477 replies to this topic

[Avtovaz]

truly, awesome cars, 5 linked rear, and wishbones on the front, bad is the box, but you can use sunbeam racks on them.

 

I had maybe 7-8 of them, serviced on the lada challange for the last 2 years, the last one i had k938 kfm built it as a road rally car in my mates unit, pedal box, special inlet for a single 45, type 9 tran x box, english 4.4 lsd, rae built the motor, 1600 115bhp, volvo 4 pots, it was the most sideways car you can imagine, escorts just no, Lada is the car! as time went on, it lived in my mates unit, and he talked me into putting a xe into it.

 

Learnt a lot from that car, did 2 rallies in it, was building the dream car for years.

 

Sold it to John Folan in ireland now a good mate of mine who stripped it, it was rotten then, and i decided to build the bmw, and do some rallying.

 

THE LADA!

 

 

Lada did 2 rallies, done maybe 30+ in the bmw;s

 

bmw rallying...

 

I love the mini, but if the garage was bigger, there would be a Lada VFTS in there...

 

 

by the way, my user name, click here

 

but i have a mini, its going to be awesome

[Avtovaz]

so i took the rear valance off today, and found this

 

 

 

Fiberglass! i think its kinda accepted that if you buy a mini from someone itll have fibreglass or some bodge in this area. But no problem, ive ordered a whole new boot floor. Looking at what is left of the original floor, i was thinking today that i could have saved a lot of it, but putting in the subframe mounting panel, fitting rear wheel arches, would be a lot easier with the new boot floor.

 

So today also with a hammer and chisel i took the subframe mounting panel out...

 

 

 

 

I have noticed that working on a car this way is so much easier, i can just move it from side to side in the garage, not got a spit in the way its just simple.

 

On the o/s floor, part of the return wasnt at the right angle so i flattened it and put it right

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part of the lip on the floor where either rotten, or just came off badly with the chisel, messed up the tunnel part mainly, so i started making a new lip and ill probably weld that in friday now.

 

[cookie4343]

Great work mate. You have done a lot of metalwork to this but proof most mini's are restorable.

[Avtovaz]

so today i put the subframe panel in with tec screws, and tried teh subframe on..

 

 

 

 

 At first it was not lining up so well on the o/s

 

 

So i loosened the tec screws a bit and levered the subframe into place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

now i will weld the subframe panel in, but i know as soon as i take the subframe off itll spring back into the wrong position. Ive got the plates that go from this panel to the wheel arch comming tomorrow with the floor, so i think first job will be to weld these in, take the subframe bolts out and see what moves.

 

 

Is there any real datum points [dont laugh! ] on teh mini that i can measure from? If not i will make some holes and measure now, so when i cut the boot floor out i know where things should be.

[Avtovaz]

today i had a measure up on the subframe panel, made a few measurements, and they seemed same both sides, so i welded the panel in

 

 

 

Not a very good pic but

 

 

 

than again being brave started cutting out the boot floor

 

 

 

 

 

Im hoping that when i put the new floor in, itll all just come together and fit well enough, it a heritage floor, fingers crossed. i just also hope that i havnt cut too much out of the car in one go. I will be test fitting a lot and i just hope th is thing wont crab when its done!

 

 

panels came today too

 

[Avtovaz]

I took this pic today...

 

 

 

 

 

its a rubbish pic, you cant even see what i wanted to show you which was the inner of the rear wheel arches had big patches on them, welded by an ape by the looks , so as you do, thought the wheel arch was well rotten, and id find filler on the other side.

 

 

? So why the big patches on the wheel arches? There is no rot, only rust from the "penetration" of the welds. i jsut dont get it, even to strengthen the arches up, you would not do that. Looks like the last guy has had ideas of making the car into some rally car or something, it had a fly off handbrake, badly welded in cage feet, and a few other bits.

 

Anyway, they are out, could have just cleaned them up really but too late. Boot floor is out, just a few bits before the new one goes in.

 

[Avtovaz]

this is the pic of the rear wheel arch i should have taken yesterdaty

 

 

 

 

Cant work it out, but still its in the bin now

 

 

rescued all this too before the bits went

 

 

 

Not a very good pic but the injection pipe hole removal

 

 

 

 

 

bit of the rear flange, i was going to repair this, but i thought id do it after putting the floor in as the side of the car is so flimsy, i could easily weld it up so it took teh wrong shape

 

 

 

Bolted the rear subframe on as i knew the shell would be well out of square as id cut so much out of it now.

 

 

 

 

So measuring from the boot floor to the quarter was teh same both sides at 5 1/2"

 

 

 

I put two drill screws either side of the seat to subframe mount area, hopefully this will also help keep the car square

 

 

 

car now, subframe on, going to put a million screws in it and then try the front subframe on. I think if i put that on, put a straight edge transverse on both the front and rear subframes, that will tell me if the car is not level, also i can measure from the front subframe to the rear and cross measure to see if its going to drive straight. Thats the plan anyway!

[bpirie1000]

Drive straight. Seen them crab with 100 miles on clock.....

Fingers crossed for you. Top job..

[Avtovaz]

Stripped down the front subframe today, and put it on the car

 

 

 

Then measured from the subframe panel to front subframe, both about the same, then from 2 holes in the rear subframe to front subframe, same, then cross measurement which was 2mm different . Now, 2mm on the car is nothing at all. Next i did the level test

 

 

 

its hard to see in the pics, but it was slightly low on the front left as we look at it in the pics. I had a look around the car, and noticed teh front subframe wasnt quite straight, i put my finger between the top of the subframe and the shell and it was bigger gap on the right side. So that explained that, i could have bolted it in but im happy to leave it at that until the boot floor is in and rear arches.

 

 

One part i was dreading was fitting the magnum rear arches, i had held them up to the floor and they where a totally different shape, like they had been designed for a metro or something. So just cracked on

 

 

 

 

Pic dosnt make them look too bad but they where LOL!

 

I started bolting the arch in, and i noticed the lip come away on teh quarter, when i had ground the old arch off, i had taken too much material away, so i repaired that first

 

 

 

Left the plate big, ill cut it down later, to what the arch goes in like.

 

 

 

 

 

So started again with the drilling and screwing

 

 

 

Could not believe it, thought it would be a right pain, but the arch just went in "easily". I mean , it pulled into place and fitted really well in the end

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

now i noticed this! When i had been moving the car around, ive hit the mains in the wall LOL!

 

 

 

More pics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So going to try the subframe in again tomorrow, measure up and then if all is good start welding...

 

 

 

 

In teh parts i got from m machine these little bits came

 

 

What are they?

 

 

also if you buy magnum valance closing plates do you need those plates too as it like like they are part of their plates.

 

 

 

 

 

thanks for looking

[Avtovaz]

just looked at the reciept, they are the plates for the floor underneath !!!

[cookie4343]

Excellent work on the rear boot floor rear arches. Look forward to more updates, merry Christmas.

[Avtovaz]

today , didnt want to make any noise, neighbours never complain, and i have asked them to say if i annoy them , but either way, did something quiet today.

 

 

stripped the rear subframe after trying it again on the car, degreased, jet washed, then with the hydroxate 80, and a very thin coat of hammerite due to only having a little bit of it. Also degreased the parts that go on the subframe.

 

 

 

[Avtovaz]

not much of an update, front subframe stripped, parts washed, and just ready for the paint thats in the post atm.

 

 

 

 

 

Also gave the rack off, bulkhead a bit of a clean, and some rust killer.

 

 

 

 

 

having to think about this now, car on its roof is mobile, car right way up isnt, and the subframes are stipped atm. SO need to build them back up, turn the car the right way, weld the inside, turn it over again, paint the floor with tintable stonechip i think, and then back right way again.

 

thats the plan so far anyway.

[Avtovaz]

today started to weld the rear arches in, and did some more welding inside on the a and b pillars,

 

 

 

 

then took the car out for a spin!

 

 

 

 

Back in the garage teh right way up, checked the sill levels

 

 

 

All ok there!

 

then i started to get everything into place, back seat to the arches etc

 

 

 

Have to clean up the rear arches and get welding there too

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also all these holes to fill too.

 

 

 

 

 

Still so much to do, but its getting there !

[Avtovaz]

im starting to think i have a thing for theses tec screws, ive used loads of them on the car to line everything up, take it apart, then open up the holes, put back together and weld away. Really good i think

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

back end isnt that far off now, past half way in the welding i think, some tricky bits to do yet in the boot, but wont be too bad.