Post by monkeyjim on Feb 27, 2012 21:22:43 GMT
Ask yourself why do you want a flip front ?
Is it to make it easier to work on when you have too ?
I know my mk1 has less in the engine bay than other Mini's but I find a few easy mods I have done make it so much easier to work on .
Quick release steel bonnet : everyone says its a brilliant idea when they see it pulled off in a instance. Courtesy of Minimail not my idea.
They cost £11.75 a pair I think . They were waiting for batch of mk3 onwards ones to arrive when I spoke to them 10 days ago .
Modified inner wings : My passenger side inner wing with the grille has been cut out up to the half way point , the drivers side is cut out virtually level with the top of the subframe tower .
Both are cut from about a inch inwards from that ear of the front panel that welds to the inner wing.
Turn the steering on lock and have a look through behind the wheels and think what you cannot get to because the inner wings are in the way. Very handy , ever tried fitting replacement front brake hoses or brake pipes ? Bet you tried bending the inner wings up out the way to get tools on the fittings ..
I realise this does take strength out of the front of the car . There are people out there who make brace bars to help counter act this . Looking into that myself for Mk1 .
Quick release engine mounts : very easy to use . Can be a jugle getting the second one to line up some times if your using a pair of the nylon dove tail style mounts . I have compromised and use one dove tail and one standard style with the captive nuts on . Dont buy cheap captive insert nut style ones because the inserts come out . . Buy quality ones or weld nuts to a standard mount .
Quick release grille : does not have to be the large screw on buttons , I have a pair of rocker cover 'T' bars on mayfair , you just need a couple of rocker cover studs welded to front panel . Mk1 only has 2 screws that hold the grille on , nothing else . Looking to make that even easier to remove without needing a screw driver but still not have any unsightly fixings .
There is a long braided brake hose available to fit to master cylinder on servo equipped cars which allows the servo to be removed without undoing brake pipe connections . Ideal for working on that end of the engine/engine bay allowing more room .
Quick release lower rad mount bolt :
You could weld a bolt across the top of the rad bolt making a 't' section piece , then easy to do up without tools also aids pulling out the bolt and pushing it in . All easily done via your cut out inner wings of course .
I use 'R' clips and cable ties on my master cylinder to pedal clevis pins , piece of cake to remove , just put them back in using long nose pliers .
Large 'R' clips through driveshaft/front hub nuts on mk1
In the past I have even used pins with 'R' clips in place of the front seat fixing nut and bolt . Easy to remove the seats , just pull out the clips and then the pins . Could have done with this last month when I had to unbolt the passenger seat to remove it and take a subframe down the blasters .
Have a look on the internet , there is a large selection of fastenings available . Marine chandlery supplies are a good source , what makes marine stuff even better is the fact it will be a stainless steel or galvanised componant.
Make sure the fastener is suitable and strong enough for the application in which you are going to use it .
There are other ways to make working on your Mini easier if that is you reason for considering a flip front . Have a look round the car and engine bay for ideas .
If easy maintenance its not the reason............. ignore me ;D
Is it to make it easier to work on when you have too ?
I know my mk1 has less in the engine bay than other Mini's but I find a few easy mods I have done make it so much easier to work on .
Quick release steel bonnet : everyone says its a brilliant idea when they see it pulled off in a instance. Courtesy of Minimail not my idea.
They cost £11.75 a pair I think . They were waiting for batch of mk3 onwards ones to arrive when I spoke to them 10 days ago .
Modified inner wings : My passenger side inner wing with the grille has been cut out up to the half way point , the drivers side is cut out virtually level with the top of the subframe tower .
Both are cut from about a inch inwards from that ear of the front panel that welds to the inner wing.
Turn the steering on lock and have a look through behind the wheels and think what you cannot get to because the inner wings are in the way. Very handy , ever tried fitting replacement front brake hoses or brake pipes ? Bet you tried bending the inner wings up out the way to get tools on the fittings ..
I realise this does take strength out of the front of the car . There are people out there who make brace bars to help counter act this . Looking into that myself for Mk1 .
Quick release engine mounts : very easy to use . Can be a jugle getting the second one to line up some times if your using a pair of the nylon dove tail style mounts . I have compromised and use one dove tail and one standard style with the captive nuts on . Dont buy cheap captive insert nut style ones because the inserts come out . . Buy quality ones or weld nuts to a standard mount .
Quick release grille : does not have to be the large screw on buttons , I have a pair of rocker cover 'T' bars on mayfair , you just need a couple of rocker cover studs welded to front panel . Mk1 only has 2 screws that hold the grille on , nothing else . Looking to make that even easier to remove without needing a screw driver but still not have any unsightly fixings .
There is a long braided brake hose available to fit to master cylinder on servo equipped cars which allows the servo to be removed without undoing brake pipe connections . Ideal for working on that end of the engine/engine bay allowing more room .
Quick release lower rad mount bolt :
You could weld a bolt across the top of the rad bolt making a 't' section piece , then easy to do up without tools also aids pulling out the bolt and pushing it in . All easily done via your cut out inner wings of course .
I use 'R' clips and cable ties on my master cylinder to pedal clevis pins , piece of cake to remove , just put them back in using long nose pliers .
Large 'R' clips through driveshaft/front hub nuts on mk1
In the past I have even used pins with 'R' clips in place of the front seat fixing nut and bolt . Easy to remove the seats , just pull out the clips and then the pins . Could have done with this last month when I had to unbolt the passenger seat to remove it and take a subframe down the blasters .
Have a look on the internet , there is a large selection of fastenings available . Marine chandlery supplies are a good source , what makes marine stuff even better is the fact it will be a stainless steel or galvanised componant.
Make sure the fastener is suitable and strong enough for the application in which you are going to use it .
There are other ways to make working on your Mini easier if that is you reason for considering a flip front . Have a look round the car and engine bay for ideas .
If easy maintenance its not the reason............. ignore me ;D
