Prud
Part of things
Posts: 308
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Dec 25, 2009 12:20:58 GMT
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Mate, all I can say is keep the faith. You've done wonders to get your Mini into the state it's in. Hang onto it.
I haven't driven my Morris 1100S for nearly 4 years now. It's tucked away in the shed, awaiting time, money and a kick to the mojo. I've been caught in this situation before. And like an absolute fool, I sold my previous 1100. Felt great for about a week, the next week saw me on hands and knees to the guy I sold it to begging to get it back. I didn't and it's haunted me ever since.
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carmad
Posted a lot
Posts: 2,000
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Dec 26, 2009 12:42:12 GMT
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i just read this whole thread i have never saw it before
you took that thing from total scrap to a collectable van
keep at it get her out in the summer for a bit off fun
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Mark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,097
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I don't know how I missed this - but I've just read the whole thing through and Dave, it's a fantastic achievement. I'm not well placed to send you parts, but if it's any good to you, Minispares North have always been good to me!
Please please please finish the van!
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Apr 20, 2010 18:20:15 GMT
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4 month passed? must be about time for an update then.
Well, Its sat for 4 months and not turned a wheel. The tyres had gone flat again and it had a decent layer of dust on it. I dusted it off a few days ago, put some wind in the tyres and finished a few details in the interior - check straps to stop the doors opening too wide, door cards etc. I took it for CT (french MOT) today, which was its first run in months, and the furthest and fastest it has driven under its own power since it last saw the road in the 90`s. It sits fine on the road up to about 50mph, then scary vibes hit the steering wheel. The front wheels are unbalanced, so I assume that's the cause. My neighbour has a balancer so I will get him to sort that. In for the test and it failed, but nothing serious. Firstly, its missing the front number plate. This is a ball-ache, as I need to source a uk plate, fit it, get it retested, then switch to french plates. I had hoped this would just be an advisory, but no. Hassle and expense I could do without. Next up was a loose bolt on the front tie rod, where it meets the lower arm. The bolt is hanging in the hole and the nut is only on the end by a few turns. I guess I just missed tightening it during the build. Easy to fix though. Thirdly, the rubber boots on the track rod ends have completely disintegrated. Those fuckers were brand spanking new and have done absolutely no mileage! I assume cheap chinese toss is to blame here. Lastly, the emissions practically melted the probe on the test machine. CO should have been reading under 500, but was over 6000. The tester was sound and tried a few sneaky tricks to get the readings down but the end result was "computer says NO". So, a tweak of the mixture screw should hopefully clear that up. It smelt very rich on the run and smokes a bit still. I had already wound the mixture down massively as it was so rich when I first got the engine running that it was fouling the plugs every few minutes. God-knows why it was wound in so high.
Overall, I'm pretty happy though - its a very minor snag list really after a complete bare shell strip down and nut n bolt rebuild, plus the drive there and back, which was a 90 km round trip gave me a lot of confidence in the car. It pulls pretty strongly, handling seems sharp and it never faltered. I had visions of it breaking down en-route or something spectacular like an electrical fire in the custom loom or a hub coming off and catapulting me into the scenery (I suppose if that bolt on the tie rod had dropped out this might still have happened!) but it went fine. Its a bumpy mofo though, even more than I remember being normal for minis. I suspect the original rubber cones are past their best, so am debating on whether to invest in a set of coil spring replacements. If I do that, it will needs new dampers too, so its a fair few pennies, but might be worth the investment long-term.
Not too bad.
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1986 Panda 4x4. 1990 Metro Sport. 1999 Ford Escort estate.
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Apr 20, 2010 18:52:26 GMT
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Fantastic news Dave eight-hundred-and-32-million! So pleased you're on the home stretch after all the frustration - this thread has been a regular inspiration to show what can be achieved with some determination and plenty of skill.
'epic' is a word that's oft overused but I suspect this build actually qualifies. In fact, I'm officially declaring it epic. So there.
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Apr 20, 2010 19:25:42 GMT
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Great News and glad the mini is getting another chance
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Apr 20, 2010 21:07:37 GMT
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Sounds great.
I've never driven a van but maybe they are like any van and ride better with a load?
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Apr 21, 2010 12:38:44 GMT
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Excellent to see the return of dave numbers, this is one of my favourite projects on here. This MOT lark sounds like a pretty successful haul all-in.
You should be able to get a UK reg plate sorted pretty cheaply, i am sure you will get one off eBay that doesnt involve loads of arsing aorund with proving your ID, logbook etc. I have done that in the not-very-distant past.
I thought you were expecting big problems because of the wheel sizes or something? Did that come to nothing in the end?
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1974 Lancia Beta Saloon 1975 Mazda 929 Coupé 1986 Mazda 929 Wagon 1979 Mazda 929 Hardtop 1982 Fiat Argenta 2.0 iniezione elettronica 1977 Toyota Carina TA14 1989 Subaru 1800 Wagon 1982 Hyundai Pony 1200TL 2-dr 1985 Hyundai Pony 1200 GL 1986 Maserati 425 Biturbo 1992 Rover 214 SEi 5-dr 2000 Rover 45 V6 Club 1994 Peugeot 205 'Junior' Diesel 1988 Volvo 760 Turbodiesel Saloon 1992 Talbot Express Autosleeper Rambler 2003 Renault Laguna SPEARS OR REAPERS
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Apr 21, 2010 13:01:31 GMT
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Congratulations Dave, time to start enjoying and not just working on it
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Apr 21, 2010 15:02:06 GMT
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Thanks chaps, its been emotional.
My sister is currently stranded in Scotland due to volcanic nonsense, so I will get her to bring a number plate back when she gets a flight. I'm sure my old workplace will make one up for her with no papers.
As for the tyres, yeah - I was crapping it a little there. Since minis were never homologated for 165 tyres, they are not meant to pass the CT. I planned on trying the "ignorant foreigner" card but I know the chap at this test center fairly well so didn't expect it to wash. If it failed, I would have had to revert to the only size homologated for vans - 10" wheels, which would not have fitted over the disc brakes. Anyway at the test there was a new chap there for training. He asked the usual guy about the tyres and they went into a wee huddle to discuss it. "I will check the system" he said and fiddled with the computer for a few minutes. He came back and said that the model wasn't listed on their system, so no tyre sizes were specified so they had to pass it. Phew.
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1986 Panda 4x4. 1990 Metro Sport. 1999 Ford Escort estate.
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