508 replies to this topic

[Jamie_hail]

The alternator on the back not such a good idea if you have problems i think it also means you need to cut out more of the subframe. I am in the process of doing the conversion myself and have made up my subfame using the metro k Series one.

Oh, damn! Thanks for the heads up!
Should be interesting to see the metro frame used, doesn't that widen the track?

£700 is good mate, especially for a JDM one, I bought mine in bits and bobs, soooooo much cheaper and easier having it all there like yours

Unfortunately Jamie you need to move that alternator, as mentioned above it don't fit there in the allspeed frame, infact most frames can't house it there anyway, you'll see when you drop the engine in.......

Allspeed has it mounted on the front just under the air con stuff but you need a clubby front or extended nose like yours, I think I've still got my old allspeed alternator bracket here somewhere as I'm trying standard length nose now, so if you haven't bought one yet I'll have a look for it

Yeah, much easier solution, got a couple of looms too so will be handy for fault finding! Even got a load of the honda bits like driveshafts, which will be sold to make some cash back on the project!

Again, thanks for the heads up on the alternator issue - AC and power steering are coming off and going to the scrappies/forums! Would be easier to have the alt on the front anyway incase of issues!
That would be great if you could, I'm trying to get the engine ready before even getting hold of a frame, so if I find one second hand, I don't have a clue what will be with it and what wont!

Great project,looking good!!

Thanks buddy!

Great looking project so far!

What MG are those seats out of?

Thanks! Err, ZR I think!

[Jamie_hail]

Been trying to sort some of this wiring out - Getting nowhere! Got the engine loom in place on the engine, all wired up to each sensor, I just need to get everything from the engine loom, to the ecu which is currently in the hondas interior loom, which I dont need...

Anyone know the easiest way to wire all this up? Struggling atm! Want to sort the loom before the engine goes anywhere near the car!

[Kam]

I've found my allspeed alternator fitting kit, could do with a lick of paint as its got some surface rust but apart from that its all good to go, if your getting the subframe brand new from allspeed then paying the extra £70 for a new alternator bracket will be small fry, but its here if you need it

Can't help you with the wiring there mate, its one of the very many things I don't do thats car related, sorry

[Jamie_hail]

I've found my allspeed alternator fitting kit, could do with a lick of paint as its got some surface rust but apart from that its all good to go, if your getting the subframe brand new from allspeed then paying the extra £70 for a new alternator bracket will be small fry, but its here if you need it

Can't help you with the wiring there mate, its one of the very many things I don't do thats car related, sorry

That would be excellent mate - I'm trying to get the engine prepped and ready to go in as soon as I find a subframe! I'm trying to find one second hand, but they seem as rare as rocking horse ****!
How much would you be looking for, for it? Email me if you get a chance - jameshail2011[@]Gmail.com

I'm normally okay with wiring, but it's just trying to work out whats needed and whats not!

Edited by Jamie_hail, 02 September 2011 - 08:40 PM.

[Kam]

The alternator bracket will be mates rates so don't worry about that, I'm not sure why I haven't sold it already, its just been sitting here for months doing nothing, maybe its fate as if I had to do a build again it would be budget in mind like your build........then your build diary comes along.......spooky?

Secondhand frames do appear every now and then, bit of luck though......

[Jamie_hail]

The alternator bracket will be mates rates so don't worry about that, I'm not sure why I haven't sold it already, its just been sitting here for months doing nothing, maybe its fate as if I had to do a build again it would be budget in mind like your build........then your build diary comes along.......spooky?

Secondhand frames do appear every now and then, bit of luck though......

Just drop me a message whenever then, will be able to pay next week!
Indeed! Slightly spooky! I'm not tight, but budget is more important than deadlines, not going to cut corners, or rush! Anything can be done on a budget with time, but if you're rushing, it'll end up costing a fortune and not working properly!

First thing is to sort out this wiring loom, get it minimised and wrapped in nice fresh conduit, nice custom rocker cover (someones offered to make me one up for £50 on exchange basis) - Got a bottle of degreaser, some new wire brushes and a tube of polish on the way! Need to get the power steering and air con pumps off, then get this alternator on the front with a new belt!

Then I'll just need to get the front end off the mini, and source a subframe... This may go a bit quiet for a while, but i'll try to keep updating with all the little bits and bobs!

[Kam]

Thing is I've learnt the hard (expensive) way as I had no knowledge beforehand but thats all my fault, so I welcome your budget minded build, I know not everyone can still do it your way but hopefully this topic will help others in some way and show them how, thats the whole point of build diaries

I will help where I can as I like your ideas, but wiring........your on your own!

[Neildanks]

Mine is also on a tight budget but i have had to buy a straight through manifold stainless for £150 as the cat was going to catch the alternator wiring. I actually b ought an old scrap Honda civic for £400 test drove it, it had some service history also i then stripped the entire car of what i needed then sold the shell and all what was left for £80.

I am using all the loom and original clocks i have fitted the engine bays wiring and am now in the process of sorting the switch wiring out. I am waiting on del of my fibre glass dash before i continue so i can plan the position of everything ,and am thinking about using toggle switchs but if i can help just pm me and i will try.

A lot of what i have done i learned of the watsons honda conversion dvd.

[Miniryan09]

Hey Mate! Loving the car! I love what you did with the interior, the door cards and the rear under seat speaker board, did you make them yourself? what are they lined with? how much did it cost you? I would love to put something in mine like that, looks great!

Let me know!

Ryan

[Jamie_hail]

Thing is I've learnt the hard (expensive) way as I had no knowledge beforehand but thats all my fault, so I welcome your budget minded build, I know not everyone can still do it your way but hopefully this topic will help others in some way and show them how, thats the whole point of build diaries

I will help where I can as I like your ideas, but wiring........your on your own!

I have no knowledge, but I also have no money - so the weeks spent saving for each individual bit leave me with plenty of time to think things through clearly!
Thanks - May be needing it - seen your stuff on 16v, must be a fountain of knowledge by now, surely? Wiring wise - I'm just going to start snipping wires and see what stops working - if it's important, tape it back together, if it's not, cut the other end and be done with it!

Mine is also on a tight budget but i have had to buy a straight through manifold stainless for £150 as the cat was going to catch the alternator wiring. I actually b ought an old scrap Honda civic for £400 test drove it, it had some service history also i then stripped the entire car of what i needed then sold the shell and all what was left for £80.

I am using all the loom and original clocks i have fitted the engine bays wiring and am now in the process of sorting the switch wiring out. I am waiting on del of my fibre glass dash before i continue so i can plan the position of everything ,and am thinking about using toggle switchs but if i can help just pm me and i will try.

A lot of what i have done i learned of the watsons honda conversion dvd.

Sounds like you got a brilliant deal, what mileage was on the block? I'd love to use the entire honda loom - but if you read back, I've made my own dash, and sorted the interior - so going to try my hardest to keep what's already in the car!
If you could tell me - what parts of the loom are essential for the engine to run, and vtec to engage? Only the neccesary parts, if you know!

Hey Mate! Loving the car! I love what you did with the interior, the door cards and the rear under seat speaker board, did you make them yourself? what are they lined with? how much did it cost you? I would love to put something in mine like that, looks great!

Let me know!

Ryan

Thanks mate - interior wise - dash was home made from mdf and covered in carbon vinyl - simple!
Door cards, dont have a clue, they were on the car! Think they're rover original, but optomise automotive do some really nice door cards!

Again, with the speaker board, that was another optomise product, but I've made three others for mates Minis - quite simple, pop down to your local Jewson's - pick up a sheet of 12mm MDF (£10 for a sheet big enough to easily make 20 boards from!) Get a peice of carboard, and cut it to fit under the seat - once you have this, lay it over the peice of mdf, draw round it and cut with a jigsaw! Spray glue and http://www.wilcodire...products_id=755 this stuff, wrap it - bobs your uncle!

Centre console was from custom consoles.

http://www.custom-consoles.co.uk/consoles.html
http://www.optimise-automotive.easyspaceshops.com/epages/100053821.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/100053821/Categories/Products%26Services

They should help!
If you want to make your own dashboard, or centre console - plans can be found on here by using the search function - print out and get cutting - dash is that same old 12mm sheet of mdf!

[Jamie_hail]

Not much to update this with... Spent the past week clearing some space in the garage for this engine, as it was taking up too much room in the log store! Took 822kg of scrap metal from the garage! Impressive... Earnt me a few bob, as it was a mixture of magnesium, aluminium and various other alloys... All stuff we've accumulated over the 10 years of living here. Old motorbike blocks, shelf brackets, lawn tractor blocks (Dad runs garden machinery business, so gets a lot of customers *******)

Spent £30 on some new tools. Spanners, allen keys, pliers/snips, mole grips, nut splitters ect... All payed for by some of that scrap, perfect! Wired up a stereo in the garage, a kettle, and a nice big heater! Sorted!

Anyway, spent tonight trying to move the engine on a pallet, from the wood store/car port, to my garage - only a few yards, but on gravel with nothing to lift it! Lent the Manitou to some friends who are building a house - mistake!

Took three of us to lift the pallet onto an old fence post, an old roller off a mower, and whatever else was lying around, then towed it on the rollers behind a lawn tractor... I got the easy job here!


Once into the garage, we trimmed down the pallet to give me a little more space, but left enough for me to spin the engine round when needed...


To get the engine into the garage, we had to push Kermit out - He looks all sad and alone, and ill - damnit!



I set about cleaning up the engine with some cheap £1 degreaser from amazon, bloody good stuff!


From the grime, it's slowly bringing it up lovely - need a wire brush in places, and some acid etch for cleaning stoves, as there's 10 years of crud and grease in some of the nooks and crannies!


Nice and clean!

Got the worst off the block, but as said, needs a quick spray with acid, wiped down, and attacked with the wire brush...


Looking a little bit cleaner! Also got round to taking the power steering and aircon pumps off - Just need to mount the alternator on the front now! (Kam, when you read this can you pm me about the bracket)

Ordered some black engine paint, and some red, to clean up and respray the rocker cover - but might do the block black too, depending how clean I can get it. As it's going in a flip front, I need it to look as nice as possible... Any tips (besides sending it for a full acid dip) for getting it to a nice shine? Or should I paint it and be done with it? Is there a clean aluminium coloured paint I could use?


As mentioned above - got the old greasy horrible pumps and brackets off! Some weight in them bloody things!


If in doubt, use a bigger spanner! (started to keep my tools a bit more organised, made a board on the wall for everything, as part of the rearrangement of the garage! Found a 25 year old adjustable wrench, which still works perfect - may come in useful!

[Jamie_hail]

Damn - I should be shot! The quality of these pictures is awful! A professional photographer, who uses his iphone to document his demise? Pfft - will start to take better pictures soon, promise! The phone is just convenient, don't like having my camera lying around in the garage!

Wiring - Time to start chopping and hoping for the best, this thing is a ******* shambles!

[Miniryan09]

Thanks mate - interior wise - dash was home made from mdf and covered in carbon vinyl - simple!
Door cards, dont have a clue, they were on the car! Think they're rover original, but optomise automotive do some really nice door cards!

Again, with the speaker board, that was another optomise product, but I've made three others for mates Minis - quite simple, pop down to your local Jewson's - pick up a sheet of 12mm MDF (£10 for a sheet big enough to easily make 20 boards from!) Get a peice of carboard, and cut it to fit under the seat - once you have this, lay it over the peice of mdf, draw round it and cut with a jigsaw! Spray glue and http://www.wilcodire...products_id=755 this stuff, wrap it - bobs your uncle!

Centre console was from custom consoles.

http://www.custom-co...k/consoles.html
http://www.optimise-...ucts%26Services

They should help!
If you want to make your own dashboard, or centre console - plans can be found on here by using the search function - print out and get cutting - dash is that same old 12mm sheet of mdf!

No probs! It really looks great! Well done on the dash, wouldn't of guessed its home made! Oh thats abit annoying about the door cards, are they coated in carpet or is it like a vinyl thing? Yea had a look but im on a pretty tight budget, only 16 and need some left for insurance when its finished! Cheers for the links for speaker board, found a old guide in a mini mag and should be able to do it, doing an A-level in woodwork and carpentry etc so hopefully I can use the school workshop in my free lessons! Will that 'anthracite' carpet stuff just look like normal floor carpet so will blend it? thats the plan. is a centre console easy-ish to make also? you reckon that one roll of that antracite (think it said it comes in 1mx2m) will be enough to cover the speaker board and also two sides of the centre console?

Little question also about wrapping the speaker board? how would you tidy it up? im guessing you would just fold it over the sides and the spray the excess onto the back? will it still fit okay with it folded over?

Thanks for your help!

Muchly appriciated,

Ryan

Edited by Miniryan09, 08 September 2011 - 06:48 PM.

[Neildanks]

The engine Had 92,000 on so being an honda probably good for another 150,000 i reckon if looked after probably another 250,000 lol

[Kam]

Wired up a stereo in the garage, a kettle, and a nice big heater! Sorted!

Sorted indeed! nice work, oh and on the engine aswell

I'll send you a PM now about the alternator bracket