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 Post subject: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: August 31, 2014, 8:04 pm 
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I hope you guys don't mind, but I'd like to do a build log here for my Mini resto-mod project.

Here she is as I picked her up. A pretty basic 1964 Mini from New Zealand. Looks like the original color was red and she's had at least one repaint. Current color is orange. I'm thinking that this could / should be my Clemson car.

Attachment:
photo 1.JPG

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photo 2.JPG

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photo 3.JPG

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photo 4.JPG


Doors are nice and solid on both sides
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photo 5.JPG

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photo 6.JPG


A pillars look good
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photo 12.JPG

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photo 7.JPG


B pillars look good
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photo 11.JPG

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photo 8.JPG


C pillars even look good
Attachment:
photo 10.JPG

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photo 9.JPG


There is some rust at the body seam of the C pillar on the right side. Pretty sure I'll find some rust in there

There is a small hole in the passenger floor panel. It feels pretty firm. I'll know more later
There is some bubbling at the bottom of the front wing and in the bottom of the outer rocker. Doesn't seem to have filler in it, so that's a plus.

I put it on jack stands today and the bottom looks better than I thought it would. The rear subframe has some dings, but nothing other than surface rust.
The front subframe has been liberally coated with rust preventive motor oil courtesy of the little A series engine.

I think I'll spend some time with her tomorrow and do some light disassembly. Bonnet, doors, boot lid, rear windows, pull the interior...
more to follow


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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: August 31, 2014, 10:46 pm 
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Nice one. I'll enjoy following your progress on this project.
TooBusy wrote:
I hope you guys don't mind, but I'd like to do a build log here for my Mini resto-mod project.
Heck no, we* don't mind your build log. But some of us might mind the placement. To quote The Guidelines, "Here is where the build logs go for non-traditional build logs. Mid-engine, three wheelers, you name it. If it's not your typical Locost it goes here." So by the power vested in me as a mod, I've moved this topic into the non-trad forum.

*I'm not royalty, and I'm not an editor, but I do have fleas and am thus justified in my use of the plural.

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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 1, 2014, 6:29 am 
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JackMcCornack wrote:
So by the power vested in me as a mod, I've moved this topic into the non-trad forum.
.


Great. Thanks Jack

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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 1, 2014, 7:05 am 
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I find new bubbles to clean out every time I turn around on the spitfire. Kimini doesn't have that problem!

How do the lower inside door glass sliders work? I see a chrome tube with a knob on it as best I can tell from your pics.

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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 1, 2014, 7:26 am 
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The windows ride in felt lined channels. The latches bolt to the window glass and the "latch" is just a pin that goes into the holes on the aluminum trim piece.

Push the button the retract the pin and slide the window.

here's a better pic
Attachment:
door detail.jpg


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http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 1, 2014, 7:26 am 
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Looks like the original color was red and she's had at least one repaint. Current color is orange. I'm thinking that this could / should be my Clemson car.
Not just no, but HELL NO! Any color but orange... *Note* I might be biased.
Attachment:
Wolfpack!.jpg


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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 1, 2014, 7:30 am 
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I think orange body, white roof, and a BIG AZZ paw print on the roof


Attachment:
tiger.JPG


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OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216


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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 1, 2014, 7:35 am 
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Thanks for the clarification. I was looking at ways to improve the sliding windows on the trike.

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360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
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McSorley 442:122x46x14
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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 1, 2014, 10:27 am 
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Tom pretty kewl!

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https://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19012
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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 1, 2014, 3:43 pm 
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Saw this window sticker last week:


Attachment:
Mini Cooper funny sticker1 reduced.jpg


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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 1, 2014, 3:55 pm 
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Very cool project. Glad to see you finally found one.

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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 1, 2014, 7:30 pm 
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Decided to start blowing apart the Mini today. I wish I could say it was easy, but she fought me every step of the way.

First, pull the grill, no problem.
Then front bumper. One side easy, other side the stud on the bumper spins in the hole... no way to get a wrench in there. Come back to that later.

Back bumper, One side stud shears off, other side spins like the one on the front. :BH:

Ooooh Dear previous owner, these wires are too small for a 30 amp circuit.
Attachment:
wiring 2.JPG

As far as I can tell, this screw up by the DPO is what took the car off the road. I think he was having a problem either with the switch or the starter solenoid and decided to put a hot wire from the battery main fuse thru the switch, to the starter solenoid, to ground.

I pulled the plugs, squirted a little oil down the bores, and spun the motor by hand. Compression on all 4 cylinders. I haven't calibrated my finger lately, so you'll have to wait before I call it good.
Attachment:
pull plugs.JPG



The electrical fire took out a couple of other wires in the bundle that goes to the binnacle. :shock: Good news though. Remove the stooopid and connect the battery. Lights work, signals work, but blink really really slow, heater fan works.
The wire bundle smells like burned plastic, so it's coming out.

I traced back wires, checked against my wiring diagram and put in a temporary wire of my own using 12 gauge, a solenoid and a start button. I just want to fire it up and take a couple of laps around the neighborhood before I blow it apart. Best thing about an old car all I need is power to the starter and coil to make it run.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOO FREAKIN HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She runs, doesn't smoke and goes through the gears!
Brakes suck, I'll bet a find leaking slaves when it comes apart.

Let's blow this baby apart and get after it.

I was scared years ago the first time I stripped a harness out of a car. That was FrankenSprite. Now after Tetanus and the R1 project I don't even give it a thought.

Wires coming out.
Attachment:
wiring1.JPG


All that's gotta go
Attachment:
wiring 3.jpg


Disconnect the speedo and combo gauge and instant hole in dash. That created some space to remove the heater and the switch panel. While I was in there, might as well pull the steering column.

Attachment:
dash 1.JPG

Attachment:
dash 2.JPG


Time to see what it looks like down low in the rear.
Right side
Attachment:
rt rear floor.JPG


Left side. Looks like I'll be spending some time cutting and welding back here. Floor pan and a bit in the inner rocker.
Attachment:
lf rear floor.JPG


Pull the seats, pop the doors off and call it a day.
Attachment:
boom blew it up.JPG


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Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216


Last edited by TooBusy on June 30, 2016, 9:23 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 3, 2014, 2:21 pm 
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Storming here last night so I didn't do anything on the Mini. Hopefully today I'll get a couple of hours in the garage after work and have the engine / trans pulled... we shall see

Once I get the engine out, she'll come off jack stands to drag outside for a SERIOUS pressure washing. All of the fiddly bits will already be off the car, so I plan to hit it with 2000 psi inside and out with some degreaser or TSP in the mix.

I want to get all the dirt, any loose paint, loose rust, grease, and grime off the car before this weekend rolls around. Saturday morning I'm headed to my local metal / scrap yard to pick up a sheet of 16 gauge mild steel.

With the bead roller, good shears, two different metal brakes, and English wheel available I plan to make as many of my own patch panels as possible. There are parts I know are outside my scope and abilities, no so sense spending $50 on a floor pan that I can make in an hour or so.

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Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216


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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 4, 2014, 8:47 am 
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You're having fun. A thick, brush-on rust dissolver would be nice though. You may want to mix up some waxoil.
I had two rounded off bolts holding my torque converter to the flywheel on the trike that I had to grind off. Also a few blind fasteners that kept spinning. I guess the square hole in the bumper is rounded out, letting the bolt spin?

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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12


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 Post subject: Re: Too Busy's Mk I Mini
PostPosted: September 4, 2014, 9:33 am 
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Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F wrote:
You're having fun. A thick, brush-on rust dissolver would be nice though. You may want to mix up some waxoil.
I had two rounded off bolts holding my torque converter to the flywheel on the trike that I had to grind off. Also a few blind fasteners that kept spinning. I guess the square hole in the bumper is rounded out, letting the bolt spin?


It might be a good idea to buy some Naval Jelly when I get it all cleaned up. Let the chemicals do the nasty work. I was watching a youtube video last night about dustless paint stripping. Looks like there's a kit to attach a sandblast nozzle to a pressure washer... could make short work of the couple of heavy layers of paint on the body... Of course it could make short work of all the bodywork as well.

Waxoil is definitely in this cars future. So is some weld through primer and POR15 :wink:

I'm not sure if the square hole is round or if the corners of the carriage bolt are gone. Either way it's a great big pain in the arse. I'll bust out the welder and tack the bolt to the bumper this weekend.



Last night I tried to make some headway removing the engine. I kept getting visits from one of the neighborhood kids. Every time he rode by on his bike, he would come in and poke around the garage for a few minutes.
Then a buddy of mine came by to ask a couple of questions about the Volvo he just bought and he hung around chatting for an hour or so.

Finally started wrenching on the car about 7:30. I wanted to get the radiator out. Man o man a lot of work in tight spaces. 8 bolts holding the shroud to the rad, 2 bolts holding the bracket to the thermostat housing, 2 more bolts holding the bottom bracket to the chassis, then pull the hoses and catch the spillage in a bucket.

The radiator shroud has some SHARP edges. It doesn't look too bad today, but I bled like a stuck pig last night.
Attachment:
oops.JPG


Pulled the radiator, crawled under to unbolt the exhaust. What moron welds the exhaust full length from header to tip? I'll have to sawzall the pipe to get the header out of the way.

Tonight I'll pull the u bolts from the rubber couplers, remove the shifter, unbolt the motor mounts. She should be ready to lift out.


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Too much week, not enough weekend.

OOPS I did it again
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=17496

Blood Sweat and Beers
http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=15216


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