5 replies to this topic

[binge]

Over the past day or two, ive been striping down my mini.
Ive got the the stage where the inside of the car has as much exposed metal as the outside of the car.
Ive removed the roof lining, Dash rails, carpets, seats, everything.
Its an empty mini at the moment.


The Good thing is, The inside of the car (Around windows, roof etc) is MINT. It actually looks like they arent the origional pannels. They just look TOO good.

The bad thing is, my rear window frames have got a bit of bubbeling around them from where water has built up. But its nothing major at all.
And the fact that I have a 10" hole in my rear shelf where my sub once was!


and well, The ugly would be that from the passenger side of the car, It looks like Fred Flintstones car. Theres a nice hole on the floor pannel. So its going to need a GOOD bit of welding done as the holes are in the Seem where the inner arch meets the floor.

THeres also a few rusty holes around the Driverside airvent. But they are being cut out, and getting plated over anyway. No need for the damn vents.

Also, My carb is fouling on my bulkhead. Ive removed the inner bulkhead trim, and tried to bang the bulkhead away from the carb. But where it is fouling is where theres a Support beam on the inside of the car. So How do I move that???


But all in all it looks quite good for a 22year old car.


Just gota get the engine running now!


oh, and ive removed the heater as I never did benifit from it (AT ALL!!!)...
For a start, it didnt get warm anyway, and 2nd, if my windscreen was steamy, I put my window down.
So Would I be a fool to leave the heeter out?

Could I buy a small heater unit which dosent have a hot water in? So I can use it for screen de-steaming. I ask this because I dont want the matrix below the dash rail. I want to put a small one behind the dash out of sight.


<|Ben|>

[miniboo]

i say keep the heater get it cleaned and flushed and plumbed back in and it should work fine. you will miss it if you take it out.

[binge]

Well ive bypassed the heater for now and taken it out. Purely to get the car as empty as possible before I get a respray.
Ive taken the windows out etc. so its basically a rolling shell now. (With a none running engine).

I still need to pull the whole engine out to paint it up.

What is the easiest way to do this?
Would I be best unbolting the subframe and lifting the shell over the engine.

Or unbolting the engine and craining it out?
(I have access to an engine crain)...

[pikey7]

unbolt the sub, rest it on something so that it cannot tilt & fall over, and lift over the shell. Two people can do that quite simply.

If you need to have it rolling, then take out the engine and bolt the sub back. (disconnect the driveshafts at the gearbox & support them/bag them for protection)

Even better if you can, get a flat pallet trolley and put the whole shell on that to move it about!

[Dan]

Yeah that's what I've done in the past, make a Mini wheelbarrow! Remember to chock the subframe up really well, it won't balance!

To sort out your carb, try a better manifold. Is the engine mounted in the conventional engine position or in the later/injection further forward position?

For your heater, electrically heated front screens are available for a couple of hundred quid. But if you keep one of them or an electric fan heater running for a long time it'll really hurt (they are really power hungry and producing electricity takes ponies). I'd say you need a coolant based heater, if only as they make a great aux. rad when you're overheating in traffic in the summer. Try places like Europa Specialist Spares, Car Builder Solutions and Holden Vintage and Classic for different, smaller heater designs.

[binge]

Nice one, Cheers dan!

Ive taken some pictures, So heres the low down on the situation.

Around the bottom of where my driver door meets the car (not sure what the pannel is called). Inner sill?

Anyway, heres some pictures of it. is this pannel ok to weld a sheet of metal Over it, Or am I better just cutting it out and welding in a fresh pannel?

http://img.photobuck...binge/rust2.jpg


And the passenger side inner wheel arch has holes in it where it meets the floor...

http://img.photobuck...binge/rust3.jpg


And to be fair, i dont think thats too bad amount of rust for a C Reg mini!



Both doors have seen better days though, So im probably going to repace them... its just doors are expensive!


Any ideas on cost of a new rear subframe. Could probably fit it myself. Am I better paying the extra and getting a Genuine part?

Is there any upgrade subframes to allow a Beam rear axle? or are they all Custom things?


<|Ben|>