181 replies to this topic

[joakwin]

Thanks for posting this, you're the first one I've seen put a Honda D series in a Mini with an Auto trans. I was wondering whether it could be made to fit as I drive an auto also 2009 Clubman S - due to age and bad knees in my case. My current classic is a stick, but I'm planning a project with an Ecoboost 3 cyl, with an auto trans.
 
I was at the MMW in Sandy Eggo too, wonder if we talked there?

Its hard to say if we talked or not, when I was at that show I mostly talked to the people with motor swaps

I know of a few other swaps that have used d series Honda with automatics but Ive only seen it done with clubman front clips, a few years ago when I lived in the UK, one of my old neighbors had a dark gray b18 mini and his wife had a d16z6 automatic estate that was a lighter gray color and had purple valve cover and whatnot, he sold the estate to someone in the southern part of England, I forget the persons name, his mini and his wifes mini where in mini mag sometime late 2014

The other one is a orange clubman by those brothers that are always doing the micra swaps and welding without shoes on, I forget their names

My old neighbor that did the automatic swap, his name was Wilson, and when I started my swap a few weeks ago, I was able to get a few pointers from him, he used an all speed frame and then mod it to fit the automatic gearbox,

I started out with a d16z6 itbs and a manual trans, my subframe was built by Alvis, he was one of my other neighbors when we lived in the UK, he has a red and black K20 mini running in the low 11s almost into the 10s, he lives in the OKC area now

The reason Im swapping from a built d16z6/manual trans to a bone stock d16z6 automatic is because I torn my labrums in my hips and had two failed surgeries to repair them and I know i have a few years or so before Im going to need total hip replacements, so while I still able, Im turning my mini into an automatic and I can still have fun driving my classic.....I had a sweet R53 mini But then I had some brake problems but I was getting ready to sell it because of my hips and I turned around and got myself an automatic Honda Element to drive while I work on my mini again


I plan to have my mini driveable by the end of Oct, but by the end of the year will be fine as well

Edited by joakwin, 04 October 2017 - 02:09 AM.

[joakwin]

1525332_10152164000696684_1001570218_n by joaquinn lopez, on Flickr
 
top view of 9.5 inch rotor with wilwood 4 piston calipers and steel braided brake lines

hi, can you please give me the callipers/disc and drive flange part numbers??? are those callipers direct firment???

The rotors are from a 1998 Hyundai Accent, they were $20 each from autozone

The calipers, I would have to look up the part number but they were the 3.5 mount
The calipers bolt directly to the mini hubs

And the drive flange adapter to the rotor is custom made out of billet
Because the accent bolt pattern is 4x100mm and the mini bolt pattern is 4x101.6
So its a hair bigger

The thickness of the adapter, I dont remember off the top of my head, I will have to measure it
But you can place the mini rotor next to the accent rotor and measure the amount

The flange that the wheel bolts to is stock mini for 85 and up 8.4 rotors

Im still using stock mini outer cv joints

Edited by joakwin, 04 October 2017 - 01:55 AM.

[joakwin]

Only thing I did on the project today was take a good nap after work and then I took the drive shafts off of the itb motor

I plan to take the Honda inner cv joints apart and use the automatic inner cv joints on my Honda/mini axles
So that I can use the joints that were on the automatic axles again

[cooperS]

 

 

1525332_10152164000696684_1001570218_n by joaquinn lopez, on Flickr
 
top view of 9.5 inch rotor with wilwood 4 piston calipers and steel braided brake lines

hi, can you please give me the callipers/disc and drive flange part numbers??? are those callipers direct firment???

The rotors are from a 1998 Hyundai Accent, they were $20 each from autozone

The calipers, I would have to look up the part number but they were the 3.5 mount
The calipers bolt directly to the mini hubs

And the drive flange adapter to the rotor is custom made out of billet
Because the accent bolt pattern is 4x100mm and the mini bolt pattern is 4x101.6
So its a hair bigger

The thickness of the adapter, I dont remember off the top of my head, I will have to measure it
But you can place the mini rotor next to the accent rotor and measure the amount

The flange that the wheel bolts to is stock mini for 85 and up 8.4 rotors

Im still using stock mini outer cv joints

 

Gracias/Thanks!!!

[DomCr250]

Nice project, the deseaming of the whole shell looks great, love the Auto install too.

 

I purchased a couple of wheels off Wilson before he moved back.  When he was in the UK he was on the TMF and the 16V mini forum a lot.  His clubby Auto Estate went for a song, I think they got under £4K for it, which considering his standard of work was a real bargain for the new owner. 

 

Looks like your car will be a real sleeper, it's going to surprise a good few cars once its back on the road.

[joakwin]

Nice project, the deseaming of the whole shell looks great, love the Auto install too.
 
I purchased a couple of wheels off Wilson before he moved back.  When he was in the UK he was on the TMF and the 16V mini forum a lot.  His clubby Auto Estate went for a song, I think they got under £4K for it, which considering his standard of work was a real bargain for the new owner. 
 
Looks like your car will be a real sleeper, it's going to surprise a good few cars once its back on the road.

The roof rain gutter was the hardest part of deseaming the car, the roof kind of has a backwards C In the rain gutter area, so I had to do a lot of welding to fill the area in but at the same time you cant run a bead on it because the metal is so thin and it dont like the heat, I used some .23 wire to try and keep the heat down, if I were to do it again, I would tig weld it because tig is so much nicer to metal with the heat


The sides to de seam were simple

I shaved the rear bumper as well, but I used some tube to add the bumper back on so the bumper has a gap between the body and itself

When I shaved the rear bumper, I got a new rear valance and part of the boot floor and I welded those two panels together from the inside and then fitting the panel to the bottom of the car and welded it together on the inside of the car and also welded it on the outside
Double weld so that I could have a good amount of metal to grind down to smooth it out to try and cut the amount of filler needed to make it look right

The car was a monster before with the itb motor, single cam Honda making 175 hp, it was fun to drive and could smoke most cars on the road, but since my hips cant handle the clutch anymore, it was time to change it up, I find out on the 20th if I have to get another hip surgery or two

I miss driving my mini, my r53 was nice and all but its not the same as a real mini

Edited by joakwin, 08 October 2017 - 11:39 PM.

[DomCr250]

I've completed 2 de-seamings myself - always kept the roof gutter because it rains so much in UK and the gutter helps with door seal leaks.

 

Yes, doing the rear valence is a challenge as it's where three sections meet - I did the same as you, created an inner lip and then welded that from the inside.

 

Good luck if you do need surgery, my brother had both hips replaced (at 40 and 41), he manages to do most things but gave up riding motorbikes!  Anything in that section of your body is a tough operation.  However, you have need for speed, plus being a petrol head helps a lot with motivation in the post opp days.

[joakwin]

22308588_10155711142196684_6434268033763244956_n by joaquinn lopez, on Flickr

 

engine in by joaquinn lopez, on Flickr

 

front clip by joaquinn lopez, on Flickr

 

lhd dash by joaquinn lopez, on Flickr

[joakwin]

I've completed 2 de-seamings myself - always kept the roof gutter because it rains so much in UK and the gutter helps with door seal leaks.

 

Yes, doing the rear valence is a challenge as it's where three sections meet - I did the same as you, created an inner lip and then welded that from the inside.

 

Good luck if you do need surgery, my brother had both hips replaced (at 40 and 41), he manages to do most things but gave up riding motorbikes!  Anything in that section of your body is a tough operation.  However, you have need for speed, plus being a petrol head helps a lot with motivation in the post opp days.

 

I'm trying to put off thr's for as long as I can

and driving an automatic is better then nothing

 

I run a shop for very large diesel trucks, that are used to refuel air planes, 6000 gal jet fuel refueling trucks

 

so I don't have to turn wrenches as much anymore, 

but it still sucks not being able to, but I do a lot of pointing and telling the younger peeps what to do

but I'll be medically retired from that job early next year sometime around April or so

 

today I got a walking cane to help get around

 

my buddies are always giving me a hard time because half the time my mini is off the road

but I tell them its been on the road the last few years

and then I feel like making a few changes and then I end up stripping the car down and starting over with it

 

I'm trying to have the ac evap box and blower motor box mounted into the car by this weekend

so that I can start to fit the dash into the car

 

the dash is for a lhd Honda del sol, but I'm going to section it about 11 inches or so

and also cut it into 4 and make it a rhd dash

 

It would have been less work to start out with a rhd dash and then cut it down

but rhd dash is big bucks here in the states

and I'm trying to keep the cost down and get it done as fast as I can and be happy with it at the same time

 

I took my axles apart tonight and I had a broken cage on the mini outer cv joint but the balls where still held in place and function like regular, wasn't knocking or anything

 

I have extra outer cv joints, so not a big deal

 

I almost said F it and didn't take the axles apart to inspect but it worked out for me I guess

would have been a bigger problem down the road

 

I'm ok with the fact that the car wont be ready by the end of October, my goal is to start it by the end of the month

and have it driving no later then the new year

 

 

I'm going to convert the mpi tank metal hose send and return lines to -6AN fittings, I hope it works out without getting to pricey for the fittings to adapt it

and then stick the Honda fuel pump inside the tank

[joakwin]

today i put the ac pump brackets in the hot tank to clean it good

 

 

and then i painted it gloss black, still waiting on the bracket to fully dry

 

i hope to have it back on the motor tomorrow afternoon

so that i can start measuing for my alt mount

 

the alt is going to mount in the location the old power steering pump was at

 

not sure how its going to work yet, but i have time to plan it still

 

 

[joakwin]

Installed the axles
made and welded the mounts on for the upper coilovers


Tomorrow Im going to install the shifter into the car

[joakwin]

alt mounted by joaquinn lopez, on Flickr

 

alt mounted and upper coil over mount tabs made and welded in 

 

shifter in car by joaquinn lopez, on Flickr

 

shifter inside the shell made, I used a manual boot to seal the cable to the floor, I have to re-seal the floor from the hole I cut in it, i'll make a patch panel and weld it in, not a big deal

[joakwin]

shifter from top by joaquinn lopez, on Flickr

 

top view of the shifter

 

I plan to make a console to go around the shifter, I kind of offset the shifter to the left side, no one cares about the passenger side of the car, lol

[joakwin]

booster by joaquinn lopez, on Flickr

 

pedal box by joaquinn lopez, on Flickr

 

 

putting the stock Honda pedal box/booster/master cylinder into the shell

 

kind of figuring it out as I go

 

my mounts right now a very temp

 

I plan on working on it today to do away with the temp mount

[joakwin]

brake set up by joaquinn lopez, on Flickr

 

Honda brake set up in my shell now

 

I'm trying to do away with as much mini parts on this car because mini parts cost a lot more here in the states then they do in the UK,

and Honda parts are super cheap here

 

I'm going to put the Honda rear disc brakes on this car as well, but I need to read up on that, I don't know if anyone has done it before