Feeling the need to tidy up the boot in the '77 and capture a bit more usable space, also protect the battery and keep the spare from flopping around. Here is the before pic: Carpeted boot board was a DIY; the mounting brackets from Newton Commercial Classics in the UK... The finished product. Okay, it's just a boot...but sure to add at least 5 bhp. :wink: ---
That looks very nice! Given the newer Classic Mini didn't have a boot board, thats going to be a welcome addition. You might also consider investing in the battery cover, available from Seven Enterprises. It'll keep any ancillary items, stored beneath your boot board, from being able to contact either of the battery leads.
Well Steve, I finally got the job done. Timing chain and all associated parts are in. Took longer than expected, had some bolts break, but its done. Now that its done I can appreciate and quiet-ish... car.
Installed some new EBC brakes on the front, it seems just in time:blush2:. So far they seem to work real good, but I am supposed to be gentle for a while.:arf: Notice there are little arrows on the pads(circled in green) , I believe that they are supposed point to the direction of the discs. Also the pretty satin black finish goes away fast:arf:
Looks awesome Jim. Can't wait to see them up close and personal. The big Torx bolts look pretty clean...suspect you didn't have any problem pulling the old rotors. (edit: Oh, I see they were replacements.)
I could not get the screw out by hand ,the torx bolt fit with the socket was too floppy, but 175psi and a 1/2" drive impact had no problem:biggrin5: so far they feel real good, gotta be gentle.....
I'm such a sucker for email promotions from the various vendors. When I received the latest from ECS I figured, what the heck, anything that helps R59 visibility to the rear/side can't be all bad. Thus, the new heated, convex blind-spot side mirror glass, left and right, for the Roadster... ---
Correct. It's takes less than 5 min to swap out the glass on both sides. To avoid cracking the old mirror, don't use too narrow of a trim pry tool when you pop them off.
The engine stabilizer bushings on the '77 were starting to look a bit ratty... ...but why just press new bushings into the old dog bone when one has the opportunity to also install a brand new shiny part with them? And while we're under there, might as well do a first-time fit of the supplemental clutch-side stabilizer too... :ihih: -
New rear cones, Hi-Lo adjustables, knuckle joints, and struts... Now it's off to the front suspension, where I'm also installing brand new control arms, refurbished lower arms with new arm pins and bushings. First item is a bit of welding on some inner wing cracks just forward of the upper strut mount. ---
One other completed item...I kept hearing a thunking noise when shifting gears that sounded like failed engine mounts. An inspection revealed that the engine mounts were still in decent shape. Next suspect was the front subframe mounts as I'd read that bad bushings on the tower mounts sometimes made that same clunking. So I loosened the front teardrop mounts, removed the two toe board mounts and the tower bolts, then lowered the rear of the subframe about 2", just enough clearance to remove the bushings above the front cones. Here is what I pulled out: It's a good bet I found the root cause. I went ahead and replaced the toe board and teardrop mounts too while I was at it. ---
New tappet chest oil breather for the '77. Took over an hour to get both the gasket and the bolt into the block lined up, not much room to work. Glad I didn't have to resort to taking the manifold off. Somerford Mini in the UK offered this part for less than half the cost of what Mini Mania wanted. ---