can see where it rubs. There is clearance in the rear about enough to put 5 sheets of paper between the trailing arm mount and the tire.
"In like a lamb, Out like a lion."

MPlayle

Quote from: Dmulder on December 12, 2015, 02:56:30 PM
When you say the trailing arm mounts at the rear you mean the rear trailing arms correct. Not talking about the front of the car. The rub comes only under heavy cornering and it is always in the front and usually driver side which is the side that sags. I've looked at the clearance when wheels are fully turned and you can see where it rubs. There is clearance in the rear about enough to put 5 sheets of paper between the trailing arm mount and the tire.

Yes, the rear trailing arms.  In particular, the outside bracket that mounts the trailing arm to the subframe.  There should be about 1/2" clearance between the edge of the bracket and the tire.  Since you say there is very little, it raises the question of what size tires are on your wheels.

A previous post asked the question: what tire size is on your car?  Can you post that information?

That will be helpful to know as it may indeed be part of the cause of the front rubbing as well as the tired suspension others have pointed out.


Mudhen

Quote from: Dmulder on December 12, 2015, 05:42:42 AM
I lied. A few more. Also a friend of mine has asked me about about running a very aggressive tsd rally with him in my mini. I think I'm going to make it as capable as possible of running very aggressive tsd rallies and still look classic and be in good shape. Do I need to attack the body or just go after the rusty spots?  Change suspension or leave as is?  Any other suggestions. I have rally lights, etc. change front seats and put in a roll cage or leave alone?

The first thing you should question is...how much of a friend is this idiot, anyway?   :D

YES!  Now you're talking!

What do you have for a skidplate on it?  The height is the big problem...so much exposed just inches off the ground.  Doesn't take much to lose a brake line or tap a rock with the exhaust even and drop it in the road.  Where's your fuel pump mounted?  Dangling off the rear subframe like in my '65?  Totally exposed on a rough gravel event.

If you have time, I'd probably suggest doing a daytime fun rally first - build mileage, see what works for you and what doesn't.  The time my wife and I did a 150 mile daytime TSD rally in my '65 she was literally crying when we got back...her back hurt so bad from sitting in the worn out seats for 12 hours.  I also learned that with our harnesses on neither of us could reach the switches on the dash at all - nothing.  Towards the end of the event it started raining a little...just enough that I needed to put the wipers on and off - PITA.  Silly switch extenders were useless - I was a foot away from them.

Putting in a cage is questionable at best in a street car, and lots of people will just plain out say 'no'.  You never have anyone in the back seat?  Maybe just a rollbar?  But you really need to think about that one.  Who's going to be in the car and where will their unhelmeted heads be?  Where will they be in an accident?  People have died by banging their heads on the cage/roll bar.  Safety is a whole system - from the seats, to the harnesses, to the cage, to the helmets...having one or two is sometimes more dangerous than having none.

Regarding the rust, you'll certainly find out where it all is pretty quickly when you start hammering on it.  Especially if it's in the seams...they'll start opening up/breaking.  So if you have too much you'd probably want to fix those issues first, especially anything around the suspension.

If I had to make a list...I'd say a set of good seats, skidplates front and rear, as much height as you can muster (hi-lo's/12" wheels (or 13s if you can get some to fit), some rally tires such as these:  http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/competition-tyres/maxsport-rb1-rally-tyre (even though they're not DOT legal))  And a complete freshening up of all the major suspension components.    62.gif

What event?  POR?  You'll shoot your eye out kid!   :-[

Dmulder


[/quote]

What do you have for a skidplate on it?  The height is the big problem...so much exposed just inches off the ground.  Doesn't take much to lose a brake line or tap a rock with the exhaust even and drop it in the road.  Where's your fuel pump mounted?  Dangling off the rear subframe like in my '65?  Totally exposed on a rough gravel event.

If you have time, I'd probably suggest doing a daytime fun rally first - build mileage, see what works for you and what doesn't.  The time my wife and I did a 150 mile daytime TSD rally in my '65 she was literally crying when we got back...her back hurt so bad from sitting in the worn out seats for 12 hours.  I also learned that with our harnesses on neither of us could reach the switches on the dash at all - nothing.  Towards the end of the event it started raining a little...just enough that I needed to put the wipers on and off - PITA.  Silly switch extenders were useless - I was a foot away from them.

Putting in a cage is questionable at best in a street car, and lots of people will just plain out say 'no'.  You never have anyone in the back seat?  Maybe just a rollbar?  But you really need to think about that one.  Who's going to be in the car and where will their unhelmeted heads be?  Where will they be in an accident?  People have died by banging their heads on the cage/roll bar.  Safety is a whole system - from the seats, to the harnesses, to the cage, to the helmets...having one or two is sometimes more dangerous than having none.

Regarding the rust, you'll certainly find out where it all is pretty quickly when you start hammering on it.  Especially if it's in the seams...they'll start opening up/breaking.  So if you have too much you'd probably want to fix those issues first, especially anything around the suspension.

If I had to make a list...I'd say a set of good seats, skidplates front and rear, as much height as you can muster (hi-lo's/12" wheels (or 13s if you can get some to fit), some rally tires such as these:  http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/competition-tyres/maxsport-rb1-rally-tyre (even though they're not DOT legal))  And a complete freshening up of all the major suspension components.    62.gif

What event?  POR?  You'll shoot your eye out kid!   :-[
[/quote]

Right now I have no skid plates. Plan on getting front and rear. Doing new front and rear suspension. Considering coil overs and gas shocks. New cones.   Not planning on a roll cage right now. That would be way down the road.

The rally is POR. I attend ended and worked this rally often as a kid. I've run several tsd's growing up as has my friend. I'm excited.
"In like a lamb, Out like a lion."

thebluepotato

Great Mini!  Dont let that get you down - I also fell victim to a guy who sells a TON of Minis out of Canada who sold me a '74, and thinking it was a '76, may be in fact an early 80's.  I have seen all the dead-giveaways that you would look for: subframe bolts (mine has 2, one of L and one on R), sound deadening in back seat area, seatbelt mounts, brakes, etc.  And most importantly, found the previous owner who had it titled as '76.  Regardless, your Mini is your Mini and that is all that matters.

Couple pics below of when I bought it from Canada, then some pics after doing some work (next to the brick wall) and then 2 pics of where he is now - stripped and getting painted for a complete renovation.  That is the exciting part.


Dmulder

So I'm finally getting around to doing some winter work in the car, been spending too much time on everybody else's vehicles and behind the wheel of the church plow truck. I'm going to be working on suspension. This is my question. If I go with some hil/los do I need to also replace cones and numb stops, and maybe adjustable gaz shocks? Should I consider the coil over conversion?
"In like a lamb, Out like a lion."

94touring

If the bump stops are bad I'd certainly replace them.  I added hi los this week because my cones have begun to sag.  I don't intend to replace them.  I will replace shocks in the nearby future. 

Dmulder

Replacing the windscreen seal and I found this. Should I worry about it now, coat it in rust stop, or not worry about it until next year when I work on body issues?
"In like a lamb, Out like a lion."

94touring

The center rust is standard where the windscreen rubber comes together. That'll be $5000.

Dmulder

$5,000????  I think I will learn how to fix that myself. :). Should I spray a rust inhibitor on it until I get to the body work part?
"In like a lamb, Out like a lion."

John Gervais

Very nice mini, and it warms my heart to hear that you want to build a rally-inspired wee-beasty.   77.gif 

It seems like everyone is replacing suspension cones right now...

If you're going to rally it, then the C-STR687 suspension cones are the ticket - only needed on the front if you'll use it as a road car, otherwise, raise the ride height and use them on all 4 corners.  That said, since they're a pain in the butt to replace, do the knuckle joints and while the upper suspension arms are removed, examine the shaft for wear and rebuild them if necessary.  Genuine 'Ripspeed' HiLo's are the classics, and RAC homologated.

For shock absorbers, I really like the KYB Gas-A-Just as a sensible all-rounder.  Not the sexiest dampers, but have a longer stroke than most and a decent price tag.  Their compressed length is shorter than some 'short' dampers, making them extremely versatile.  I guess I'd invest in KYB's AGX adjustables if I needed them, but my mini feels good.  Remember to also upgreade the lower shock absorber pin.

Upgrade the front bump stop to the Hydrolastic type - they look really cool and work great!  I've attached a picture of mine.  I did shorten and re-profile mine, however, as my mini normally sits pretty low.

Rear anti-roll bar - ½" and no bigger - you'll be amazed.

Sumpguard - yes - not the square steel type, but one of the 'better ones', preferably 'round' Scandinavian/Scottish-type, available with optional extension to protect the gear shift.

Heavy-duty exhaust system and competition mountings, extra engine stabilizers, bonnet straps, fire extinguishing system, etc...

Roll cage - in my opinion, yes, but only a good one - FIA certified, which some will also argue doesn't mean much.  So, cold-rolled seamless tubing (or whatever they call it nowadays...) built by someone who races 'the big races'.  Mine was made by Rollcentre in the UK - they've done LeMans etc., and they did a custom removable rally-type 'X' brace on the rear diagonal.  I've also got the door bars. 

I don't really care if I end up a smear from my cranium cracking into it.  Lots of folks will argue that the 'B' pillar and roof construction is a crumple zone and won't hurt your head as much as a roll cage, but, I'm 6'1" (used to be 6'2", but I've shrunken - gotten less athletic too, but that's for another forum...) and my head (just above the ear) is above the door frame.  With or without a cage, it's gonna hurt quite a bit.  I'd rather not have the headache.  It really stiffened the bodyshell, too.  I don't carry passengers, so I guess I'm glad I haven't any friends or loved ones.  'Cept maybe Hyacinth, but she doesn't like the mini.  I feel the same way about my solid, non-crumpling Sparco steering wheel boss - heck, the steering column is solid, and would probably pierce me, so I guess a crushed sternum for a split second before I get harpooned by the column shaft isn't really going to matter much.

I don't own a helmet, and haven't installed a harness supplement to the 'normal' 3-point shoulder/lapbelt retractable seatbelts.  I did replace the original seatbelts with the same type as available through MiniSpares, though, as the originals were quite worn/nasty.  I replaced the seats also, to some sport-recliners from Sparco.  Too bad the roll cage prohibits their reclining; another reason why Hyacinth won't ride along.

I love spending other people's money...


I started replacing and upgrading parts long before I learned about date-coded parts - makes me wonder why the retailers even sell wiper motors or boot latches if replacing common wear items could jeopardize/compromise the vehicle's identity.
- Pave the Bay -

Mudhen

Quote from: John Gervais on April 07, 2016, 06:27:59 PMheck, the steering column is solid, and would probably pierce me, so I guess a crushed sternum for a split second before I get harpooned by the column shaft isn't really going to matter much.

:D

Gorgeous car, btw!

94touring

It's an easy fix.  Worse case is when you wire wheel that tiny section it pokes a hole and you have to do a small patch.  Respray the scuttle and you're good to go.  Try to clean and protect the underside too. 

Dmulder

I thought I saw somebody on here mention that you can make a window seal fillet tool out of an old oat hanger. Any suggestions? I don't have the tool and need to get the locking strip in.
"In like a lamb, Out like a lion."

94touring

I bought a cheapo filet tool once and it broke within 5 minutes.  My heavy duty one gets the job done within minutes along with lube.  I started just using wd40 to lube the groove.  In a pinch you can use a small flat head screw driver and with small twisting motions work the strip in but takes forever.

Dmulder

WD-40 won't cause problems with the rubber gasket further down the road?  It probably doesn't help that it is 30 degrees outside and in my garage today. Can I drive the car a short distance without the snap seal in and not worry about the window falling out?
"In like a lamb, Out like a lion."

94touring

Not sure why it would hurt it.  Depending on the rubber and how tight the fit is, you can get away without it.   

John Gervais

#44
I would probably make a tool if I hadn't one on hand.

Perhaps take a small, thin piece of aluminium or steel, shape one end to a point of sorts, drill a 1/4" hole at one end, file the hole to suite the locking strip.  I'd use a small file or stone to make sure there weren't any sharp edges.

I made a sketch -
- Pave the Bay -

jeff10049

Just get the tool it's worth it you'll be done in seconds instead of hours and not mark up the rubber or damage the strip. Dish soap helps as a lube I fought my rear one for hours got the tool did the front in about 10 seconds.
http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-47000-Windshield-Locking-Strip/dp/B000COA1CQ