Most liked posts in thread: '66 Cooper S Restoration

I doubt it would have been 1500cc as the 1275 had only been introduced a year or so before that and carried on till the end of production.....but I know what you mean......and it would have been a Cooper S, not SS unless they had something different in France

In '66 they did have the 4 synchro remote shift transmission, but earlier cars and smaller displacement engine cars did not have synchro on first. Soon after that they introduced the first rod change gearboxes, which all had 4 synchros.

Today I popped the front end over and set it up on a table so I could plan the wiring setup I'm going to use, and I sorted out all the remaining loose wires in the harness at the bottom front of the car. I sure makes it easier to work on these things when there's no front end sheetmetal in the way.

 

Last thing I did tonight was put these three rubbers in - they're to mount the windshield motor to the bulkhead and boy howdy are they one bitch kitty to get in place! They're just as thick on the other side of the bulkhead and stiff as can be, and the wiper motor has three long studs that pass thru these.

I put them in a glass of water in the microwave for a minute to try and soften them up - it didn't really help but I got them in the end.



Oh, and the tanks came back from the powder coaters

 

More electrical work.....

The owner has both a TomTom and a GoPro he wanted wired in, and he also wanted a power socket so he can charge his phone. I also needed a power source to run the little washer pump motor. To run all these I decided to set up another sub fuse panel, it's located on the flat part of the dash pane, and because he has a wood dash, it will be hidden but still accessible thru the glove box door. Power comes off the ignition switch and is currently set up to come on with the switch. If he decides he wants them hot all the time it's easy enough to simply move the feed onto another terminal on the ignition switch.




The paint color on the switch panel looks very blue next to the green, even tho the can said "light machinery grey"



So TomTom......done and tested
GoPro.....done
Power socket....done
Washer pump....done
Power socket.....done
Rally lights....done

I've started testing the other equipment too....wipers work, so do the park lights although the right rear doesn't light, need to see if it's a ground problem or a bulb. Fuel pump runs, motor cranks although I haven't put any fuel in the tanks yet. Till I get everything electrical done I don't want to put gas in them in case I have to remove one or both again.

I haven't located the feed wires for the heater yet, I may have to just make up my own. The two red wires hanging down also need to get located to the light switch - they're for the dash lights.

 

Back to work on the '66 Cooper S.......

All the lights have been tested and they work - and no smoke leaked out!




I still don't have the horn working, looking into that.

I had to do a small repair to the speedo housing so I'm waiting for the JB to cure before I re-assemble the dash again, probably not be able to finish that till tomorrow. I also mounted the wideband gauge in the bracket I bought - there were no clips or anything so I just ran some clear silicone around the back and mounted it that way - should work just fine.



I had to get another bulb holder for the temp gauge, and I had to establish grounds for all the instruments.

I took the left door handle and boot handle up to the local locksmith - who was not amused that I keep bringing this old British stuff to him to fix - but he said he'll give it his best shot. The boot latch is siezed, we may not be able to save it and might wind up just buying a whole new lockset.

I also got the new kick panel installed, getting the old rivet heads out without scratching the door was not fun.



Lots of little jobs completed, moving right along now, still have a lot to do but several mountains have been scaled at this point!

 

Got the front end mounted back on the car, all the wiring turned out well and has been tested and it all works as it should....I won't get to test anything with it on the car just yet as there are too many loose wires hanging under the dash that need to be located first. The two white wires in the second pic - white/purple is for an oil pressure switch that this car doesn't have - it has a gauge - and the second white wire is the supply to the rally lights, both have been tidied up now. I also made some ground connections - both to locate ground wires in the harness but also to ground the subframe to the engine - Dan already had nice braided ground between the engine and body, this ties it all together.




I also put in an order to bolt depot - in addition to just replenishing my stocks I needed some allen head screws to attach the steering wheel to the hub and they came thru - there were exactly the right length and size - 6mmX1.0, not 1/4 -28.....must be a European made wheel. Racemark? I still need to figure out how to make the horn button work, there are a few bits missing that I'll have to fabricate.



Next up, I need to mount his air horns, the compressor seems to be locked up so I'll be sourcing a new one.
Edit: the air compressor is shot, he asked me to just mount regular horns instead.

I mounted the wiper motor and wired it up, I also bench tested it to make sure it ran - I should have done this on the Inno but neglected to,

Next up, I'll straighten out the under dash wiring, ignition switch and wiper and headlight switches, then I need to wire the license plate light and I should be ready to test it all out.

I also expect the tanks back this week so I can mount them - but I'm waiting on a sending unit as the one in the car was no good. All in all, coming together nicely - as soon as some parts get here I can button up a few things, till then there's still plenty to do.

 

I made up a list of things that need to be done....

66 Cooper S notes - Faulkner

Remove gas tanks and take to powder coaters in Tongi ...Done

Pick up tanks, rinse debris and reinstall and plumb all hoses, vents and fuel pump pipes... Done

Remove front end, build detachable wiring harness and wire front end...….Done

Install and wire Rally lights, switch and relay......Done

R&R wiper motor and bench test, install mounting bushings, wire and install......Done

Install dimmer switch and wire to harness..... Done

Install accelerator pedal and cable and engineer hookup to carb.....Done

Install gauges into wood dash and install dash....Done

Install and wire dash switches in center dash, ignition, wiper and lights – and choke cable....Done

Install new turn signal switch and wire......Done

Install steering wheel on hub, engineer horn button to work....Done

Install two regular horns, return air horns to owner...………...Done

Install and wire GoPro....Done

Install and wire TomTom GPS....Done

Install and wire power socket to charge phone....Done

Install and wire dome light....Dan - wiring is done, just needs lamp installed

Wire lic plate light......Done

Re-key door and boot locks to one key......Done

Install washer bottle, pump and button and wire and plumb to work, install washer nozzles......Done

Install and wire wideband, weld bung for sensor into exhaust pipe.....Done

Make and install bonnet support cables...…..Done

Install seat belts.....Done

Install new kick plate......Done

Install heater and new hoses, install heater control cable

Install handbrake handle and cables....Done

Test all electrical functions......Done

Take it for a drive

 

Turns out there are some special brackets missing that I need to install the dash and gauges, Dan is looking for them when he gets home again, but I still have plenty of other things I can do. Got a few more things checked off the list in the meantime.....first I made some support cables for the bonnet when it's open, I didn't like that it was just hanging off the hinges. Now as long as it doesn't get slammed open or someone leans on it too hard, these should work fine - they're the same cables used to hold the boot lid.



I also engineered and built a bracket to hold the washer pump bottle and wired/plumbed it all in, tho I still have to wire the button, you can see it in this pic - the red button.




I also got the wiper motor bolted down in those three bushings I had so much trouble with, so it's done


I also got the new turn signal switch in and sure enough as I expected there was a bit missing - the small copper pad that rides on the steering shaft and grounds the horn was completely gone off the old switch - it never would have worked.

 

More progress....

More electrical work done - all the dash lights work now, I also got the tail lights and brake lights working - the taillight was just a bulb. GoPro and TomTom are wired hot per the owners instructions, but I still have to do the wideband - I had to order a bracket first to mount the dial but I can go ahead and plan where to mount the o2 sensor and weld in the bung, then run the wiring up to the dash. Last thing electrical I need to do is finish wiring the t/s switch and horn. I also got the speedo cable installed. I ordered a new choke cable but got the wrong one so I need to re-order that.

I put in the heater control cable and once the T/S switch is done I can bolt in the heater - then I can run the new heater hoses and top off the coolant.

Tonight I got all the gauges installed and hooked up, and the brackets to attach the wood dash in, then mounted the wood dash - however I think I need some different screws to mount the metal surround to the speedo housing as the heads of the screws hold the wood up off the bracket instead of letting it fit flush. I used pan head screws and I think I need flat heads

With that all done I'll be ready to fire it up.... and maybe take it for a spin!




Still need to install the seat belts and handbrake cables, and mount the rearview mirror and GoPro to the windshield too.

 

The area around the hole was cracked so I just used a large washer - the JB Weld didn't really hold but the housing is well secured to the bulkhead so it will hold just fine.

I got the dash installed, but I may wind up taking it all back out again tomorrow as I didn't hook up the speedo cable to the speedo and I'm not sure I can get it on as I can't get my hand around the Weber carb.

I also went to a lot of trouble to set up a stud to locate a bunch of ground cables but then once the housing was in place some of them wouldn't reach so now I'll have to set up another.

So, steps forward and then back again.

I also had a fit with the fuel gauge, I had speedo installed and was testing the electrical system and noticed the fuel gauge was pegged full - but the tank is empty. Several hours of testing later I decided the problem was the gauge itself, so I swapped in the old one and it works perfectly now.

So tomorrow - speedo cable, grounds, seat belts, heater and a few other bits and bobs and it's ready to start. We've already had it running but I think this will be the first actual drive.....assuming it does.

 

Went to install the heater, but found I don't have the extension stud that allows you to set the heater left or right depending on whether its a LHD or RHD car. Dan will see if he has one Friday when he gets home again, I looked but found no mention of it on any of the parts sites.

So next up I mounted the seat belts. It's interesting that this car has all the threaded holes to mount the belts except the ones that mount the reel. On later cars the reel is mounted inside the companion bins, but on these early cars that have ashtrays the belt would rub if I mounted it in there, so they have to go on the outside, which does limit seat travel a bit.

All the door locks and handles are done and work perfectly now.

The dash and steering column covers are both in too, looks pretty nice now!

More as it happens....

 

I came up with a way to mount the dome light wires with crimp on ends so I wouldn't have to use bullet ends, Dan can mount the light once he's happy with the headliner. I also got the speedo cable on the speedo and mounted the ground wires, so I think the dash is pretty much done too. I also mounted the inner seatbelt latches......I think all that's left are the heater and rear boot lock assy, once they get here next week sometime. I also got a new battery for it, although I still need to run up to Vicky Brits and get the hold down j-bolts. Getting the speedo cable on involved removing the air cleaner and its baseplate so I could get my hand in there, and I had to remove the choke linkage on the carb so I could slightly drill out the arm to accept the choke cable trunnion.






I have to sit down and read the instructions on the camera, every time I disconnect and reconnect the battery the thing switches on - I don't know if it's been recording me the last few days or what!

Dan should be home over the weekend, so next week he'll bring the Inno back and we'll swap cars again. I'll be happy to see this one leave and then I can finish up the Inno, which is really close to being done too.

I rebuilt a Sprite motor over the last few weeks and delivered it to the customer a couple days ago.

I have three Sprite gearboxes waiting to be rebuilt, but those go pretty quickly, and Clancy may need some help buttoning up the Moke one of these days. Once all that work is done I'm probably going to retire for a bit and have my knee replaced sometime in late Feb or early March - at last! It's been bothering me for about 10 years now and it's really gotten bad the last 6 months or so.

Once I'm up and around again I have some brake work to do on my Racing green car.

I'm also going to upgrade my electrical panel on the house so I can add a bigger air compressor and a media blast cabinet, and get my basement re-organized and cleaned out once and for all

 

Thanks Don! Next project is to builld a Sprite race box with straight cut close ratio gears, then another Sprite box, this one for the street.

In the meantime I'll be finishing up the Inno so it can be sold on.

Happy holidays to you and yours!

 

Fired the 66 up today and drove it around the block again - to get ready to load it on the trailer - and left it on the curb idling while I moved the other cars out of the driveway.



Came out to find it dead......tried to start it and no joy. I decided it wasn't getting fuel and as I had just put 5 gallons in this morning I knew it wasn't out of gas, so I changed the solid metal fuel filter in the engine compartment out for a clear one so I could see what was going on. Turned the key and it immediately filled with gas and started right up. Drove it around the block again and all was fine.

When John got here with the trailer I tried to go around the block again to get lined up so I could drive on but it died on me halfway. I've decided it must be the small metal filter in front of the fuel pump that was clogged up as no fuel was getting to the filter even tho the electric pump was running.

I walked back and John and I drove the trailer around to the car - luckily it's pretty easy to push a Mini up onto the trailer, so it's loaded up and ready to go, when we get to Dan's we'll pop that filter out and clean it and drain some gas and see what we get.

 

Back to Dan's shop north of Tulsa, car started right up and drove off the trailer! grrr......

 

I guess I didn't do the follow up on this car, the fuel filter was clogged as expected, so Dan drained some fuel out and replaced the filter - car started right up and ran sweetly, although again, the jets aren't right so that will need to be sorted. Owner came to get it and drove it the 30 miles home, big grin on his face!

A few weeks ago the owner contacted Dan about changing the carb out for an SU - who knew that was going to happen?!?!

Owner loves the car and drives it daily now......great to hear a successful rebuild like this, glad I could play a small part in it.

 

Yep, beemerchef - glory days!

I got most of the front end harness done and sorted, just gotta lay in three more wires and then terminate them into the one end of the disconnect. Once that's done I'll do the same on the car end, then re-install the front end and see if anything works. Actually, before I can do that I have to straighten out all the dash wiring, install the new turn signal switch and sort out the gauges. Looks like the tanks will be ready early next week, so then I can install the tanks and senders and button up the boot. Still a ways to go....

 

In this case, yes. MiniSpares is having a black Friday sale just like everyone else - a brandy new one with fuel gauge and voltage stabilizer is less than $200, I don't think I can ship it both ways and get it fixed for less than that. The only down side is that it won't show the accurate mileage - as this is a one owner car - he's had it since new. But he'll keep the old one and if he wants to at a later date he can fix this one and put it back in.

Today's work was tearing out the entire instrument cluster and dash to get the speedo out.

I also installed the Wideband system. I had to pull the exhaust system to drill the hole and weld the bung in, then remount everything, clamp it all, run the wideband cables into the car and hook it all up. However I won't be able to mount the gauge till the bracket comes in next week sometime.

I'm hoping I can get the order from MInispares before Thursday as they've been shipping stuff pretty quickly again lately, but with the holidays it might get delayed.

 

This evenings work....

I installed the e-brake cables - a thankless job, especially on my lift - a scissor lift is the least ideal arrangement when it comes to working down the middle of the car. But first I had to remove the other cable - it was for a later model car and would not work with this one. Once I got the old one out - which was a single piece cable - I had to install the right ones, which were individual left and right cables.

All done and adjusted now.

Before I can change the locks to match each other I'll have to get a new handle as this one is broken, I added it to the speedo order, I hope they can add it in and ship with the other parts.

Another job ticked off the list!

 

More work on the 66, I decided to hook up the dome light after re-engineering how the wires attach, and it didn't work. So I got out my trusty 12V test light - no power to the light......hmmmm.

So, I checked the wire group under the scuttle and found one wire disconnected, and several that were almost so - the first good bump and some of them would have quit working. However, in order to get to the bunch of wires in that harness I had to remove the wiper assembly as the wires were partly wound around the cross pipe.



That led to another discovery - the fitting that the wiper tube attaches to was cross threaded and partly stripped - I noticed that when the wipers worked they were noisy and slow - I think I found out why. So, yet another trip up to Victoria British - fortunately they carry a fitting - it's a little different but it can be modified to work, which I did. I also disassembled the entire wiper assembly and cleaned and re-greased it all. Now it's much smoother and quieter.....




Back to the wiring.....I also found the wire to the fuel gauge was broken right at the bullet fitting, so I had to make up a short length and splice it into the harness. I also decided enough was enough and made my self a tool to push the Lucas bullets into the tubes. I just took an old pair of farmer pliers and sliced a notch in the jaws - worked a TREAT! I was considering buying the tool that does this but once I looked at it I figured I could make one.



So, first the wiper assembly went in, then I used my new tool to insert all the wires in the tubes and viola! it all works now.



Only took about 4 hours......

 

I found the mounting holes for the high/low beam foot switch..... I thought there would be captive nuts but it turns out they're just sheet metal screw holes. They don't look like they were ever used either. They were buried under the carpet and sound insulation.





Next I sent a friend a note about some leads I'll need, the other ends are there in the harness, but I will need the connecting wires - I can make them but if he has the right ones that will make things easier.....and more accurate.

I also sorted out the ignition switch leads, two of them were reversed..... and I've pretty much got a handle on the rest of the wiring.

I need to install the accelerator pedal assembly and cable and hook them up to the carb.

Then install all the gauges and wood dash once things are wired up.



I'm still working out the horn button as there are a few bits missing there too but I have a lead on them from one of the LABCC members left over from when I fixed her horn on her 63 Mini.

The front end is on and wired up but I have to sort out how to tie down the wires so they don't rub since this is a flip front car, and I'm working out how and where to mount some stop cables like the boot lid uses to take the weight of the bonnet when tipped open.....

I also need to sort out the heater, and I sure hope it doesn't leak when I put the hoses on and fill it with coolant.

The tanks are back from the powder coaters, but I won't install them till I get the new sending unit and the cross pipe - all that is supposed to be here on Thursday, just in time for our weather to warm up too.