454 replies to this topic

[emalee]

You brazed the joints, that's some quality old skool method right there! I was considering doing the same only with lead.

we've done the same on my mini and that was done about 4 and half years ago and there is no problems with it and i've done about 60k. one of the headlight joints was left unbrazed on one side (i don't quite know why) and this has got a few bubbles on it and the other side is fine, so it proves it works, and means you can tidy up the join nicely

Without wanting to sound too thick... how do you go about doing brazing?? Do you just get a brass rod and a blow torch?

Thanks,

Ed

basically, i was just watching dad, you start with completey bare metal, we have got the oxi-centine (can't spell), on the lowest heat as not to disort the panel, then get the brazing rod and kinda move the rod as if you were brushing it where you want the weld and keep the heat in one place on the metal not the rod, i think practice would be the best thing.... dad also used a powder, to dip the rod in which he siad was like the gas for miging!!

[emalee]

the bolt that goes thru the bottom arm and tie bar was rusted and stuck in place, it took me about 30 mins to get it out!!!, it did actually end up being knocked out, stupid thing!!!!

same problem! i wanted to change the bushes to the front, but cant go messing with it because its my run about

looking good though =)

thanks, what a pain about your bolt, i found hitting the bottom arm back and foward help, but would of been a major struggle on the car!!!

[emalee]

ok so yesterday and today i being making seat covers for most of the day, then yesterday shot blasted the subframe







one whole bag of sand...

then cleaned up a few other bits







and painted





then today i didn't take any photos, but painted the underneath of the subby, erm, refitted the shock mounts, after i lost the bolts for one side and robbed them from the front end of the trailer.....

stripped down the passenger hub, and gathered a big box of parts to clean up, and cleaned up all the old gaskets on the engine ready for the new ones, i gotta change the core plugs before most of it can go on tho!!!

its a bit random at the moment, because i don't really know what to do, the only thing that is ready to completely build up is the rear subby, but i haven't got the space to do it at the mo, so the plan is to refurb the engine, then the front sub, then put the engine in the sub, put that in a corner and rebuild the rear sub!!!

[BMC Paul]

All looking good

[emalee]

ok so today i've started to paint the front subby and all the red oxided bits from yesterday

than cleaned up the capliers

[

hubs





and top arms



then got home for dad to hand me this:



so i ran out to his car and brought the big box of paint in...









BLUE!!!!

i'm well happy, except that the paint is usually £15 a litre not £24, but its still a cheap respray!!!!


oh and the seat covers that i've made for it





and my engine ready for its new core plugs and bits bolting back on!!!!

[Saxo-Fiesta-Mini]

lookin good sky my cars gonna be getting some very nice new toys as i just sold some seats

love the fact uve done the engine yellow how long will that last and wheres the black stripe could have been a bumble bee engine

[tony kenobi]

I love this thread, your getting to the exciting part now, respray then fitting the shiny bits, i hope your looking forward to it!
Im so jealous of your welding skills, something every mini owner should be pro at, except me,lol.
Keep it going, cant wait to see the finished result.

[emalee]

I love this thread, your getting to the exciting part now, respray then fitting the shiny bits, i hope your looking forward to it!
Im so jealous of your welding skills, something every mini owner should be pro at, except me,lol.
Keep it going, cant wait to see the finished result.

your mini is awesome tooo, and amazing change you've done too it

welding is great for mots... LOL, gotta love minis!!!!

it is really exciting, i'm getting to the last of the mucky bits, still seems i'm climbing the mounting rather than going down, but things are really getting there to go back together!!! but no mucky bits will be good, i'm hopefully gonna get a few bits bolted back onto the engine today!!!

[Minid]

Putting me too shame again.

Your doing great work, what happened with your job i thought you was working again??

I think ill do that brazing trick when i do my van, never seen it before does it stop rusting then, and do you put it at top of wings too scuttle panel?

Im too stripping frcnt sub but i aint got a shot blaster....its going to cost me a fortune in mechanical bits--where you getting all yours from??

Are you upgrading any of the mountings with different grades of rubber??

Keep up the great work--Loving it!!!

[BMC Paul]

As always Emma, its really coming on, the engine is so bright and will stand out so much in your fresh white engine bay! That cheap at £24 a litre, infact dirt cheap! And them seat covers are just perfect and piping is so neat, well done! Well its weekend so guess youll be on it today!

[daz-lee]

this is going to be one sweet mini and solid as well keep it up

[emalee]

Putting me too shame again.

Your doing great work, what happened with your job i thought you was working again??

I think ill do that brazing trick when i do my van, never seen it before does it stop rusting then, and do you put it at top of wings too scuttle panel?

Im too stripping frcnt sub but i aint got a shot blaster....its going to cost me a fortune in mechanical bits--where you getting all yours from??

Are you upgrading any of the mountings with different grades of rubber??

Keep up the great work--Loving it!!!

on my mini is worked really well around the front panel to wing join, it doesn't stop rust as such, but welds the join together, so no water con get in there and rot it out, and its easy to grind/mold than weld so gives the proper lines the mini should have

at the moment we've left the scuttle join open, then main reason for this is that mine has started to crack, i'll have to take some pics to show, its nothing major and still looks really smart, and most of the problem is from the filler we used to smooth off the join, (its not made of filler honest) i'll take some pics, so i am kinda considering it for the sky.....

i don't think i really needed a sandblaster for the front sub, they are just fun!!!!, wire brushes are just as god at getting the rust off tho!!!

mechanical bits are a mixture of shows and mini spares, i think i've spent about £1900 on parts already...... its not cheap but i shouln't have to replace anything for a while!!! and hopefully will be nice a realible (watches the green mini break down)

as for rubers, everything is bog standard, i kinda perfer it, i'm not too sure why, it probably because i've ran the green one on standard everything for 4.5 years with no problems

oh and the job was just filing, and they didn't bother to show me around or talk to me about the role, so i was really unhappy there, then my headgasket blew,so gave me a excuse not to go in, and then i decided not to go back, which i am kinda regreting now, as i've got no cash!!!! LOL, or no money to buy parts

[emalee]

As always Emma, its really coming on, the engine is so bright and will stand out so much in your fresh white engine bay! That cheap at £24 a litre, infact dirt cheap! And them seat covers are just perfect and piping is so neat, well done! Well its weekend so guess youll be on it today!

really, i like £15 a litre much better tho!!! and when they forgot to invoice us for the first lot of paint i got for my car, (3 litres with hardner etc)

do you reckon 2 litres will fo the outside (not roof) inside, boot, engine bay and under arches????

i've got loads of ford diamond white for my car when it gets a respary, so i'm thinking of using that for the engine bay, boot and under arches....

[emalee]

this is going to be one sweet mini and solid as well keep it up

thanks, i can't think about when its finished, it will be really wierd all freshly sprayed!!!

[emalee]

ok so todays update

right with the sun shining



and the sky sitting in the sun



i decide to have a massive clear up of the garage, so we can actually use the work bench and walk around the main area, ready for the sky!!!! (HOPEFULLY)



note the massive tractors!!!!



its a work bench honest!!!!



no before pics, but dads a bit of a collectomanic so we end up with loads of ramdon stuff we've probably never use.....

so paint some more bits







then when i took the steering column apart we found this:









it looks like the steering lock has been forced.......

so that combined with the damage on the doors around the handles makes us think it might of been stolen at some point.....