Most liked posts in thread: Mini Ecoboost Project

I fit up the motor to the subframe and right away several issue were evident - the A/C compressor will NOT fit where it's supposed to, and the axles were at crazy angles to reach the hubs......so I spent several days pondering, moving, adjusting and scratching my head trying to figure out how to make it all work.

I'm still not 100% there, but one question needs to be answered. I always thought the axles should be as straight as possible to the hubs and gearbox under normal ride height - is this correct, or just the preferred situation?

Cause a buddy of mine pointed out the crazy angles his VW bus axles run at all the time. First thought is - yeah, but it's a slow moving low HP bus - except it isn't, it's a 150hp bus that he tows a loaded trailer or a Mini behind at 70+ MPH for hundreds of miles at a time, and after 20K miles or so, his axles still seem fine.

I also seem to remember that Project Binky's front axles run at some angles too?

Point being if i can run some odd angles, I can probably put my A/C compressor back on.





To test out a couple of theories I moved the engine around, tilted it somewhat and built a couple of brackets to set the ride height approximately where I think it will be - at about 1/2 of the shock travel. Doing all that I've managed to get the axles pretty much straight on in both directions. I will have to do some small modifications - I'll need to remove a boss on the oil pan where the A/C compressor used to bolt up, and I will have to completely engineer a bracket to remount the compressor somewhere else......but that at least gets me in the neighborhood.

But, if I can run the angles then I may be able to move the engine back further in the frame set and put the compressor back on.

What say the cognoscenti?

 

I'm probably going to redo the other motor mount, I'm not completely happy with it.....

Ran out of welding wire, I usually just buy it from Harbor Freight, but they didn't have any of the 2 lb .023 spools I usually buy, nor did I see any of the 11lb spools either. I asked at the desk and they found a lone 11 lb spool " in back" that I think had been on the shelf a long time, based on the amount of dust on it, so they gave me 20% off. It's .025 which actually worked a little better on this 1/4" thick metal, but we'll see how it does on the thin sheet metal.

Next I need to find where I put my extra tips as this one is toast......I just saw them the other day but could not find them tonight.....naturally!

I bought a package at HF, but they don't fit this welder at all.

 

But first I finished up most of the motor mounts today - the engine end motor mount is all welded up and bolted in, and I got a pretty good start on the engine steady.....it's a little crude looking at this point but it will do the job I'm pretty sure. The last bits I need to make are the brackets I'll weld to the frame. There is a pretty large rubber bush I need to press in the frame end of the steady, then drill some holes in the brackets for the thru bolt to go thru, weld the brackets on and that's it.







With that done I'll get the final measurements for the axle lengths and see about getting them made. I sent a note off to the machine shop in Burlingame on Thursday to see about having them make them for me, but I may not hear back from them till after the holidays. I was kinda hoping to take the axles up to them before Xmas so that I could move a little further up the line, but it's not a critical thing at this point.



Still waiting on my fully adjustable coil over shocks, and my new turbo outer CV joints. I'm sure there's a little more fettling I'll need to do on the motor mounts yet, then maybe I can get some paint on them.

 

Next I'll cut out the seat bottom, then the companion bins, then the floor....that should get me close to being able to do a trial fit.

I did go ahead and cut out the backrest tonight, but given our weather pretty much all next week I think that's as far as I'll get for now.

 

It took just over two weeks, but MiniTec say they got my axles today

They say they can turn them around to me in a week......we'll see. I hope they return them via FedEx or UPS tho, cause I'm reading that the post office has close to a million undelivered packages, some from before Xmas!

 

all that's left is the rust!

Having a difficult time getting the rear sub into place......there are no instructions of course, except that the floor needs to be cut 27" back from the crossmember - which it is. Other than that they just gave me access to a bunch of pictures of the cars they did in their shop, which I've followed carefully. Still won't fit......scratching my head for a bit now....

 

Still don't have the parts for my air punch,, tho they show them shipped out via USPS on March 27th......

Today I cut a chunk out of the old back panel to fill in the hole for the fuel filler. The panel is curved in two directions so there was no way I thought I could make a piece that would fit correctly.....my buddy Dan suggested cutting it out of the other side on the old panel and it fit beautifully!

 

So, after making the rear brackets and marking where the holes should go on the rear valance, I dropped it out and welded in some flange nuts. I made a little bracket so that I could set the height just below the surface of the valance panel and tacked them in place, then went around and tacked the whole nut in place. After that I ground off the nibs so I'd have a flush surface for the bracket to mate up to.





That done I bolted everything back into the car and to my complete surprise it all fit and bolted up!



The back end of the subframe was only bolted to the parcel shelf, I needed to get these brackets in so I could unbolt it from the parcel shelf and add in the top parts of the subframe so I can see how it all is going to fit.

Next up I'll pull the valance back off and make sure I've cleaned up all the weld nibs and get it ready to finally weld into the car.

I also went over to Northern Tool and bought a couple of trailer fenders, with the idea that I may use those to form an inner fender from the q panel out to the sport pack flares, that should give plenty of room for tires - but I'll need to do some careful measuring first. If it looks like it will work I'll split it down the middle and have one for each side.

The fronts will be stock 13"X6" wheels so std sport pak arches will work there, in the rear I'm looking at either 13X7 or maybe even 13X8 wheels.

 

My goal is a classic Mini that drives very much like a modern car......some say that takes all the character and fun out of it but hey - it's my damn car!