236 replies to this topic

[craig-721]

i never knew that this type of heater box was glass fibre i thought they were all metal

[sherly]

i never knew that this type of heater box was glass fibre i thought they were all metal

I didn't realise either.  The later boxes ('90's) look similar too - but I guess these are plastic and not fibreglass??

 

Seeing as the dash lights worked really well I decided to look at other lights to replace with LEDs.  I ended up buying festoon bulbs to replace the numberplate bulbs and the interior light.  These turned up today so I've trial fitted them (shown alongside original bulb).

 

 

To be honest the interior light is a little underpowered (although I'll will check again when it's fully dark) but the numberplate bulbs are great - nice crisp white light (rhs in the image - as if I needed to point it out!)

 

 

Next up on the shopping list are some E10 bulbs to replace the bulbs in my aux gauges to match the dash cluster.....

Edited by sherly, 11 November 2013 - 01:49 PM.

[phil hill]

Sorry to hi-jack but what to you think of these : http://www.ebay.co.u...984.m1423.l2661

 

I'm thinking of buying a box to do the side lights on about 4 different cars which use T10 lamps.  I'm interested in your experience of other types of LED lamps for automotive use too. 

 

Thanks

 

Phil.

[sherly]

Hard to say without trying them - which is one of the reasons I find eBay so frustrating at times - too much choice is a bad thing at times.  I'm sure I saw elsewhere in another thread during some research to see what others had done that these weren't all that great (and looking at the price you could say that you get what you pay for).  The ones I bought worked out at £1 each.

 

Worth a punt for the price I guess.  If they're rubbish then at least you've not wasted a huge amount of cash and you can inform others of what they're like, if they're ok then............happy days!.

 

I've held off from changing the indicators/sidelights for the time being - bit more research needed to get good quality ones of adequate brightness/light spread etc.....

[craig-721]

 

i never knew that this type of heater box was glass fibre i thought they were all metal

I didn't realise either.  The later boxes ('90's) look similar too - but I guess these are plastic and not fibreglass??

 

Seeing as the dash lights worked really well I decided to look at other lights to replace with LEDs.  I ended up buying festoon bulbs to replace the numberplate bulbs and the interior light.  These turned up today so I've trial fitted them (shown alongside original bulb).

 

 

To be honest the interior light is a little underpowered (although I'll will check again when it's fully dark) but the numberplate bulbs are great - nice crisp white light (rhs in the image - as if I needed to point it out!)

 

 

Next up on the shopping list are some E10 bulbs to replace the bulbs in my aux gauges to match the dash cluster.....

 

yeah led the full car lol looks good

[sherly]

Well - the mini has gone into hibernation now.......by default.

 

I managed to sever a tendon in my thumb after cutting myself with a stanley knife blade whilst finishing off some wiring loom mods.  

 

Had surgery last week to stitch it back together and now have 8 weeks of physio to get things moving again and a mini sat in the workshop with it's electrical guts hangin' out  

 

At least it gives me the opportunity to gather all the bits I need to complete all the niggly jobs, ready for February next year when it should be back to full strength (fingers crossed - I can still do that!)

 

For the time being I'm wearing a rather fetching thumb-catapult-elastic-tendon-assist type splint thingy.......sexy eh? All the kids are gonna want one of these.......

 

[skoughi]

Jeeezus! Hope your thumb gets better soon, what with the party season looming you're gonna have to use the left for holding cans, bottles and glasses full o strong drink! These old minis should carry a health warning!

[sherly]

Jeeezus! Hope your thumb gets better soon, what with the party season looming you're gonna have to use the left for holding cans, bottles and glasses full o strong drink! These old minis should carry a health warning!

Luckily(?) I'm left handed....still a bit of nuisance though - especially the not-driving-til-January bit

 

In 11 years of tinkering on the Mini it's the first trip to A&E/hospital though.  

[Wise Old Elf]

 

Jeeezus! Hope your thumb gets better soon, what with the party season looming you're gonna have to use the left for holding cans, bottles and glasses full o strong drink! These old minis should carry a health warning!

Luckily(?) I'm left handed....still a bit of nuisance though - especially the not-driving-til-January bit

 

In 11 years of tinkering on the Mini it's the first trip to A&E/hospital though.  

 

 

 

I had a plaster splint on my left hand/arm for 6 months off and on. Believe me driving one handed is possible.  Wiping your bum, tying shoelaces and cutting steak is much more difficult. Hope you get better soon.

[steven]

Looks like you did a proper job of it

[greenwheels]

Your accident is a lesson to us all, safety is about things that happen once in a lifetime, that blinding spark, the jack that gives way etc. etc.  I did a similar thing to my thumb, although nowhere near as bad as yours, I got away with a couple of stitches, but I learnt my lesson, my middle name is 'safety' now and I spend time thinking 'is this safe'.  Ironically the moment before I cut my thumb I thought 'If I'm not careful the knife will slip and I'll will cut my thumb' -  a millisecond later it slipped!!

 

I hope everything goes well and it gets better. Remember over Christmas when you want a bottle opened to get two done at a time so you won't be losing drinking time waiting to get someone to open another for you.

[F1L8EY]

i cannot believe that i just read tonight this start to finish....only at the end to find you've injured yourself and are in a splint!! :?

 

great work. !! do what the physio tells you (my missis is one) and you'll be back in the game ready for next year.

 

i also stabbed myself recently with a stanley carpet cutting blade re wiring a hilti... why is it as we get better and smarter at engineering we still do these silly things. ??

 

well get better soon and keep up the good work... if i see the wonky AA badge at a show ill come over and say hi.

[malcs_miniturbo]

same thing happed to me sharp metal sheet went through my index finger cut my tendon that wasnt a pleasent sight got a big scar now but when i first was at hospital a doctor  said il loose it thought no chance and another doctor came seen me said no we can save finger so that was a releaf i learnt and wear thick glooves now

[domdee]

Hope the recovery goes well buddy!

[sherly]

Cheers for the kind words guys.

 

I shall indeed be listening to and following the advice of the physios - I want this thumb working as well as it ever was ready for more mini-tinkering in the new year!

 

I guess as careful as you can be complacency can always rear it's ugly head.  I'm good with the health and safety stuff - always wear safety goggles whilst cutting/grinding, gauntlets and mask whilst welding etc, just got unlucky this time.  Will learn from this for the future, that's for sure.

 

Go careful out there kids.....the world is full of sharp things.