1978 Austin maxi 1750HL

[bmcnut]

Mar 29, 2024 21:35:27 GMT redratbike said:

no spotlight and take the over riders off too 👍

Would look good without the overrides, but they're rather rare cable changer optional extra overrides that don't have the black rubber strip like later ones. My inner maxi geek likes them. Tried a spotlight


Prefer without I think.

[westbay]

Spotlights and overriders

[zeberdee]

No badges , no spot lights , keep the over riders .

Think you’re gonna get a few different opinions on this 😂

👍

[bmcnut]

Mar 30, 2024 9:23:16 GMT zeberdee said:

No badges , no spot lights , keep the over riders .

Think you’re gonna get a few different opinions on this 😂

👍

I've got the same different opinions going on in my head 😄. Once I find the nut for the other spotlight I'll try them properly. I've got a couple of badges that might make their way onto it but I like the clean look. It might even loose the austin letters on the bonnet.

[bmcnut]

Another day of not getting the brakes done because I'm too busy messing around with shiny bits. Took the austin letters off the bonnet, which wasn't a 5 minute job as they've been on there for years and the sticky had sort of bonded with the paint. Once all residue was off I lightly sanded the front edge of the bonnet and polished it. And then stuck an S badge on.



Then added more shiney bits


Then took the shiney bits off and stuck the austin letters on the chrome trim under the grill.



Although I like it with no grill badge I'm tempted to get an early shield badge that has a silver Cross instead of the red checks. And the overriders might be going and may be replaced with mini clubman underriders, or nothing.

[bmcnut]

Got outside today and had a go at the brakes. Only did one side befire it rained. Discs are slightly pitted in places but after a good sanding should last abit longer. They're not too easy to get, the pads are fine and are easy to get and are the same as dolomite pads. Removed the austin letters and the bumper, it needs a bit of straightening and while it's off i'll be removing the overriders. And fitted the new badge. Thought it was a plastic one but it's a metal one. Proper ebay bargain.


Also last week I got a bit artsy on my phone

[bmcnut]

A busy few weeks with the car, serviced the brakes front and rear, changed the sparkplugs and fitted new air filters which were slightly overdue


It was running very rich but the filter changed improved things, I've slowed the idle down and weakened it off abit but the carbs still need balancing, it's running a lot better now and doesn't stink which is a good thing.

Another maxi came up for sale in banger circles on fb, was offered in maxi-land but got snapped up by another racer. A maxi person managed to trace where it had gone abd contacted me to let me know as it wasn't too far away. So off I went. The car was a blue '76 hl with blue interior. It was absolutely rotten and had been parked outside for a couple of years with a window open and had become a home for the local cats. Still, I got me some bits.





I was hoping for the blue interior but most of it was rotten and filthy, but I got the seats as the frames were straight, and some other bits including bumper irons and bolts, as the irons on mine were slightly bent and missing afew bolts. Also rear quarter windows abd rubbers, badges, wipac fog lights, steering wheel centre, the wheel itself was knackered, and some other bits abd bobs, all for a drink 😁
I didn't take any before pics of the seats as they were so filthy that I didn't hold out any hope that they would clean up OK. But I had a go. The rear seat isn't perfect but its good enough, the front seats however. ..


.. and will be going in the car when they're dry. I wanted to change the seats as dad put ambassador seats in which look great, but sit far too high. Finding these blue one so soon is slightly awesome.
And I've been out driving it. Still afew bits to do but I'm really enjoying it, and reminding myself how much dad thought about when he built it. It's got competition bump stops on it, and makes it more like driving a big mini.



Next jobs, bumper and seats.

[glenanderson]

That’s a proper result. 👍

[bmcnut]

Ain't it just. Its weird how these things seem to have a habit of falling into my lap.

[generallee]

Good Stuff!

[bmcnut]

Today marks 55 years since the Maxi started production, so to mark the occasion I decided to pop down to my cars birthplace, dad's old lockup.



Same place almost 35 years ago. The original TTN at the back


So glamorous


Then I got a vaguely suitable beer 🍻

[bmcnut]

Put the blue seats in today. Only the fronts as the rear is a little tired, but they don't look odd, they're just surrounded by black so the black rear seat looks fine.
These were the Austin Ambassador seats. More supportive, headrests, and match the maxi rear seat. But sit far too high.


And what I have now. Less supportive, no headrests and soft and squishy. But they sit at the right height and makes it feel more like a maxi.

And the blue looks really good in there. I likey.

[igor]

Good choice. To me those Ambassador seats just look wrong in there.

[redratbike]

good detective work in getting to the other maxi and blagging the bits can’t believe how those seats cleaned up

[bmcnut]

Apr 26, 2024 5:16:51 GMT redratbike said:

good detective work in getting to the other maxi and blagging the bits can’t believe how those seats cleaned up

In the pic from when I picked them up you can see the state of the rear seat, the front seats looked even worse, grubby, covered in cat hair and various bits of crud, and I know from previous experience how delicate the centre material is. I really didn't hold out any hope they'd be any good. I used a hoover for the loose stuff and a wide roll of super sticky double sided tape to lift the dirt off, and some vanish to Finnish them off. The main problem with the rear seat is rot in the material, holes and oil patches. Not alot I can do about that unfortunately.

[bmcnut]

So, in the Maxi Owners Club magazine this month....


There's a better word than proud but proud will do for now😁
I think I've also cracked the theory of tuning the twin carbs by ear. Tune one side using colourtune until its the right colour, take air filters off and listen to the induction roar and adjust the other side until they both sound the same. It runs a lot smoother now but needs richening up a bit, but I'm glad I've got a better understanding of it now.
Gave the inside a clean too. Such a nice place to be.

And they're not purple, they're definitely blue.

[bmcnut]

Got its face back on today. Number plate used to hang off the bumper from 2 lovely British leyland bodgery brackets, now it's mounted on the front panel on some slightly nicer brackets I made this afternoon. Tidies it up nicely.



I've got some nesh to go in the 4 holes in the front panel next week and that will be the front end done I think. Took it out for a drive this evening and it drives so smoothly now, tuning those xarbs has transformed it.

[retrolegends]

I’m so pleased you’ve got this back in your life, and it looks stunning, great work and I’m looking forward to updates 👍🎉

[bmcnut]

Apr 30, 2024 20:28:09 GMT retrolegends said:

I’m so pleased you’ve got this back in your life, and it looks stunning, great work and I’m looking forward to updates 👍🎉

Thanks. It's not perfect by any means, the vinyl roof has shrunk abit and is lifting in places, and the paint is a bit of a mess in various areas








Other areas are flaking off possibly where the body want keyed properly before it was painted. Heres afew chips in the paint and areas of minor rust. It's got a couple of oil leaks, some gaiters need looking at and the knock in the steering rack. But, there's nothing bad, I'm just doing everything I can do without spending too much on it. It is what it is and that's the most important thing. I think I prefer it's patina than imagining it with a full respray.

[redratbike]

looks cleaner without those over riders good move

👍