377 replies to this topic

[redhotminilewis]

Yeah ha ha. I prefer people not to know what I look like I think though. It adds to the mystique faceless blogging :)

Regards Blue

I Just thought you looked like your Display picture.

Good work by the way

[blue blood]

Yeah ha ha. I prefer people not to know what I look like I think though. It adds to the mystique faceless blogging :)

Regards Blue

I Just thought you looked like your Display picture.

Good work by the way

I'm sure theres a compliment in there somewhere ha. My display picture is actually the original inspiration for batman's greatest nemesis the Joker :)
Glad you appreciate the work.

Regards Blue

[blue blood]

So i have had a go at some small parts recently.

Here is the radiator in its new place with the front cut out for the grill (so you can see why there is a little more cut out on the one side:


To keep it forward out of the way of the alternator I have opted for some rose joints on the top. I bought some 5mm aluminium angle and cut a bracket shape, then drilled a hole and threaded it. This will be bolted in place with some small button head allen bolts.











Got round to painting the alternator brackets in their base coats with the new paint I had bought:







Also got the front subframes rear mounting spreader plates bent to fit the foot wells angle:





And finally the same small company 2mins walk up the road from my house who I use to do my bending (for free :) ) made me up two 3mm aluminium cross members. I am taking the fibreglass one out as I find it a bit useless, as its not in a place I want to mount my seats and it flex's way to much! So the cross members i had made a just bent sheet ready for me to cut to the size of my cabin. I will cut the angles on each end of the tunnels and cut the exhaust tunnel, once I have done that I will go back to the guy to have plates tig'd on each end and a bent piece of 3mm ali welded on the missing part of the exhaust tunnel:












But yeah i'm really happy with how these came out and a steal at £20 for the pair :)

Thats all for now folks.

Regards Blue

Edited by blue blood, 25 April 2012 - 08:32 AM.

[jonny f]

Looking good as always blue!

I did comment earlier but it got deleted when the forum was down.

I asked a question but i can't remember what it was now!

[blue blood]

Thanks as ever Jonny :) and if you remember the question just get in touch.

Regards Blue

[blue blood]

Right I had a bit of time spent on the mini today as I was waiting in for a package to arrive.

As the observant of you may have noticed from the last update I am going to be using aluminium cross members to keep structural rigidity within the shells floor. I am also tying in the seat mounts to the members. So I had to get rid of the existing cross member as it is in the way and I will move the positioning of the front one back a bit for a comfier position for me to sit :) So out came the angle grinder, dremel, hammer, chisel, finger sander and leather gauntlets.

First I roughly cut one side then ripped out as much as possible:





resulting in this pile-


Once that was done I used the hammer and chisel to prize the fiber-glass in the grooves away for the floor pan. Then used the angle grinder flappy disk attachment and finger sander to sand all the rest smooth and flush:







This will be roughly where the new cross members will be mounted but I have to get some card to do templates before I start cutting gun ho.


I then got about drilling holes in the radiator bracket to mount onto the bonnet slam panel using a couple of button head stainless bolts:






So coming back to the package I was waiting for. I got the chance to have some even more uprated brakes (than the minisport 7.9 vented disks and 4 pots) and I struck while the iron was hot. They were advertised on the 16v forum in brand new condition (not even taken out of the packet for some of the parts of the kit). What will be stopping my car now are these babies :













Tarox 6 pot callipers with 9 1/4" disks

Its hard to see but I actually only have about 6-7mm clearance from the edge of the wheel to the mounted calliper:




Well thats all for today folks.

Regards Blue

[jonny f]

Nice update blue.

Wonder how much closer your front wheels will get to your back wheels stopping with those brakes!

They look amazing!!

[blue blood]

Yeah they are pretty amazing and an absolute steal from the guy who sold them to me :) I'm also swaping my brake master cylinder to an AP racing one which is a dual tandem line but mounted horizontally so I will have to make my own bracket and pushrod pivot system up. I'm thinking something similar to the bracket used on servo assisted brake master minis but using brass lined items and rose joints.
I'm glad you like the update Jonny :)

Regards Blue

Edited by blue blood, 10 May 2012 - 12:52 PM.

[kcchan]

So you bought those brakes. I would have had them if they'd fit under 10's and if I'd had the money.

[blue blood]

Yeah they were a steal at £400 delivered brand new :) to say that shuddersfield sell their version for something like £800 odd :) I want my car to perform as good as it looks in the end and when my 1.3 lump dies I will be putting an 8v 2.0L vauxhall lump in so effective stopping power is a must and now i've nipped it in the bud :)

Blue

[JR.]

Blue, why did you sell the cross members or did you have more than 2 made?

[blue blood]

I had two of them made and sold the one. I was going to mount the seat on top of them but I realised the seating position would be too high for my liking. Why did you want one? because I could have a few more made up by the guys who made mine if you wanted.

Regards Blue

[JR.]

When you had them done I thought that was a great idea, but I had just re fibred mine after cutting them for some metal supports. I have a similar engineering shop near me also who bent my brackets for the subframe/bulkhead. I was thinking maybe of capping the GRP crossmember with a steel one, and welding it to my metal supports I have in. (I know its a Minus but I do have metal I can weld to). Keep the inspirational ideas coming.

[blue blood]

Well today I did a bit of running around for parts. I visited halfords for some fibre filler, then to mini spares in Birmingham rounded off with a visit to minus cars in Worcester.

At mini spares I got a discount on some items as I have been waiting for them to come into stock for so long but its well worth the wait. I got an internal release bonnet kit:



Also some articulated stainless bonnet hinges produced by minivation. When I saw these in mini magazine months ago I knew these were perfectly suited to my needs as minus' cant use original bonnet hinges as there is no space.









In situe. There is quite a lot of reflective surfaces in my engine bay:




I will have to cut a bit of the side out for the arm to pass the bonnet lip resting place.

Finally I got my new bonnet, I asked for it to be filled in on the ridge and oil cap bump as I will be sanding it all smooth. It is also in a rough shape so I can cut it to my specifications, but I want to leave it for a bit longer so it can cure and harden for a bit longer:









Thats all today folks, i'm off to enjoy the rest of todays sunshine and more than likely the entirety of our summer :)

Regards Blue

[jonny f]

Minus are still going then?

Does he know the website is gone?

Nice update blue those hinges look good. Could you not space them out a little?