387 replies to this topic

[mad4mins]

wow!! thats a tight fit!! lol.,. good use of space!! top marks!!

[steveobennet]

got myself a straight piece of pipe, stainless, to link my turbo down pipe to the rear



have been sorting out the front hubs and the alike, just tightening bolts to the correct torque, finally bleeding the system, fitting the correct high tensile bolts where they are needed! but my main focus was the boost pipes to and from the intercooler. i have the one from the turbo sorted, but the one to the carb hits the inside of the of the boonet so i may have to reroute it or adap it.





plenty of room!


just incase you were wondering yes it is exhaust pipe which i have used, i'm just contamplating on a finish what do you reckon, polished, painted silver or painted black?

Edited by steveobennet, 07 February 2007 - 08:28 PM.

[steveobennet]

had to use up a few holidays off work so i decieded to do a bit more work!

have almost completely wired up the fuel pump.i have run it by the fusebox, and fitted an inertia switch just incase the worst should happen. have also been figuring out where each wire goes. its simple when i know which does what, but so wires i'm still pondering about.



also removed my wiper motor, cleaned it up and sprayed it black. a new connector plug was needed after my old one pulled of the connectors with it!



right as you may know i have been changing my mind through out this project, and have done again. the way my flip front is secured is by using dzus fastners. to be honest they don't really work riveted onto fiberglass. as below shows



so i looked for something to replace them, that also has a locking mechanism. hence cometh (if thats even a word) these superior aerocatches



they are basically the same as bonnet pins. two versions are available locking and non-locking. both types are avaliable in a flush fit and a bolt on top fit. the ones i choose are hidden under the bodywork to keep a smooth look to the exterior. also the pin can enter directly from beneath the pin, or from either side. they come with all fixings and a template, making marking easier.



i hate cutting up perfectly fine bodywork, but out with the dremel and a hole is cut.



some sandpaper, and a drill and the hole is ready for test fitting



now where i am mounting them, the arch does have a minute curve in it, but when bolted on the aerocatch sits snug with the body



just imagine it without the dzus. should have the pin mounted on the weekend, and we shall see whether it holds the front tight enough.

[Boab]

They are amazing mate and you have just answered my prayers. Where did you get those locking fasteners from?

[steveobennet]

everyones favoite auction site ebay. visit www.aerocatch.co.uk if you want more info

[Boab]

Cheers

Just read their website, and they look very, very good. Are they quite robust and feel very durable ie a bit of solidity to them. These will really help with my reverse flip I have planned.

Edited by bigbadboab, 07 February 2007 - 09:46 PM.

[steveobennet]

yep, they are small and light, but very strong and sturdy feeling. i think the plastic is glass filled nylon, so they will take some abuse, and of course they can be painted.

they have quite alot of uses aswell, they can also be used on a hinged panel, i.e if you have fiberglass doors, abit extreme i know, but they do the business.

[Marcel]

First of all; I love your Mini!

Secondly; I have used a couple of Aerocatches in my kitcar. They work really nice, feel nice and sturdy, and open with a nice reassuring clicking "clunk". I decided not to use the little bolts to fix them to the bodywork, but bond them in; the fastener holes make nice mechanical locking areas for the adhesive. I used epoxy adhesive to bond them in, and afterwards I added two layers of glassfibre with polyester. I think they're locked in there for good..... Oh, by the way; mine are painted as you can see, and the paint seems to stick to them alright.

[$way]

they look very trick.

[Mincento]

Steve i really feel for you, you have done so much of this car yourself and put in so much effort and then someones roof falls on your mini but got to say i admire your dedication and motivation to carry on with the car i know myself i probably would have had the motivation to carry on with it for quite a while

the aeroclips look quite trick and being lokcing are also quite secure and Marcel the kit car looks sweet

as said many times Steve i look froward to seeing this at a show this year it deserves to be shown after all this effort

wayne

[nosboy83]

damn you steve!!!! only kiddling. i looked at those aero catches as they were advetised in kitcar mag but i dismissed them as the dzus fasteners were smaller and less noticable.

What was wrong with the dzus by the way? were they becoming loose or not securing the front tight enough?

Received the lower mounts by the way cheers!

I will be updating my project thread soon thats if i can find it burried deep within the forum. I just realised i got my mini in may 2006 and its still not out of the body shop yet. The guy doing the work has about 30 photos he has taken throughout restoring the shell im going to pick them up thursday

[steveobennet]

i look forward to looking at the resto pics!

basically, they were looking a little shitty, starting to rust, and its not even on the road yet.
also riveting them on to fiberglass isn't really a long term method of keeping them on, as 2 have fallen off now! hopefully these aerocatches should do the buisness and keep it held down.

Edited by steveobennet, 12 February 2007 - 08:31 PM.

[nosboy83]

dang thats not good. Permission to steal your idea sir

was it pop rivets by the way?

[t@z]

nice i like alot

keep it coming....

[steveobennet]

the dzus were pop riveted, but these aerocatches are supplied with allen bolts, which i shall be using.
pop rivets don't work as well on fiberglass as they do on metal.

your more than welcome to do what i have done, hell if i didn't want anyone using my ideas i wouldn't put them on a public forum!