An English HillClimb rebuild.

not been happy with the brace bars for some time so they went.

and i made some new ones.

need the radiator supports adding.

i also fitted a fire suppression system. 4 nozzles (blue) in the engine bay and 4 in the passenger compartment.

also got on with the radiator mounts.

also had a delivery. still waiting of some others as well but i will have to wait till Tuesday for them.

and the goodies all going into the engine.

Zitat von Minispezial1380

Ob das Auto jemals fahren wird.?Gruss

it has been driven. but on stripping the engine issues were found which meant the gearbox upgrade was not all that was needed. luckily i have the time to fix it at the moment.

Zitat von miniwilli

And obviously also the money and knowledge for all that good stuff and work! Did you notice how much time and money you‘ve spent into that car in the meanwhile? Just to know it......or better not...?

lets say i have more knowledge now than i did when it put it together on a very limited budget 25 years ago. Money is only there thanks to some errors by UK backs in the 8=s meaning they had to give me back money i gave them with interest. and then a few years living like a student, and you plan to upgrade the gearbox and brakes and then find the engine needs work. so then do you just do the same or just go all the way. and then you find something else you cheated on 25 years ago that means another Minispares order even when you are waiting on a delivery on the 15th... then there is finding places/people who can do the machining that you need. and then you find a part you ordered does not quite do want you need so you have to do something different and that means more money.

How much i can not say as most of the work was "free" that is to say done by me or with help by friends when first built.

and finally there are the last things. new FIA race suit and new slicks when you see me buying those then you know the car is ready to race. i was planning for this year but it will not be due to the virus but 2021 may be. but it should be "ready" for any Mini events later on this year. i am hoping to be done this month with just about everything. and hope to be back at work full time in May but lets see.

so what has been happening.

lots of thinking about towing eyes and under body panels. (as the brace bars have changed).
the tow eye should not stop the front end being removed and i need to redo the flat floor. the problem was that they were mixed together.
made a decision on the tow eye just need to add some reinforcement around the stabiliser bracket as i will be using it.
so the tow eye. the yellow thing.

will add some reinforcement across the front and support the stabiliser at its other end.

needed to borrow a gearbox so i can mock up the underfloor parts. so a quick call and keeping social distance i picked up a empty box. put on a spare remote diff housing and other parts.
and

why cant the whole engine be this light

no real progress at the moment just lots of building and stripping down and rebuilding.

but just a note on when buying parts please check them before fitting.

a few pictures will tell the story better than words.
before


after

before the application of a hammer

now to strip the gear box again.

been busy working of stuff under the car and rebuilding the gearbox a few time fitting the fire nozzles in the passenger compartment. running the new brake like to the front and through the bulkhead.

lots done not much to show.

i had forgotten some parts and i have been waiting on others.

also have an issue i did not think about. cant use one of the lower stabiliser bars with the MED pinion support found some inserts that i could machine down and weld onto a bracket but the bolts would be that long... nah.

so some oil and some stabilisers to play with.

nope threads are wrong

right threaded ones on the way.

needs to get on the jig and welded up.

well after spending that money on the KAD brake master cylinders the old clutch one was not looking that good.

So

can get the brackets sorted for the reservoirs now.

fitted the KAD front brake hoses. as you can see a bit of a must if you have a front ARB

onto working out where to mount the reservoirs dont forget the Carb is to the right of them.

at least they are all the same.

the pipe fitting is just the same i only adjusted the fit of the bracket.

so the two clutch MC studs were too short.
so lets swap them out


top tip for refitting the clevis pins

onto the stbilisers



and the rear of the rear mount

trying to fit washers to both sides of the "rose" joints on the brace bars was not really going to work so modified to Rocker cover nuts to use as "spacer" nuts

made up a mount for the resivoirs just need to finalize the hose routing.


still waiting on having the machining work finished.
should be ready to collect this week after a small issue was discovered.

also welded up this

Ok the engine work is almost done but we have a problem with the pistons.

new ones are on the way and these are going back.

new ones will have a surface spray on them to correct the fit.


engine should be available in a couple of weeks.

so as the engine will not be ready for a week or two i asked a friend if i could borrow a spare block.

success.
get a bracket made for engine stand.

then drop it onto the gearbox i borrowed from him as well.

so i can start working out the new cooling set up with the Davis Craig electric water pump.