mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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Sept 16, 2012 10:34:50 GMT
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Well apparently the 1.6 almeras are only 102bhp standard, which doesnt sound alot but considering the mini was around 38bhp standard its quite a step up! And I'm hoping for a tad more than 102bhp once the carbs and a better exhaust is fitted I'm aiming (hoping) for around 140bhp though, will have the carbs, new manifold, new exhaust, custom airbox for the air filters (bike carbs can be a pain with aftermarket filters) and will probably be running megajolt for the timing. I'm hoping to create 2 maps for the timing, one performance and one more wallet friendly to save fuel, but knowing me i know which setting it will stay in... haha. I know someone who does rolling roads and dyno's cheap so will get it all set up properly once its running! Another thing to consider is the almera weights around 1100kg and the mini once finished will probably be sub 600kg it should shift okay! (i have a fibreglass front, fibreglass rear van panels, will be getting fibreglass rear doors, the almera engine weights less than the A series too!)
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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Sept 16, 2012 20:28:50 GMT
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Right I'm in need of advise, the subframe is out properly but i need some advise on some rust! I'm not sure what the rear of the subframe is meant to look like but it the "hole" seems shaped and the metal around it is solid so I'm not sure if its actually meant to be like that? One side is slightly more rustier than the other though. What ya recon? It hasnt spread anywhere else and its solid inside and around the area, the rest of the subframe is solid! Do you think i will get away with rubbing it all down, treating it and painting it or will it need welding? Oh and have a picture of my fixie build with added mini content. (fixie wheels and crankset yet to be fitted.)
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Sept 16, 2012 22:38:47 GMT
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Check your radius arms...if they have play or your planning on taking them off then I would get a new frame (they aint that expensive these days) as youll probably find the bolts that hold the securing plates are siezed... Its not as bad as what you'd normally see but its not great ether...check the upper side above the trumpets too, if its thin and you can poke holes thru id deffo start again... Good luck with the conversion, looks like a nice project get used to welding with a mini!
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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Sept 17, 2012 6:38:33 GMT
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I actually have already removed the radius arm brackets because I have negative camber brackets to fit, its all solid everywhere else, I can't poke holes anywhere
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hamps
Posted a lot
www.medwayrscentre.co.uk
Posts: 2,077
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Sept 17, 2012 8:49:38 GMT
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cool beans
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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Sept 22, 2012 18:12:11 GMT
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Right a friend of mine actually had a spare rear subframe for sale so i bought it from him Only paid £34 but it is really solid! No rust at all in the area shown in my previous pic, there is some surface rust but once i have gone over it with the wire wheel on the drill and hammerited the lot it should be sweet saves me doing some welding! Its still in the car at the moment, ill unload it and get a pic up tomorrow
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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Sept 23, 2012 12:53:55 GMT
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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Sept 23, 2012 16:20:18 GMT
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Started stripping down the new subframe was all going well till the last bolt, one of the radius arm bracket bolts it both rounded and even after hammering a smaller socket onto it the bolt is just turning, the captive nut must have come off inside the subframe which is a right pain! Any suggestions? The actual subframe is solid and even around the bolt looks solid, its very isolated and is literaly just the captive nut which has sheared off!
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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Sept 30, 2012 19:56:28 GMT
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Got the girlfriend to help with the mini Stripped the underseal off the wheel arches, will be treating the surface rust, red oxiding everything, stone chipping everything and painting body colour, hopefully it should be okay not going concourse but do want it looking new! Found some rust it looked solid and wasnt holed at all, luckily i was tapping the surrounding areas with a hammer and knocked this bit and it didnt sound right, i soon found out why! Also sanded down the sides, will have to do some fibreglassing, the window panels must have had air bubbles around the contours of the recess as its falling apart
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Sept 30, 2012 21:05:35 GMT
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I built a clubvan, vermillion orange, black 6x10 wellers, got featured in miniworld last year, mine was all steel tho includin the rear side panels
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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Sept 30, 2012 21:14:32 GMT
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I have that magazine next to my loo, its my inspiration! I will be using the same arches
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Good man! Glad what i built has inspired others to build there own! i do miss valerie, last time i saw her she was gmfor sake in france for £8,500! (i sold her for £3,500!) lol
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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Right I suppose this isnt really progress but its given me a major mojo boost and got me looking forward to finishing! Its just red oxide, I had rubbed it down the other day and could see bare metal in places so thought it was better to be safe than sorry and chuck some paint on. Its actually a similar colour to the colour it will end up, but obviously it will be shinier and the body work will be finished alot better The gel coat is terrible on the passenger side, all along the bottom there is air bubbles so will need fibreglassing and sanding again, luckily the top and the drivers side is okay or I would be even more annoyed! And the sides after some paint (only 2 coats will be adding another, I have been rollering it on and I'm actually pretty impressed with the finish tbh haha)
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Last Edit: Oct 6, 2012 14:32:18 GMT by mt2man
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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I have no idea whats going on with my photobucket, but that picture of my fixie should be a picture of the gel coat, and the one of the inside was also meant to be a different picture of the gel coat! But the first picture does show the really thin sections in the panel.
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luckygti
Posted a lot
I need to try harder!
Posts: 4,912
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Looks great mate, how have you found rollering in the contours? I plan to do the van with a roller and understand how it will work on the flat bits but there are a few small areas where that isn't going to work. Just interested in how you've found it really? Shame about the gelcoat though
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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Rollering the contours can be abit of a pain, luckily most of the mini is pretty flat, the bits like the corners and edges by the sill and roof i just painted with a brush and then rollered upto and smoothed out the bits i had done with the brush with the roller, it levels out pretty well. But the window contours are a little tricker and was a case of rollering in all sorts of directions till i cover all of the area haha, there is probably a better way to do it but it works! The roller has a rounded edge too so getting into the curve is pretty easy. If you do roller it then i suggest you do lots and lots of thin coats (thinned down paint too) this is just 3 or 4 pretty heavy coats, although it pretty much self levels it is abit orange peely, it does dry flatter thoug. This pic shows the finished texture after the roller has gone over it, it looks abit bubbly and orange peely but it settles down smooth when it dries. As you can see i have lots of sanding to do to get the panel to look smooth and need to fix the gelcoat problem :/ but the rest of the panel is very straight which I'm pleased about because i welded up several holes which held the side trim on and only ground the welds flat and used hardly any filler so thats gone well Its still not fully dry yet but in this picture you can see it covers pretty well and evenly, it looks patchy but its just shiny. And finally i offered up my wheels! (this one hasnt been refurbed yet, i will be polishing the rims and paiting the centres black.
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1976 Mini Clubvan 1.6 16vfr€$h&m1nt¥
@freshandminty
Club Retro Rides Member 99
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Will watch progress on this, always fancied a mini van/estate/pickup.
Interested in the paint rollering, what paint did you use? Did you primer first in spray.
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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Its just red oxide primer, there where a few areas that were bare metal so i wanted it covered, its actually from Wilkinsons and is only £4 a tin and i havent even used a quater of the tin yet so for £1 i am pleased with the results haha. Its just rollered straight from a take away tub, obviously i sanded and white spirited the car to remove all dust etc, then just rolled on the red oxide
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philsford
Part of things
Posts: 733
Club RR Member Number: 100
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1976 Mini Clubvan 1.6 16vphilsford
@philsford
Club Retro Rides Member 100
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looks like someone in the past has cut the subframe to make the hole bigger to get to the captive nuts? Did you sort yours? You could do a simlar mod by making the hole bigger then weld a new nut in place then weld a new peice in to make the hole normal size again.
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,364
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That's a very good idea and possibly what has happened, it looks too uniformed to be just rust. I might rebuild the new one with the standard brackets as i don't really want to cut it up and i will probably weld a captive nut into the old one and weld the hole up, then run my negative camber brackets its not really a priority running negative camber i suppose!
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