18 replies to this topic

[hustybusty]

Ok so no progress over many months lol, mostly due to getting distracted with other mini and house. Anyhow I found a new idler gear at castle coombe for £5 and a flywheel housing for £10, plus minisport had gearbox bearing kits for £55 so it inspired me to crack on.
Old gearbox looked like it could have had a crack in it, and I have another in poor order but the case is good so I'm making one good one out of the two. Thanks to guessworks for his video's, and Oltonlad on here for the stripping guide.

This is the gearbox (Ipad cameras rubbish) before work started. After a clean with oven cleaner (gears not case) the gears are really good, and the baulk rings are nice and tight.
 

IMG_0594.JPG by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

 

The only problem with the gears is the laygear which has a damaged tooth. Looking at what people say on here it wouldn't probably be ok, but the one from the other gearbox is perfect so Ill use that one.
 

 

 

 

Once stripped out I gave the case a good clean in water and degreaser as to not gack up my glass bead.
 

Before blast

IMG_0075.JPG by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

Afterwards - Not perfect, but pretty good considering what it looked like. Bearings turned up today so Ill give the case a steam clean at work to remove any last bits and stray media, remove the laygear from the 2nd gearbox and start the rebuild.

 

IMG_0079.JPG by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

IMG_0078.JPG by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

IMG_0076.JPG by hustybusty, on Flickr

Edited by hustybusty, 04 February 2014 - 10:01 PM.

[Petrol]

I had a 1973 (M) Mini that looked the same orange. The colour was called blaze. Nice project and looks in pretty good shape

 

Pete

[hustybusty]

Gearbox is finished. put a new pin in the diff while it was out.

IMG_0549 by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

Gone from

 

IMG_0594.JPG by hustybusty, on Flickr

to this

IMG_0553 by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

Have been working on the flywheel housing for a couple of days. The housing was covered in gack so heres photos of what I did to degack it. 

 

Before work

IMG_0592 by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

After parts wash and steam clean

IMG_0603 by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

Due to the corrosion I figured glass bead would take forever to get the metal back, so I went around the majority with Iron oxide (well away from gasket edges and internals)

IMG_0604 by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

and then just passing over with a glass bead blast brings a bit of shinyness back

IMG_0610 by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

Rad bracket had a blast and paint while I had the Iron oxide in

IMG_0606 by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

IMG_0611 by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

IMG_0612 by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

I took the block to A&R in Torquay for its work. The crank journals measured ok but I'm going to have it reground anyway to remove any scoring. The block had quite a lip on cylinders 2 & 3 so looking at a +30 rebore, possibly +60. Hes going to dip the block, rebung, fit cam bearings and supply some decent pistons so all I have to do is get on with the auxiliary's while its away.

Edited by hustybusty, 04 February 2014 - 09:24 PM.

[hustybusty]

Got the short block back from the shop yesterday. Despite me thinking the bores were reasonable I ended up have a +40 rebore with new AE Pistons to remove a step between the rings and top of the block on cylinders 2 and 3. Strange why these two cylinders suffered but 1 & 4 were ok. The crank was within limits but whilst out when for a 10/10 regrind and vandervel bearings. New Cam bearings too.

 

IMG_0583 by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

I stuck the block on the gearbox, and fitted the waterpump & cam before noticing something wrong with the flywheel housing. I knew it had the bigger idler bearing (which I was going to get around) but I didn't realise it had several differences in the casting such as the mount for the clutch cylinder, and end cover starter motor moulding is round instead of square.

 

IMG_0590 by hustybusty, on Flickr

 

 

It will fit (I believe) but wont be original, I've got another around the garage that is looks identical to the original, but still has the big idler bearing, strange.

 

Apparently black is the colour for 1974 with bare aluminium gearbox and housing, pity it wasn't all green like the earlier ones as it would have save a lot of time trying the get the aluminium finish back.  

Edited by hustybusty, 23 February 2014 - 09:46 PM.