609 replies to this topic

[rally1380]

"I must be mad but i think that sounds like FUN!!!! but then again i love snow, and the cold...weird eh!

On a serious note though i'm glad all was ok and you didn't make friends with the nearest tree!!!!

I do love how motorsport always makes good stories and tales of close shaves!!!

I still need to decide my plans for next year....need to decide which events are more suited to the mini's limited ride height....would love snow tho!"

I have many stories lol. I always use the "3 finger" rule on the suspension, which is i can fit my 3 fingers between the top of the tyre and the arch. Not scientific i know but it works for me
Dont worry too much about choosing events as some of them are over hyped as being rough. Most of the damage is done by going over the whites too fast so you can usually pick your way around the worst.
At the end of the day we are never going to worry the top guys so just enjoy your own rally and compare your times to the other 1400s

Very true...if i did want to worry the top guys i'd be prepping my MK1 golf GTi and not a 41 year old classic.....but there is something about a mini that is so appealing. I can't quantify it, they are just special little cars and they just make people smile...got such a good reaction on the RoamerLite...apart from one spectator giving a 'Merchant Banker' (rhyming slang) sign at one junction!!! very odd!

3 fingers eh!!! Gonna have to drop mine a bit....a full hand can be placed in Barry's arch gap! Unless you've got sausage fingers!!!

Have you seen the footage from the Cilwendeg rally on Ralio + website...its in welsh but good footage and looks like a cracking event!!!!????

And once i've got all my lines inside and some skids fabricated for the rear i don't care how rough it is...a mini can go anywhere!! as long as nothing gets ripped off!

[keefr22]

...got such a good reaction on the RoamerLite...apart from one spectator giving a 'Merchant Banker' (rhyming slang) sign at one junction!!! very odd!

Don't you just love people like that?! But then you just think to yourself 'I'm enjoying myself driving & competing, you're stood out in the wet & cold...who's really the 'banker'....??!!'

[minisi35]

Have you seen the footage from the Cilwendeg rally on Ralio + website...its in welsh but good footage and looks like a cracking event!!!!????

And once i've got all my lines inside and some skids fabricated for the rear i don't care how rough it is...a mini can go anywhere!! as long as nothing gets ripped off!

Yeah saw it on S4C (you can at least have subtitles lol). Its THE event to do in road rallying and gets oversubscribed very quickly. Chris who i navigated on the Roamerlite did this years cilwendeg and told me it was a great event apart from denting the wing on a hairpin

[minisi35]

...got such a good reaction on the RoamerLite...apart from one spectator giving a 'Merchant Banker' (rhyming slang) sign at one junction!!! very odd!

Don't you just love people like that?! But then you just think to yourself 'I'm enjoying myself driving & competing, you're stood out in the wet & cold...who's really the 'banker'....??!!'

Theres those that TALK about it , and theres those that DO it!! lol
I cant tell you the amount of times people have "mooned" at us during events................lol

Edited by minisi35, 08 November 2012 - 05:03 PM.

[keefr22]

I cant tell you the amount of times people have "mooned" at us during events................lol

Yeh, but that's funny though!!

I did the Cilwendeg a few times in MN days - always came last or thereabouts...!!! It's always been a fantastic event! I couldn't get over the number of people at the start on the S4C report, good to see there's still so much interest in road rallying, having been out of touch with it for so long I was thinking it would have become a real minority interest now....

Edited by keefr22, 08 November 2012 - 09:47 AM.

[jaydee]

3 fingers eh!!! Gonna have to drop mine a bit....a full hand can be placed in Barry's arch gap! Unless you've got sausage fingers!!!

Mines nearly 4 fingers at the front and close to 7 at the back (archless)
Better high...erm..raised than scraping on the sump guard..

[minisi35]

Mines nearly 4 fingers at the front and close to 7 at the back (archless)
Better high...erm..raised than scraping on the sump guard..

I found the higher it was the less confidence i had as it felt like driving a shopping trolley lol. But everyones different so whatever suits....................

[rally1380]

...got such a good reaction on the RoamerLite...apart from one spectator giving a 'Merchant Banker' (rhyming slang) sign at one junction!!! very odd!

Don't you just love people like that?! But then you just think to yourself 'I'm enjoying myself driving & competing, you're stood out in the wet & cold...who's really the 'banker'....??!!'

I was more wandering what the hell he was doing....and it was only when my wife mentioned it on our way home that it sunk in what he was doing!!! I thought he was visually comenting on how slow i was driving...maybe he was a Ford fan!

[rally1380]

I cant tell you the amount of times people have "mooned" at us during events................lol

Yeh, but that's funny though!!

I did the Cilwendeg a few times in MN days - always came last or thereabouts...!!! It's always been a fantastic event! I couldn't get over the number of people at the start on the S4C report, good to see there's still so much interest in road rallying, having been out of touch with it for so long I was thinking it would have become a real minority interest now....

I think its quite the opposite. With the costs of stage rallying going through the roof, Road rallying is having a rebirth. We speccied on the Border 100 earlier in the year...it was 2am, snowing, and very cold and wet and the Wood yard we viewed at was rammed with people!!! Some drunk mind you!

I just hope we can keep the Police on our side and allow this sport to grow in popularity and be enjoyed by many more people for many more years. Unfortunately there are the hangers-on boy racers that insist on giving the sport a bad rep.....driving like loons and thinking they own the roads and abusing local home owners! (long story)

Anyway....nuff hijacking of this thread.....great build and love seeing the progress....i'm off to work on my shopping trolley!!! HA HA HA.

[minisi35]

Well a bit more progress to look at.... lol
test fitted the harnesses to the seat


Fitted the one cut off cable as the extinguisher is on order. Was a pain to fit the grommet!!


and refurbished the clocks and the binical ready to fit back in

[minisi35]

Right been busy so havent done alot recently. I had bought a stick on number plate but completely buggerd it up, too many curves for it to work in my opinion. Anyway ive sprayed one on instead


Also tried to fit the new door handles. The quality of these new handles is awful and its the one part i hadnt test fitted, wish i had as they dont fit flush even with the proper gaskets.
So Ive overcome the problem with making thicker foam gaskets to make up the gap difference
Tried to take a picture to explain it isnt the best

[minisi35]

"arty" pic with the number plate finished.

[rally1380]

Can't beat a bit of Black and White to make it look 'proper' old!

Looking great!...although when i saw the masking tape out on the previous post i thought you'd scratched it again!!!.....then i read about the number plate...PHEW!

[keefr22]

Got to agree with 1380 - she does indeed look great! Some nice outdoor shots (if ever the rain stops) would be good!!

[minisi35]

Bit more interior work done last night, I managed to get hold of some 1mm alloy sheet to make the door cards out of. They look nice in alloy but as the car has to be to "showroom" spec then they will be covered in vinyl when their finished
First job was to borrow an old door card as a template


then trimmed it to the right size with the best tool ive been given, Cuts perfectly everytime

job almost done fits well, glad that i cut it just below the line i had marked as it would have been too big. Just got to cut the holes out and figure a way to mount it. Think the rivnuts might be used again