308 replies to this topic

[benm]

I managed to snap off the filter on my micra pump    so im running it without one 

[McMini 22]

I managed to snap off the filter on my micra pump    so im running it without one 

Having seen the state of the inside of the tank and the state of the mini filter I will definitely be fitting an in tank filter. So far the plan is to use the mini one which I have cleaned up with laundry detergent.

No filter in a plastic tank may be an option but not in a steel tank.

Have you got any photos of your Micra pump fitted to the mini pipes?

[benm]

The inside of my tank was immaculate hence why I decided not to use one haha!
ill see if I can dig some out now

[benm]

 

 

basically jubilee clipped a fuel pipe to it then it to the metal line

[McMini 22]

Aha! I never thought of mounting it horizontal.

I turned up a nylon ring for the bottom of the pump but it needs a bit more work with the dremel to fit.

Also ordered a 2m length of 1 3/4" stainless exhaust pipe which I am going to try and put a 30deg bend in one end to mate up with the back box. My RC40 middle pipe was not going to work as the shape is all wrong. Also need to buy some exhaust clamps. When do I get to stop buying things!

[McMini 22]

A wee write up on petrol tank rust removal -

This is the state of the tank after I pulled the pump and sender unit.  Pretty cruddy but no holes.

 

 

 

Vinegar and some nuts and bolts and a good soak for about a week ends up looking like this.

 

 

The vinegar certainly worked but I could have done with a lot more in the tank as 4 pints were not enough to cover a lot of the tank surface.

 

Citric acid after a couple of days resulted in this.

 

 

So in conclusion -

Vinegar and some washers,nuts and bolts works good.  Its cheep and you are best to tie the nuts and bolts to a piece of string as it makes them easier to get out.  A piece of chain would have been good.

 

Citric acid works very well.  You can see vapour in the tank and it smells (probably hydrogen).  Worth using vinegar first to get the loose stuff off.  I made up about 25 litres with 2.5kg of citric acid but stronger may have been better.  It would have also been worth heating the tank as the acid works better when warm.  I did think of putting a barbecue underneath it or maybe loads of tealights.

With 25 litres of acid in there it is however impossible to slosh about to scrape the rust off with nuts and bolts.  You have to empty most of the acid out into a bucket to make it sloshable!.

 

The only other option was electrolysis.  Bit of a pain to set up but once it is set up you can leave it as the tank can be filled completely (as long as you leave a vent for the gas to escape).  I have tried this on a couple of Vespa wheels a while back and it's slow but effective.

 

I am happy with the results I rinsed with plenty of water.  Put an old rag in to dry up as much as possible and then rinsed with IPA (no not beer!) and sloshed about some liquid WD40 to keep the rust at bay until I start to use the tank.

 

Now it my exhaust pipe would kindly be delivered I can get back on to that! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[zebigfatman]

Jees!!! just read this from start to finish. Loving your work! Its made more impressive that you have done this in under a year. The manifolds look incredible!!

Also your shell looks so clean! How did you find a car with so little rust??

[McMini 22]

Lol. More like 3 years! My build diary was on 16v Mini forum but there servers crashed and lost about a years worth of posts.
I put the build diary on here as there is more Micra engine posts on here.

The car has been stashed I'm my garage for 16 years before I dug it out. It was all done up a year before it got stored. I had a MG metro engine fitted that started burning oil. House purchase put it it in storage and marriage and a kid kept it there!
It hasn't got much rust on it as it's been coated in something.

Can't wait to get it on the road!

[McMini 22]

I managed to get the Micra pump secured to the mini pick up pipe. Now I need to see if the mini filter will fit securely on.

[McMini 22]

Now that the back end is complete (well almost!) I have got the car back on the ground and ready to turn it round and get working on the front end again.
Next step is to finish the heater pipes and then start on the dreaded wiring.

In the mean time here is a wee side project. Fitting the Micra stalks to the mini steering column. I nicked the idea from Micraminiman. This should make things like lights and wipers easier to use. The other big benefit is that it's easier to wire up.

I still need to tack the bracket for the stalks to the mini outer column. The position might change if I change to a flatter steering wheel.



This is the steering wheel that was on the car but it's not the one I remember driving it with (over 20 years ago!). I was sure it had an alloy and leather Mountney wheel. Anyhow I cleaned it up and it will do for just now and I might turn up a centre cap in alloy.
Any ideas what make of wheel this is?

[McMini 22]

Turning the car round so I thought I'd let it enjoy the sunshine for a wee bit.

[McMini 22]

After getting the car turned round to work on the front again I decided to make a list up of the work to be done.

I was pretty shocked at the amount of work still to do.  It turns out I am about 1 to 2 months away from starting the wiring.

 

Oh well!  Better just get on with it!

[McMini 22]

This week I have been mostly sorting out the water and heater pipes. Photos when it's a bit more sorted.

I have been tidying up at work and a trip to the skip usually results in me coming back with more than I went with. I picked out 3 large pieces of leather.



Looks like only a few bits cut out of full hides. The grey piece is pretty small but there is plenty of the cream and the dark blue. Hopefully the blue is a reasonable match to my door cards. There is plenty to do both dash rails and a cowl for the steering column. A couple of years ago I bought an old heavy duty sewing machine.
This will be getting stashed in the attic until the car is on the road. Too many other jobs to get on with!

[McMini 22]

This week I have been mostly sorting out the water and heater pipes. Photos when it's a bit more sorted.

I have been tidying up at work and a trip to the skip usually results in me coming back with more than I went with. I picked out 3 large pieces of leather.



Looks like only a few bits cut out of full hides. The grey piece is pretty small but there is plenty of the cream and the dark blue. Hopefully the blue is a reasonable match to my door cards. There is plenty to do both dash rails and a cowl for the steering column. A couple of years ago I bought an old heavy duty sewing machine.
This will be getting stashed in the attic until the car is on the road. Too many other jobs to get on with!

[micraminiman]

Nice! I have two old Singer sewing machines. I use them for making sails, as I have a wee yacht and sailing dinghy. They go through anything using a denim needle.

Need to re-trim my rear seat using the old seat I have to match my front seats out of a Pug 106 Gti.

 That was a lucky find you had there!