2 replies to this topic

[Noble Savage]

Hi all..

First off I'd like to say that I don't have any mechanical experience, and have little knowledge in regard to the Mini in general.
I have a '83 saloon which I bought a couple of months ago. The previous owner converted the brakes to Metro vented ones, and of course used the Metro hub in the process. To make matters worst, he also added 1 inch spacers all around, and fitted this tiny Mountney steering wheel. He also added Hi-Los and set the hight really low which, as you probably know, deteriorates the camber condition and KPI and basically ruins the car.
Handling? Let's just say that the word 'handling' was never meant to be used in this context.
That aside, parking the car was near impossible. I never had a Mini before so I figured this was the way it should be..

Yesterday the steering rack finally broke. By that I mean, I turn the wheel and all I hear is crunching noise from the pinion, with the wheel turning indefinitely and never actually engaging the rack.

Obviously I have to fix the rack, but also set the suspension correctly so it would never happen again.

Steering rack:
1. Do I need a new rack or can I somehow fix the current one?
2. Can I buy only the internal mechanism or do I need the entire rack as sold by Minispares?
3. Could it be something else besides the rack..?

Suspension:
1. Do I need these Mini hubs?
2. Would they fit the Metro brakes and flange? Any other parts needed? Ball joints? Steering arms? Different flanges? CVs?
3. If possible, I'd prefer buying lighter suspension components for my car, in effort to reduce unsprung weight. I searched the web but couldn't find anything for the front suspension (KAD only sell rear hubs and trailing arms). Does anyone know of a company that does? Is this a good idea?
4. I'd like to get rid of the stupid spacers (I presently have 12X4.5 wheels). The studs are way too long so I need new shorter ones, but what length? I want something that would allow me to use 10X6 or sportpac 13X6 in the future.
5. I think this would be a good opportunity to fit solid mounts to the subframes. Should all the front subframe mounts be solid? What about the rear subframe?

Suggestions are welcomed, and thanks in advance!
Adam

[Leonard]

i think youd be better off with a mini hub, as the metro one messes up the caster angle, and the car will pull
the steering off to the side on corners.

the spacers will make this worse. ask for a set of standard studs and bin the spacers.

wind the hi-los up to where you want them.

do a search on fitting metro disks to mini hubs, loads of people do it without problems. these wont fit under 10x6 wheels, so if your going down that route then you may as well get the right brakes at this point. again do a search its been covered a few times.

you can solid mount the front subframe, but some people complain about the extra noise. a good compromise would be polybushes, like a hard rubber that are really hard to squash, but still damp the vibrations a bit. same goes for the rear but ultimately its up to you.

the steering rack sounds fudged to me, but ive never taken one apart so im not certain. If you post up roughly what area you are in, someone local may have some parts you could buy.

overall a mini should handle way better than most non-sports saloons. mine when standard could outhandle a lowered golf with stiffer shocks and you should be right on the tail of superbikes on roundabouts. its also the easiest car to park ive ever driven.

[pikey7]

Steering rack:
1. Do I need a new rack or can I somehow fix the current one?
2. Can I buy only the internal mechanism or do I need the entire rack as sold by Minispares?
3. Could it be something else besides the rack..?

I don't ever recall seeing rack internals sold seperately, so short answer, yes. get a new rack. IThe only other thing I can think of that will cause the wheel to spin and spin is a broken lower joint or stripped spline on the steering column shaft.

Suspension:
1. Do I need these Mini hubs?
2. Would they fit the Metro brakes and flange? Any other parts needed? Ball joints? Steering arms? Different flanges? CVs?
3. If possible, I'd prefer buying lighter suspension components for my car, in effort to reduce unsprung weight. I searched the web but couldn't find anything for the front suspension (KAD only sell rear hubs and trailing arms). Does anyone know of a company that does? Is this a good idea?
4. I'd like to get rid of the stupid spacers (I presently have 12X4.5 wheels). The studs are way too long so I need new shorter ones, but what length? I want something that would allow me to use 10X6 or sportpac 13X6 in the future.
5. I think this would be a good opportunity to fit solid mounts to the subframes. Should all the front subframe mounts be solid? What about the rear subframe?

1. depends on what you've got fitted now. Metro uprights do not work on the mini as they give excessive camber. If you do, then replace them with mini ones. You'll also need the top and bottom swivel joints (they are different from a metros) and possibly the steering arm. It's also probably a good time to replace the wheel bearings for the pittance that they cost. If you do however have mini ones, then things are "OK". The brakes, CVs and everything else fits fine, although you will need ERA turbo caliper bolts (they have a metric "shank" and an imperial thread unlike metro hubs which are all metric)
2. And this is in conjunction with the above really, what you can do to correct the geometry is to get replacement adjustable bottom arms and tie bars. Minispares and so-on do them. they won't be "lighter", but they will be infinitley more flexible in creating a a car that does handle correctly. There are also a few suggestions on what the best alignment settings are on the forum, have a search and see what you think will suit you.
3. 12x4.5 wheels do not work without spacers and fit in sportspack arches (without looking ridiculous). you can either go for those 13x6 now, or live with the spacers. (standard sportspack minis are 13x6). 10" wheels will not fit around metro brakes (easily.... apparently they can be ground down to fit, but I for one certainly wouldnt trust grinding a brake caliper that stops me at 70mph!)
4. mounts are really a preferential thing unless on a flip front. basically, the harder the mount, the more noise and vibration you will feel/hear in the car. On flip fronts it is advisable to go with all solid mounts as you effectively lose the front mount.