A little inside

 Finally found a couple of hours to spend in the garage. It would have been more but money was waved at me,so I spent the morning working on some one else's car.

I did manage to find the internal light wires and mounting holes that where hiding behind the roof liner. It took a lot of gentle stretching of the liner and carful poking through it with a bradel, to not leave any damage that would be seen.

I had managed to wire up connections for the later light version, but a quick check with a great group on face book put me straight. 

Whilst changing the connections I found the head light switch which had gone awall. So it only seemed right to move onto the switch panel. After a little double checking I fitted a few connections to blank wires and added illumination wiring for the headlight switc, all was going good. I got to the last switch and noticed it was wrapped in black tape.... Holding the 2 halves together. Oh well, avoided buying a head light switch but now need a hazard switch. Well it was good to be finishing some of the important interior.

A bit of closure

 At last, the doors are getting there. New colour coded handles are fitted to both doors, glass is in, internal locks re attached and the weather strips are installed. Boy those "shall I bother, those will be so easy I could do it later" weather strips !! Note to self do the internal one first the. Do the external one or brace your self for one big work up to send them fully home.

Before I cracked on doing the doors today I decided it was time for a fresh to do list. I have relied on these to try and keep the focus going to prioritise the order of works and also give my self a chance to ponder on the forth coming steps and check for parts, as best I can! Well this list might well be the last one I do, and to top it off there are not that many scary/expensive jobs there. 

Well I'm sure there will be some surprises left for me, especially as we will be entering testing stages in the not to distant future. But for now we take the positive.

It's been a while

 As it's been a while I thought I should update...... With what?

It has been odd. I have been doing bits but looking at it, nothing much seems to have changed.

A test fit of the brake servo led onto moving the bias valve and make a new fixing for the servo brace to bulkhead.

I had fun refitting the doors, might have turned out me doing re Ferb work in little stints bit me. Turned out I had 2 drivers handles so I did one door and came to a Holt as the exterior handle is the first item to on. A few weeks and a few false promises of the correct parts I ended up with a pair of colour coded handles. I was torn, I had the parts (only one component is handed and quick to swop over) but with so little chrome going back on Marmite colour coded handles had been a thought for a while.

Yes, gone for the slight step back and I colour coded the handles after a strip down and prep. So I am fully loaded to re start the doors but I can finish the main hard ware fitment.

I am still adiment I will source and fit the bezel rings on the fresh air vents, I have one so either a cheap copy will be made or I'll do a silicon mould and make a proper one from scratch. Yes you guessed it, like rocking horse poo getting those rings on there own.

Today was a nice mile stone though. The front screen is in, a bit of a work up getting the rubber seal to sit right before fitting the needing. But all done and next time I see the internal mirror I'll pop that on.

Fresh in is a brand new interior light and led bulb, I just have to soften the roof liner enough to find the mounting bracket on the car to fit that one !!

Well we are moving forward and have a few jobs I can still get on with before I go over to my parents to fit the last of the ancillaries and bring the engine back to fit it.

Watch out project blinky, there is a slim chance I may beat you yet?!? I'm no way near their standard, but then I'm no way near as experienced.

A dashing effort

 Finally a creative push that hasn't been foiled by the garage pixies.

The lower dash rail cover has been a challenge to fit. Largely down to just 2 simple, small brackets that hold the switch panel in place. But they have to be fitted before the dash rail cover is glued in place.

Discovering they where another unobtainable part was a blow. Finding one in my spares was fantastic but dashed by realising the later version of choke cable I bought, did not fit the standard mounting bracket. I designed I revised bracket for the choke cable that would also hold the switch plate instead of just a spring clip that holds cable to switch plate only. At that point the garage pixies hid the standard bracket! 

A week later I gave up looking and made one of those along with the revised bracket. They ended up being proto types to gain a very nice final alignment. But that was fine, one lunch brake over at my friend's work shop and they where remade and painted by the end of the day. Even made some spares on the off chance its half decent and others may be interested?

So after weeks of researching, pondering, loosing parts and then making new ones I have been brave enough to glue the dash rail in. Cable fitment tomorrow and finally the switches and that refurbished heater can be fitted now I don't need the access.

It does lead me into making mounting brackets for the 3 dial cluster as I only have the twin mounts. No point trying to find buying one as a wooden dash will be done soon enough and said bracket will no longer be required. At least I'll have most of one to copy this time though. Oh and I possible picked up the last component for the dash, I got a clock, yay.

All over the place

 Since the last update I have been ... Yep all over the place on the mini. Well it felt like it.

I decided it was time to go visit the back up engine in another garage. It was filthy, so got down and dirty cleaning it up. Couldn't help my self and I had gone prepared with the drill and wire brush to clean up the ally bell housing, to get rid of the oxidisation.

With that little spruce up done, I moved on to fitting the new clutch and fly wheel. With the fly wheel fitted it was the first time I was able to do a compression test. Nice and even figures, so called it a day on the engine.

Work on prepping the front hubs continued. The second caliper has been stripped and painted, leaving me just the seals to change on the second one. The calipers split in half, bit of a shit I managed to loose 2 bolts that hold them together, sourced some and they are in the post! 

On the front hubs, where predictably taxing to remove the castle nut. But out came the big torch, a 1" drive socket set and a very long bar.

The ball joints where removed and just left me a truck load of thick old black grease to remove before I get round to replacing the ball joints and wheel bearings. I did split the wheel nut plate from the old brake disc, painted the brake disc shaft, I was good and masked it off. I might not have been bothered to go to the garage to get a Stanley blade, so the kitchen knife was a great substitute! Always pushing my luck, well I have been cleaning and painting the calipers in the dinning room so why not. When I find the torque setting the wheel nut disc can go on the new discs all ready for when the hubs are finished.

So the end to my weekend was yet another order with mini Spares... For another £100 of parts, which I am almost getting used to being a disappointingly small box when it turns up. But that should be all the parts to finish the front hub refurb complete and the last few bits to bolt on ancillaries to the engine. Which I hope just leaves the carb to sort out for the engine.

Tiny update

 As ever progress but not ground braking. Having to think hard, as much as other bits of life have not left much time for the mini I have been on it.

Door cards, I must have mentioned I had reglued the covering seem/edge back down to the reverse of the card. As the door cards are obviously stored lent up against the fish tank in the dinning room! I noticed recently as walked past them a nasty curve between the trim poppers, I expect they have a proper name, the bits that pop into the door skin and hold the card on. As that end was on the exposed end when open, I got back on to the idea of making the cards and re using the covering. It's still in good nick and I like them. After many measurements and second guessing a little due to the partially blown card, I had it all. At work I programmed and cut a prototype which ended up being pretty dam close, add a little BL tolerance with oversizing the holes and we should be good.

The keen eyed might notice the window handle hole is off. We shall just call that one of those moments. Checked it over and just have no idea what I was thinking when programming that, it's noticed and easily sorted.

Checking the prototype on both doors I gentle dug out and later on the lawn, I re noticed the scuffs on the top frame. Poss done when I brought them home in my car? I also noticed the paint going to the window rubber was patchy. A quick clean up, mask up, paint,clear coat and all is good again. Was quite glad it's done, as the temp will be staying low now and I don't want blooming in the paint. So made the most of that bright Sunday afternoon.

At last I got the other calliper off. Went to my friends and used his duga duga, or an impact gun if your posh. One stone gaurd is sandblasted and sprayed the other is in the que

The above is just sandblasted, but what a difference.

The last thing I did was pop round to my parents where the second (stop gap) engine is stored. I needed a fresh look at it. A couple of bolts missing and dirty, of course. But it has all the brackets there, water pump, fuel pump, silicon bypass hose and it's had fairly regular oil changes by the look of the clean rockers. It still turns over by hand, so all was looking good apart from the missing dizzy cap. I then fiddled with the clutch arm, nice and free.... I took the bell housing off and there is zero clutch, yay!

A full kit with fly wheel £260ish, bugar. I have already been looking at caliper seal kits, discs and pads on top of a few other small parts. It was starting to mount up, again, sigh. A few messages with a friend who is cutting back on his parts and I should be getting full clutch, discs bearings and ball joints for £140. Quite relieved and thankfull, I'm waiting to collect the parts ready to attack the next phase.

A ray of light. With my friends parts, that could see the engine together enough to drop it in the car, and with front brakes overhauled, bearings and ball joints. This is getting closer to the right hubs and wheel offset for the first time, as they are metro bubs at present and sit wider than they should.

There will still be all the ancillaries to sort out which some are already prepared and others need sorting. As this wasn't the planned engine it needs some different spec bolt on's. Glad I didn't sell the spares as I now need them! But the to do list after the engine and front hubs might fit on one page... If I write small ! 

A little more

 Bits and bobs was on the agenda.

As the boot lid was getting close to instillation I thought changing the boot lock was a good idea. Obviously that meant I had to clean and buff the handle till it was gleaming and set about stripping it to change the barrel. Having watched a YouTube video to make sure there wasn't any quirky bits that would catch me out... It's a mini, of course it's quirky! A sort of circlip holds most of it together and a sneaky tiny locking pin needed to be drifted out. Then just out in the key and use that to draw the lock out. Sounds easy, lol. The circlip and pin where easy but not having a key slowed me up. So it was brute force/wack a screwdriver in it and turn/pull. 

I might have installed the handle upside down (the key was upside down) the first time, I sucked it in and re fitted it having wresteled with "can be arsed, is it really going to matter" and the fixing bolts where a bit taxing. Would only bug me latter!

With that done I found the other boot strap fitted that and set about bolting on the boot lid, it linned up ok which was a surprise but all nipped up my word it was a bit tight to close. It's a new boot seal which do bed in so we will see if I need to add another gasket on the hinge to ease closing or it beds in. I already have a spare pair so no big drama.

Bulbs.... Owww!! So the mini is old, bulbs have improved, and become a pain. Orange indicator bulbs are just simple standard bulbs.... Nope new ones have off set pins and I need parallel pins. Eventually found the right bulb code and bought some, argh, that's the rear lights finished. Front side lights... Same problem with the pins! I had only just exchanged the indicator bulbs at Halfords that morning for petrol resistant lacquer to do the inside of the boot lid before it was fitted. Yep I have spare bulbs for the, more modern, daily car now! 

A few days ago it was time to stop putting off the fog light switch. Made in 1980 it was not required to have one but five years later they made it law and back dated it for cars made upto five years prior. This meant the wiring loom does not have the wiring to the switch but I had installed a new rear loom so I had wires... Just no where to put them. The brake test switch which is often not used or hidden behind the dash has been sized up to supply power and light to the switch. The theory is good, I really do want to get some power on the car and check the multiple tweaks I've done have all panned out ok. Watch this space.

While I was on that the discoloured switches bugged me. I quickly found that cleaning did next to nothing but a rub with my nails took the grey white discoloured coating off, not the quickest way but a nice result. Especially as I have been told by many the new switches are simply shocking and don't last so refreshed old ones is much better. Happy with that, re use and save a few pennies is always good.

Jumping back a bit, I knew the squirties would be coming up so I dug the screen wash bottle out. Yuk, dirty! Now would be the easiest time to clean. Had to use a few poky tools to get the inside corners and a Stanley blade to gently remove a odd burnt bit on the bottle. It looked almost exactly like my spare, I was pleased with the result. Still don't want to fit it till I sort out the new pipes for it but it's good to go and a easy install.

I have now moved on to the front suspension/hubs while I wait to fix my daily car and know I have the money to buy the latest round of parts holding up some of the current jobs.

One calliper and stone gaurd is off, that calliper is cleaned up. The other one is being stubborn and I may have smashed my finger quite well trying to remove it. That's why I'm doing this instead of getting dirty, badly brushed bone means not enough grip and I'm also sporting quite a few cuts. Keeping the hands clean tonight!

The stone gaurds are 2 parts held together with a Phillips bolt and crappy nut. Really? In a place that gets caked in water lots. Well done. Mole grips and undid them quickly so the boot would shear. It was a 10mm nut so the metric replacement I was going to fit won't be out of place. Do I really need to say, the stone shield I have off is already sat next to the sand blasting cabinet waiting to be cleaned up.

As these where donated to the cores and have been sat up for at least ten years, a full service kit was always going to be needed. Seeing the pad springs fall in half just confirmed that idea.

I have private work to do this weekend so not expecting to much progress for the rest of this week. But may get a chance to remove the front cones to replace and out the hi lows in as well. We will see.