749 replies to this topic

[l_jonez]

If you want efi that does everything you need but with no extras (most of which never get used) then go for microsquirt like I did.

It's a simple wire in job.

[lawrence]

Yh that's what I ended up looking at, then I can ditch the carbs and megajolt. I saw a set of carbs and mani for a micra go on ebay for £100! Hopefully I can recoup some money from the megajolt unit but I'm not sure what it's worth to be honest!

Out of interest L-jonez I saw on your build you used some Ali weld solder rods for your inlet, what are they like to use as I Bought some before to blank of my summer rad filler hole but the rod was very porous and leaked like a sieve

Tiny update from the last few days.
Tinted up my replacement side repeaters and front indicators.


Old repeaters had broken clips and tended to fall out and look rubbish and front indicator lenses are all cracked

I've also got a small oil leak that I need to sort. Nothing massive, think standard mini gear linkage seal but as the mot is coming up obviously I would like it sorted so I'll look into that next week.

On another topic I've got a mates mini race car I've just done the wiring for and in return am doing a swop with my wheels for his.
So I'm getting some 13x7 super light alloys that have slight curb rash so I'm planning to spray in satin black for the winter, they come with two brand new yokos for the fronts and some good dunlops for the rear.

That should help the handling in the damp/rain that my skinny nankangs (aka ditchfinders) can't cope with. I can also put full power down when I want to which I currently can't do (have got my throttle limited to 3/4 open at the most currently, because of wheel spin)

I'll need to sort out some arches for them of course and cut and reshape the front wings to prevent arch rub but that's not an issue as currently one side is different to the other

Bonus of 13s is that it'll bring my cruising revs down. I should bring 60mph in 5th down from 3160 to 2900 and allow me to get to 60in second gear which is also fun! The best part is that at 3000revs I've got a booming/reverberation from my exhaust system so changing to 13s should make her nicer to drive on the main road at 60

That's all for today folks. It's not much but to be honest it's nice just to get in and drive her and not to worry about breakdowns because of silly things! I've done about 200miles with the new alternator and it's going strong. Minor cough from it when went though a ford by mistake but other than that were good! :)

Mot due jan13th too so got to think about that once I'm back from my holiday!

Feel free to comment, sorry for all the words and lack of photos!
Lawrence

[l_jonez]

It worked well but it took a lot of heat, second time around I paid for it to be tig'd which is much better.

[lawrence]

Hmm I will have to look into it more. Trying to keep costs down currently as money is a real issue now I'm at uni

So then time for an update from today, mot is due early next month so I thought I would sort the jobs out I know it needed

Nsf top ball joint re shimmed

Also greased up all the suspension points while the wheels off

Wheel still had some play in it that took me a while to track down, seems that the bolt between the tie bar and lower arm was threaded and wouldn't tighten or undo. Cut it off with a grinder and replaced with a ht bolt

As you can see I had to insert it from the bottom up so it's got a spring washer, nylock bolt and some aviation loctite so it's definitely not coming undone in a hurry. Next time the hubs off I'll swop it round but for the time being I'm happy that it's definitely not coming undone, annoying it won't go in from the top but the cv joint is in the way

Lastly I went to pop to wilko for some new wiper blades but as I went down the road the driveshaft popped out. Had to walk home to get a hammer and drift to get it back. Drove home carefully and thought of a better solution

Decided to weld three rods around the shaft on the cage restraining metal bit.


No way is that now coming apart through General road use now!
I've planned it so I can still get the inner cage out if need be as I can drift the restraining collar round so I can still take the inner cv apart.

That's all for today guys. I've also tidied up the oil leak around the alternator so I can try and spot where she's leaking from.

Drive her about 10miles under hard conditions so that should give the leak a chance to start and I shall hopefully narrow it down tomorrow! Not sure what else I've got to do with her currently but I'm sure there's something! Dash defo needs to come out as I've got a faulty connection for one of my dash lights but that's nothing major it just flickers at night which is annoying

Another update tomorrow then people, planing to check the nsr rear suspension over for the mot and grease up the radius arm pivot pin. Think the handbrake needs adjusting too as it feels a bit loose

Lawrence

[thelegg]

Your drive shaft really shouldn't be doing that lol it must be too short ?

[lawrence]

Nope the lengths are fine it's just the inter part doesn't always slide and catches bringing it out the joint. Is all sorted now tho

So today. Well it started well.
Plan was as I said yesterday to check over the nsr suspension for the mot. Well first I noticed the dust cover for the radius arm was gone

Not a massive problem but is an annoying one to fix

Checked the brake drum, all fine nice and clean and greased so just brushed the dust out. Put the suspension up a bit too so it's more even
Checked the radius arm play and it's more than I would like. I can feel and see it but not sure if it's an mot fail or advisory (Had it as an advisory 2 years ago)

Looked at prices online. £54!!!!!! And that an exchange!! Definitely can't afford that atm so had a think. Could perhaps get a repair kit and maybe the new pivot pin would take up the slack?

Then I remembered I've got two radius ams from the replacement subframe I bought ages ago for my restoration. Took me an hour to fine them both. One right down the back of the workbench stripped. Other behind the wood store at the front of the garage. Got to love hide and seek!

Nice and clean you see!

That's got play in the pivot too plan ruined
Oh hang on it’s the osr one! Let's check the one I need. Winner winner it's great. Pivot looks fairly good too!

Stripped and wire brushed

Whopped some paint on



So now I've got a good replacement for the mot if it's needed,I'm not going to fit it now I shall wait to see if it fails on the mot as it’s a bugger of a job to do and one I would rather do in the summer next year. Saved £54 tho so I'm happy :)need to see if I've got a spare rubber bits that missing. Swear I do have one somewhere

Now happy with the nsr so onward to the osr.
So just need to nip up the handbrake?
How wrong was I. I tried that. Won't do up. Grrr
Took apart
Brake cylinder leaking

And I haven't got a spare so that's another £8 I need to spend

Hang on let's look at the grotty radius arm again!!!
What's that? A brake cylinder do I see? I wonder if it's seized says I?
Flipping heck it still works!!! Seems the previous owner filled the rubber bits with waxoil and its stayed rust free! Back corroded as hell so used map gas and wd40 and its released from its dirty abode!


Cleaned up and ready to paint


Leakey one and refurbed one side by side. Slightly different style but does the same job


Just had these to fix now.

All soaked in brake fluid so dug though my spares and found some good part worn ones to replace them with

All back together, rear brake bled with gunson easibleed, definitely the most useful thing when it comes to brake. So that's sorted :)

By then it was too dark to work on mini so I finished off the wood store and now that's ready for some preserve to be painted on it. (No back as will go against the wall)

So all in all a good day. Saved myself £70ish which is nice for the student budget
I think I'll buy a new rear brake cylinder so I've got a spare and the return springs look a bit worn having being fitted wrong in the past so I'll get them too and the drum retaining screws are knackered so I'll get them all in the new year when I've got some money.

There will be no updates for a week or so now as I'm working all weekend and off to Berlin on Monday for a Christmas break with the gf :)

That's all for now folks. Feel free to comment.

Lawrence

[thelegg]

Wouldn't personally bother with the drum retaining screws they only rust and then you can't take the drum off !

[l_jonez]

If your shafts are pulling out they are certainly to short.

[lawrence]

I dunno I like the added safely of the drum being held on :)

Nope they are definitely the right size. The splines on the gearbox end are a bit rough that's all and sometimes catch

[Artstu]

If your shafts are pulling out they are certainly to short.

 

As you say definitely too short, but he's not listening.  

[lawrence]

I don't see how they will be.
When I Sent them to get welded I had the mini driveshaft in the cv joint as far as it will go.
The micra part I had in the inner joint half way
I then tested the suspension through all of its travel to see if that made a difference in where the shaft was in the pot joint and it did but only slightly

Then I marked the shafts where they needed to be cut and trimmed them to size
Sent em off to be put together where the chap put a thread in them allowing me to size them correctly with a ht threaded rod between them
Did the same process when I got them back

Marked them with chalk and sent them back to be welded up.

Then when I finally had them welded up I fitted them properly.
They were half way in the pot joint at that time so how can they be an inch and a half short now?
Therfore logically there is movement on the spline I had not noticed previously

[Artstu]

Well you went wrong somewhere. The shaft should not have any movement on the splines at either end, a compression c-clip holds the shaft in one place in the outer cv, and in one place on the central spider of the inner pot joint, the only movement should be that central spider in the pot joint, therefore if that is coming out of the pot the shaft is too short.

 

Moving the engine over to that side could solve the issue, but only if the shaft on the other side is long enough.

[GraemeC]

Please check the replacement wheel cylinder is the same bore as the original, otherwise you'll have a very dangerous brake imbalance.

[thelegg]

Just think if the shaft pops out at speed it will exit the vehicle where ever it wants so it won't think twice about coming up through the floor maybe into your foot/leg !

[lawrence]

I really don't know about the driveshaft then. I'll check it all over next time it's out. The only thing I can think of is that when I changed the cage and balls the other month I put the cage the wrong way round, that's the only think I can think that would account for the loss in length but without it out I can't examine it. For the time being tho I am happy that is is safe and not going to fly anywhere.

And yep I checked the bore with my measuring calipers. Same piston size and length just the outside body of the cylinder is different.