Racing Green 89 Mini

[gr8kornholio]

Nice, um, parking spot.    77.gif

[MiniDave]

That's the dealer I work for part time, I was just dropping off a set of keys to them.......the point of the pic was how low the car was sitting, I've since raised it up a bit.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

With brand new cones up front, and the hilos at the lowest setting, I still get 2" of wheel gap up front..

[MiniDave]

Yes, I didn't understand that when you wrote about it, I had to adjust mine almost 1/3 of the available adjustment......

[MiniDave]

Brand new shiny windshield, seal and chrome trim - front and rear.

Thanks Dan!

[BruceK]

Which reminds me — Dan I hope you are going to remove and throw away that ancient "toughened" (i.e. non-laminated) windshield in your blue Mini.   If a rock ever hits a toughened safety glass windscreen it crazes over and instantly becomes opaque - sort of like the way door glass shatters. The UK was decades behind the rest of the world in the switch to mandatory laminated windshields - they permitted toughened windscreens on new cars into the 80s.  Crazy.   

[John Gervais]

Dave, what did you use to seal it and how did you do it?  I'm not impressed with what I used...

When I installed my new laminated windscreen 3 years ago, I used some Permatex flowable silicone windscreen sealant between the rubber (CZH1719MS) and glass, as well as between the rubber and body.

It's now leaking from somewhere - but I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly 'where' yet.  Water is somehow pooling in the bulkhead crossmember and dripping under the carpet from above the pedal assembly - causing the windows to fog at the slightest hint of breathing.  In fact, I removed my floor mats today to help facilitate the carpet drying.  If it gets colder, it'll be iced on the inside, and my rear defogger decided it's finally had enough and died last summer.

[MiniDave]

I may run it down to Safelite and have them seal it, I haven't done anything about it yet.

[John Gervais]

Ah - It might not be needed, if everything was tight to begin with.  I seem to remember that the new gasket fit somewhat baggy (as compared to when I did the job 15 or so years ago) on the bodyshell aperture, as if the rubber was cut a couple of millimeters too long before it was bonded together.  I assumed that fitting the locking strip would tighten it all up, but maybe it wasn't enough.

Maybe this would be a cause for leaking?

[MiniDave]

Maybe.....I got the rubbers and locking strips from Phoenix trim, they seemed of really good quality and fit well.

[94touring]

You'll know if you need sealant after a drive in the rain! Seemed to fit very well though.

Bruce- I'm still running the old windshield but think I have enough spares to ditch it once I tear into the face lift it will be getting soon.

[BruceK]

You'll know if you need sealant after a drive in the rain! Seemed to fit very well though.

Bruce- I'm still running the old windshield but think I have enough spares to ditch it once I tear into the face lift it will be getting soon.

Cool.   Maybe you can take a video of it breaking into six thousand little pieces as you throw it in the dumpster. 

[MiniDave]

Reason to NOT use WD40 as a lubricant when installing a windshield......it is a PITA to clean up after! I used a solvent soaked rag, then 409 and water, then ammonia glass cleaner......it's still got streaks and smears......

I imagine WD40 is a good choice compared to soapy water because it doesn't dry out, but that's also what makes it so hard to clean up!

I'll get it tho, I'm thinking one more round of 409 followed by the glass cleaner again should do it. I should have the cleanest glass in the state by then!  ;D

Then the rest of the car needs a good bath, but at 31* it's a bit too cold to do that today, maybe tomorrow - it's supposed to be mid 50's then.

EDIT: Following along with Bruce's "What the Heck" thread .....what the heck is the 634 at the bottom of the windshield in the first pic? The second pic was taken immediately after nd as you can see, there is nothing on the dash but dust. Nothing I can see anywhere in the shop that would reflect that number in the window.......

EDIT 2: Mystery solved, it's the lic plate lying on the back seat.

[94touring]

Lol I never have the wd40 cleanup problem.  Paper towels with degreaser followed by Windex has worked for me.

[MiniDave]

Drove the Mini across town yesterday to work on a Bugeye Sprite - rebuilt the carbs - against a fierce south wind....at times it felt like a giant hand was pushing me back, saying "slow down there pal"  ;D

One good thing, it's the first time the temp gauge has gotten to normal since way last year! I'm going to have to make a winter grill block off I think.....wish I had time to swap the final drive, I think some 3:1 gears would really make the car more comfortable to drive on the highway....but just like jeff's MINI project, if I went that far I'd want to put in a center oil pickup, and probably some new main and rod bearings, just in case - and an oil pump, and send the head out for hardened seats and a valve job and..............

[94touring]

And then keep it?

[MiniDave]

Well, then I'd need to fix the rust spots and paint it!   ::)

I think I'd rather spend the money on my hot rod Mini project.

[94touring]

If you decide to fix the rust I know a guy who can paint.  Maybe it puts more money toward the hotrod project.

Meant to say earlier that there were times in my wore out 998 driving home from the shop in a stiff headwind my max speed was capped at 60! In a tailwind I'd be zinging along at 80.

[MPlayle]

If you want to really experience sudden wind drag in a car, get hit by a sudden strong headwind while driving a Moke with the top up and a non-removable rear window.  The top acts as a sudden drag chute.

I had this happen in Colorado, on the long downhill run of C-470 on the west side of Denver.  Went from 70 mph to 55 and still rapidly dropping in about 2 seconds with the accelerator floored and still going downhill.

[MiniDave]

Time to give the Racing Green Mini some attention.....I pulled the seats out and replaced both seat belts - the left one was slightly frayed but in the interests of keeping it uniform and because they are both now almost 30 years old it was time for a change. The new ones are slightly different but bolted right in once I figured out where all the spacers and washers went.

While I had access I gave the whole interior a good valeting, it wasn't really dirty but was due for a good vacuuming.

Next up, I need to overhaul the front calipers, I've had the rebuild kits for over a year now!

Then install the rear anti-sway bar, which is supposed to be a bolt on deal but I'm thinking it may need a little extra engineering, turns out the bar I got is from MiniMania and compared to the ones from say KAD, it's pretty crudely made, but I think it will do the job.

It's also due for an oil change, and while I have it drained I'll put a new shift seal kit in, then if I still have time a new clock to replace the one that works intermittently, see if I can find and fix a few rattles behind the dash - adjust the valves and maybe take a look at the carb needle - it gets a bit rich under hard running. Lastly - if I have time I need to pull the heater box down and replace the foam on the door - it rattles like crazy!

All this is in prep for the CMU event mid - April, I've set my money in and John Styers and I will be caravanning down - really looking forward to this event - hope it lives up to expectations but I think it will based on the reports of others who have done one before.

I also need to finish Dan's engine, rebuild a Sprite transmission and work on a few of Deighton's cars before I leave! Plus, I drive my dealer cars one-two days a week, and of course there's always a large honey-do list waiting, my son and granddaughter are coming for a short visit next week and....and.....and....whew!

Never knew retirement could be so damn busy!

[gr8kornholio]

Glad to hear you are feeling so much better and the energy level is back up.  Sounds like a lot of catching up to do. 

[MiniDave]

Thanks Mark.....I'm doing better, but I'm still only good for a couple of hours work at a time before I have to sit down for an hour or so......

Glad to see your car is getting started on it's repaint!

[MiniDave]

Got the sway bar installed, hardest part was to get the exhaust to not hit the bar once installed. Wound up slotting the mounting holes and adding a short extension to the brackets to make it clear. Works perfectly now.....no idea how it's going to drive yet.

[94touring]

Time to take it for a spin!

[Willie_B]

Time to take it for a spin!

Or not, kinda what the bar's for 50.gif