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[Vudu]

A little bit of time this evening and a little more progress.

 

The front subframe came out after I cut it free from the inner wings. A previous owner decided to spotweld the inner wings to the subframe....

 

IMG_8189 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

 

IMG_8192 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

 

IMG_8191 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

 

Future home for a D16z6 Honda VTEC engine.

 

IMG_8190 by vudufl, on Flickr

[Mini Waco]

welding the inner wing to the subframe.. that's a new one on me...  love the progress.. 

[Vudu]

Front subframe disassembled and parts loaded into a storage container to keep things organized. Unfortunately, most of these grimy, crusty bits are being replaced with new parts so I suppose I'll just close the lid on this and keep them for future use.

 

IMG_8200 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

 

The removal of the wings was a mixture of careful cutting and outright hackery. The wings and front panel were replacement panels and in very good condition however in the past someone welded the wings to the scuttle panel. That combined with the bubblegum welds holding on the inner wings meant that a lot of cutting would be involved and much of it not very pretty.

 

Since the scuttle panel is going to be replaced, I cut into the corners. The underlying closing panels had been crudely tacked into place but welded solidly enough in some areas to hold water, debris and the wings.

 

IMG_8202 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

IMG_8208 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

The inner wings were cut away ahead of the bulkhead and not just because they were a dented, welded, rusty mess...the new subframe and Honda engine requires more room and custom inner wings will be fabricated at a later date.

 

IMG_8207 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

IMG_8203 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

Free at last.

 

IMG_8209 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

IMG_8210 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

IMG_8212 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

 

The remnants of the inner wings are next on the list of bits to cut away. They may not look that bad and in fact they are mostly rust-free, however the Frankenstein patches, warped sections and bubblegum welds all add up to a mess that is better replaced with some fresh panels. I know that they wouldn't be seen but I'd know that hackery was there . 

 

IMG_8211 by vudufl, on Flickr

[KTS]

nice work

 

before you pack away the old parts, might be worth checking the state of the suspension knuckle boots - if they're not split or perished consider re-using them.  the new boots seem liable to perish in a very short space of time

[Vudu]

nice work
 
before you pack away the old parts, might be worth checking the state of the suspension knuckle boots - if they're not split or perished consider re-using them.  the new boots seem liable to perish in a very short space of time

There was only one left and it’s split in two. I’ve placed a rather large order with MiniSport that includes everything for 2 complete front suspensions (one for the van and one for my ‘91 saloon). Soon, I’ll be swimming in suspension bits!

[Vudu]

More clean-up and disassembly...

 

I started on the task of cutting away the snarly remains of the inner wings with a goal of assessing the condition of the bulkhead in mind.

 

IMG_8219 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

Its a start but the more I cut away, the more nastiness was revealed.

 

IMG_8220 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

The installation of new inner wings some time in the Mini's past caused more harm than good. All of the welds are very poor quality and the placement and the size of the welds ruined the core panels. Giant gaps (1/4") in between panels were filled with some sort of caulking while other gaps were left to catch moisture and debris. The results are not too pretty. I haven't even started on the other side, which is arguably the worst of the two, but I've made the decision to purchase and install a completely new bulkhead assembly. There is no point is messing around with corroded pieces here and there or hidden rot which would reveal itself at a later date.

 

Meanwhile, the inside is looking a little more open after removing the pedal box, steering column and portions of the dash.

 

IMG_8222 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

IMG_8221 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

The stock Mini dash design is being trashed in favor of a new design which will still respect the lines of the car but also bring in a competition inspired style. More on that later...

[Vudu]

Slow but progress none the less...

 

This past Saturday I made a trip over to nearby Tennessee to visit with Spencer, collector of all things Mini and the previous owner of the van. I had called him looking for a better rear subframe than the crusty, flaky unit I removed from the van. Since it's a structural component, I didn't want to deal with something that had been compromised by years of oxidation.

 

Fortunately, he had several units on hand as well as the trailing arms. A deal was made for one of them and I loaded up my goodies and headed back to the mountains.

 

The condition is really quite good...no rust at all and only a few little dents.

 

IMG_8228 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

In the meantime, MiniSport is gathering up all of the parts for the rather large order I placed a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully everything arrives sometime in the next month or so.

[Vudu]

Big step forward. Loaded up the van shell, front wings, bonnet, subframes, seat frames, side and cargo doors - headed off to the blasters to get everything (inside and out) down to clean steel. Can't wait to get it back in the shop.

 

IMG_8522 by vudufl, on Flickr

[Vudu]

With the van out of the garage for the time being, I set about bringing some order to the space. A couple of warehouse racks and some bins were put to use to store all of the new parts (and a few used) for the van, the '91 saloon and the '69 Sprite projects.

 

IMG_8659 by vudufl, on Flickr

 

I don't have a date for pickup yet from the blaster but I'm not too concerned. Currently, I'm working on the rehab of the Sprite's rear differential and brake system. I also need to make some additional room by selling the '79. I've really enjoyed driving it around this past Fall but as much as I would like to keep it, I just don't have the room.