'66 / '67 Resurrection

Started by bokbfok, May 31, 2019, 08:23:36 AM

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bokbfok

Good morning all,

So if you saw one of my other post or in fact my only other post you will have seen that I bought a Cooper S a while ago. It is titled a '66 but with the help of you guys and some extensive internet and book searching, I believe it is a 67 Australian Cooper S.

I go the car home after finding out it does not fit on a 6x12 uhaul trailer if the wheels are not stock.  :-[. Luckily the seller trailered it home for me. This will be a project and will take me quite some time to do. I will do most of the work myself and might even tackle the painting, but will see on that.

Here are some of the things I have found out.
The Hydro was converted to dry
Has a big block motor. Heater hose angled. studs
Has a rod change transmission.
Weber DCOE 45 carb.
The pictures will provide some of the exterior details

Here is my thought process for the path I will be taking.
Do a general cleaning inside and out to see what I am dealing with. - Done
Spin the motor to see if it does spin. - Done
Check the electrical. - Done
Try to start it and see what problems there are. - Done
Once I have it running, start the tear down.

To get running I rebuilt the carb, pulled the plugs and poured some oil down the cylinders to soak. Bought a new battery. Drip lined  a container with fuel. Spun the motor to clean out most of the oil I poured in. Changed the oil. Re-installed spark plugs. The car started surprisingly easy and ran smooth. I did however note that the gaskets needs replacing as there was coolant seeping between the head and block and oil from the valve cover. So next steps is replacing gaskets.

I would love to hear thoughts and pointers.
1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2

jedduh01

Looks like a Mean machine!

Someone had some plans or got there with their designs..
Jag type dash (wood with too many switches) 
Weber carb for performance.
  No heater
    looks like the wiring is custom and will be its own making to fit with dash = gauges and switches. clean  engine bay = tidy of extra stuff.
Is the fire wall all 'made + blocked off metal?

Looks like with a gold valve over and black trim  easy to complete the John Player SPecial Livery!

https://petrolicious.com/articles/what-makes-the-john-player-special-livery-so-alluring

Goodluck=what is your idea / long term goal?

bokbfok

Thanks!

Who ever started this did a great job on the wiring! Everything is done meticulously! No random splices, decent connectors, all harnessed.
As for the JSP, I think that is the look that he wanted to go for. The firewall has some filler panels, need to look into it some more. I will probably return it to its original colour. I am in Tucson, so the black will be a bit intense! Here are some more pics.
1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2

MiniDave

#3
So, pre A+ motor but later rod change gearbox, good combination. I doubt it's the original cooper S motor tho, they didn't use a stud on the thermostat end, but rather a 5/16" bolt. Also, alternator instead of genny. Look for the tappet covers on the back of the motor?

Still, a good place to begin......can't wait to see updates as you get stuck into it. I like the John Player livery, hope you continue with it. I always liked the white/gold trim they did on some Lotus cars too.

Will you leave it RHD? It's very easy on these early cars to swap it over - you wood need a new dash panel tho   ;D

I'm guessing you don't need a heater in Tucson? We have another member in your area, Joakwin. He just got his Clubman/Vtec back from paint, he might be a good resource for you.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

bokbfok

Dave,

Yeah Donald from Minimania also noticed the pre A+ and rod change motor. No tappet covers on the back. Not sure exactly what that means, hopefully you will edumacate me? I am not to sure about the black? Maybe if I stubble on another mini I might keep it JSP.

I pulled the head off this weekend to do the gasket and am now wondering if I should replace the head studs, and if I do, do i go ARP? What are the thoughts on this? I also need to either figure out how to mount the new tires or find a shop that can hand mount them....
1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2

MiniDave

#5
The early engines had removable tappet covers, the later engines did not.....again, only pointing out differences between the Cooper S and later 1275's.

Those head studs are fine as long as they're not rusted/pitted. If you're not making a 9000 rpm race motor standard studs are fine, no reason to spend the money on ARPs.

You should go online and get familiar with MiniSpares. ...they have everything for your car and even with shipping it's always way cheaper than buying here from one of the usual suppliers. There also is MiniSport, which has a US rep in Florida....Mike keeps some consumables at his place but most stuff will still come from the UK. Delivery time can be as little as 3 days as everything from MiniSpares comes DHL air.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

Jimini II

Quote from: bokbfok on June 02, 2019, 08:02:17 PM
Dave,

Yeah Donald from Minimania also noticed the pre A+ and rod change motor. No tappet covers on the back. Not sure exactly what that means, hopefully you will edumacate me? I am not to sure about the black? Maybe if I stubble on another mini I might keep it JSP.

I pulled the head off this weekend to do the gasket and am now wondering if I should replace the head studs, and if I do, do i go ARP? What are the thoughts on this? I also need to either figure out how to mount the new tires or find a shop that can hand mount them....

Most tire shops can mount 10 inch tires if not go to a lawnmower shop their equipment is smaller and works well.
I would remove all those head studs out of the block and clean up the block face before you re install the head.
That JPS colour scheme seems like it was well done with lots of small details it may have been special ordered form one of the big companies like Radford or Wood & Pickett that did Mini's way back, it might be worth looking into if you want to keep it in that livery.

MiniDave

One thing you really have to watch for - if the previous owners didn't use zinc infused oil, the cam and tappets will be ruined - ask me how I know! About the only way to know for sure is to pull the engine and strip it down, as the tappets come out the bottom - that's why the question about the tappet covers on the back of the block - if it had those you can remove them thru there and see what they look like. That will tell you if the cam is gone too.

On the Innocenti I'm building, the cam and tappets were ruined, tho the rest of the engine seemed in good shape, decent compression and sounded fine on the test bed - but - wow were they knackered! Look at the pits!

Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

bokbfok

Thanks guys,

I am not planning on a race engine, or at least not consciously. Thanks for the pointers on where to buy parts. I actually bought some items from MiniMania and it was in Minispares packaging. This last round of parts I got from Minispares and decided to replace the head studs as some of them were rusty.
I have been told about the oil and will be sure to use oil with zinc or use the additive. 

For the head cleaning, any pointers on how to prevent debris from falling into the rod holes?
1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2

gr8kornholio

Lol on the minimania boxes.  I got several parts and boxes from the previous owner and both the minimania and 7enterprises boxes just added their label to the box next to the minispares label.

If you ever need Australian specific pieces minisport.com.au has been a great help and place to deal with.  They've even purchased stuff off eBay.au for me and shipped it with my other parts.
I am the GR8KORNHOLIO! Are you threatening me?

Saussie Aussie 1965 Australian MK1 Mini.
"Beavis" - 07 MY/MY MCS, B/MY Konig Daylites, JCW sideskirts, TSW springs, TSW lower rear control arms -- Exploring the country with new friends since 11/09.

BruceK

Quote from: gr8kornholio on June 05, 2019, 08:14:40 AM
Lol on the minimania boxes.  I got several parts and boxes from the previous owner and both the minimania and 7enterprises boxes just added their label to the box next to the minispares label.


Hey! Those labels are very important.  Adding those labels mean MM and Seven are entitled to charge a 300% markup the MiniSpares prices.
1988 Austin Mini
2002 MINI Cooper S
1992 Toyota LiteAce (JDM)
1997 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

bokbfok

Some quick answers to question.

I plan on leaving it RHD.
I was on the fence about changing the colour scheme, actually leaning very much to changing the colour scheme. Red with white roof.
I wanted this to be a Sunday driver, but you never know when the bug will bite.

Yesterday I got the gaskets cleaned of the head, block and manifolds. Still need to clean the valves and will start the assembly process. I am in the process of ordering some replacement rubber parts for the steering/suspension and will get that refreshed. Also dropping the wheels and tires of today to get mounted.

1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2

MiniDave

.60 overbore.....that's as far as you can go with this block.

Interesting how the two end exhaust valves are so black, and the two center ones look normal.....

That's the great thing about cast iron heads, you can take a wire brush on a drill to them and you can't hurt em!
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

bokbfok

Quote from: MiniDave on June 18, 2019, 08:37:47 AM

Interesting how the two end exhaust valves are so black, and the two center ones look normal.....


I was curious about that also?

Quote from: MiniDave on June 18, 2019, 08:37:47 AM
That's the great thing about cast iron heads, you can take a wire brush on a drill to them and you can't hurt em!

Thanks for the tip, I got the heads, block and headers mating surfaces all cleaned up. The head is back together and am about to start on the axles and suspension.
I dropped of the tires to be installed by a shop that came recommenced by a british car repair shop as they deal with small diameter. They however messed up one tire. The sidewall has bulges in and there is something loose in the tire. I guess I will have to go argue tomorrow.
1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2

bokbfok

Update on the tire: Tire shop tire was bad to start with, Minimania says tire was shipped good. Well sh!t! I guess I gonna have to pay for this if I want a new one. Could probably use the bulged one for a spare.
1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2

MiniDave

Don't use it for a spare, throw it away.....it will fail on you when you need it the most. You can't fix a bulge in the sidewall.
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

bokbfok

yeah I know! That is what my brain tells me. My wallet on the other hand......
1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2

bokbfok

I know, just irks me! I will be ordering a new tire this week and dump the old one. 
1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2

MiniDave

I'm in a similar boat, after digging an 8" long chunk of metal out of my left front tire I had them patch it and against their recommendation drove another 1000 miles on it. However, I ordered a replacement tire this morning......
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

bokbfok

May I ask from where?
I am looking at getting mine from Minispares as they are cheaper that MM even with cost pricing. Getting the Falken FK07E
1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2

94touring

MM is over priced plain and simple.  Order tyres from minispares if you can't find whatever size it is you need from a main tyre supplier in the US. 

MiniDave

I bought the last several sets of tires from MiniSpares too.....that's where I'll get the replacement too
Complete failure at retirement

1989 Cooper Racing Green
2009 Clubman S
2014 Audi Allroad

bokbfok

Quote from: 94touring on July 02, 2019, 12:46:55 PM
MM is over priced plain and simple.  Order tyres from minispares if you can't find whatever size it is you need from a main tyre supplier in the US.

I have definitely noticed that. I have only order from MM once, they had a sale that made them cheaper, considering shipping. Everything else is from MS and will probably continue being so. I have quite the basket on their site and will be ordering on the 4th, as I will have a day to work on the car and see what else is in need of replacing.

Thanks all for the great tips thus far!
1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2

bokbfok

I will keep that in mind, Thanks. The tire however they wanted $85 shipping included, which they said was their cost. Same tire from MS is $73, shipping included.
I will try the price matching in the future.
1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2

bokbfok

Bless me guys I have done nothing! It had been 2 months and 7 days since my last posting/wrenching.....

Well, it has been a while. Started working on it again as it was too hot to work out in the sun on the car! The wife took that as me losing interest and promptly has some remodel ambitions, so that happened. I do however have an update on the tires. I had the tire shop remove the tire that had a bulge. When I got home, I noticed the bead had a separation tear in it, right were the bulge is. Took some pics and but the time I got around to email the HQ, another tire was flat. Emailed them and send some pics. And today I can report, that they are installing two new tires, at a different location, by hand. They did how ever screw up and ordered the wrong tires. Instead of Falken FK07e, they got the Yokohamas A008. I guess for pushing the car around the drive way, that will do. Will keep the same tires on the same axle, but will probably order 2  A008 when I start driving it, someday
1966 Mini Cooper S
2004 Gmc Sierra 2500HD
2005 MINI Cooper S
2019 Colorado ZR2