346 replies to this topic

[Retro_10s]

Found you again


Dug this bloody mini out again! House renovations completely overtook priorities here, and the poor mini has been sulking away. So now it's time to do something with it (heard that before eh)

Wiring is removed... Bloody good job I decided to pull it all out and start fresh because I don't think it would be got even half a mile without catching on fire.


Clock and dash out, wiring completely removed (messy job!) apart from the stalks and ignition barrel, the stalks will come off for a once over, but for now I'll leave them.

Have found some rust on the bulkhead, nothing I'm too worried about but I do think a quick go over with the welder will be required. Other than that all seems well. Removed the heater so I can clean that out, switches all removed, all functional but tatty as hell. Ordered some big sanding blocks to help with the body.

The wiring harness has come along nicely and I'm ready (almost) to think about taping it back up. To bring you up to date, I found a VERY cheap harness on eBay... But it was for a later mini, so I decided to get it and convert it backwards to fit my 85' city E. Rubbish photo, but here I am consulting the schematics for what I have, next to what I'm turning it into!


Apart from going over some awful rover quality joins, I've removed the dip/dim system entirely, i've made a harness to convert the twin clock system to work with my center Speedo, various new connectors added, upgrades inline fuses, And i have taken the opportunity to upgrade the headlamp wiring using 4 relays, not sure where to mount this yet but I think next to the wiper motor perhaps? I've also gained a starter relay which I've decided to leave in, and use.

My main aim for now is to get the new harness in and working whilst the car is stripped, I don't want to be messing with it once the mini is back together!

Edited by Retro_10s, 06 September 2022 - 09:41 PM.

[KTS]

fitting the headlight relays to the drivers side of the engine bay, if you can, would save having to run cables to the wiper side (and back again)

[Retro_10s]

fitting the headlight relays to the drivers side of the engine bay, if you can, would save having to run cables to the wiper side (and back again)

Yes I'd been looking at that ad an option, although my washer bottle is mounted on the driver side inner wing, I'm not sure there's much room,.. but i was also looking at up by the bonnet hinge, seems to be room there too.

The headlamp harnesses are actually already made up, relays and all, and wrapped in conduit. So all i have to do is mate it up to the mini harness. It might even be something i can do after fitting the main harness, since it's kind of a modular section! Thanks for the input KTS. Nice to see a familiar face from 'the past ' TMF!

[Shifty]

Yo yo yo!!!

Nice to hear from you again!!

[Retro_10s]

Yo yo yo!!!

Nice to hear from you again!!

At this point I feel like I'm unflushable, occasionally bobbing to the surface nice to hear from you too buddy!

[Retro_10s]

Updates will be a little boring as there's lots of little things being done right now but nothing meaty in terms of progress.

I Have salvaged an old plug, cleaned it and re-ordered the pinout, allowing me to retro-fit it to the newer harness - ready to clip to the center clock harness


This next photo shows the length of the harness I will be able to cut out ready to fit the plug shown in the previous photo, since it just needs to reach the past the bulkhead seal in order to get to the clocks. Infact it can come back further, since the clock harness spur is 'engine side' of the bulkhead before the rest of the harness plunges down inside the shell towards the switches/dash


Then I set about checking the switches over, the main lighting switch is destroyed, so I have ordered a good second hand replacement, the others from the switch panel seem fine and just needed a little contact cleaner... They're also very very faded, which I have a long lasting method of rejuvenation for. Below is a before and after of the switch fronts.



That's all for today I think.

Edited by Retro_10s, 07 September 2022 - 12:22 PM.

[Retro_10s]

Today I've done a little more work on the harness, feeding the headlamp circuit from the stalks back to roughly where the fusebox is, I think I will mount the 4 relays next to the wiper motor. This gives a nice even run for the headlamp sections to either side of the wings.

Also re-discovered a radio that I got,... I know it's not original to the car, but it is from the right period, and looks SO much better than a modern equivalent, I will add Bluetooth functionality to it by taking advantage of the 6-pin DIN socket on the back which would've been used for adding a cassette player Input.


I really love the styling of this stereo, it should fit right in with the interior.

Edited by Retro_10s, 09 September 2022 - 05:23 PM.

[Johnmar]

They're also very very faded, which I have a long lasting method of rejuvenation for. Below is a before and after of the switch fronts.



That's all for today I think.

What is your process for this?

[Retro_10s]

What is your process for this?

Clean the switch, wipe vaseline over the switch till there's a visible layer, leave for 30mins, wipe off excess with kitchen roll! You could also use boiled linseed oil, which works great, vaseline has lasted for months on some plastic dials on my oven at home. And it doesn't leave a residue! Give it a go!

[Retro_10s]

Bit more progress today, recieved my light switch,.. I've never had a light switch that hasn't been sun bleached grey and without its little bulb icon,.. so I'm pretty chuffed with this one. Simple things eh.


I also trial fitted the harness today, it was easier than I'd anticipated, and mostly things are looking like a good fit, I mocked up the fuse box so that I had a static reference point for the harness and then fitted it through the bulkhead to the switch panels etc, Ive just been caught out once by the wires for the brake fluid level sensor, so I'll need to re-route those as they're in the wrong place at the moment. Tomorrow I will tape up the inside section of harness as it is complete.

I took the opportunity to do a very basic continuity test on the headlamp wiring, and it seems that the original harness will now work as intended, to trigger the relays Ive added.

[colinf1]

Most of my switches had bad sun damage, so made the decision early on to go the toggle switch route as I done in my previous mini, but this is a great solution!

[Retro_10s]

Most of my switches had bad sun damage, so made the decision early on to go the toggle switch route as I done in my previous mini, but this is a great solution!

I've been tempted by toggles so many times, and I'm a big fan of period correct modifications! But with this mini I am trying to keep it mostly "as it would've been", with the exception of a few things like wheels/exhaust :)
Cheers

[Retro_10s]

Another small update, having now moved the brake fluid sensor spur to it's correct location, and also re-routing the n/s indicator feed to run alongside the main headlamp harness, I have started to wrap the harness back up




A little bit of a setback unfortunately, but hopefully not one that is toooo obstructive. It looks as though the heater hoses have had a steady drip where it goes through the bulkhead (grommet is missing) back whilst the car was on the road. This has caused some rust where the lower bulkhead meets the toeboard. It's eaten away at the edge of each panel, so I'm hoping I can just recreate the panel edges and then join them back up. Assuming they were spot welded from the factory, I will seam weld them

I'm not a fan of the non-adhesive shiny harness tape, I will probably wind some spiral wrap over it

Fuse block is wired in for now, I will probably re-use the original but will clean up the terminals of course. You can also see here I have now converted the harness for the single instrument pack/center binnacle, along with the sensor feed for a smiths temperature gauge that will run off the voltage regulator on the back of the clocks.

[Retro_10s]

Finally got my hands dirty this morning.


Clevis pin wasn't too bad to remove, and definately worn out of shape. The cylinder had a little fluid still in, and doesn't appear to be leaking, so a simple clean up + a new clevis pin will suffice when the time comes

Same can't be said for the clutch hose, it gave in eventually, but not without some heat and a small breaker bar!


Removing the cylinder was necessary for me to gain some access to the bulkhead, which looked flakey, thankfully it was a mixture of dirt, dust, and a little rust, it has cleaned up well and will be just fine with some proper rust removal and paint.


The brake master cylinder will be coming off soon, my back can only take so much upside down nonsense trying to get to the clevis pin.

[Retro_10s]

Started the day with heater removal and inspection, naturally it's a place that encourages condensation, I have a memory of the selector switch not really doing much.


This is inside with the matrix removed, as you can see, it's filthy with flakey rust, peeled paint, and the sealing foam has broken down into an oily , sticky goop.


This little retaining bolt was a pest but it gave in eventually, allowing me to remove the control panel and seperate it from the flap inside.....

..... Which is in dire need of a re-foam,.. this is why I couldn't tell much difference between having the airflow directed to the screen/in the car. This is why the inside of the heater is covered in oily black gunge, as the foam has degraded. I'll order a sheet of medium density closed cell foam to replace it. No more rattly flaps!


Also cleaned the selector switch, it was very dirty


Much better after, now it's gives a smooth and satisfying click moving between the modes.


Will probably do more cleanup later today, motor removal and wiping out the casing. The matrix is in good condition, and requires no attention.