133 replies to this topic

[Junior Mini]

Looking really good now. This the best part of a restoration for me.

[yeti21586]

Have you thought about a DSN classic engine steady,
It's looks good though keep it up

YetI

[Gillybobs]

Have you thought about a DSN classic engine steady,
It's looks good though keep it up

YetI

I have seen them but there not cheap . Going to get the car on the road and see if I have any problems if I do I'll think about one .

[Gillybobs]

The engines in ! Things are looking really good ! Never thought the engine bay would look this good .







Hopefully have the car running in the not to distant future .

[will_]

Poss my favourite build thread - I’ll be using yours to help mine and for inspiration ????

[Gillybobs]

Poss my favourite build thread - I’ll be using yours to help mine and for inspiration

Thanks very much !

[Gillybobs]

Still plodding on building things back up. Hoping to get the mini started over Christmas holidays. Got the drive shafts in and the brakes are nearly all together . Just taking my time and trying to get everything right.
For the time being a couple of before and after photos.

[Gillybobs]

Not updated this for a while . A little teaser of where I'm up to !

[Gillybobs]

Time for a proper update ! Been busy getting the car ready to run.one of the problems I came up against was that I fitted a mini spares inlet manifold but it lifted the carb up high. I want to run the standard air box but I couldn't get it to fit under the scuttle .

I'd got an old mg metro inlet in my spares pile so I decided to dummy it up . It sat the carb at better hight and I could get the air box to fit. I did have to trim the stud that comes out of the carb air intake to let the filter box pass but it's a good fit now.



An issue I had with the mg manifold was that the flanges were a different thickness to the lcb manifold in fitting. I had to spend a couple of evenings carefully filing the flanges . I'm pleased with the result !

[johnR]

looking good - it's all the little final details that take the time but are worth the effort.

[Gillybobs]

Then I moved onto hanging the exhaust. I'm not 100% happy with it as its hangs to the drivers side of the car. It doesn't foul anything but it took me a while sort out.



I got all the starter motor connected and the rest of the wiring and I decided to crank the engine over to get some oil pressure . I cranked and cranked the engine over but couldn't get any oil pressure. I was just thinking how I was going to re prime the oil pump and I thought I'll give it one more try and the oil light went straight out . So I was more or less ready to start the engine. Very tempted to give it a go but I thought I'm going to bleed the brakes first and get them working as soon as the car is running I'll want to try and drive it.

So I'd all the engine bay together and filled the radiator with coolant and I thought I give my dad a call to come down and have a go at starting the mini first time . Thought it was only fair as he had rebuilt me the engine !

We filled the carb with petrol and turned the engine over and absolutely nothing happened. We removed the plugs and there was no spark. I removed the coil and distributor and tested them out as per the haynes manual.

Both the coil and distributor test out to be faulty. I'm unsure what caused this weather one parts failed and took the other with it. I looked at buying the parts to repair the distributor and a new coil but the notice and ebay you could buy a powerspark kit with a brand new distributor,coil and leads for not a lot more money the parts I needed to repair my distributor.

So this weekend's job is fitting it and seeing if the engine runs !
Obviously the red plug leads are an instant 100 bhp boost lol !

Edited by Gillybobs, 13 February 2019 - 10:32 PM.

[Gillybobs]

So fitted the new ignition kit Saturday and it turned out to be a very frustrating day. Fitted and the coil and distributor and leads cranked the car and still nothing . When through all the tests again as per the haynes manual and the new distributor is faulty! Couldnt believe it!! As luck would have it we'd stripped down my old faulty distributor and replaced the part what we thought was faulty . We decided to fit my old distributor back on and try it . The repair worked and we got a spark ! So we fuelled the car up and tried it ....


We have a runner ! Got to sort out the new distributor now see if can be replaced. Very happy to finally have the car running !

[Gillybobs]

So today with the car running i took it on its maiden voyage!
a little video here .

https://www.instagra...d=11dyps3j2ijup

[Chris Donaldson]

This is a great thread. You must be really happy with the progress. I can’t wait to see it finished.

[Gillybobs]

Well after a week of messing with powerspark ignition kit and being unable to make it work I've decided to send it back. Powerspark didn't want to replace the distributor but sent out a module the attaches to side of the distributor. This didn't cure the problem and after several frustrating phone calls to them im just sending the lot back to them. All they want to do is try and blame my car for the fault and then try and say I've fitted the module incorrectly. There selling this kit as more of less a plug and play but that's not my experience. I've ended up having to fault find on a brand new piece of kit which I though should have just been exchanged for a working item .

on a brighter note I've just got new set of nankang tyres and I'm sending the wheels for refurb so the car wiLl be another step forward.