847 replies to this topic

[timmy850]

That's a neat addition and it doesn't take up space in the cabin. I suppose you couldn't fit this to a Cooper or Cooper S as they'd have the servo over there. 

It's also a lot cheaper than the other heaters (especially the Cooper S heaters) which is nice, there is also no wiring needed. 

 

I'm assuming that that's a 'unique to Australia' item? It's pretty cool - nice buy.

Yes, I think Australian only. The heater core has an Aussie part number stamped in it so it's been designed/made locally. They were fitted to all automatic cars to improve the cooling 

 

The simple (or crude) construction means that the side plate is held in with 4 screws. The heater core seems to be held in place with foam tape (which had totally disintegrated by now) which meant the core was a little loose

Unfortunately one of the screws has worn through the top corner of the core so it'll need a little repair.

[timmy850]

The mini has been running pretty hot recently, and I thought I'd add in a recovery tank to the radiator to make sure the coolant level is always full in the radiator. It also means coolant doesn't end up leaking on the ground. The black tape on the side was to keep an eye on the level and make sure it was all working properly

The recovery system needs a special cap

There is an additional seal/valve in the centre of the cap that allows coolant to be sucked back into the radiator when the system cools down. You can tell that it's working fine as the white pipe into the tank has green coolant when it gets up to temp ,and also when cooling down

[timmy850]

We made it to another MITG show and shine, which is the 6th one I've been to! It was running really hot too, and I think I've finally got that sorted out..

 

When I hooked up the inlet manifold a while ago I used the heater take off on the top of the head and fed the coolant through the manifold and back to the bottom radiator hose, just like how a normal heater is plumbed in. What I didn't realise at the time was that the hot coolant flowing from the top of the head was going straight back into the block and bypassing the radiator completely. The fresh air heater being plumbed in here means it'll be cooling the engine instead 

 

I took the heater core in to get repaired and pressure tested. The corner got patched so it's now watertight too!

 

I then thought I'd start to get the fresh air heater box installed. The first problem was the front top bracket was interfering with the bonnet stay bracket. I'd never noticed before that they moved this during production, on later cars it's further back and in the middle of the two brackets

 

The next thing to figure out was the bottom bracket. There is a rubber clip the same as the bonnet stay holder on the inside of the bonnet. This clips to the modified u-bolt

 

I started drilling at the top and lined everything up and installed the lower bracket

 

The front bracket was removed and then I bolted it on a bit further back so it now misses the bonnet stay bracket. A quick coat of paint made it look a bit nicer

 

And now assembled with a new layer of foam to seal the heater core

 

And here it is installed and filled with coolant. I ran it up to temp and there's no leaks so far, I'll need to take it for a test drive sometime to make sure it's all working as it should

 

I still need to figure out a final position for the coil and horn and then work out the plumbing for the air from the heater box to the inside of the car, and also mount the heater cable

 

I've got some plastic demisting vents to go in and hopefully a reasonable way to control the air.

Edited by timmy850, 29 January 2018 - 06:03 AM.

[Jared Mk3]

That engine bay is looking nice and snug now 

[timmy850]

That engine bay is looking nice and snug now 

Yes it is! It also ran nice and cool when I drove it to work this week in the 30 degree weather which is a huge relief

I was looking through some photos today and thought you guys might like the before and after comparison from when I first got the car untill now.

I'm not sure if its easier to spot whats been changed or whats still the same!

Edited by timmy850, 02 February 2018 - 02:48 AM.

[timmy850]

Here is a list I can see of things that have changed in the photo...

Stage 1 kit - HS4 carb, inlet manifold, filter housing

Consumables - fuel filter, spark plugs, ignition leads, fan belt

Cooling system - radiator,  fan, water pump, radiator hoses, radiator cap, overflow tank, water temp gauge changed, new thermostat housing 

Heating system - head takeoff, heater unit

Ignition system - coil swapped and moved, original distributor re-installed, aftermarket ignition control box removed, vacuum advance line changed

Charging system - new alternator, bracket swapped, upgraded wiring to battery, external regulator removed

Braking system - master cylinder, caps, extension piece added 

Engine - rocker cover changed (numerous times), oil cap, rocker cover bolts, repainted block, stock oil pressure switch installed

Other - Bulkhead insulation changed, choke and throttle cables replaced, horn flipped, new engine steady bushes

 

I've got a bit of 80mm flexible ducting to join the heater unit to the bulkhead, just waiting on some hose clamps before I can put it in the car. I'll have to sort out the horn and gauge wiring at the same time. The horn will need to be relocated to somewhere else in the engine bay. The tacho wiring, vacuum gauge hose and the temp sensor all currently go through the heater blanking plate. It'll all need to be moved to work with the new heater setup

[timmy850]

I've noticed quite a bit of oil building up in the air filter housing recently. It looked like the oil had been getting into the carb too, which isn't the best.

 

I got a baffled oil catch can from the local parts shop which looked like it would fit. Finding room in the engine bay will be the trickiest part of the installation..

 

It just squeezed into the corner next to the wiper motor. I've got some protective plastic wrap on it for the moment until it's finally mounted. 

 

I just need to get a new bit of hose to connect it all up. It'll go from the breather on the tappet cover to the catch can, and then onto the breather pipe on the carb or back to the air filter housing. It'll be interesting to see if anything gets trapped. I also installed some NOS Speedwell grille buttons 

 

During the last 12 months I've been working on getting some more comfortable seats for the long trips we do. The original seats are pretty uncomfortable, especially on the back where there is no support. It'd be great to rebuild the original seats, but the vinyl is very fragile and was only used for 1964 (and only on Australian cars) so getting some more trim was going to be tricky if I ripped them any further. I thought about some of the lowback "Cobra" style seats but they are pretty tight and relatively expensive, and won't match my interior trim anyway. I had a look around at some locally available new aftermarket and used seats and decided on getting some with detachable head restraints so that I could hopefully keep a classic look to the interior. 

 

I had a look through the wrecking yard and was after some reasonably narrow seats with some good support and no side airbags. These ones fit the bill and set me back just $100 and were out of a mid 90's Subaru Liberty (Legacy). 

 

After a bit of a clean they looked pretty nice, and they were spot on for width and a little bit taller than the stock ones

 

The initial test fit was positive. They fit nicely for width and were short enough (with head restraints removed) to be near the window line (they are fitted to the car in the photo at the top of the page)

 

 

I made up some brackets to adapt them to the car, it's very simple to swap back to the old seats (5 minutes at the most). I also got some seat covers which match reasonably well to the original trim

 

Here they are with the head restraints installed and the covers off. Best of all, they are super comfortable and will be great on our long trips 

 

They tilt & side so getting in the back is possible, and the drivers side has adjustment for the height of the base. The side bolsters are deep enough to hold you in during cornering too

[Jared Mk3]

Those seats are rather nice 

[timmy850]

Those seats are rather nice 

 

Thanks, I've got a 300km drive on this weekend to a mini show, so I can really test them out 

 

The oil catch can is all plumbed in now, just two lengths of hose. Who knows if it'll do anything but if it stops any oil getting through the engine it'll be a bonus 

[timmy850]

Oh, and the first photo I took of the seats the day I bought them was February 22nd 2017, and they were finally fitted on January 14th 2018, so nearly 11 months to get them installed! I wanted to get them done before I started the engine assembly as making the seat brackets made a huge mess of metal filings in the garage 

[Jared Mk3]

Your engine bay is getting nice and full now   Looking good!

[timmy850]

Your engine bay is getting nice and full now   Looking good!

Yeah it's funny that last year I was removing all the extra bits out of the engine bay and this year I'm filing it back up again. I can mount the catch can remotely if it's working well, and I may replace the overflow tank with the stock style washer fluid bottle. 

 

I'll have all the parts to assemble the 202 head next week hopefully. It'll be nice to complete it and have it ready to go on the engine and might motivate me to get a move on with the rest of it!

[timmy850]

We had an overnight trip to Sydney on Friday, and we were able to track down my parent's old house from the early 80's, this photo was in the first post in the thread..

And this is from 2018

 
I went to the Minikingdom Online show on the Saturday. The show is held at the shop, and there was well over 100 cars there. I arrived late enough to get a park on the grass out the front.

 
I picked up some BMC green engine paint from the shop while I was there (along with some other parts). My plan was always to use this colour for the 1100 engine, I gave a spare rocker cover a test coat to check the colour was OK.

I think the engine block will look much better in the green

 
I managed to find an old master cylinder extension for the clutch reservoir. The plastic has aged enough to match the cap and the old tin cylinder.


The final parts to put the head back together turned up today, so there will be some progress on that soon!

[Vinay-RS]

Those two pictures alongside one another are truly special :) I really like the MOWOG rocker cover in green. Looks really good. 

[timmy850]

Those two pictures alongside one another are truly special :) I really like the MOWOG rocker cover in green. Looks really good. 

Thanks Vinay, Ive been trying to retake that photo for years and I was finally in the area!

Here is my stash of parts for the head. I got a new stud kit, double valve springs, spring collars and stem seals. The valve caps and collet retainers will be a used set from my spare 940 head. I think Ill be using the standard rockers, but Ill get the tips refaced (unless the engine builder recommends something different) as I think the larger valves and cam will make high ratio rockers unnecessary.