105 replies to this topic

[keefr22]

Shoulder belts level in horizontal plain & as straight as possible back is indeed the current MSA 'ideal'!

To be honest, I haven't checked exactly what we need to do to ours yet, as the seat is out for more welding to be done, I'm hoping (fingers crossed) that we'll be able to just raise the seat slightly on the side mount adjustment holes to give the inclined angle to the belts - I'd guess most Mini competitors will hope they can do the same. Otherwise it'll be trying to lower the harness bar somehow, which I suspect will not be as easy, as our (Safety Devices) one seemed to only want to sit right in one position! Of course if we have to raise the seat, there's then the problem that as my son is taller than me (we dual drive on sprints/hillclimbs) will his head actually clear the roof....

The MSA really didn't think this through!

One other thing, you mentioned you were going to make Baldric more road friendly? If you were to put a full interior back in him (& if you still have glass windows?), you could compete in road production classes on sprints/hillclimbs with a cage & full harnesses and not require a HANS - just one of a number of inconsistencies in the msa's ill thought out ruling!

Edited by keefr22, 19 July 2015 - 09:31 AM.

[DEPS]

Agree. I have the safety devices bar and yes it only fits in one position. Governed by where the brace bar bolts in on the belt mount holes.

Know what you mean about seat height. My GT8 is a great seat and is on runners, but have to have it a bit too high to clear the cross member and because I am 6 ft. but long bodied head hits the headlining. Might be better with a seat that has less bolster?


Can understand the Hans thing to a certain extent for stage rallies etc. more than I can dated seats and belts. Surely better to buy the best safest seat you can afford rather than the cheapest that complies, because you will have to change in 5 years even if you have only done a few events per year?

Don't you just love the MSA etc!

[keefr22]

Agree completely!

[DEPS]

Well after a little more work. Got this today.



Yes after much work MOT achieved. It was then off to a tyre fitters to get the tracking done as the steering was impossibly heavy and then back home to pay DVLA as much money as we do for the other 2 cars in our household for the privilege of driving on the public highway.

Still plenty of jobs to do. But son and I very happy today.

[keefr22]

Great stuff! Baldric looks fantastic! I have to say that when I started reading your thread & you said you were going to paint him black, I thought 'what a boring colour to chose'. I was wrong, it's superb!

Keith, very jealous in South Wales!

[rally1380]

Nice one!!!....when's the first rally?

[DEPS]

Thanks guys.

Just drove it locally on Saturday and got some great reaction. Everyone loves a mini! And so they should.

Keith chose black because always wanted a black 1275GT when I was a kid. Might have had something to do with my Dad working for John Players and him coming home with the John Player Special Grand Prix stickers???

A few issues to sort before it goes any distance. Despite getting tracking sorted. Steering still very heavy; I know I am now a wimp who is used to PAS, but even the tyre fitter who has a mini said if was heavy. He thought it might be to do with the excessive ride height and another friend said it could be old tyres?? Think will just wait for donuts to settle a bit and the adjust Hilos and then see about a more comprehensive suspension/geometry set up?

Main issue is that engine not running very well, ticks over ok, but under load can feel it hesitating, a bit of choke and she feels better. Having said that I have done nothing to the engine other than new points, plugs, leads, coil and oil and filter and seeing last ran in 1992, amazing it even runs So think we will start by taking the carb off and giving it a clean.

So wife thinks car is finished and I will be free for jobs round house and days out.................think she may be a little disappointed ?

[Rocket.]

Looks great

[duds100]

This turned out great. Love the mini-lite & special arch combo` - looks ace 

[DEPS]

Just a bit of an update.

Been using the car locally and wasn't running the best. Took the carb off and took the top off the float chamber.......yuk! Very brown and grungy! Unable to get any carb cleaner locally on the day so a cheap bottle of coke came to the aid. Ran a little better afterwards.

Week or so later still not great so checked the timing, bit of a tweak and a bit better again.

By this time though discovered we had a water leak or leaks!!

Bought silicone hoses and fitted. Son helpfully pointed out that this job would have been much easier when the engine was out!


This shot shows without the top hose as I was confused as to why the clubman one was longer and this hose didn't appear to be leaking. The lovely little bypass hose was also changed.

We then went to the Mini show at Stanford as that is relatively close to us. Still had a water leak and suspected it was the top hose as it was wet. Exact location of leak was hard to trace as water was hitting the fan and going everywhere. Making a nice mess of the engine bay!!

Anyway bought a cheap hose at the show and fitted that. Also learned that Clubman radiators are slightly further away from the block hence they have a longer top hose.

However still had a leak????

Further inspection lead me to suspect the water pump. So ordered a new one and stripped the radiator and pump out in readiness.

On inspection think the seals in the pump had gone and it looks like water was escaping through the hole in the casting.


And then compared to the shiny new one.



So all assembled and run up to temp and seemed ok. Oh also bought the Clubman silicone hose and Proper clubman top bracket



Then had to go away with work so back Friday night and off to Curborough sprint track on Saturday with my Son as my motor club had hired for the day for a track day.

Longest journey yet. Made it there. A good number of runs round the track and made it back!

Only problems

New wipers are useless. Should have bought the heavy duty ones.

Electrical connection between wiper motor plug on loom and park switch on wiper motor not very good. Lost wipers completely on one run. Not good when throwing it down.

Ride height far too high, meaning no negative camber and coupled with 20 Year old tyres and wet track meant Baldric only wanted to go straight on, Great fun though.

Hopefully be able to get hold of and post some piccies of the track day in the near future.

[rally1380]

Ha ha....yeh those chrome wipers are useless!!!  Learnt that on my first ever rally...at night, hitting a huge muddy puddle and then squinting open mouthed through a smeary muddy mess of a windscreen.....soon wakes you up!!!!!!

 

Black hook type ones with Bosch blades all the way!!!!!! 

[DEPS]

Hi Dave, Was the first time out in proper rain. Couldn't believe how poor they were. Had looked the heavy duty ones but comments on minispares said you need a good motor. So considering mine is the original steered me to the standard ones. Which was a mistake!

Think I will be purchasing the black ones with the bosch as you suggest. Thanks for the advice. Also need to look at the connections. At one point it was like having delay wipers

[rally1380]

Yeh perhaps a newer motor and linkage is in order.....although check all the earths are good before getting the wallet out.

 

That same rally i had the linkage separate from the motor on the run down....luckily we did a swift pit stop and repair before the actual rally proper......bloody british engineering (gotta love it though eh?) 

Edited by rally1380, 26 October 2015 - 10:27 PM.

[bikerjohn]

Top Job, to tidy to rally lol

[johnR]

Looking great - are you going to paint the engine next time it's out?  yellow with a matt black crackle finish rocker cover would look good! 

I've just polished the casings on my alternator and had the nuts/bolts re-zinced (if that's a word) the big lump of shiny alloy really lifts the bay.

keep up the good work,

JohnR