101 replies to this topic

[Club-MAN]

So....Wednesday.

I managed to get my hands on a 12g295 and a set of twin carbs for decent money from the bay, i refurbed the carbs and sold them on, so the head cost me about £50 in the end.

The plan was to use it and a HIF38 on the otherwise standard engine (stage 1 counts as standard if we are honest). It was rusty when I got it, so i stripped it down and took it to my local machine shop. They inspected it and told me it needed new Valves, valve seats, guides and a skim...expensive, but I thought it would be a money well spent.

New Valves...



Shiny new guides



Chamber 1 - looking good sa far



Chambers 2, 3 & 4







Spot the problem?

[Club-MAN]

They only discovered this while doing the new seats - about 50% of the way through the work they were doing.

luckily the machine shop didn't charge me for any of the work, I only had to pay for the new valves.

So now I am going to stick with the standard head on the engine, hence fitting new valve steam seals. Anybody want a set of Cooper valves,seals, double valve springs (I have all the little clips)? or a busted 12g295 head??

A little gutted to be honest, but I am off to Papua New Guinea in the next week for work. Hopefully a little bit of sun will do me good!

[Club-MAN]

Thats everything upto date, no doubt I have missed a few things from before the we had the forum first revert!

When i get home from work in 4 to 6 weeks, the car will be ready to collect and I can make a start on the interior.

Carpets are going to be green, door cards etc to be black and some new 6x10 wheels.

I am currently talking to a couple of upholstery firms about recovering my seats, the local car trimmers are very expensive...plus they didn't seem to understand when I said 'no leather and no vinyl'

Not sure what the obsession with leather seats is, on a warm day they make you sweat and you stick to them!!

All can say is I want them to be different to just about everyone elses and green!

[Club-MAN]

Done a little bit today....



Grille before...



Grile after Nitromors and polish!!

Hopefully against the black body it will look awesome.

[Club-MAN]

Got the car back from the garage yesterday, and am going to spend the day putting it back together.....

It does look pretty good.

Although after handing over the money for the work, i am seriously considering selling the car once it back together, but that could just be my wallet talking.

[Boycie]

Ignore your wallet.. that car is going to be amazing when it's back- you'll really regret selling up! Lovely work so far.

[analogue_radio]

Yeah don't listen to your wallet mate, be a shame to sell up after all the hard work and effort!

That grill looks fantastic.

& was the shell Sandglow Yellow? My '79 shell was before it's respray, really nice colour if the whole thing was to be kept original looking.

[Club-MAN]

My Wallet protested very loud, I think its mainly because I have only done 27 days paid work this year (I work as an Offshore Surveyor) and my office don't seem to have much on the horizon. Considering last year in 9 months I worked 7 of them (thats 12 hours a day every day, no weekends off or bank holidays off...you get the picture). Hence getting someone else to do the work because I was under the impression that I would be working that much this year, and have no time myself to work on it and have money coming in!! Counting my chickens etc

Yeah it was sandglow, but it its was rusty and generally in a poor state. So i took the opportunity to paint it black!

So yesterday morning I fitted the bumpers, grille and windscreen wipers....

Front of the Car:



Green Engine:



I still need to get some new wheels, carpets and door cards and the seat sorting....

[rosstolley]

Great looking project pal.. Really like the BRG subframes and parts Shame if you really have sell but please don't because your doing a fantastic job!

[Down&Out]

Looks good in black, but the original colour was superb!

[mini.rich]

Hey, very nice looking mini! Black clubbys look great I have a question regarding the interior, have you got it still?? I'm after one, mainly the carprets, parcel shelf, door seals etc. If you're looking to recover a set of seats I have some in a lighter brown ;)

Thanks
Richard

[Club-MAN]

Hey, very nice looking mini! Black clubbys look great I have a question regarding the interior, have you got it still?? I'm after one, mainly the carprets, parcel shelf, door seals etc. If you're looking to recover a set of seats I have some in a lighter brown ;)

Thanks
Richard

Sorry Richard I no longer have the carpets...They weren't the original ones anyway, it looked like someone had used brown carpet tiles and some pretty sticky glue. I sold the door cards in Feb, and just about everything else was binned months ago

Today I have finish fitting the remaining glass, door locks and the passenger seat and a few other bits and bobs. Now its coming together I am feeling happier about it.

On the down side....I left the headlights on overnight....completely flat this morning...Grrr!!

[Club-MAN]

And here are pictures of it from when I went to collect it Friday...









Enjoy...

And thanks for the support against the ever present 'Wallet'

[Club-MAN]

Jump started the mini this morning and left it running for an hour. It seemed to get very hot and some water was coming out of the radiator overflow, according the the dash it was between Cols and Normal.....

I have to take it back to the garage to get some bits of paint work sorted, there are what look like bubbles on the bonnet. The guy is okay with it, plus he is going to put it through an MOT. Hopefully he will sort the issue...considering I paid him to sort the engine for me!!

[Boycie]

There will be teething troubles.. but when it's 'sorted' you'll have such a nice example! A short shakedown period is always needed after such a major rebuild :)