|
|
Post by monkeyjim on Dec 7, 2009 20:54:02 GMT
got the engine mounts on the subframe welded up nicely with the big Mig welder at work on thursday trial fitted the engine in at home sat morning and found they all fit ok and it sits in there fine . So I went for it in the afternoon and bolted the frame in the car and lowered the engine/box in . Needs lowering in gearbox end first as its a bit wider than the distance between the wings , no prob there i just adjusted the chain on the crane . Soon found where i need to cut the bulkhead to fit it in , so up it went again and out came the cutting disc to my pristine engine bay  . Once that was done i lowered the whole lot back in and it fits a treat . Decided to remove more of the offside inner wing to allow room for alternator so out it came again . Also decided to make a 4th engine mount at the back of the frame and make up a plate to hold the waterpump pulley belt tensioner . Will put it all in again tuesday and see whats what . Still got a A4 sheet list of things to do and working in a single garage its slow progress so its looking like it wont be done for Brooklands . |
|
|
|
Post by Miniböttcher on Dec 7, 2009 21:58:51 GMT
nice work dave,
come on, it will be done for brooklands, mines in a much worse stat than yours, i am still welding, at least yours is painted and on wheels, as i have said to you before, if you need a hand, just shout and i pop over, its not a problem
you can do it, once you get the engine in, plumbed in, and you turn the key and it starts you will just want to get it on the road quicker.
i done it abit backwards, i have nearly everything done to bolt back on but the shell is not even finished
|
|
|
|
Post by monkeyjim on Dec 7, 2009 22:27:11 GMT
yeah i know .
I only have a painted shell with rear frame in it . Got a long list of things to do . Paint needs a little tlc as its got damaged in the 3 years its been painted and i was aiming to have some cash to get front shocks , a pair of suspension donuts and rear camber brackets before the vat went up again in Jan but its looking like i wont have any spare till end of Jan now .
|
|
|
|
Post by MiniGT5 on Dec 10, 2009 7:09:25 GMT
Sounds good got any pictures  N  |
|
|
|
Post by monkeyjim on Dec 10, 2009 21:54:09 GMT
Yep...... loads . ;D Will post some when its done  Put the engine back in earlier in week with a extra rear engine mount . Still got a bit of adjusting regarding engine mounts as the engine needs tipping forward a bit but thats in the fine adjustment as I have had it in there about level once already . Thought I would see if the exhaust manifold would fit . I was amazed to see it slide over the studs and clear the front panel . I couldnt believe it  ;D . Bloody glad I kept the Micra front pipe now ....... nearly threw it out . It will be used to link up to the cat as standard fit on Micra and then join into the RC40 rear section in around the handbrake lever area of the Mini. Ok it is a manifold combined with number 1 cat ( micra had 2 cats) but i am really not bothered about that when it will save me making a manifold or buying a Janspeed Micra one which is I believe £170 . They are still not cheap on the Micra forum second hand and from how I read it they dont last to long either . Sure your all thinking that the cat is holding back loads of bhp , not bothered as its a figure thats not going to be noticeable, a Aseries cat removal releases approximately a un-noticeable on the road figure of 3hp according to one of the Mini technical guru's and by the time the Mini owner has fitted big heavy 13" wheels , 4 spots, a roll cage, a lump of mdf in the boot with a bass speaker thingy and failed the MOT every year as it has no cat despite MOT regs stating a car of such age should have one , is the 3hp going to make a differance ? .....Nope . ;D I Still have got a RC40 rear section and the car will be lighter than the Micra anyway . I was also pleased to find out that the bulkhead box I had welded in that had the hole in it for the Vauxhall gearchange to go through ( this was originally going to be Vauxhall powered) was just in the right place for the engine wiring loom with the ECU connector attached to pass through into the inside of the car. Even the huge wiring grommet on this section of loom looks the same size . Which means its in same place through the middle of the bulkhead as it was in the Micra . This is looking like my plan to use the entire Micra wiring loom will work . The wiring in the engine bay for the lights and relays that route along both inner wings of the Micra will run as they did in the Micra . For the drivers side where the wiring enters the car it will be through the large right angled heater air intake tucked up near the fresh air vents under the offside wing of the Mini . Will make slots for the wiring to enter and exit the intake and then seal them up so the heater air intake still does its intended job without leaking air before it gets to heater . No large heater intake on the passenger side so I will be making a hole in inner wing in a similar place as drivers side but of a size that will exactly fit the large wiring grommet ( about 3" to 4" ) the loom section comes with . Rear section of wiring is easy . I will be be running that section through the front seat mounting crossmember as I have in my Mark 1 . I am going to cut a hole in it at floor pan level and weld in a section of the Micra centre exhaust pipework, centre and rear sections are quite new, rust free and shiny , so, "waste not, want not" . The piece of exhaust tube will be in position so the wiring loom , speaker wires , multichanger wires , windscreen washer tubing, brake pipe and battery cable can run internally from front to rear of car under the new one piece Mpi carpet but without having to be routed over the top of the seat member . Was going to do that on Wednesday but Josie's Equinox Matilda came home after her paint job. I wanted to clear up garage and remove H reg allowing Matilda to move in ...... It started raining at lunchtime  . I did not get round to routing engine bay wires or welding the tube. H reg had to have that lovely car cover Josie and I purchased at IMM put over it . I then started helping Josie re-fitting parts to Matilda instead . Looking like nothing will get done till after Christmas now on the Hreg shell at home . I have still got to fit the drive flanges to the S disc's and the hub bearings and swivels into the freshly painted hubs . These bits are at work so at least one job will get done . |
|
|
|
Post by monkeyjim on Jan 3, 2010 10:25:08 GMT
Surprise Surprise until yesterday I had not done anything since Early December . My aim for the day was to re-fit adjusted engine mounts and weld bulkhead back together . Dean kindly offered to carry out the welding , so I had a bit of help lifting the engine up high enough to re-install the mounts . Unfortunately it turned into a nightmare as it just didnt want to come out nicely . Eventually we got it out enough to fit mounts and with a load of grief it was back in . I am still not happy with the tilt of the engine and will rectify that with repositioning the rear engine mounting braket welded to the subframe and the engine mounting itself . This is the only one not adjusted so far , i know what to do tho . With the engine in we could see if the hole in the bulkhead needed modifying or not . We were quite happy with engine tilted as it should be , there would be no clearance issues . So we took the engine out again , more grief , aided by the engine hoist suddenly deciding it did not want to lift anymore . I dont under stand why its being such a sod to move engine about . I have had it in and out 3 times already and not had a problem . I was a bit annoyed the engine process took so long as I had got Dean round to weld not struggle with me for hours on a job that should have taken half a hour . Eventually with the light starting to go Dean made up some excellent plates and tack welded them into the bulkhead all ready for welding them in on Sunday . Sorry you had to come back Dean   . I now owe you a weekend on your Mk1 . ;D I am very tempted to call this project Nini . Nissan engine M ini Nini  |
|
|
|
Post by monkeyjim on Jan 3, 2010 16:45:40 GMT
Dean welded up the bulkhead today .......... great job
I knew that I would have to make some modifications to the pedal box as the cut out in the bulkhead does away with the mounting stud and pushrod holes where the clutch master cylinders fit . The Micra has a cable clutch so lack of hydraulics is not a issue and I dont think rigging up a cable to the clutch pedal will be either .
What I did not want to do is buy a aftermarket pedal box which start at a couple of hundred quid because the Mini one would no longer fit . . Thankfully Dean and I got round this by cutting off the clutch master mounting area from pedal box and the top of the pedal where the master cylinder push rod goes through with that tricky split pin . We then pulled out the pin that holds the pedals together in the pedal box , cut a section off the clutch pedal and moved the pedal so it is closer to the brake pedal , this allows clearance with the new welded in bulkhead section. It also makes it to close to the steering column , so we cut the pedal in half and Dean welded a piece of box section to the left side of one section of pedal and then welded it to the right side of the other piece ,. The pedal now looks stagered but it clears everything and is still the same distance away from the brake pedal as a standard one .
Still got to rig up the clutch cable mount to it but cant do that till engine and subframe back in and I can see what clearance I have .
Happy with progress today , despite working outside in freezing temperatures with snow falling too.
Cheers Dean ;D
|
|
Garfie
Mini Clubman Estate
Carrie
Posts: 184
|
Post by Garfie on Jan 3, 2010 17:14:56 GMT
How about any of these;
Miss Ann
Min-san
Nassinim (my fave) lol
Gareth ;D ;D ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by monkeyjim on Jan 3, 2010 18:11:19 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Miniböttcher on Jan 3, 2010 18:35:53 GMT
it was a pleasure, any time,
once i get it bsck from paint i have to get you to give me a hand fitting the subframes and engine, not easy on your own with a freshly painted car.
its getting there and at least we made progress, and sorted out a problem hear and there
more photos
|
|
|
|
Post by monkeyjim on Jan 4, 2010 22:46:42 GMT
Loaded subframe and engine into works van this evening .
Taking it in tomorrow to sort out the rear mountings . Its taking to long flaffing around outside in the cold........ weather permitting, with a iffy welder ( no not you Dean ;D )
Got all the gear at work and other brains to pick .
|
|
|
|
Post by Miniböttcher on Jan 4, 2010 22:56:14 GMT
its just a case of getting the rear of the engine up more level, which will be easier out the car,
fingers crossed it should be the last time its going in once you get it back from your work.
i am going down the blasters on friday afternoon to get my radius arm, backplates blasted and powder coated if your interested!!!!!! and going back there the following friday to pick it all up, if you need anything taking down
|
|
|
|
Post by monkeyjim on Jan 4, 2010 23:00:33 GMT
ok , i will think what i have . Will call you in week .
thanks
|
|
|
|
Post by monkeyjim on Jan 6, 2010 12:23:52 GMT
Great news ! Got the engine and frame to work , got it all set up and levelled correctly . I stayed after work and did a bit in the workshop on it as it was raining heavily in Saltdean and I had forgotten bike waterproofs . Rain eased at 7.15 so off i went ................ and fell off 10minutes later in sudden heavy snow attempting to get back to the workshop to borrow a courtesy car. . Bike seemed ok , now left in a front garden of a lady who helped me push it off road . I got a lift back to the workshop , borrowed a courtesy car and eventually got back to Buxted at 10pm , snow on road from Lewes onwards and a max speed of 20mph . Oh well , got it all at work and cant work on it as I am stuck in Buxted due to the snow ;D Got to laugh . I will get it finished . |
|
|
|
Post by Rachel on Jan 6, 2010 15:32:42 GMT
Oh well , got it all at work and cant work on it as I am stuck in Buxted due to the snow ;D Got to laugh . That's sods law. Better to laugh than to cry ;D Glad you got home ok ;D |
|
. 
. I did not get round to routing engine bay wires or welding the tube. H reg had to have that lovely car cover Josie and I purchased at IMM put over it . I then started helping Josie re-fitting parts to Matilda instead . 
. 
