Run it through a changeover relay and it should be good
1990 Brg - Miglia Mini Style Track Project
#16
Posted 12 January 2017 - 12:54 PM
#17
Posted 12 January 2017 - 02:02 PM
A simple 1-2 amp diode, wired in series, should stop it from interfering with the brake lights... in theory anyway...
A diode only lets current flow 1 way.... thats what Id try first....
#18
Posted 12 January 2017 - 03:36 PM
#19
Posted 14 January 2017 - 05:56 AM
RE your brake/fog light - you really shouldn't dim LEDs with resistors. best way to dim leds is with a PWM LED driver. this pulses the LED at a high enough frequency that isn't detectable to the human eye, but allows them to dim. I just made one up out of a 555 timer, a transistor and some resistors and a potentiometer for some RPM leds I've made to go around the tacho, Potentiometer allows you to adjust brightness. you could even wire some resistors to dip switches to set brightness so it doesn't move from vibration. will be doing the same for my LED brake light I've made as it is way too bright. like blinding bright!
This is the only pic I have of the cct, but its very small. thats an 80mm smiths tacho
LED shift lights
#20
Posted 19 January 2017 - 06:38 PM
Thanks for the info I used the resistors for simplicity really and they were supplied with the light. Is there much downside to using resistors as opposed to the pulsing circuit? The voltage rating for the light is 9v with a maximum of 12v so I’m only trying to drop a few volts from what’s supplied from the alternator.
As you can probably tell automotive electrics isn't really my strong point, I haven’t done much in the way of circuit design since uni so if anyone has suggestions for switching it between brake and fog light that would be great. I again was just going to keep it simple and use a illuminated SPDT switch on the dash but is there a better way?
#21
Posted 19 January 2017 - 09:06 PM
Nice work, I wish i had access to all that machinery, i'd be forever making stuff! Whats next?
#22
Posted 19 January 2017 - 09:30 PM
RE your brake/fog light - you really shouldn't dim LEDs with resistors. best way to dim leds is with a PWM LED driver. this pulses the LED at a high enough frequency that isn't detectable to the human eye, but allows them to dim. I just made one up out of a 555 timer, a transistor and some resistors and a potentiometer for some RPM leds I've made to go around the tacho, Potentiometer allows you to adjust brightness. you could even wire some resistors to dip switches to set brightness so it doesn't move from vibration. will be doing the same for my LED brake light I've made as it is way too bright. like blinding bright!
This is the only pic I have of the cct, but its very small. thats an 80mm smiths tacho
LED shift lights
Any chance of a bit of a guide for how you did that, particularly getting the revs to match up to the LEDs? I'd love to copy it to my new dashboard!
It would also be quite cool if you could get all the LEDs to flash at you if you get to your rev limit too, any ideas how you could do that?
#23
Posted 12 February 2017 - 02:35 PM
So I’ve been busy with my next little project.
I spent quite a while deliberating where I was going to put all my switches and bits. I plan on having the seating position quite far back so I can drop the steering column down and also fit in a proper peddle box, because of this once I’m harnessed into a bucket seat there’s no way I’ll be able to reach the dashboard.
So my first plan was a panel next to the seat on top of the exhaust tunnel but then I realised there would be no room with the gear linkage, the mechanical handbrake plus a hydraulic handbrake and the seats being so close. So I had a think and the only other practical place I could think of was the roof.
So I played with a few different designs on the computer and worked out what I was going to put on it and then started cutting some alloy out. Just regarding what tools I’m using pretty much everything is done with ordinary hand tools and power tools like grinders and drills. The only really specialised machine I use this the lathe which is a 1951 myford ml7 (66 years old ) oh and the mig and stick welders.
I first cut out the front panel and drilled pilot holes for everything to get it all laid out.
I wanted those little “D” shaped guards to go between the toggle switches and struggled to find any online, the only ones I could fine were £7.99 each! So I decided to make some luckily I found some 6mm OD stainless pipe in the garage I could bend and tap out to M5, so I knocked up 10 of them.
Next I cut out the bits for the sides, back and bottom and attached them with gaffa tape to make sure it all fits, I was just debating whether or not to make life easier for myself and leave it with the tape but I thought I’d best to weld it up. Unfortunately my mig welder was not playing ball and was struggling to feed the cheap and nasty Clark alloy wire but I struggled on.
When it was all welded up and flattened off I refinished it with various grades of sand paper
I started doing the wiring at this point but I was still waiting on some lights and the bayonet plugs and sockets for the back but I managed to get all the switches wired in.
Then a few days later the sockets turned up so I got them fitted.
Then the lights turned up so I could finish off all the wiring.
My mam has this nifty little computer controlled cutter she uses for making birthday cards and stuff like that but it can also cut vinyl which is quite handy so I cut out some labels for it and that’s it all about done.
Once I get the car sorted and the cage in I can make up some brackets but until then that’s about as far as I can go. I’ve got 2 lengths of 12 core cable that will run down to the fuse/relay box and I’m in the process of redesigning the whole wiring loom so everything will be fused, and anything that runs at decent amps will go through relays.
#24
Posted 19 March 2017 - 09:39 PM
Hi guys, not a particularly exciting update but thought I’d stick some pictures up.
I decided to make a new sump plug because I’ll have to drill and tap it to fit an oil temperature sensor. So I thought I might as well make one from scratch from titanium, not particularly for lightness or anything just mainly because I’ve got loads of the stuff. I haven’t bothered drilling it out yet until I decide on what gauge/sensor I’ll be using.
And the best news of all is I’ve finally had an offer accepted on a house which is all going through at the moment, but unfortunately the mini will have to stay in storage for a tad longer while I build a garage to put it in. the single garage at the moment just isn’t adequate so I get to build one from scratch just the way I want it.
Edited by patto, 24 April 2020 - 02:11 PM.
#25
Posted 08 June 2020 - 08:15 PM
Well this has taken a little longer than I planned. A quick update is that around 3 years ago I was buying my first house. I did find a great house but the seller pulled out just before completion, after that it took almost another year to find another one I was happy with, this one went through fine however it did need a garage building.
Here are a few photos of the garage build, it’s about 4.3m x 9.2m so plenty big enough for the mini and a few other toys.
IMG_20180529_101036 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20180529_162110 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20180609_182429 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20180721_210359 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20181117_132906 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20190329_175752 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20190413_164311 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20190512_201629 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200115_222810 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200130_170139 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200208_185332 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200328_181612 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200407_190027 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200407_185842 by chris patterson, on Flickr
By far the worst bit was painting the walls, took just shy of 70L of masonry paint
With the garage wrapped up I moved the mini in, it even drove in under its own power after 6 years in storage
IMG_20200418_142557 by chris patterson, on Flickr
started ripping it apart
IMG_20200418_161126 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200418_162645 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200419_115223 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200419_183842 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200419_183908 by chris patterson, on Flickr
So the front end isn’t really an issue as the plan was always to go for a carbon flip front
IMG_20200421_160427 by chris patterson, on Flickr
The floor I always knew would need replacing, it had been patched before I had the car and then I had patched it numerous times. The heel board is totally shot and the toe board has suffered from a knock to the front end. So the plan for this is to buy a full floor assembly I’ll also be able to jig it when I put it in to make sure it’s actually square.
IMG_20200423_163742 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200423_163754 by chris patterson, on Flickr
The worst bits are all the hinge panels and the inner arches
Also the scuttle is shot, around the rear quarter windows, around the rear window. All in all there’s plenty of rust, if I wasn’t sentimentally attached I’d probably say it was too far gone but there’s no way I’m letting this one go to the scrapyard.
While I was waiting for some panels for the front I decided to have a go with my new bead roller and make a new parcel shelf from alloy. The previous owner had hacked out some speaker holes that have been annoying me ever since I bought it. I’m happy with how it came out however it turns out I was using the wrong die for it so I might have another go with the right one and see if it comes out any better.
IMG_20200429_184149 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200429_184235 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200501_183351 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200502_182043 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200518_172603 by chris patterson, on Flickr
Also started on some of the more minor repairs on the rear quarter, just getting use to the shrinker and stretcher. Also please don’t be too mean about my welding, it’s been quite a few years and just trying to get it dialled in (also I’m probably just not very good but I’ll still make all the excuses ).
IMG_20200427_143150 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200427_125429 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200502_175601 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200522_151641 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200522_155805 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200522_182909 by chris patterson, on Flickr
So I’ve hacked out most of the front end off and started mocking a few bits up. I’ll be redoing the bulkhead in a miglia mini style so I can run a weber with a proper manifold. I’ve also kept the bit in the middle for SU carbs just in case I want to run one again, it also adds a fair bit of strength. (Side note I know the whole thing around modifying the bulkhead and stuff, it’s a risk I’ll take)
IMG_20200510_175755 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200516_154449 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200522_175947 by chris patterson, on Flickr
I’ve bought a mixture of non-genuine and heritage panels depending on what was available at the time. I defiantly regret the non-genuine ones. it's taken 10x longer to get them fitting with holes and stuff just in completely the wrong place. But with a bit of finessing they’re about there, I’ve replaced the A posts from the window down and the top dash rail so far.
IMG_20200527_151005 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200606_163651 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200606_163721 by chris patterson, on Flickr
Next up will be finishing up the bulkhead and then getting the inner wings on and the toe board on but that’s it for now. Just a quick shameless plug if you want to see some more mini shots and some other stuff my Instagram is @chrismini92
#26
Posted 09 June 2020 - 04:36 AM
#27
Posted 10 June 2020 - 06:12 AM
#28
Posted 17 December 2022 - 05:14 PM
Hi, It's been so long I feel like I have to reintroduce myself. After a couple of years off from the mini I've finally got going with it again, I think it is important to give yourself some breathing space from projects sometimes rather than burning yourself out, however 2 years is a bit excessive.
I've not been entirely idle in the garage though, I've done a fair bit to my vx220, including making a new exhaust, mainly to try and improve my TIG welding a bit.
IMG_20220206_154126 by chris patterson, on Flickr
I've also made some upgrades to the garage including a fixture plate style drill table, and a swivelling bench grinder mount (two grinder taking up the wall space of one).
IMG_20211016_170040 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20211020_180834 by chris patterson, on Flickr
But by far the BIGGEST upgrade is my new to me lathe. It is a Colchester Triumph 2000 and my work was just going to scrap it. It had been sat there for so long they didn't know if it still worked and kept blowing fuses when they racked it in, also there was no one at work trained to use it. So rather than scrap it I managed to get them to drop it off at my house.
IMG_20210507_143423 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20210926_183822 by chris patterson, on Flickr
Anyway back to the mini, there's a bit of a catch up to get to where I left it 2 years ago. I cut out a panel for the bulkhead and welded that in. Turns out this was a bad idea as I had just bought my new TIG welder and decided that it would be a good idea to do one continues weld all away along the bottom. At the time I had pretty much no experience TIG welding and put way too much heat into it and pretty inconsistently, so I ended up warping the flat panels. With a bit of hammer work and some heat shrinking I've got them somewhere near but I may revisit these.
IMG_20200613_163418 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200628_175612 by chris patterson, on Flickr
I've chopped down the inner wings and decided to go for a 45 and a inner panel to close off the ends of the bulkhead.
IMG_20200629_183545 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200811_194954 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200823_163252 by chris patterson, on Flickr
After removing the wing to bulkhead gussets there was a fair amount of pitting behind them. I cleaned it all off and rust treated it and put some weld through primer on. I made up some plates to strengthen this area that have some bosses for the bulkhead to subframe strut.
IMG_20200913_141949 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20200913_142009 by chris patterson, on Flickr
And that pretty much gets us to where I left it. I think I had burnt myself out on it a bit and I was also at a bit of a sticking point of how do I weld in a full new floor and then a rollcage and ensure its all level, square and where it should be. I knew the answer I just didn't really want to do it. To get going with it again I knew I'd have to build a jig for it and obviously the whole idea with a jig is it's very precise and ridged which usually means using very heavy I-beams and big chunks of steel to make sure nothing moves. After a good while thinking about it I decided try something a bit more light duty but instead to bolt it to the garage floor to get the rigidity.
I started by welding up a 1m x 3m rectangle out of some 50x50 box and welding on some little 6" legs, I wanted to keep it as low as possible to try and reduce any flex in the legs and also to maximise headroom (the reason will be apparent later ). It also takes surprisingly long to make something very square and level, the whole jig probably took a good 2 month to make just on evenings and weekends everything has to be measured and checked so many times. With the frame made I bolted it down to the floor and put shims under each foot to get it level using a self levelling laser, I managed to get it to within about 1mm of level across the whole thing. I could probably get it closer but the box section isn't hugely accurate and its defiantly 100x better than rover or BL ever did.
IMG_20221001_170602 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221002_160538 by chris patterson, on Flickr
To pick up the various mounting points I put in a couple of cross pieces, I wanted to keep it fairly modular so I could unbolt parts but have them so they'd go back on in the right place with minimal remeasuring needed. To do this I first clamped some angle to the main frame with the cross piece sandwiched between, this is important because the angle isn't particularly square. I'd measure everything making sure it's square and then weld the angle to the cross piece, I'd then measure everything again before I drilled holes through the angle and frame and then bolt everything up. once I was happy everything was good I'd drill holes for roll pins to locate everything. This was pretty much the method used for all the fixings on the jig, if I need to remove any part of it I should be able to knock the pins through and unbolt it then just use the pins to realign it with a quick measure to check everything is still good.
IMG_20221010_153655 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221010_163504 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221010_163515 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221011_171728 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221011_174212 by chris patterson, on Flickr
I had quite a hard time finding good sources of info to get measurement on the various mountings I wanted to pick up, so everything was a bit of an amalgamation of info from drawings, measuring my (crash damaged) shell and measuring the new floor and panels (heritage for what that's worth). I did have to raise the front mountings by about 5mm when I put the new floor on the jig as I realised I hadn't taken into account how much the old rotten floor had bent. Some of the measurements might be off by a few millimetre from standard but the key is everything is totally square and level and should stay that way when I weld the cage in.
I turned up some spacers for inside the tower mounts and made some uprights that also got some bracing. I also made a bar to go where the steering rack sits and a plate for the lower subframe mounts. On the rear there was the subframe mounts and rear shock mounts to do as well.
IMG_20221024_180559 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221024_180609 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221029_175215 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221029_175221 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221118_173430 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221118_173438 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221118_173444 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221118_173452 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221112_145850 by chris patterson, on Flickr
I had the shell on and off a few times and the new floor down just to double check things as I was going. I also had to put all the new panels on just to see what it looked like. now the jig is finished I need to cut the A pillars and all along the floor seam and remove the top of the shell from the floor and bulkhead. This is where ill need all the headroom I can get, hopefully I'll be able to lift the shell over the cage once it need to go back on.
I appreciate this was a fairly big update but hopefully now I'm back on with it there will be more regular updates.
#29
Posted 17 December 2022 - 06:23 PM
As you say best to be wanting to be doing it than needing to do it. If you have the space and cash then they don’t have to go anywhere and pick up when the feeling takes you.
Nice jig and and way to complete yhe “base” so to speak.
#30
Posted 18 January 2023 - 03:29 PM
Thanks. I'm a instrument tech by trade (chemical industry as apposed to guitars ) so kind of engineering.
I've been cracking on with the mini. I had one last bit to finish off on the jig and that was to make something to keep the hinge panels in place once I chop the top of the body off and remove the frame work holding the other side of the hinge panel.
IMG_20221126_115305 by chris patterson, on Flickr
With that complete I could cut the body away from the floor/bulkhead I used a hacksaw to cut through the A pillars as this was the thinnest blade I had, and really the rest didn't take much cutting. The only bits really holding it on was the parcel shelf and the boot hinge panel . I would kind of like to keep the rear bulkhead and possibly the arches. It's mainly outer edge of the arch that has rusted which doesn't matter as they'll be getting tubbed. I'll have to see when I them stripped if they're still usable.
IMG_20221126_153849 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221126_153859 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221126_153947 by chris patterson, on Flickr
So I continued cutting to get the old floor out, I am amazed this thing didn't just fall in half when I last drove it.
IMG_20221126_161329 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221126_171041 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221126_171617 by chris patterson, on Flickr
IMG_20221227_104355 by chris patterson, on Flickr
Next I'll be removing the old seam where the toe board attaches to the bulkhead and then getting the floor, toe board and boot floor in place to check for fitment. This is all a very steep learning curve and there are already things I've done at the start of this build I'd like to revisit. I'm going to press on with the floor for now as I think once I've got that buttoned up I'll feel a lot better about the project. I don't feel like I've got much mini left at the moment
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users