20 replies to this topic

[Trail of Dead]

I would think Torx bolts would be more appropriate than Philips heads

Torx? You know these doors were first fitted in 1969 don't you?

Early cars have Philips heads screws fitted (actually I think they're Pozi-drive but it's a while since I saw one). Later cars have Torx. I don't know when they changed but I think it will have been around the same time as the twin point was introduced.

Well I'm not used to a 1989 car being so old fashioned! Lol! I got a buddy over at RAFL (He's in the USAF) and he was telling me when he went to go buy his 1987 Mayfair. He said he couldn't figure out how to get it started...finally after cranking and cranking it a little old British lady came out of her house and told he needed to pull the choke. He was confused as he had never in his entire life used a choke except for on a riding lawn mower and such. I used to own a 1985 Chevy Astro Van that had the 4.3L Vortec V6 in it and it was fuel injected and fairly modern yet my '82 Mini has points! Lol! My Dad's old 1947 Dodge Power Wagon had points! So, forgive me if there is things about the Mini's history I don't yet know about. This is precisely why I ask questions....I suppose that being British alot of your guys grew up as children around these cars so you most likely know alot more than me about them and their history. I grew up with Camaros, Jeeps, Silverados, Mustangs, Buicks (my old 1977 Buick Electra 225 had an electric choke on it and an HEI distributor). Early on in life I became a fan of the Chevy V8.....later in life I learned the Ford V8 is just as nice. Dodges are cool too! Can't count out the 426 Hemi!

[Trail of Dead]

Hey guys...I bit the bullet and went back to the scrappy. This time the guy kept his word and when I arrived the door was removed from the Mini and waiting for me to pick it up. All I had to do was go to the Mini itself and grab all the door cards and pay the chap and I was off on my merry way! Glad that's over! I got a good look and apparently the door cards were made in 2003......I got all four for 20 quid so I guess that's pretty good! I can't wait to be able to order some more panels and finally a MIG welder sometime.....don't worry Roofless you are NOT forgotten! The moment I get the rest of my "Mini Money" I will be driving to meet up with you and finish our deal! Cheers!

[dlm]

I would think Torx bolts would be more appropriate than Philips heads

Torx? You know these doors were first fitted in 1969 don't you?

Early cars have Philips heads screws fitted (actually I think they're Pozi-drive but it's a while since I saw one). Later cars have Torx. I don't know when they changed but I think it will have been around the same time as the twin point was introduced.

The original bolts on my sons '88 Mini are Torx

[998dave]

I would think Torx bolts would be more appropriate than Philips heads

Torx? You know these doors were first fitted in 1969 don't you?

Early cars have Philips heads screws fitted (actually I think they're Pozi-drive but it's a while since I saw one). Later cars have Torx. I don't know when they changed but I think it will have been around the same time as the twin point was introduced.

The original bolts on my sons '88 Mini are Torx

Earlier cars had cross heads then phillips.
Sometimes in the late 1980's or early 90's they swapped to Torx.

It's likely the phillips were original, but someone has replaced the other door, - hence the missmatched bolts.
It's nothing to worry about really, they didn't change the thread so either will fit.

Dave

[Trail of Dead]

I would think Torx bolts would be more appropriate than Philips heads

Torx? You know these doors were first fitted in 1969 don't you?

Early cars have Philips heads screws fitted (actually I think they're Pozi-drive but it's a while since I saw one). Later cars have Torx. I don't know when they changed but I think it will have been around the same time as the twin point was introduced.

The original bolts on my sons '88 Mini are Torx

Earlier cars had cross heads then phillips.
Sometimes in the late 1980's or early 90's they swapped to Torx.

It's likely the phillips were original, but someone has replaced the other door, - hence the missmatched bolts.
It's nothing to worry about really, they didn't change the thread so either will fit.

Dave

I only mentioned it as it is my firm belief that Philips heads are not that great of a fastener. Better than flatheads but inferior to Allen heads or Torx style fasteners. Torx are far superior. Philips heads always try to "push" the bit out which in turn causes them to strip out as the bit never gets to properly seat itself in the head in order to make good contact. Torx (Allen heads too) allow the bit to properly seat making good contact with all the points available. A good quality steel (Grade 8 or better) Torx bolt would most likely outlast the application it is used for.

Those Philips heads on the Mini Door hinge in my humble opinion were being used in a critical area.....Philips heads aren't a "Mission Critical" type fastener....this is most likely why the majority of cars out there use either regular bolts or Torx bolts for seat belts. Also, the steel used in the Mini Door Hinge Philips Heads was WAY too soft! So it really isn't an issue with the threads but more an issue of the head of the fastener.

[somecrapname]

Unfortunately this is what many scrap yards are like here. Sorry. As for why he responded like that to your question, it's a bit of an odd question to ask in a scrap yard. He won't know about the technical details of different parts of different cars. He isn't a Mini specialist and so can be forgiven for not knowing you can put a Vauxhall motor in a Mini fairly simply. He won't know how good the brakes are and how they will handle any extra weight. I'm not suggesting that he was in the right in any way, there is no need to deal with you like that. If he didn't know he could have just said that he didn't know. Sadly, as I said that's just what many scrap yards are like here. It's quite common for them not to want to split up groups of parts like that. Complete interiors will sell for a higher premium than odd parts. Sorry that you've had this trouble but don't dwell on it, there are a lot of terrible people around.

Point taken Dan. See, if he would just responded to my question the way you did then I probably would've just bought the brakes along with everything else....you catch more flies with honey then with vinegar! I am a former Mechanic, and I also worked in sales for many years. I know how things work but I figured I'd ask him cause well....I was hoping he'd have an answer or maybe to point to someone that did. As for sales...at the end of the day he's a business and when I was in sales we were taught ABC, Always Be Closing. Always try to end the sale, constantly try to finalize it. Don't give the prospective customer the option to back out of the sale. If I was selling parts off a Mini and a customer asked me if the Brakes would work for his application I would say "I would guess that they would be well within spec to handle that kind of application and if not you could always sell them off later or keep them as spares......so you ready to buy them?" I wouldn't say "Here's the price now go home and think about it" cause I want the customers money! Anyhow, that sucks to hear that alot of the breakers are like that. My Dad told me to go there with some serious power tools and rip, tear, drill, destroy whatever I have to in order to get the door off. Lol!

so without actually knowing whether a part is suitable for the job you'd still try and close the sale, regardless? what if the brakes aren't up to the job, you fit them and can't stop? oh well, sell them after a crash? But it's OK, because you were polite and got the cash!

perhaps he could have been more polite, but at the end of the day you go to a breakers knowing what you want, not looking for advice.