140 replies to this topic

[buddylove]

Thanks! I got lucky with this one, most are pretty rusty if they look like this over here.

[jpw1275]

What an awesome looking mini you have there..... I've got the same mirrors and brackets for mine but I'm not sure if they will be road legal over here in the uk

Cheers james

[slidehammer]

Great looking car you have there I love the paint work, so retro.

[buddylove]

What an awesome looking mini you have there..... I've got the same mirrors and brackets for mine but I'm not sure if they will be road legal over here in the uk

Cheers james

Thanks! Fortunately we don't have the MOT here, and our mirror law isn't too strict.

Great looking car you have there I love the paint work, so retro.

Thank you! Looking forward to completing it and getting it out on the road.

[timmy850]

 

Picked up a 1275 A+ MPI short block and gearbox case from Kelley over the weekend (doesn't have a hole for a distributor, forcing me to go fuel injection :) ) This will cause a large cost increase in the project, but we will see how long it takes to buy the additional items.  

You should be able to keep the carbs and just do a programmable ignition system, like a megajolt if you wanted to keep the cost down. 

[buddylove]

Thanks for the idea, I always forget about megajolt.

[timmy850]

There are other systems, like nodiz, omex, and microtech so you do have some choices of "igniton only ecu" models. I'm not familiar with how any of them are tuned and the differences between them though.

[buddylove]

Thanks again. I still have time till I get to that point. Next step is to buy the internals and then I can start sharing my engine spec.

[buddylove]

Pic of the A+ Block and Gearbox that I spoke about earlier.

 

 

More parts arrived the other day. I had a front windscreen shipped over from the UK as well (box on the right). I was pretty sure that it was going to arrive damaged in some way, but the box looked completely intact and the packaging was well done.

 

 

Tires for the SSR Formula Mesh Wheels, with my son being impressed by them.

 

 

Complete headliner kit, Battery Box and tie down, door straps, visors, wheel nuts, and dash backing for a single binnacle setup.

 

[buddylove]

More forward progress.

 

Picked the car up from Gunnar last Sunday. He did a great job installing / fixing the following:

 

New Front Windscreen

Front and Rear Windscreen Seals

Both Quarter Window Seals

Door Seals

Boot Lid Seal

Adjusted both doors

Replaced Driver Side Door Latch

Welded and bent front license plate bracket back into shape

Extracted driver side radius arm cover screws

Installed Interior C pillar trim and the trim that goes between the rear windscreen and parcel shelf, as both pieces needed to fit under the seals.

 

The car made it up to Gunnars and then back again without missing a beat. It is about 20 miles one way and mostly freeway, there was decent traffic on the way back home and there was no overheating or running issues.

 

The car is idling high, which was an issue before, but it keeps occurring, need to figure out why. The more I drive it the more oil it leaks. I am guessing it sat a good amount before I got it and it has been sitting a lot while I get things sorted out slowly. Getting the oil leaks to a minimum is the next priority. Also, I need to order a full wiring harness and take advantage of the limited interior that it has in it.

 

It will then go back to Gunnar's for the mirrors to be mounted, after the interior is in and the rear seat belts will be getting installed. Before anyone shows any concern over that, I am having Gunnar do it so that he can add strengthening plates. I want to be able to install my son's car seat in the back. From previous experience, if I have a car that can't fit the whole family it doesn't get driven.

 

Sometime in between all that work, I need to fit the lower engine steadies, and figure out if I want to just run with the gauges I have now or install the ones that I have waiting to go into it.

[buddylove]

It looks like I am almost at two years without an update. 

 

I still need to get photos of all of the work that Gunnar has completed on it. I'll make sure to take a bunch of photos the next time I am over there.

 

It went back to him around January of 2017 and he has been making a lot of progress on it lately.

 

Front Seat Belts Installed

Rear Seat Belts Installed

Side Mirrors Mounted

Door Drains replaced

Door Window Guides / Felt Replaced on both doors

Boot Floor Assessed and Repaired

Rear Primer Spot Painted

Body colored plugs for Boot Lid

Brackets installed and hole cut for Right Hand Fuel Tank

Driver and Passenger seats lowered

Front Carpet modified to work with floor starter switch

Rest of carpet to be made to fit

Headliner Redone

MK1 Steering Wheel Refurbed

 

 

Still to do:

 

Pull front and rear subframes

Assess underside and rustproof

Rust treat and pain wheel wells

 

Some recent purchases:

 

An actual car cover that fits the Mini, instead of the one that I have been using for years that was for a standard sized car.

 

 

Right Hand Tank

 

 

Center Binnacle Reproduction by Rhino

 

 

Abarth Cromodora 5"x10" (Need some refurbishment, and center caps. Bought them because I have always wanted a set of magnesium wheels.)

 

 

MiniSpares Rose Petal 4.75"x10" Wheels (these will be going on the MK1)

 

 

 

I'll be picking up the engine that I'll be building for it this weekend. I decided to go with something a bit more sedate instead of the high horsepower options I have been thinking about. Ultimately I want to be able to hop in the car and just enjoy it for what it is, not decide if I want to deal with it that day.

 

More updates to come.

[mattmiglia]

Great car! Post some new pics up, assume its been satin cleared now?

[buddylove]

I'll be getting pics of it in the next couple of weeks. It is still at the body shop. I decided to not clear it, as if it didn't adhere properly, it would end up ruining the patina and force me to get it painted. In researching how other people are preserving cars with patina, it looks like it is popular to use a yellow wax or linseed oil. I just don't want to harm the patina. It has been dry stored for 90% of it's life with me, so maybe just continuing to do that is enough. 

[buddylove]

Today, for my birthday, I picked up a Downton 998 short block. The engine was purchased new from Downton back in 1971, and has all of the documentation to prove it. The block was completely new when he purchased it, and not a rebuild. I really couldn't pass up the opportunity.

 

I purchased the engine from another club member, but I will be rebuilding the engine with the original purchaser as he is my mentor for all things Mini. :) Looking forward to this unique experience and for having a bit of Mini history. I have many other documents that came with the engine, but I taken a few photos of some of them.

 

The short block:

 

 

 

Downton announcing that they will be closing:

 

 

 

998 quotation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

998 invoicing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wonder if it would be taboo to put a Downton badge on my car... I am thinking it might not be once the engine is in the car...

[buddylove]

Started taking the Downton 998 apart to get it ready for the machine shop. We were able to get everything disassembled, except for the crank, as we ran out of time. We'll get it apart next weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

Hoping to get some photos of the current state of the Mini tomorrow. I was also able to source some other fun bits that I hope arrive soon.