105 replies to this topic

[DEPS]

Then largely due to a wet bank holiday we decided to fit the new headlining. That is the problem now. The super shiny shell seems to demand only nice clean parts. So we have gone for grey. Black seemed a bit dark and white too easy to get dirty as the old one demonstrated.

We were not looking forward to this job, but other than the B pillars where it proved a bit fiddly we were quite pleased with the result. one good tip that I borrowed from elsewhere on the forum was to use old cut up door seals to hold the fabric in place when glued!

[keefr22]

And this one demonstrates it is hard to take a photo without a reflection!

With paint like that it may be - with paint like ours it's no problem...!! 

 

Car is looking stunning, I take it the ''rally'' in your thread title is in quotes as you don't intend to actually rally him? looks like he'll be too good for that...!!

 

Keith

[DEPS]

Then this weekend finished off the roof lining. Trimming off the excess then fitted the rear side window seals and windows, which felt like a real step forward! Then also fitted the door seals and front and rear screen seals. Hoping my mate who used to be a windscreen fitter is going to refit the front and rear screens.

[DEPS]

 
Car is looking stunning, I take it the ''rally'' in your thread title is in quotes as you don't intend to actually rally him? looks like he'll be too good for that...!!
 
Keith[/quote]

Hi Keith, well I did do a couple of single venues in him many years ago and originally put the rally in quotes as realised that stage regs had got somewhat more onerous than when I did these events. However I was I thinking about historic road rallies, but now I am even doubting those :) But we are not in to show and shine, think cars should be driven! A long way to go on the build so will see what happens, can just see it getting more expensive as we think "Oh we can't put that old tatty part on!"

Cheers

Dave

[keefr22]

Hillclimbs are fun...!

 

We've had to do quite a bit of welding to the back of ours so I've been trying to get the paint tidied up inside as we go along, so I know exactly what you mean about putting tatty parts back on! Even when they're not show cars it's nice to have shiny bits! It can tend to start becoming an obsession though, can't it...?! 

[DEPS]

Know what you mean. We are off to the Stanford hall mini show on 14th as just down the road from us and we have quite a potential shopping list!

A colleague at work sprints a Nova with her husband at Curborough near Lichfield which I have been to with my motor club who hire it out once a year (although I have only managed to get once and then only to Marshall). So might go and have a look what an actual sprint is all about?

[keefr22]

My son & I did the Llandow sprint in july - unfortunately the Mini was still broken so we had to use his daily driver RX-8! It was a lot of fun though & there were a fair few Minis out on the event, everything from a standard 1275GT road car, through the usual rally cars (including one with a 1600 Vauxhall lump that could shift a bit!) through to a full house formula libre car that the driver reckoned he'd got down to 380kg in weight & was running a 160 brake bike engine - that could shift a lot! Funnily enough we were parked up between that Mini & a stage prepared Nova in the paddock - that was also a really nice car.

I really enjoyed it and want to do more, but I do prefer hillclimbs - I think it's because I'm from a rallying background & hillclimbs reflect stages more than sprints which are usually circuit based.

All good fun though!

[DEPS]

Progress has been slow, but as I keep saying to my son every job done is a job closer to getting back on the road! Although we do seem to end up doing some jobs several times over, often because I can't remember how something use to fit

Bonnet pins fitted.



Door locks fitted and all side glass fitted.







And rear lights and number plate light



Plus we decided we better respray the tank. Can't put a scratched and slightly rusty tank in this far too shiny shell!



That is about it for now

[keefr22]

He's coming along nicely! I sprayed the tank in ours in the summer using Halfords aluminium - hope it may fool a casual onlooker into thinking it's an expensive alloy competition jobbie....!! 

 

Keith

[DEPS]

He's coming along nicely! I sprayed the tank in ours in the summer using Halfords aluminium - hope it may fool a casual onlooker into thinking it's an expensive alloy competition jobbie....!! 
 
Keith

You know what they say "bull doo-dah, baffles brains!"

Must say when ours was in grey primer, did think about doing it silver, but already had the can of satin black!

[DEPS]

Well along time since last update, but we have been doing some work...........honest!

Borrowed a compressor and completely re rust proofed using Dinitrol









Have also made a start on the brakes. Basically replacing 90%. We have replaced both rear brake cylinders. Typical mini one side went very easily including the dreaded circlip, but the other side was a nightmare as the adjuster had seized and then of course rounded off. Luckily managed to knock the superfin off, but the had to invest in a blow torch after a couple of hours of getting no where and broadening my sons vocabulary.


So new adjuster in post from minispares!

Have also replaced front calipers, old ones were refurbed cooper s items but one was leaking and the dust seal had never really fitted properly so thought best replace them. I like being able to stop! just gone for standard again as not sure what will be using the car for, so not worth going to 4 pots and must say I always found the s brakes very good even when on a rally. Have not bothered replacing the discs as these were new when brakes last refurbed and you can probably count the mileage in hundreds. Sure a bit of gentle use will soon shine them up!






We have also fitted new master cylinders including the awkward clevis pins and started to fit the new brake pipes



Must say pretty impressed with the Automec brake pipe kit so far as it even includes an extra pipe to suit the yellow tag master cylinder I am now running as well as for the black tag that was originally in it. Although as I will be running the lines inside I think I may hit an issue at some point with pipe lengths .We will see. Just ordered some more stuff from minispares so will update as soon as brakes complete.

[keefr22]

We have also fitted new master cylinders including the awkward clevis pins

You mentioned broadening your son's vocabulary - my boy's was considerably expanded when dealing with those pins! It was much easier supervising, don't know what all the fuss was about..!!

Those caliper's look nice. some needed for ours too..

Keith

[DEPS]

Hi Keith, festive greetings! The clevis pins were not as bad as when I did them years ago, considerably helped by using "P" clips rather than trying to insert split pins. Also easier having everything else stripped out. The real bu@@er was the circlip on the near side brake cylinder. Had managed to do the off side after numerous attempts and some profanity but then came to do the other the next day and couldn't seem to remember how I had got the first one on??? I see you can buy a tool to do these, but hoping not to have to do one for a while!

The calipers are minispares own copy. of the cooper s ones and are considerably cheaper than the genuine ones. They look identical other than the bleed nipple is slightly larger, but that is probably a good thing as allows more purchase before it snaps:) Will see how good they are when we eventually get it moving.

Cheers

Dave

[keefr22]

Morning Dave, 

 

Seasons greetings to you too! 

 

It was the split pins that almost saw off the end of my son's patience - I think what really did was when, after an hour or so upside down with his head up in the peadl box somewhere, I said it would have been much easier if we'd got some P clips or R pins instead...!! I actually saw the air turn blue...! 

 

We've been thinking of changing the front discs/calipers to Cooper S type so we can run 10's instead of the 13's on her now. Be a while yet though as I can see her spending this year in the garage as his missus will be having a new arrival in March - can't see him getting allowed out to play much after that!!

 

Happy New Year

 

Keith

[DEPS]

Fitted the new brake adjuster at the weekend so rear brakes now sorted, hopefully!
Next job is plumbing the new brake lines in, but think I now have all the parts required thanks to another delivery from Minispares.



new wheel cylinder