116 replies to this topic

[Dan1991]

Liking that alot. Got the basics there to a start of a even nicer Mini.

[panelbeaterpeter]

I've definitely got it somewhere, I'll have a look for ya when I go home for chrimbo!

[paulrockliffe]

I've definitely got it somewhere, I'll have a look for ya when I go home for chrimbo!

You're a legend! Cheers!!!!

[panelbeaterpeter]

No probs mate! Try and remember to send me a reminder via PM around the 20th of december, I'll forget otherwise.

[Jammy]

I think my seat is in about the same place as yours, I'm only 5'10" at a push, though I do like to stretch my legs out! How does an internal gear lever help, can you move it back/forward? I was thinking if it was a problem I'd just get a dog-leg machined up for it.

Its a combination of the seat being far back and the Curley dash meaning its a stretch to get it into 1st gear, and when I do it hits the centre console part of the dash. I want to make it internal so that I can position it where I want, I can lift the exhaust up a bit, and I can cut the lever down a touch and shorten the throw.

[paulrockliffe]

I made it home before dark this afternoon, so was able to do a few things! Jason works again, now he has a charged battery! I feel a bit of an idiot, but what can you do!!

I adjusted the bonnet mounts so that the bonnet sits properly now, took the seats and seat belts out so I can fit my own ones and adjust the leg room a bit. Next out came the................sub box????? Random, car is now about 20kg lighter, wooooooooo! If anyone's after a sub box type thingy:





Shout up if you want it, don't think this would be Minus specific, but may need fettling, let me know or it's going in the bin probably.

While taking the seatbelts out I was under the car and realised that speed bumps may be a bit of a problem, clearance at the floor pan is about the width of my arm plus a jumper, and I'm just a skinny runner! Oh dear! The pics don't really do it justice:





Would appreciate some advice on my throttle linkage:



All looks a bit Heath Robinson to me, the split pin you can see is the final link between the throttle cable and the throttle, might have to get that sorted! Any clever ideas, send them my way, I'm thinking bolts, nuts and some sort of roughed-up washer arrangement?

And finally, a gratuitous engine shot:



More tomorrow hopefully!

[Jammy]

Ooo, get some pics of how the rad was mounted please! Has the fan been cut down?

[paulrockliffe]

Ooo, get some pics of how the rad was mounted please! Has the fan been cut down?

Ok, will sort those for you tomorrow. Do you want pics of the roll cage mounts too? They're just cut at an angle and a plate welded on. I can't tell you about the rad off the top of my head, but the bonnet isn't raised at all, just has a bulge where the oil filler cap is, which, based on photos I've seen, is unusual on a Minus.

[Jammy]

Yea, I know about the bulge in the bonnet for the oil cap. I have one on my bonnet too. The other option is to weld up the hole in the top of the rocker and weld in a piece of piping into the side so you can fill up with oil, or take the rocker cover off when you need to top up.

As for the rad. I believe you have to take the rad bracket off the top of the engine mount, then turn it round to dop the rad down a couple of inches. This then causes the problems of the rad cowling fouling the fan, causes alignment issues with the mounting screws down both sides of the rad, and also problems with the bottom hose needing to be stretched to reach the outlet at the bottom of the rad. Any pictures of how these issues have been overcome would help thanks.

[paulrockliffe]

I didn't get as much done today as I'd hoped, mainly because of the rain, but also because of the on-going electrical gremlins - more of that later!

First job was to try and get the engine running a bit better; I got my instructions out, had a read, then wired up my rev counter so I could set the idle speed a bit easier. THis was the easy bit. Next I started to think about attachingt he choke cable so I could still start Jason once he'd been leaned out. To do this I started to take the pancake filters off so I could get at the linkage.

What did I discover??? Well, the pancake filter contains a strip of foam that wraps around it's inner edge, so isn't a continuous piece of foam. When one of them had been fitted it had been put on with the break in the foam right next to the carb intake, so when I'd reved it on saturday afternoon I'd managed to suck the end of the foam into the carb! This is what had been leaning out two cylinders and was why there was a bit of an impreza-like burble going on!

I decided to pass on adding the choke and put it all back together to see if it was running any better; yep!! Amazing! Only problem is that the engine idles at about 2000rpm, because the throttle cable is too tight, I'll be sorting that tomorrow, once I've sorted out the dodgy throttle linkage:



I also tested the carbs with the lifting pins to see if they're running rich still, aparrently they're running lean now. Might have a play with them tomorrow. In the mean time what are the symptoms of running lean? How does it affect the engine and what comes out of the back?

Next I put the drivers seat back into the car so I'd have something to sit on and then moved on to the electrics. I tried to identify all the wires behind the dash and get them connected up, the closest I got was the indicator lights worked for a while, then things went mental. The indicators themselves stopped working and for a while the indicator lights were coming on on the dash when the main beam was on! I haven't really got a clue how that happened, but no doubt it's down to a faulty earth. I think I'm going to remove a lot of the wiring from the back of the dash and re-do all the earths, before tackling the rest of the earths behind the dash board. Good job I'm off work for a few days!

Also, the rev counter works fine, but as soon as it touches 2500 rpm the gauge dies and doesn't do anything. If the engine is turned off and back on it works straight away, but dies again at 2500 rpm. Ideas?

Jammy - I got those pics for you:











Looks like the fan has been cut down to me, but I don't know what else has been messed with. If you need higher res pics, I can email them to you.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to get the carbs set up well enough for the MOT (visual check only) and get the speedo cable attached. Would be nice to get the dash wired up and working, but who knows!

So, in summary, can you answer the following:

1. What are the symptoms of running lean? How does it affect the engine and what comes out of the back?
2. What's up with my rev counter?
3. How do I wire up the fuel gauge and engine temp gauge?
4. Can I fit the speedo cable with the engine in the car?

Until next time............

Edited by paulrockliffe, 22 November 2007 - 05:20 PM.

[paulrockliffe]

Oh yeah, how do I test my alternator? I dont' think it's charging, that or the battery is wrecked??

[mini-majic]

to test your alternator have the car running and using a multimeter set to read volts simply stick the neg and pos leads on the battery and it should read above 13.3 (14 to be safe) anything lower and you alternater is not charging.

also just check your battery output without the engine running, if its low (under 12) charge it and then test again. if its still low then you need a new battery.

[paulrockliffe]

Cheers, I have discovered that without the 'not charging' light on the dash board wired into the alternator circuit it wouldn't be working anyway, so hopefully getting that to work will solve my problems with the alternator.

Does anyone have a wiring diagram for the old 3 clock centre dash anywhere? I'm struggling a bit to wire in my fuel gauge and engien temp sensor!

[paulrockliffe]

Spent all day deciphering the wiring and labelling everything so that I wouldn't forget what does what. Managed to lose power to everything other than the starter motor somewhere along the line, but now I've worked out where everything is earthed I think it's a 10 minute job to sort everything. Decided to leave it for tomorrow as it means standing outside in the cold and I was freezing inside the car, despite having a mains heater in there with me.

Have managed to get the engine to idle at about 900 rpm, but the throttle sticks open slightly, so once it has been reved it idles at about 2000 rpm! Another job to sort out! Am I going to have to take the carbs off and clean up the linkage or is it because the springs are too long so not able to pull the throttle closed properly? Will try and work it out tomorrow.

Feel like Iv'e not really achieved anything today (

[paulrockliffe]

I've managed to get some of the electrics to work now, there was no power getting to the stalks, so things work now, though I blew the headlight fuse, so need to change a few wires about to sort that out. Fuses were generally a bit confusing because they're all linked together, so are on the earth side of the loom.

Not really a very productive day, but I have fitted another eight earths that will make things a bit easier in the future. I've also run mains out into the car, fitted a 100w light anda heater, so I can work in the dark!

Edited by paulrockliffe, 24 November 2007 - 06:38 PM.