116 replies to this topic

[paulrockliffe]

Can't believe how long it's been since i updated this thread! Have been mad busy.

I took the carbs off AGAIN a few weeks ago to replace the inlet gaskets to try and sort the air leak issues. It took me until yesterday to put them back on, after spending 10 mins pumping fuel throguh tot he carbs Jason fired up and seems a good bit happier, though not perfect. I'm pretty sure one of the carbs is sticking open intermittently, so I think they're going to have to come off again soon to try and get that sorted.

As the engine seems to be a good bit happier I'm going to balance the carbs and do a better job of setting the air/fuel mix up to see if that sorts the last of the gremlins. If that doesn't work I'll have a look at the ignition timing as well. While the carbs are off I might put a longer choke cable on too as thats a bit short too.

My computer terminated itself recently and I've spent ages getting it all working etc, but I've had chance to get AutoCAD 2009 up and running and have designed the first panel for the dashboard. Hopefully I can get the rest done and have my Dad machine them in the next coupe of weeks, then I can get on with sorting the interior out. I will get some pick sup of the dash as it starts coming together.

In other news, it looks like Jason is actually water-tight! Once I left him for a few afternoons in the sun with the windows open all the water inside hhas evaporated and isn't coming back anymore. Bonus.

Me Bird's kicking up a fuss about there only being one seat, so I guess I should put that back in before the weekend.

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

[Jammy]

Have you thought about contacting ML Motorsport and sending the twin carbs to them to sort out and tune? I'm sure Dog sent his to them, and they were able to set them up specific to his engine requirements without them being on the car, and so you just bolt them on and away you go!

[paulrockliffe]

Have you thought about contacting ML Motorsport and sending the twin carbs to them to sort out and tune? I'm sure Dog sent his to them, and they were able to set them up specific to his engine requirements without them being on the car, and so you just bolt them on and away you go!

No I hadn't considered that at all, doesn't sound like a bad idea to be honest, any idea how long it takes and costs? Googling.........

[Jammy]

Contact details are here - http://www.theminifo...Motorsport.html. IMO you couldn't have a better company working on your twins! I think it took them about 2 weeks to do Dog's set, and maybe £150? But I'm really not sure, so best to either ring them, or PM Dog.

[paulrockliffe]

Had a look on their website, looks like it'll be around £250 for my twins, which is probably a little beyond my means at the moment. Tempting, but think I'll have another play myself before I give up! Am tempted to pick up an HIF44 on ebay and just simplify the whole thing, I dunno!

[T.Harper]

Have you centred the needle in the sticking carb? This may be the reason for it not closing properly, rather than a sticking piston.

[paulrockliffe]

Have you centred the needle in the sticking carb? This may be the reason for it not closing properly, rather than a sticking piston.

I posted a thread in the technical section with a picture of the brass bit that the jet sits in. It looks like it's off-centre, no amount of centring the jet seems to have an effect. No one really replied to that thread, so I don't know if it's fixable, I might resurect that thread now.........

Anyway, some progress today, I've been working on my new dash board. I've made a custom switch panel that incorporates battery cutoff switch, ignition key switch, engine toggle switch, push-start, fuses all the various switches and warning lights etc. I've done about as much wiring as possible without sorting a few bits on the rest of the dashboard. The aim is to get as much of the loom wired in the back of the dashboard, with a large connection block that the car will then connect into, should make wiring relatively simple, reliable and easy to understand, and crucially, should make swapping the dashboards over no more than a days work.

Anyway, progress:









In other news; Egg caved in my legal battle with them over the lawfulness of the way my acocunt has been operated over the last 6 years and have offered me just under £1k to shut me up and HM Revenue and Customs have agreed that they owe me £650 in over-paid tax, so I have a bit of cash to throw at Jaason. As you can tell from this thread, work is slow because I don't get much free time with training for athletics and stuff, but I'm looking to get the interior sorted, then find a suitable touchscreen monitor for the Car PC and then swap the wheels and arches for 10 x 6 Wellers and Curley Carbon Miglia arches. I have the wheels, and might begin refurbing them later this weekend.

[Down&Out]

where did you get the sexiful lights from?

Edited by 86-Mini-Chelsea, 24 May 2008 - 08:39 PM.

[Jammy]

Looking very nice with the dash dude. Have you tried posting up on ML Motorsport's forum about your carb troubles? AC Dodd should be able to diagnose your problems easy. And I'm sure Andy wouldn't mind hearing about another Minus!

[paulrockliffe]

where did you get the sexiful lights from?

They're from Vehicle Wiring Products (google will take you there) they're not expensive and are push-to-fit, so really easy to fit. Everything going into the dash is from VWP, apart from the mdf work, which I designed on CAD and my Dad machined up because I don't have the facilities to work with wood.

Looking very nice with the dash dude. Have you tried posting up on ML Motorsport's forum about your carb troubles? AC Dodd should be able to diagnose your problems easy. And I'm sure Andy wouldn't mind hearing about another Minus!

I think the carb troubles are sorted - I didn't know there was a jam nut that lets me move the jet about a bit, so should be able to get the jets centred when I get the new needles sorted. Once thats done I shoudl be able to get it all set up I reckon, then rolling road tuned.

I'm thinking I'm going to paint the entire dash matt black as I've done with that panel. I know it's a shame to hide the weave, but it'll help cover up the imperfections in the dash and will still look really good. Actually, I wonder if there's a company near me that could flock it...........

[paulrockliffe]

Word up kids!

I got off my bum early today and have spent all day working on Jase, I'm on a mini minus mission to get him into shape by next weekend as I'm off to the Lakes for a week and I would love to be able to drive there! I might even book a rolling road slot at Mini Master in Penrith if everything goes to plan.

Things that need doing; new dashboard needs fitting, which involves redoing the entire insideand replacing most of the wiring, so not a small job. Timing checking, idle speed needs to be set, a few test runs to make sure everything is working and that he won't let me down on a long journey.

Progress:

First thing was to strip the interior, once everything was out I cleaned up the floor etc and got the paint out. I bought a big tub of black masonary paint, which is grey, but goes black when it dries, had me worried as I can't afford to hammerite the entire inside and there doesn't seem to be much other black paint out there. Anyway, I got it painted up nicely, three coats, then I hammerited the roll cage as it needed doing where it mounts to the body and I wanted it black instead of the bright red that it was. This was pretty tricky to do with the cage in the car, but I've done a good job. I didn't do much of the top bar as I'm going to be covering it in foam once the paint is dry.

I finally fitted the amplifier that I bought in, what February?, I wired the speakers to it and screwed it into the rear bulkhead out of the way.

I've also done most of the earth loom for the dashboard, I tried to get hold of some relays for the steering wheel switches, but I couldn't find any, so I need to track those down. I'm kinda ready to fit the dashboard, I just don't have a battery cable crimp or the battery cable connectors I need to earth everything and get power from the battery, but I should be able to get these in a few days, so will rip out the dashboard and do as much of the wiring as I can tomorrow.

Anyway, today's pictures are attached:

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[paulrockliffe]

I thought I'd finished for today, but I realised I was bored so I've just wrapped the roll cage in foam, will get some pictures tomorrow.

[BMC Paul]

Good progress Paul

[paulrockliffe]

Cheers Paul!

Another productive day; I've removed the dashboard and stripped all the junk wiring from behind the dash. I'd forgotten just how badly wired little Jason was, there was absolutely tons of wiring all twisted up into a big ball, with connectors everywhere and loads of bits that were wired up in a very unobvious way. Anyway, thats all gone now!

You can see in the pictures how much better things are once the wiring was stripped. Whats left is pretty much all that will be required now that the loom is wired into the back of the new dashboard.

I wired the heated rear window and earthed the amplifier, then I neatly wrapped all the cables that will run down the centre of the car in some black mesh wrap stuff that I got from VWP, next job was to put the drivers seat back in and bolt up the harnesses again. I also glued in the rear side carpets to enaten things up a bit. I still need to get a pairt of 6 x 9 speakers to fill the 6 x 9 shaped holes in the sides.

I was going to fit the new dashboard, but now that I've taken the old dash to bits there's a couple of switches that need sapping into the new dash and a a few other bits need wiring before it goes in. I'm waiting for some relays and a battery cable crimper to arrive on tuesday, then the dash should be a fairly easy job to fit. After the old dash was out I was able to test fit the new one and get the dash a little further in. I can drive with the new dash in, but the gear lever is so close to the centre console that it's not ideal! I can't use my battery cut-off switch because the key interferes with 1st and 3rd gear, so I'll have to put a by-pass cable in until I sort the gear shift location out.

I was going to time the engine, but then I realised without the dashboard in I can't start the engine, so I had to settle for washing him so that he sparkles. I'm done for today I think, he looks really good with the new interior and just the one seat. I've left the other one out as if I take him up to the Lakes next weekend I'll want to get my bike in the back and it makes putting the dash in a bit easier. No doubt my Bird will insist the seat goes back in at some point!

Anyway, todays pics:

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[paulrockliffe]

Got a few little bits done today; fitted a speedo outercable to the engine and started to refurb my 10 x 6 Wellers.

I had the tyres removed from the Wellers today, so was able to make a start on the refurb job, I washed all 4 wheels and got them shiny, then attacked the outer rim of one of them with Nitromors to see how well it works. Was very impressed, the paint came off very quickly with a chisel after 15 mins soaking. I need to go over them with a sanding disk of something to get the last of it off and to remove some surface rust, but apart from that they shouldn't take too much work.

The wheels are a bit of a long term project as the fronts will rub without some body mods and will be too wide for the arches. I think the rears will be ok width wise, and shoudln't need any body mods. Eventually I want to fit spacers for extra width and some Miglia carbon fibre arches, but thats probably a bit off yet as I'll need to get some money from somewhere for the arches and spacers and I want to buy a proper alarm and I need a small computer screen for another little project I have bubbling away in the background.

The speedo cable was a fairly straightforward job, would have been even easier if I'd done it the last time I had the carbs off as the only thing that really caused problems was the heatshield. Maybe this is the one job thats easier on a Minus?? The only problem I had was that the outer cable screw thing is aluminium so was binding until I cleaned it up, filled a couple of dubious threads and oiled it. Once the minimal friction was overcome I was able to apply enough torgue with my arm jammed down the back of the engine to get it tight.

Only problem is that I can't seem to get the inner cable to seat in the correct place, though I'd have thought I should be able to do it by turning it slowly while jamming it up and down, but this isn't working! Hopefully there's nothing blocking the hole as if there is it's pretty much game over for the speedo until the engine comes out, which I'm hoping isn't for a very long time yet!

Ok, thats all I got done today and no pictures as it got dark! Oh, I finished a few little bits of wiring - oil pressure and no-charge lights, a couple of earths and the ignition ket switch - ont he dash ready for fitting. If all goes to plan, ie. the postman delivered a couple of packages to work today, I should be able to rewire the entire car tomorrow evening. Fingers crossed.

Inabit!