1991 Mini - Project Trig

[Mini 360]

Small update. Got my bonnet I am most pleased with it



Sharp colour change line which you cant feel. Epic paintwork!



and dropped in place for a test. One shiny motor!





Looks a bit lost with no grille/grille surround but that will come once the dam electrics are all done.

And a reflection shot just for fun...



It has a unique paintjob underneath but that wont be revealed until show season 2013

[blowntwofive]

awesome build man truly great

[NeilP]

congrats on the feature! love the car!

[Mini 360]

So a weeeeee update for you all! With failure of electrics Ive not had much else to do on it but got some done anyway.

I test fitted my tank and then bootlid at the same time and immediately struck a problem. The lid hit the tank with its internal hinges! Megafail! So I took the tank to Kirkton MBR to get it modified (again)


Didnt need much, just a couple of inches and it clears.



However! The strap that holds it in place now fouls the hinge! So I modded that too....



Bent into a passable state...



It still hits, so needs more modding/bending. Its getting close though.



Once its done the tank needs sealed, fillered and smoothed. Lot of work but worth it!

So I fixed on my latch and got the lid fitted. ITs a crooked fit so need to bend the hinges about a bit to get it sitting nicely and the boot seal is stiff and almost preventing the lid form closing. Need to try and soften it up a bit.



I covered the bit of paint where the pin goes into the latch with a bit of 1mm thick Laminex I had sitting about. Prevents scratching and indeed rust!





Today we got some upholstery work done! I have a theme of black suede and vinyl so got loads of both materials and let my mum loose on them! The results have been brilliant!

Suede cloth....



We got the dash rails done today but no photos yet as they arent finished and need trimmed. VERY happy with them though!

Also got my headlining (black suede too) in, just need to do the tricky bit of sticking the edges to the roof. Nightmare of a job so waiting for more hands on deck for that one.





Oh and I got the car featured in the P&J 'Your Car' section today too! Great little write up and great to see the car in print too! First feature of many I hope.......






So tomorrow is wiring and more upholstering Progressing again!

[TEI7OS]

Glasgow dude, so sort of down the road haha.

[forloveandglory]

Still have a soft spot for those. Owned a pickup, an Innocenti saloon and a Rover saloon. Hurry up, wanna see the final result.

[Mini 360]

Read this all at like 4am the other night man, turned a very boring night into something pretty decent reading material wise haha.


Also small world, I know someone from inverurie!

Thats awesome! I often have evenings like taht and just sit and scour build threads for inspiration. That is indeed a small world! Where you from? UK?

[TEI7OS]

Read this all at like 4am the other night man, turned a very boring night into something pretty decent reading material wise haha.


Also small world, I know someone from inverurie!

[Mini 360]

On holiday from work to get as far along with this as I can.

Seeing as I was fed up of wiring I thought I would build up one of my doors. Task and a half when you are petrified of scratching new paint!

So due to me having a huge selection of glass I decided to go with factory tints all round for a more modern look. Very subtle but its enough that you can just see it.

Got the glass from a donor door. As I took it out, it dropped and I heard glass......thinking the worst I slid the glass out to find it was in tact. Turns out the window had been smashed before and obviously just left in the bottom of the door!



So with that, I cleaned up the glass and put the door together. Took an age but glad I took my time as its perfect now.







I also got my new side repeaters installed.



and i got numerous deliveries from eBay and MiniSport too!

So we have an HIF44 K&N filter, brand new in wrapping for less than half the price it should be on eBay! Also a couple of things from SmiffysBits. Stainless steel slam panel guide and coil bracket. Look great against the red of the engine!



So they were all quickly installed.....





and my battery cuttoff switch which i need to work out how to wire in somehow.




I also got my headlining from Optomise Automotive Mini upholstery specialists. Went for black fake suede. Finish is good but material is very thin. However you wont notice as it will be above you. Plan to get this fitted this weekend and then i can install the windows etc. Got some more of the same material for some custom doorcards my mum is making. They are promising to be amazing if my design works!

Tomorrow is building up another door and then install some more stuff from MiniSport which I will show next update.

[Mini 360]

Had another day at it today. Main task was painting few bits here and there and completing most of the wiring. It was a successful day

I tidied up some routing of wires and got them all reconnected. Then I had to toally rewire the instrument cluster multi plug as it was hard wired into the old loom and the new loom had bullet connectors. As it was I made up spade connectors for easy fitment and future disassembly in the event of an electrical failure.

So with that all done the lights started to spring into life......albeit it slightly weird! The indicators/hazards were on without flashing, the side repeaters thought they were headlights and the brake lights only worked with the headlights on. Not great!



After some troubleshooting I found I had forgotten to reconnect 3 earths on the bulkhead reinforcing plate. With that reconnected it all began to take shape!

Brake lights, headlights, hazards all working!



The lights look dull above but thats just a phone HDR setting I had on. The one below is much more realistic. This is just dipped beam too! Im using uprated bulbs as even halogen lights are crap on these things!



Rear plate LED bulbs work which is a relief as I wasn't sure if I was going to need a resistor in there or not.





Right indicator works, left doesnt on either flash or hazard so not sure whats happening there and foglight isnt working. Overall though Im pretty happy with it!

One downside from today is Im going to change from the crosshair headlights to standard halogen units. Main reason is, although they fitted, I didnt like the modified lamp rings as they had a gap in them at the bottom which looked, at least to my eye, awful. So I will add a set of headlights to my MiniSpares order and maybe get Laminex onto them to darken them a bit. We shall see!

Next step is making sure all the lights/electrics work correctly and then get the tank modified and installed and give it a test start! Getting really close now!

[Mini 360]

Another day down. Good 9-10hrs today so loads done!

Main objective was to get engine bay ancillaries done. Mission accomplished!

No befores as they have been posted already. Got the radiator installed after modifying an existing bracket and creating our own bushes to attach it to the thermostat housing. Big job for something so insignificant.



Also got the heater and all engine hoses installed too. I had 3 cars worth of hoses to choose from and I needed bits from each one given the different cylinder heads and bulkhead holes they all had. Thankfuly had the right combo to fit my car though!

Also got the HT leads on and these funky little lead identifiers on too which i got from the scrap car.



So the bay is gradually getting busier and is pretty much now ready for all fluids, ready for starting.



Also tried to install my wiper motor and rack but the spindles are rounded off so need to order up new ones. I made rubber bushes for the wiper motor so it doesn't clunk or rattle on the move. Old one didnt really do it but better to be safe than sorry!



We also tidied out the garage and I noticed this dude on one of the old shock mounts. A very shocked shock mount indeed!



So now the engine is ready all we need to do is wiring and install a tank and its ready to fire up! Headlining is en route so that will be done by end of the coming week which means the windows can go in too! Its all coming together nicely!

[Mini 360]

Finished work at 4 so came home and set about rebuilding my HIF44 carb. Fairly straight forward but remembering where everything goes does mean you have to concentrate!

So I started with this pretty much all over....





Surface corrosion but nothing the Dremel couldnt sort out. So I got it fully stripped down ready for cleaning and new seals



and was left with this....scary sight!



One thing the new kit has is an improved tip on this......instead of brass which wears down this lasts much much longer.



Then all reassembled ready to fit and go!




Just need a new pipe to hook up the fuel pump to it and its done.

[FRANK_NL]

Amazing mini !!
Like the paint on it.
Great build.. Looking forward seing it finished.

[Mini 360]

I used your tip and it worked a treat! Had a pipe bender just like the picture anyway. Thanks!



Forgot to update with some progress! Been a busy boy!

Got my washer jets fitted. Had to drill the holes as they were made to fit the MPi later model plastic jets which have a D shaped hole. Wasnt nice drilling through fresh paint! Sealed the edge with hammerite to prevent rust setting in again.



And with the help of my mate Greig we got the carpets in. Little bit of cutting needed but nothing too bad! Just need to carpet the crossmember now.



Also got a shot of the flake popping in the roof. Brilliant finish to it!



I rebuilt the HIF38 carb......bolts and tiny bits EVERYWHERE!



took yet another photo of the whole car....



and this was my big purchase. A 1984 Mini City resprayed from original yellow to Tahiti Blue with silver like a late Cooper 500. Its been sitting for over 5 years so it has siffered with sitting outside. Went 50:50 on it with Greig. Shell is beyond saving (2foot hole in the boot etc etc) but some of the parts will be destined to go onto my car and others will be for sale in due course.

So it arrived like this....





and by the end of the day looked like this!



Its got alloy Minifins, genuine sportspack arches, Metro A+ engine with electronic ignition and a 12G940 head paired to an HIF 44 along with loads of other tasty bits! The carb is going onto mine seeing as I have a rebuild kit for it anyway, it would be a shame not to use it really....

Havent touched my car since then as Im working 9 days in a row so coming home knackered. My parents cleared out our loft and now all my parts are in my room. Suppose that will speed me on to get clear again!





So its still going just not that quickly. Currently waiting for my headlining from Optomise Automotive to be made and arrive so I can get it fitted and then windows etc in. Once thats done its just wiring and filling up the tank and its done!

[Buck6687]

i used a brake pipe bender on my e36 stalks: