22 replies to this topic

[Guess-Works.com]

Yep, I've now become a 3 mini owner... picked up "Grotbag" today...

Don't know what to do with it/him/her yet, got a fer dodgy bits of rot, the boot's had smack and bent the floor pan, but the engine run and seems quite solid in the mechanical dept..

Will know more on Friday when get to pull a few bits of..

PS, It's a 85 Mayfair with the most horrific Beige Velour interior... :sick: but is completely original ( apart from the spots ) with black bumpers handles etc...

[Pickup76]

lineing up the next project already, thas what i like to see Nice one, how much was grotbag?.
I had an 85 mayfair, 3 layers of cills! not a good year

[Guess-Works.com]

XXX notes... :grin:

Edited by GuessWorks, 28 July 2005 - 01:11 PM.

[lewis]

(chokes) how? you really are getting some cheap deals at the moment. it looks like a fun project cant wait to see what youve got planned for it.

[Guess-Works.com]

the old friend of a friend, who goes to the pub with .... etc. ....

Been sat on the drive for 18 month, both doors are shot, must admit my first comment was, "seen better in a scrap yard", but I think most of that is because it's been sat around.. cob webs, faded paint dust, damp etc..

[Jackman]

My jet black cost me 80 notes last year, it got scrapped unfortunatly after the entire structure was rusty and would cost more than a new shell would cost, well near enough neway, but i did get a new exaust, front subframe and all the other parts i could need.

[marksmini]

thats toeing bar how/what/ i want...

probelm im thinking if is if i brake down, i have my 4x4 to come and get me, BUT how..

now what i want it your bar lol

na how does it atach?
i no you have a teoing eye about there but what do you put into it,

never realy thort about it realy, hence ive never looked or asked the question.

[Guess-Works.com]

Towing bar as supplied by Machine mart, connect through the towing eye on the mini ( if fitted ), and like wise on the towing vehicle..

http://www.machinema...asp?p=051510006



With this you do need someone in the second vehicle to steer....

If you want to di it single handed you'll need an A frame towing system like this...





They're not cheap, but are not that difficult to make either, if you can weld, I know some one who's made one, and at some stage will be pinching it to measure up and make one for the local club..

[P91MER]

Them towing A frames are very good, but my mate who was towing a mini redhot back once, crunched the front of the mini because he did the chains up too tight, and the bars were levering up against the front panel!! DOH!

How do you attach a towing eye to a mini then? because i have been doing something a bit bad and towing mine with the Tie rod on the offside, i know it is bad, but there is seriously no where on my mini to tow from. don't want to chain it round the subframe, or what alot of people do round the regplate brackets and it lasts about 5 seconds!

Them bars are good aswel, as the person in the car being towed doesn't need to brake, only steer.
Can be a bit short tho, and when you are being towed by a large vehicle, you cannot see any upcoming hazards!!

good investment if you ask me!

Rich

[Guess-Works.com]

The towing eye replaces the bolt through the front subframe ( teardrop ) mount..

http://www.minispare....aspx?pid=33804



or make your own !

[Dom]

Don't know what to do with it/him/her yet, got a fer dodgy bits of rot, the boot's had smack and bent the floor pan, but the engine run and seems quite solid in the mechanical dept..

"Grotbag" great name.

do you have a spare £6k?

theres the opportunity of mighty mini racing or alike.

and hey the mini forum could sponcer you!

(members put money into it not just down to the admin)

[Dan]

I though twin points had towing eyes as standard?

That type of towing eye (with a stud) is what I have fitted and is damn hard to use.
The thread isn't normal, it's metric ultra fine or something and it's hard getting hold of high tensile nuts to fit it. You can now get a type of towing eye with a tube nut instead which the existing screw threads into. Much better and what I'll buy in future.

Towing A frames are what we use at work for car stuff a lot of the time. Pretty cool things (unless you have a 2cv or hydraulic suspension). Crunching the front valence doesn't matter to us, it's only money!

[P91MER]

Mine is a really really early MPI, was registered either oct or december 96' and the official launch of the MPI was jan 97'!

So that could be why it doesn't have one in the jack bag,

When i go to the garage and order something, i always say that i have a 97' so they don't go ordering SPI parts!

I don't know what you meant about the

can now get a type of towing eye with a tube nut instead which the existing screw threads into

I wouldn't mind getting one sorted, as i have got to tow it again to rover when my new ECU arrives.

is it a simple jobby to sort out?

Rich

[Dan]

Well it is as pictured above, except that instead of having a stud coming out the back of it it has a long threaded tube. You take out the screw and nut holding the teardrop mount to the front panel and stick the towing eye into the hole in the panel where the mounting attaches. Then thread the screw in from behind and torque it up making sure the eye is aligned properly. They don't live in your jack bag as they are permanantly fixed to the front panel, holding the subframe in place.

[Guess-Works.com]

Got her home today, after spending a hour or so fettling her a little.. bit clogged up after a year, and had large amounts of dust and C**p blowing out the vents... :erm: looked like it was on fire :gasp: so removed all the dash just in case to check, there's a few gremlins in the loom, but that's probably due to a very badly fitted alarm, so that and the spots ( which were wired into the main beam ARGH!!! ) will be the first to go followed by that horrid beige interior :sick:

Anyway, as I was saying, got her home and decided to give it a cut an a polish just to see what it should look like..

And tweaked the engine just enough to get a smooth idle, has a little blow in the exhaust but sounds and runs like a fairly tight motor, rear brakes are locked on so will have to pull them off, and will have to pull the boot out where it's bee pushed in... ( The boot in the piccies is the one of the Thirty I had )

Piccies follow....