780 replies to this topic

[babyrich82]

Very impressed with this build, you have the patience of a saint in regards to all the welding etc.. do you want to do mine???

[alex-95]

Very impressed with this build, you have the patience of a saint in regards to all the welding etc.. do you want to do mine???

Thanks Rich, It can be a pain in the backside sometime's, When welding, burning holes and the wire kinking then having to re thread the wire , But it is very satisfying when it goes right , I have to finish mine first

Edited by alex-95, 30 October 2012 - 11:17 PM.

[MentalMini]

I don't think i've seen a project/build with as much fabrication/welding skills some excellent work carried out.

well done.

[Noah]

Come on then alex where are these new wheels!

[alex-95]

Yesterday we did some welding to the inner sill that needed finishing and also added a peice for the curved peice at the front.

So, I've got my mini back on 4 wheels, I'm not too sure if I like them to be honest










So today was the day that we took the engine out, Lifted up the back onto the workbench and gradually lifted the front with the jacks.







I took off the brake line and cable and started to take off the steering rack too

Edited by alex-95, 31 October 2012 - 09:48 PM.

[alex-95]

I don't think i've seen a project/build with as much fabrication/welding skills some excellent work carried out.

well done.

Thank you very much mental mini, Glad you like it

[grahama]

Hi Alex,

nice progress and welding recently. Like the lifting technique you used, I had mine suspended on a piece of wood between two step ladders. H&S would have had a nightmare!! Keep it up, what are the plans for the engine??

Graham

[alex-95]

Hi Alex,

nice progress and welding recently. Like the lifting technique you used, I had mine suspended on a piece of wood between two step ladders. H&S would have had a nightmare!! Keep it up, what are the plans for the engine??

Graham

Cheers Graham, It was quite good method, we could have done with some taller jacks though, Or taking out the heater, steering rack and column and then lift it by hand onto the other workbench. I'm going to keep the engine pretty much standard, with electronic ignition, We're going to strip the gearbox down and replace bearings.

Alex

[minimuk]

mmm,...gearbox refurb....love it....good luck get yrself a 'center oil pick up' while you are at it, and whatch out you dont loose the springs and ball bearings of the Synchro's when you remove those and take them apart......

[alex-95]

We've been doing a few bit's and bobs ove the past couple of weeks, Finished taking off the steering rack, took off the gear linkage, heater and the pedal box. The pedal box was quite tricky to take off as the pins for the brake and clutch cylinders are in an awkward place and one was a tad rusty, so we made this and it came out with ease. Just a thickish peace of metal filed to an angle and cut out to the size of the pin.



So today we set about taking the engine out the subframe.
We took off the brake assemblys and took out the driveshafts, We cut off the passenger side rubber boot as it had split's in it, which was lucky as we didn't mark how they come out so we could just match up where the rubber was cut, the drivers side just pulled out as it had nothing holding it on.



We made a frame last weekend so that we could lift the engine. so we jacked the subframe higher and held the engine up with Dad's old Haltrac pulley and dropped the subframe.

then we could lower the engine onto the trolley we made.


And that was about it for today.

Edited by alex-95, 17 November 2012 - 08:30 PM.

[grahama]

Alex,

can't see properly but was the cross piece you lifted the engine on wooden or steel?? Just wondering how strong I need to get a cross member for when I get the enging ready to go back in mine.

Graham

[alex-95]

Alex,

can't see properly but was the cross piece you lifted the engine on wooden or steel?? Just wondering how strong I need to get a cross member for when I get the enging ready to go back in mine.

Graham

It is a big peice of angle bolted to 2 aluminium tubes, then there is a peice of angle at the bottom, and is the poles are gripped on to the roof beam to stop it moving.

[alex-95]

Well, I did do a bit of work this weekend, had an hour yesterday and a couple of hours today, So I ground down the welds on the flitch, rewelded where there were holes and ground down again.

Then we took out the inside roof rail.


And gave the flitch a quick coat of kurust.


Then we went in to watch the f1.
Hopfully we'll be able to get on a bit more next weekend.
Alex

[grahama]

How is the corner of the roof there as it looks pretty cruddy. Rooves can be tricky looking at people's threads, got away with it myself luckily, going well tho.

Graham

[alex-95]

How is the corner of the roof there as it looks pretty cruddy. Rooves can be tricky looking at people's threads, got away with it myself luckily, going well tho.

Graham

Yeah, the roof has rust in the front corners at the bottom by the gutter, the pasengers side it goes further back. I think that there was foam between the roof and inside peice that soaked up the water and rusted that part. So we'll be remaking/replacing the inside peice and weld in a small patch on the outside.