Got the shop temp up to 50* this afternoon, so I got some more done on the Racing Green, got the "back" of the engine done and the radiator in, now I have to go underneath and finish that end up - run the main battery cable, hook up the shift linkage and the exhaust, then bleed the brakes and the clutch. After that, add oil and water and make some noise! I'm sure there are a bits and odds and ends still loose that will need tidying up too..... Had to stop tho, my feet got too cold.
Alrighty then, only 2 months after I tore it down - back on its wheels again......since the weather will be in the 40's tomorrow I'll put the seats back in, add oil and coolant, charge and hook up the battery, bleed the clutch and brakes and it will be time to fire it up. Not too bad to do a complete engine and transmission overhaul along with the brake rebuild and modify the interior, build new seat mounts and patch the floor. I have some new windshield washer jets to put in and a few misc bits to do after it runs, then put the grill in and the hood back on too.
It already ran in the test stand, but it will be fun to hear it in the car and see it moving again....
The car looks AWESOME! I really love the ole classics! Are you enjoying the rebuild? Besides the cold weather…
Well, she's ready to start, but even tho it was in the high 40's earlier today, by afternoon it had gotten cold again - headed down to the teens tonight and low single digits tomorrow, so I didn't want to open the garage door. I'll be heading out of town this weekend to do the trip we couldn't do last weekend, so it might be next week before I get to drive it....too bad too as it will be in the 50's on Sat, then cold again Sunday when we get home. A friend whipped up this cool cup holder, I put the seats in today and bolted it in - looks like it will work, but he's going to tweak the design a little for me. I got everything ready to go, just need a break in the weather....
I love the coup holder! My Exige has an aftermarket removable cup holder on the passenger side. I have wanted one I could reach. This may work on my car also. Actually I love the whole mini, great job!
Looks like an old Mini Fini cup holder. Are they still in business, or might it be possible to find one on Ebay?
I don't know if MiniFini is still in bidness, this was made for me by a friend - he 3D printed it to fit the seat mounts on a classic Mini
Well, it's a start.... VID 20220113 121155 - YouTube also, my buddy made me a plus sized cup holder....
We have liftoff! I drove it around the block today - it starts, shifts, stops (slowly - I need to bleed the brakes!) and does everything it's supposed to including rattles, squeaks and buzzes! I completely forgot to look at the speedo to see how it compares now that I have the tall diff ratio in it....something for tomorrow's test run. If I get the brakes bled I'll try and get a short video when I drive it tomorrow. I had a thought about the wobble in the steering - I wonder if it was caused by the duff diff? Maybe I'll get to find out tomorrow on my test drive, assuming I get to. We have a weather front moving in hard.....
Well, a little more than yesterday....today I managed to take it for another spin around the block, a little farther this time.....my speedo is woefully off now, so I will be using my Garmin for a speedo - which is what I do anyway. The engine feels good, the brakes feel good and overall I think it will run nicely. After experiencing all three common ratios (3.44, 3.0 and 2.76) I think the 3-1 final drive is the best combination, but the 2.76 will be better for long hauls, and I plan to do more than a few of those this year. I may have a 3-1 coming to me (a guy might want to go from that to a 3:44 for his car) so it's possible I'll have one to swap out if I decide to. I didn't get any video as I was hurrying to beat the weather, but I will the next time I drive it. I also didn't go far enough or fast enough to determine if the front end wobble is gone, that will also have to wait till next time. So far, so good! I swapped my Clubman S onto the rack so I can do some maintenance on it.....
The size differ between the Classic mini and new mini always amazes me. I have a picture of the Helmet next to a classic and the Helmet looks huge! Can you replace the gear for the speedo to correct for difference in final drive ratios?
Yes, but I would have to pull the engine back out - well, it might be possible to do it in the car, but very difficult.... I'll just use my Garmin, I usually do anyway.... A little better size comparison.... After driving the classic (it's pretty much my daily anymore) the blue MINI always feels huge!
5* out today - WAY too cold to work in the shop.....but it's supposed to be in the 50's by Monday, so everything will just have to wait a bit. I found the coolant leak on the blue MINI - thermostat.
The good old leaking Jarvic 7. There are two versions, one that is leaking & one that is about to leak.