'lucky' The '62 Countryman Build Started Today - Dec. 1St

Nice progress your getting through this build nice and fast.. :)

Harvested left rear corner is almost ready to be welded in.

Great project in a beautiful part of the world,I hope to get back there sometime.

Great to see another Woody coming back to life.

FS

Update on the spliced shell...I reported on the fact that the shell consisted of a good front end spliced to a good back end...welded through the A pillars, doorsteps and across the front floor (with leaded welds in the pillars/doorsteps)...well...

 

The nose has a flat windscreen mating lip while the rear has a flanged windscreen mating lip.  Since the switch from flat to flanged windscreen panels occurred October 1960, LUCKY has a nose end that is at least 10 months older than the build date of July 19, 1961.

 

This suggests a nasty crack up sometime in New York state early in its life in North America.  Remarkable that the Mini was not written off.  LUCKY!

Left rear corner all welded in before Christmas Eve...all quiet in the shop!

 

Merry Christmas!!

Back at it noon, yesterday Jan. 4th.  Should be welding in the left hand full length doorstep, inner & outer A panels today.

 

Happy New Year!

Nice work there your getting through this fast :)

Lost Tuesday-Thursday as my steel hammering partner was ill.  Going to resume at mid-day today.

 

Took the opportunity to sort, clean and prime numerous misc. bits.  There are a lot of bits....

Brilliant, loving this thanks for sharing

FS

Good but slow progress yesterday...the full length doorstep was 1/8" too long so got chopped and welded in the middle. Doorstep welded in on left hand side.  Seam and spot welding.

 

Much fussing about door fit, body line, in locating the bolted together inner & outer A panels, tack welds, unbolt, weld up the inner A panel.  Hadrian panels provide extra material at the edges but take a bit of fitting.

 

No faster was the blasting of all the Orange hinges for front side and rear barn doors...also a radiator mount, clutch cover (aluminum is easy), front subframe mounting bolts & lock tabs....  One brass hinge from the front (#7/#8)...the others #1/#2, #3/#4, #5/#6 as one would expect.

 

LUCKY looking more like a Mini !

 

Well John got on a roll after we got the inner A panel tacked in and I left last night...inner & outer A panels & doorstep all welded up!

 

Looks more like a Mini !

Worked on the RH side today...new full length doorstep welded in and door fitted (door got repairs too).

 

RH A Panels tomorrow...

lovely repairs!

Spent a little time yesterday on the 20 over 1275 build that will go into LUCKY. We were delayed a little waiting on rings from Hastings to fit the old but good Cooper S pistons (#19320).

My build partner had cc'd the volume above the rings to the block face at 11.5 ccs. We put the Burrete on the head and cc'd the combustion chambers at 22.5 ccs...yes, 1.1 cc above standard. However, the head has new valves, new hardened seats for exhaust so not standard.

With bore & stroke also entered and the compressed thickness of Payen AF470 gasket as well, the compression ratio is 9.75:1. Head face is dead straight so now lap the valves in, give the head another thorough wash and we can bolt things up.

I'm using Alternator and Negative Ground. Putting fuel in via rebuilt HIF44 & Metro intake - exhaust out by new Maniflow Cooper Freeflow and twin box system. Will also be upgrading the brakes to late twin master & Cooper S (must be able to stop in modern traffic conditions...and I will drive the Woody, wifey wants to go to US southeast...close to 14,000 kms return).