my b16 build

[miniwade]

bought my self a mini a couple of months back with the intention of tittinf a vtec.
heres the car i bought

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/IMGP2410-2.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/IMGP2414.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/IMGP2420-1.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/IMGP2605.jpg

i then managed to source a mini that had been bumped with a very early watsons conversion at a very resonable price so got that delivered down to me and set about removing everything before scraping the shell.
the car had been stood for a couple of years so all the front end had gone rusty,
in the meantime i purchased a dta ecu/loom from adamsmini on here.
i spent the next few week cleaning all the front suspension and brakes up with new seals, ball joints and other such like.
next was to rip the front end off of my car and clean up things before test fitting the subframe.
this is a big project for me so im sure i will be asking many questions for help.
here is haw it looks at the moment :)

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/791f28af.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/000edac6.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/ecd462f1.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/55089643.jpg

plans are to respray the full car in white and carbon wrap bonnet/roof/boot and arches.
i also have throttle bodies to fit aswell so need to cut the bulkhead aswell.
any comments or advice please fire away :)

[miniwade]

a little update we have cut out the bulkhead and boxed in the area where the throttle bodies will sit, have made it nice and big so i can fit some kind of airbox to keep the intake noise down a bit at trackdays

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/0ceeef0a.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/e30d74ad.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/6aa415cb.jpg

and here is what will be filling the gap :)

i had the manifold cut and welded up at an angle to help clear the bulkhead :)

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/ef8d300e.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/474ec145.jpg

[miniwade]

whilst waiting for the scuttle to be welded i have been sorting the dashboard out ready to send off for flocking next week.
have also ordered my uprated fuel pump and braided fuel lines :)
my mega miglia arches were delivered today also.
couple of pics as to roughly what it should look like

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/f820fcc1.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/0257e071.jpg

hopefully by the end of next week i should have the scuttle welded on along with the a panels then i can get on with fitting the fiberglass front end

[punisha00]

nice build :) where did u get the dash from?

[miniwade]

nice build :) where did u get the dash from?

cheers mate, i got the dash from ebay was £80 delivered with the center consul which isnt in the picture.

[miniwade]

a couple of pics of bits i have got and done to go on the car :)

the dash

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/6fd9bbdc.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/a6faec82.jpg

powder coated and laquered rocker

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/d5dead12.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/d00fd64d.jpg

and the new rims :)

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/fd453e24.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/4a470394.jpg

and my shiney new manifold

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/7e77f0ab.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/d1552acc.jpg

[hykrem]

Good wheels!

[miniwade]

Good wheels!
thanks, will be much happier when the car is sat on them though lol

[Mintegra]

Ahhh - good to see you on here matey!!...

Nice selection of parts you have collected so far.

Did you use the old razor blade technique to remove the paint from the lettering on the rocker?

[miniwade]

Ahhh - good to see you on here matey!!...

Nice selection of parts you have collected so far.

Did you use the old razor blade technique to remove the paint from the lettering on the rocker?

cheers mate,
i tried the razor but as it had been powder coated it was a stuborn bi**h so went down the 240 on a sanding block, then had it laquered so hopefully it will stay as is :)

[Mintegra]

cheers mate,
i tried the razor but as it had been powder coated it was a stuborn bi**h so went down the 240 on a sanding block, then had it laquered so hopefully it will stay as is :)

Yeah mine has been on powdercoated... noticed a fair few on here had used a stanly blade or similar... might have a go at the weekend...

What are your next stages on the car?? trial fit of engine??.. did you get driveshafts with the old car??

[miniwade]

Yeah mine has been on powdercoated... noticed a fair few on here had used a stanly blade or similar... might have a go at the weekend...

What are your next stages on the car?? trial fit of engine??.. did you get driveshafts with the old car??

have had the scuttle welded on now and have fit the clutch mechanism and brake servo/master cylinder :)
going to try sitting the engine in place toeards the end of next week and if throttle bodies clear the bulkhead then out will come the engine so we can spray the bulkhead.
yeah i did get the driveshafts with my conversion so hopefully it shoudnt take to long from now. my aim is to have the bulkhead sprayed and engine in and running by christmas.
optamistic i know but never mind :)

[TiMtImInYtImTiM]

Best of luck fella, first time i have seen the early watsons kit. Totally different. Thorttle boddies look awesome! :D

[miniwade]

Best of luck fella, first time i have seen the early watsons kit. Totally different. Thorttle boddies look awesome! :D

i think i will need the luck as this is a massive project for me
im pretty certain its one of his very first kits that he made :)
the throttle bodies should sound pretty good, thankfully one of by best friends has a dyno dynamics rolling road and works wonders with his mapping so if i dont see 170 bhp i wont be happy.

[Mini fab]

You use the old Watson kit.:( The subframe that stick out the front wheels way way out! after your conversion your Mini will never look the same .good luck mate,

[miniwade]

You use the old Watson kit.:( The subframe that stick out the front wheels way way out! after your conversion your Mini will never look the same .good luck mate,

is there a difference between new and old watsons kit in the track?
unfortunately thats a sacrafice everyone with a watsons kits has to suffer. its not the end of the world as it going to be a trackday car anyway. trust me i will make the car look nice :cool:

[Mini fab]

Well matey I just seem a little concern with the choice of alloy you have, One of my favorites Satin black Supertrax, but with all the forums that uses your Watson kit they all change there alloys to a Negative offset meaning no lip on the alloy. Seeing your car before the conversion is better looking.:cool::cool:Well again my 2 cents.

[miniwade]

Well matey I just seem a little concern with the choice of alloy you have, One of my favorites Satin black Supertrax, but with all the forums that uses your Watson kit they all change there alloys to a Negative offset meaning no lip on the alloy. Seeing your car before the conversion is better looking.:cool::cool:Well again my 2 cents.

i understand what you are saying, my new wheels are et 22 so will only stick out a further 23mm more than the rover wheels which i can live with and if it drives really bad on track i will just put on a rover set of rims for the day :)
im surre i will get there in the end.
i know what your saying about the original look with the superlites i loved it and if id been able to keep it like that i would definately done so.

[Coupe]

At the end of the day, it's your car - you build it the way you want it. I use a watsons frame and originally had wheels with low offset so it was extremely wide - I then changed to rover wheels with smaller arches and I don't think it looks as good now so I'll be going back to the other wheels when I can sort out some more tyres.

[miniwade]

At the end of the day, it's your car - you build it the way you want it. I use a watsons frame and originally had wheels with low offset so it was extremely wide - I then changed to rover wheels with smaller arches and I don't think it looks as good now so I'll be going back to the other wheels when I can sort out some more tyres.

thanks for the support :)
do you have any pictures of yours as it was with the wider wheels?
also how did it drive when it was wide?

[Coupe]

http://www.16vminiclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19908&page=6

Some pictures in my build above.

As for how it drove, it tram lined a little more on the motorway, and the steering was a little heavier but apart from that I had no problems with drivability to be honest.

[miniwade]

http://www.16vminiclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19908&page=6

Some pictures in my build above.

As for how it drove, it tram lined a little more on the motorway, and the steering was a little heavier but apart from that I had no problems with drivability to be honest.

looks spot on that mate, what offset were the weller wheels you had on?

[Coupe]

28 I think, but I had a 13mm spacer on so the back of the wheel cleared the calliper so technically 15. I'm gonna relieve the edge of the callipers though before I go back to those so I don't need quite as much spacing, and I can narrow the arches up a little as well.

[hykrem]

i understand what you are saying, my new wheels are et 22 so will only stick out a further 23mm more than the rover wheels which i can live with and if it drives really bad on track i will just put on a rover set of rims for the day :)
im surre i will get there in the end.
i know what your saying about the original look with the superlites i loved it and if id been able to keep it like that i would definately done so.

You buy Supermini's in MiniSpeed? Only ET22 or more differents? My subframe has the standard wdith, not as Watson, I am interested in ET7 or more

[miniwade]

28 I think, but I had a 13mm spacer on so the back of the wheel cleared the calliper so technically 15. I'm gonna relieve the edge of the callipers though before I go back to those so I don't need quite as much spacing, and I can narrow the arches up a little as well.
so in theory i should be 7mm in on what yours was, do you think i will have problems clearing the caliper aswell?

[miniwade]

You buy Supermini's in MiniSpeed? Only ET22 or more differents? My subframe has the standard wdith, not as Watson, I am interested in ET7 or more

i got this set off of a private buyer on ebay and to be honest not sure if they are availible in other offsets

[hykrem]

i got this set off of a private buyer on ebay and to be honest not sure if they are availible in other offsets

Ok, thanks!

The same wheels in MiniSpeed do not show ET offset, only this (The inside rim edge is 95mm offset from the hub face) I will send a email. And Huddersfield Spares the Supertrax are ET7

[miniwade]

Ok, thanks!

The same wheels in MiniSpeed do not show ET offset, only this (The inside rim edge is 95mm offset from the hub face) I will send a email. And Huddersfield Spares the Supertrax are ET7

i measured mine and from the mounting face to the front outside edge is 75mm so not sure what the would be to the rear edge.

[hykrem]

i measured mine and from the mounting face to the front outside edge is 75mm so not sure what the would be to the rear edge.

Many thanks for measuring!

I think I found yours ;)

http://www.s-m-i-l.co.uk/home.html

[Coupe]

so in theory i should be 7mm in on what yours was, do you think i will have problems clearing the caliper aswell?

No you shouldn't have - the issue I have is that the weller motorsports curve inwards sharply where they meet the rim so they have less clearance than most wheels.

[miniwade]

No you shouldn't have - the issue I have is that the weller motorsports curve inwards sharply where they meet the rim so they have less clearance than most wheels.

thats good then, thought id messed up for a minute then

[Shalma]

Informative car sharing

[miniwade]

little up date engine bay is pretty much ready for paint and then i can start to build back up for the last time :)
also the engine is all together less the alternater.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/dd1e13cc.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/36c2d0da.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/68f70c4e.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/aaa98622.jpg

[Dodger]

Hi Miniwade. Very nice build so far..
Looking forward to seeing it on those wheels.
Question - what is the length of your TB from the head to the bellmouth?
Cheers Dodge:)

[miniwade]

Hi Miniwade. Very nice build so far..
Looking forward to seeing it on those wheels.
Question - what is the length of your TB from the head to the bellmouth?
Cheers Dodge:)

yeah will do no probs, when you say bellmouth do yo mean the end of the trumpet?

[Dodger]

:)yes - trumpet.

[miniwade]

:)yes - trumpet.
just niped to my shed for you and its 29cm i could probably reduce that by around 2/3cm in needed but i think i should be ok :)

[Dodger]

Thanks for popping out to the shed in this weather:)
Thats actually a pretty good length. Did you have to cut that amount out of the bulkhead because they are straight (as they should be) or are you allowing for quite a deep airbox? From what I can gather 25mm over the trumpets would be a minimum.
I am thinking of ITB's but don't want to cut the bulkhead (if possible) on my replacement shell.
Cheers - Dodge (Ian)

[miniwade]

Thanks for popping out to the shed in this weather:)
Thats actually a pretty good length. Did you have to cut that amount out of the bulkhead because they are straight (as they should be) or are you allowing for quite a deep airbox? From what I can gather 25mm over the trumpets would be a minimum.
I am thinking of ITB's but don't want to cut the bulkhead (if possible) on my replacement shell.
Cheers - Dodge (Ian)
no probs mate,
i have cut quite a bit out of the bulkhead to allow for them (hope its enough)
not sure what to do filter wise yet

pic of what i have cut out

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/e30d74ad.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/0ceeef0a.jpg

[sirkieran_1986]

Very nice think of doin this to mine r superchange . Can not make my mind up . How think is that steel u have used on bulk her 1.6 r 2mm ?

[miniwade]

Very nice think of doin this to mine r superchange . Can not make my mind up . How think is that steel u have used on bulk her 1.6 r 2mm ?

not sure on what thickness it is but was thicker than what i cut out so would guess at 2mm.

if my car doesnt make 160+bhp i will be disapointed and will eiher put a b18 in it or supercharge what i already have. i just want to get the car altogether first then i can swap and build the perfect engine to suit my needs which will be trackdays and a little blast on a weekend, i wouldnt turbo it though as i think that would be the wrong application for what im trying to achieve.

[sirkieran_1986]

Good luck . I have a b16a2 engine in mine runnin lots of skunk 2 parts . 172bhp . So yrs should be around the same plus more with sum luck . If I win lottery this winter will be supercharging it and remapable ecu system too . =}

[miniwade]

Good luck . I have a b16a2 engine in mine runnin lots of skunk 2 parts . 172bhp . So yrs should be around the same plus more with sum luck . If I win lottery this winter will be supercharging it and remapable ecu system too . =}

supercharging would be my preference as its alot smother power delivery unlike turbos which come on boost then break traction which i dont think the mini will have any problems doing without a turbo so god knows what it would be like with one.
as said if i make 160 ish bhp i will be happy:)

[miniwade]

little update :)
i have managed to drop the engine in and test fit to see everything is going to clear and thankfully its as it should be, even the aftermarket manifold will clear which i wasnt expecting so thats a bonus,
also my alloy fuel tank has arrived and collected my fibreglass doors so plenty to get on with now, just wish the bloody weather would warm up a bit :(

a few pics :)

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/0bb87ad3.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/4549f13c.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/cfc82ba4.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/f14cbddd.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/1fef31d2.jpg

and one of the the drivers door fitted

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/b7321268.jpg

now i know everything is all clear i can take it apart and get the bulkhead ready for paint :)

[ad53ggz]

Nice looking build!

[miniwade]

Nice looking build!
cheers mate, doors are bang on :cool:
i got no excuses to not get cracking now

[Mintegra]

Coming together nicely!... looks like you have plenty of clearance with the TB's too!!..

[miniwade]

treated to myself one of these 2 piece front ends to help with the clearance issues around the subframe.
sat it in place and its going to be perfect for what i need.

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/b95827d9.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/1d52164c.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/16d0dc60.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/76bb9585.jpg

plenty more to crack on with now :)

[miniwade]

little more done today,
got the 4.5 gallon tank fitted with the uprated fuel pump and my braided fuel lines.
feel like im kind of getting somewhere now and hopefully by the end of next week it will be ready for the boot, interior and the bulkhead to be painted in ford frozen white :)

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/b13fdc26.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/cd70c9cb.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/a25b5116.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/04b0d2ef.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/89cedbaa.jpg

[Kam]

Really liking this one mate, you've got some nice touches on here, good job overall :cool:

Don't worry about the weather and just crack on, and good luck for the fire up next week, get a vid, we like vids :twisted:

[evolotion]

the pump needs to be gravity fed mate! assuming its an 044 or similar, they really dont like to suck. :)

[miniwade]

the pump needs to be gravity fed mate! assuming its an 044 or similar, they really dont like to suck. :)

i cant believe you just said that :(
i was discussing this issue with paul and specky at rs tuning yesterday and they said the same thing, they then went on to say that with the tank i have the outlet is at the top so would have to suck the height of the tank regardless and didnt really see any way around it :(
we decided to leave it as it is for now and if i have any problems then either move the pump lower down or possibly change the tank. the tank i dont really want to change as it was an early christmas present lol

[evolotion]

weld a port on the rearmost, lowest point of the tank, jobs a goodun :) i can pretty much guarantee that pump will whine like a bitch where it is, sorry :(
the other option ofcource is to have a facet solid state (these can suck) feeding a swirl pot, feeding the 044, plenty more bling for the boot :D

[miniwade]

weld a port on the rearmost, lowest point of the tank, jobs a goodun :) i can pretty much guarantee that pump will whine like a bitch where it is, sorry :(
the other option ofcource is to have a facet solid state (these can suck) feeding a swirl pot, feeding the 044, plenty more bling for the boot :D
i think i might have to do that mate (weld a pipe in that is) and then lower the pump down onto the boot floor.
so would the pump work as it is but just whine like a bitch?

thanks for the constructive advice btw :cool:

[miniwade]

slight change of plan now, going to modify the tank so i can gravity feed the pump to sort the issues that were highlighted to me, would rather sort it now than after we have painted inside.
today we removed all the fuel system and roll cage and welded a few little plates then seam sealed the boot and started in the cab :)
tomorrow we will be removing the subframe/engine doing a few little tidy up bits and seam sealing on the bulkhead then saturday we with any luck spraying the bulkhead/boot and cab in for frozen white.
at least then next week i can start putting most things back in for the last time :)
only down side it i wont have it running before new year now.
i do have some pics where im up to now but will upload all at once after the weekend when it looks like some progress has been made.

[CooperWorks]

Lovin the build mate, there's no holding you back is there?

[miniwade]

Lovin the build mate, there's no holding you back is there?

im trying to keep it moving but seems a lifetime :)

[miniwade]

a few pics of where we got up to today, not as much done as we wanted as we had a welder issue but got it sorted in the end

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/fcbcd4c3.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/60f7f49b.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/ca751a98.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/52314f88.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/55731639.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/3c1a331e.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/c789232b.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/06d4d719.jpg

a few little bits to sort inside the car and that will be ready for paint on sunday :)

[miniwade]

Just setting off to go paint the interior, wish me luck it's minus 10 outside :(
good job we got a nice warm oven to do it in :)

[Mintegra]

Just setting off to go paint the interior, wish me luck it's minus 10 outside :(
good job we got a nice warm oven to do it in :)

Good luck :-)

[azclubman]

love this mini! nice build

[miniwade]

well today has been a long day but worth it i think :)
a few pics of where we got to

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/0186e9a6.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/55ad1cac.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/efb0ffd1.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/12b92df8.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/3ff2c7cb.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/94d433d2.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/3c50cf5f.jpg

[miniwade]

managed to motivate myself today in the cold damp rubbish weather and started to put the fuel system back in.
i have had the tank modified so it feed through the bottom of the tank so can gravity feed the pump now :)

here where i got to

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/02ca98f7.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/575d91b8.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/04606030.jpg

[ad53ggz]

how big/small is your tank looking good mate

[miniwade]

how big/small is your tank looking good mate
apparentely its supposed to hold 4.5 gallon but will have to see when shes up and running exactly what it is :)

[ad53ggz]

Yeah looks a lot more practicle than mine which takes up the entire boot. I reckon when/if i get the car running if i fill it up once will last about a year!

[miniwade]

Yeah looks a lot more practicle than mine which takes up the entire boot. I reckon when/if i get the car running if i fill it up once will last about a year!
lol it must be big then,
as long as mine lasts for a 20 minute session i will be happy :)

[ad53ggz]

yeah its huge! Im struggling to get going on the car again right now... as a result spending a lot of my time on the forum

[miniwade]

yeah its huge! Im struggling to get going on the car again right now... as a result spending a lot of my time on the forum
i was the same over the christmas period but having a big push now as i want the car finished for the end of march, well thats the plan lol

[miniwade]

got the subframe back on today :)
starting to look like a car rather than just a shell

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/b234fde3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/279bd26b.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/0d79a44a.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/e4f1da1a.jpg

[ad53ggz]

nice! :) take that braided is your fuel hose? where did you get it?

[miniwade]

nice! :) take that braided is your fuel hose? where did you get it?

yeah it is mate :)
got it from good old ebay for a change, i think i have bought this mini in kit form from ebay lol

[miniwade]

picked up my dash from being flocked tonight and bobed the guages back in im over the moon with it to be honest
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/b8809ec3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/f02cf168.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/e0846b75.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/07fdbbbb.jpg

[monkey]

Looks great, I've been tempted with fitting a flocked fibreglass dash. How much did the flocking cost if you don't mind me asking?

[miniwade]

Looks great, I've been tempted with fitting a flocked fibreglass dash. How much did the flocking cost if you don't mind me asking?
its the second one i have had done, clio 172 previously and looks amazing.
dont mind telling you the cost at all mate,
was £60 for the dash and the steering cowal doing

[Kam]

Is that a 110mph speedo gauge? hard to tell in the pic, Is it just for the mileage or something?

[monkey]

That's a great price! I've had quotes above £100 :rolleyes:

[miniwade]

Is that a 110mph speedo gauge? hard to tell in the pic, Is it just for the mileage or something?
yeah it is, probably wind round to about 130 though :)
it came with the mini v tec that watsons built so thought it might be ok.
will try using the speedo on the digital dash aswell if i can

[miniwade]

That's a great price! I've had quotes above £100 :rolleyes:
yeah i paid about £70 just for a top half doing on the clio then £70 for bottom half but found this other place who did a better job for less :)

[ad53ggz]

wow thats nice...

[miniwade]

got a little bit more done today, sat the dash in place and did the steering column which i didnt intend on doing and fitted master cylinder, and clutch mechanism

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/245857fa.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/d28fd7e1.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/0a8d7aac.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/ee6c82a9.jpg

[ad53ggz]

thats looking good.. nice and clean build

[Mintegra]

Getting there mate. Looking really good now :-D

Yukspeed was'nt it??... do you just turn up with the dash ir do you have to book it in??

Cheers
C

[miniwade]

Getting there mate. Looking really good now :-D

Yukspeed was'nt it??... do you just turn up with the dash ir do you have to book it in??

Cheers
C
coming together slowly but surely, seems to be taking an eternity.
i didnt use yukspeed in the end it was somewhere else, they were cheaper, quicker and to be honest a better job :)
if you need contact details then pm me and i will forward them on to you

[Bim]

What kind of suspensions is this?

Im looking for coilovers with that mounting ears..

[miniwade]

What kind of suspensions is this?

Im looking for coilovers with that mounting ears..
not sure to be honest as it came with the car but would presume it would be what would in the watsons kit when you buy it.
sorry i cannot be more helpfull mate

[miniwade]

had a nightmare of a day today, managed to crack the dash, scratch the cage and floor getting the cage in so tbh im pretty pi**ed off :(

a few pics of where i got to, had to walk away as i was getting stressed and would of thrown a tantrum at any time lol



http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/12af5dde.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/94ad3051.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/d6a24e72.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/ae01a131.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/fca3742a.jpg

[ad53ggz]

At least your getting there.. Im struggling to find motivation to do anything at all on mine! i had a nightmare of a time fitting my cage too. will you be able to touch up the floor easy enough?

[GingerMonkey]

That's gonna be a mission to get in the car if the door bars stay like that. Is that a final fit or are you planning on moving them at all??

[miniwade]

At least your getting there.. Im struggling to find motivation to do anything at all on mine! i had a nightmare of a time fitting my cage too. will you be able to touch up the floor easy enough?
yeah i should be able to sort the floor hopefully and the seats might hide a few bits awell, not ideal but hey ho i cant do anything about it now.
tomorrows another day so hopefully i wilbe in a better frame of mind and put my brain into gear unlike today.

[miniwade]

That's gonna be a mission to get in the car if the door bars stay like that. Is that a final fit or are you planning on moving them at all??
there staying as they are, i wanted them high to be honest as i wanted some protection a little higher up as im running fiberglass doors. id rather have it safe than look good mate. a few extra seconds climbing in isnt really a problem as its not going to be a daily runner.
if it becomes to much of an issue i can either take them off if im pottering around and refit when doing trackdays :)

[spNOam]

there staying as they are, i wanted them high to be honest as i wanted some protection a little higher up as im running fiberglass doors. id rather have it safe than look good mate. a few extra seconds climbing in isnt really a problem as its not going to be a daily runner.
if it becomes to much of an issue i can either take them off if im pottering around and refit when doing trackdays :)

Ideally you need two if you are using fg doors.

[monkey]

Ouch sorry to hear that, not looking forward to taking mine out if I decide to! I'm with Ginger though, them door bars look awkward?

[monkey]

Ah I see! Should be okay then, would have been nightmare if daily driver :p

[miniwade]

Ideally you need two if you are using fg doors.
probably a good idea, will more than likely adress that at a later date when my mind is back on the job, motivation is all but gone for today
anyone for a half finished mini lol

[ad53ggz]

:Dprobably a good idea, will more than likely adress that at a later date when my mind is back on the job, motivation is all but gone for today
anyone for 2 half finished mini's lol

[miniwade]

lol i had to read that twice to work out what you had put.
im in a better mood with the car today, got the seats mounted and generally had a lazy day around the car, scratches didnt look as bad once i went back to it today so all good i think :)
going to aim to sit the engine back in at the weekend, having a day off of the mini tomorrow as the m3 is looking very neglected as i been to busy with the mini and hasnt been washed in nearly 2 months :(

[miniwade]

did a little more today, got the seats mounted properly and the harnesses in.then put drivers and passenger foot rests in.

starting to look like a car inside now :)



http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/4e56ac1d.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/79627550.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/16a8bfdc.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/7533a341.jpg

[miniwade]

managed to motivate myself a bit and drop the engine back in and fit the single skin fiberglass bootlid. also got my new rear windows :)
bootlid locks are to be modified with smaller carbon plates when i get around to it
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/5907af98.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/2f8f3631.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/b84ab487.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/0e584b67.jpg

[raider16v]

looking good mate:cool:keep at it!

Take it easy:D

Mark.

[arterz]

Nice build keep up. I saw you exhaust manifold and I think is the same like mine and when I fitted on the motor it was hitting the oil sump! does yours fits without any clearance problem?

[miniwade]

Nice build keep up. I saw you exhaust manifold and I think is the same like mine and when I fitted on the motor it was hitting the oil sump! does yours fits without any clearance problem?

thanks :)
to be honest i havent checked to see if it would clear the sump and never thought it would of been an issue but now you have mentioned it i will sit in place today and if it fouls at all, i genuinely thought the only place i was going to struggle with room was against the subframe.
wish me luck :)

[arterz]

Good luck then, I just modified the down pipe of the manifold doing the flange with more angle

the red mark is the modification center and the yellow is the clearance issue that you might have

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc291/arterz/dohc%20jimi/IG_146B.jpg

[miniwade]

Good luck then, I just modified the down pipe of the manifold doing the flange with more angle

the red mark is the modification center and the yellow is the clearance issue that you might have

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc291/arterz/dohc%20jimi/IG_146B.jpg
cheers for the advice mate i will have a look later today and let you know how i get on :)
if it fouls at least from your pic i should be able to work out how to modify it to sort it out:cool:

[miniwade]

Nice build keep up. I saw you exhaust manifold and I think is the same like mine and when I fitted on the motor it was hitting the oil sump! does yours fits without any clearance problem?

eh up mate, i stuck the manifold on today to see if it fouled the sump and guess what, its about 1mm from the sump :)
i might just give the down pipe a little clout with a hammer just to give me a few more mm to be safe :)
cheers for the heads up on the issue mate

[arterz]

haha good for you bad for the poor manifold:p

[miniwade]

managed to do a bit more on the mini over the last few days, got the ecu mounted and the loom fitted, engine is now on its 4 engine mounts and all the shafts are back in.
next to do is pwer the ecu up from the key and find a way of mounting the radiator as in the previous car it was mouted o a steel front end where as mine is fiberglass.
hopefully by the end of next week i can call the auto electrician and tell him to come get it running :)
eventually

[miniwade]

managed to get a few pics of what i have been up to on the mini lately, it doesnt look like much but its all the little fiddley jobs that seem to take forever,this week i have managed,
fit fuel pressure regulater,
connect the engine loom and connected to ecu,
final fit on the fuel tank and all the fuel lines onto throttle bodies,
fit alternator and belt,
clutch cable and mechanism,
accelerator cable,

by the end of the week i need to sort out inlet air temp sensor feed for the fuel pimp from ecu and then temp fit the radiator.
then hopefully i can get auto electrician in early next week to wire the alternater, starter and ignition for the ecu then fingers crossed i can have a go at firing her up.
wish me luck :)
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/7472cfda.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/8f4b17f8.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/ee3245ec.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/4a53992d.jpg

[miniwade]

i also removed the tin can bar that goes across the dashboard and replaced it with some solid box section.
also received my carbon fibre bootlid today
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/48bffcb3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/8b595426.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/e383a5f8.jpg

[miniwade]

a litle update, doesnt look like much but its the time consuming jobs,
auto electrcian came and got started with the wiring to get it running, so far hes fused and run the wires from the boot and wired starter and alternator up, its so tidy under the bonnet it almost loks oem so im very happy :)'
i also had some retrimming done on my seats to mztch my colour scheme.
were aiming to have it running for next weekend as the electrician cannot get back unil wednesday :(
a few pics as to where were at
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/38369444.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/4a8dc0e3.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/e73f2ddf.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/eeabe87f.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/c79b2d6e.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/32a3ad9a.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/9e8a2a42.jpg
i also had to modify the front subframe to help make room for the manifold

[miniwade]

finally got the mini running today today
sounds bloody mental
cannot believe it started first go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjIP8g-bTIw
after a little tweaking idared to take it for arun round the yard with no brakes only the handbrake so couldnt open it up
enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKwqjQ6Rfjc
i think it runs well to say it has bigger injectors and bike carbs and the map is for a standard inlet, will need mappimg asap but cannot believe how well it runs

[monkey]

Great work, sounds like a right beast!

[Mintegra]

Orrr nice one mate!!!...Sounds savage!!!... cant believe you have driven yours before Ive driven mine!!! :-D

[miniwade]

Great work, sounds like a right beast!
cheers, definately rewarding when it fired up :)

[miniwade]

Orrr nice one mate!!!...Sounds savage!!!... cant believe you have driven yours before Ive driven mine!!! :-D
cheers
ha ha told you i would drive mine first :)
im stunned how well the engine sounds especially not knowing its history.
good times :)

[Mintegra]

Im liking the idea of bike carbs... gives it a really nice throaty sound.. Any idea what sort of power gains you will achieve when its mapped correctly??.. curious to know as its certainly something I'd consider.

[miniwade]

Im liking the idea of bike carbs... gives it a really nice throaty sound.. Any idea what sort of power gains you will achieve when its mapped correctly??.. curious to know as its certainly something I'd consider.
to be honest mate from what i have seen on cars having itbs fitted there would be around a 25-30 bhp gain but not sure on the bike carbs, i have been told by paul @ rs tuning that he thinks the bike carbs i have might be to small and strangle the engine so only time will tell :(
if the enging makes standard power with them on i will be more than happy as they will be worth it for the sound alone :)
im quietly hoping it will make 170 ish bhp which id be more than happy with :)

[gsrmini]

Its always exciting to see another build reach the point of 'starting up/running'.
Make sure you post more once you've fitted some brakes, it'll be nice to hear it lay down some power, sounds great already.

[XEValver]

Congrats! sounds great. very similar to mine infact - the roar through those trumpets!

I'm a tad confused with what you've said above... did you mean "bike throttle bodies" at every point you said carbs, or have you modified some carbs to run as throttle bodies?

[miniwade]

Congrats! sounds great. very similar to mine infact - the roar through those trumpets!

I'm a tad confused with what you've said above... did you mean "bike throttle bodies" at every point you said carbs, or have you modified some carbs to run as throttle bodies?

lol sorry yeah i have been a bit confusing havent i :(
they were bought as bike itb's but never really new that there were any difference between the 2 so just worded it a bit wrong lol

[miniwade]

Its always exciting to see another build reach the point of 'starting up/running'.
Make sure you post more once you've fitted some brakes, it'll be nice to hear it lay down some power, sounds great already.
cheers :) i have sorted the brked out today but have also removed all the hubs again so i can get the drive flanges drilled for the mini pcd so i can use my other wheels, i should have the spacers and the flanges back for monday so hopefully be all back together for mid next week :)
next is to gey the doors refitted and fix the fibreglass front end properly then i can start preping for paint :)
wish me luck

[miniwade]

after my little play and drive it was time for some more work :(
i have sorted the brakes out now so will be able to stop,
have also stripped the front hubs down and rear spacer so i could drop them off to be machined to fit the mini pcd, should have them back by monday.or at least thats when i have been promised ;)
recieved my new radiator today and set about fitting that and also fit the fibreglass doors again so we can work out the door gaps when i mocked up the fitting the front end,
anyway a few pics of whats been done
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/42219ae0.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/3d72566b.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/0261df8e.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/94a1226f.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/faed47be.jpg

[arterz]

it's getting shape mate, looks good

[charliemurfie]

Where did you get that 4-1 (?) long tube header?

[miniwade]

Where did you get that 4-1 (?) long tube header?
i bought it from a local person :)
is this where you tell me there rubbish lol

[Mintegra]

Great work!... your gonna need some bl00dy wide arches aren't ya if your running the 7x13 dished minilites??..

[charliemurfie]

i bought it from a local person :)
is this where you tell me there rubbish lol

Nope. I've been looking for a 4-1 1-piece, but can't find anyone who offers it for a sohc d-series head.

[CraigieB]

Woo finally found you :D took me ages to find your project thread Mr Hughes

looks fantastic - needless to say your video has made me drop the 1380 charged lump for a fwd b18c4 - I hate how you've done that but I love it all the same ;)

Im going to save up around £5000 do you think that would be enough?

Oh also where did you get the rad from I was looking at the allspeed kit because it means I wont have to run HUGE arches.

[miniwade]

Great work!... your gonna need some bl00dy wide arches aren't ya if your running the 7x13 dished minilites??..
cheers mate, im not running the minilites i will be running the supermini wheels i bought a while back with alot less than of a dish than the minilites, from my calculations it will sit around 25/30mm wider than the wheels its currently sat on so with a bit of luck it wont be to wide :)

[miniwade]

Woo finally found you :D took me ages to find your project thread Mr Hughes

looks fantastic - needless to say your video has made me drop the 1380 charged lump for a fwd b18c4 - I hate how you've done that but I love it all the same ;)

Im going to save up around £5000 do you think that would be enough?

Oh also where did you get the rad from I was looking at the allspeed kit because it means I wont have to run HUGE arches.
hiya mate, you the vtec makes sense lol,
you may be able to do it for 5k at a stretch i know im up to just shy of 7k now and still have the paint work to do and buy a few bits,
im guessing the allspeed are good as you get to keep the original track but you do pay a premium for the privalege.
do it do it do it :)

[CraigieB]

aha Im going to be doing it in stages, get all the body work and cosmetics done this year then next year do the vtec build :)

you going to any mini shows this year buddy?

Cheers

Craig

[miniwade]

aha Im going to be doing it in stages, get all the body work and cosmetics done this year then next year do the vtec build :)

you going to any mini shows this year buddy?

Cheers

Craig
do it in stages is the best way and was my intention but it hasnt worked out that way as you just want to get ono the next part straight away :)
im not sure about shows but i WILL be doing some trackdays providing i have any money left after the build :)
my recomendation would be (if you want to take my advice)
is to
1 make the car solid
2 fit the vtec
3 then start the body work
you might not be able to do it that way but i honestly think its the best and easiest way.
good luck :)

[CraigieB]

Yeah! My car is solid atm, only got a little bit of surface bubble rust appearing here and there nothing structural which is a winner :) was it alot of work to get the engine to fit in the car? I've read around you have to chop bits out - also can you get an inlet manifold that doesnt require cutting the bulkhead??

[miniwade]

to be honest mate im not sure about the manifold situation or how close they are as i went straight in at the deep end with the itb's and had the manifold modified straight away, i mainly cut my bulkhead to help make sure i had room at a later date to make some kind of airbox to help with noise issues.
getting the engine in wasnt that much of a problem and was just like dropping any other engine in any car really :)

[miniwade]

finally got the front end mounted which is a big weight off of my mind as it looks a bit like a car now, the next problem is the bonnet doesnt fit between the 2 front wings at the front edge, nothing to do with my fitting as it doesnt move. im going to have to gain near on an inch to make the bonnet gap look something like it should.i also noticed that the grill surround doesnt fit either.
im a bit disapointed with a few parts of the quality of the front end as the finish of it is superb compaired to alot of other fibreglass panels i have used before :(
has anyone else had these problems with the abs front end?
couple of pics of where it sits today :)
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/843ea24b.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/bea4be5b.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/f246fd1f.jpg
todays jpb is to remove the manifold and heat wrap it, wish me luck as it looks like a fiddley job.

[miniwade]

i managed to get the manifold wrapped today :)
was a bit awkward and you need about 20 hands at once, i roped the wifed into helping me bless her lol,
how do other people find the steel tie wraps, i found that once i tightened them they seem to undo a fraction before locking which seems a bit pants :(
i did get them sorted but not impressed if im honest,
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/89f1c517.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/60b91cdd.jpg
tomorrows job is to refit the manifold,
i also get my hubs and spacers back tomorrow so i can eventually get it back on it wheels for the last time on the wheels its actually going to be run on and acan see how wide she will be )

[CraigieB]

anymore updates mate? :)

[Kam]

If they are the steel cable ties with the little 'ball' inside which butts up then yes they are useless

Get some CV boot ties on there

[miniwade]

anymore updates mate? :)
i have done a few bits,refit the manifold, mounted the front end fully and fit the indicators.
also had the electrician back in yesterday and hes done the loom for the front end and is now on a big plug so i can remove the front end completely when i need to :)
the engineers who promised me my hubs back for monday have let me down and now will be this saturday at the earliest :(
hopefully things will move a bit quicker over the next few days

[miniwade]

If they are the steel cable ties with the little 'ball' inside which butts up then yes they are useless

Get some CV boot ties on there

cheers for the heads up mate i will source some of those :)

[miniwade]

got most of the front end on now :)
what an awkward job that is trying to get the gaps right on the fibreglass front end,
got there in the end.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/77b7197e.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/7f06bf59.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/0ef52b5e.jpg
i then stuck one of the mega miglias on to see how wide it would be for a laugh,
will obviously need cutting down to match the width of the wheel :)
seriously wide though
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/5fde0443.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/88d8a13f.jpg
i also picked up my hubs and spacers that have been machined with the mini pcd so by tomorrow night i should have it back on its wheels and know how wide it is actually going to sit on my new wheels :)

[Kam]

That looks seriously aggressive with the front/arches combo! :twisted:

Aero catches on the lower front look smart, do like that alot, nice job :cool:

[miniwade]

eventually got the hubs back and back together for the last time on the wheels i will be running :)

gave her another drive tody around the yard now i have brakesm shes definately a lively one

shes gonner be a wide one lol

a few pics of how she is at the moment

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/60c43471.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/448c1f10.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/404c8236.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/7ee7c495.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/9654d79d.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/9a65758d.jpg

[dave]

Great build! Where did you get the bonnet pins from and how much? Are they the type that lock of just push to pop open?

Cheers.

Dave

[monkey]

Looks wicked mate!

[Mintegra]

Coming together nicely now matey!.... those indicators look familiar! :-D

That's the sort of stance I want on the back of mine!... WIDE!!

[miniwade]

Coming together nicely now matey!.... those indicators look familiar! :-D

That's the sort of stance I want on the back of mine!... WIDE!!
lol the indicators were off of my clio when i had the morretes on so used them to save some money :)
yeah shes a definately wide (maybe to wide)
it is coming together nicely at the moment, im going to spend the rest of the week sorting a couple of little jobs and then im going to have a week off and have a break as to be honest im working to hard at the moment and its not good for me with the condition i have so a rest is in order :(
then after the break i will have one final push and get the bodywork done and finished :)

[miniwade]

Great build! Where did you get the bonnet pins from and how much? Are they the type that lock of just push to pop open?

Cheers.

Dave
i got the bonnet pins from ebay a guy was selling 2 unused sets so got them both for the price of 1 :)

im having a break off of the car this week but hopefuuly get back on it properly next week.

the electrician (max) :) came last thursday and re wired the rear lights and fuel pump so every wire in the car will be replaced by the end of the build.
max if your reading this your wiring is legendary and i appreciate your time and patience on the old shed :)
first job next week is to get the arches on and sort a few bits then i can concerntrate on the bodywork knowing all the jobs are done bar the dash wiring and paint :)

[ad53ggz]

your electrician doing all your wires? if you dont mind me asking expensive... i really just need to tidy up/ sort my wires and its not my strong point so keep thinking about out sourcing depending on cost!

[miniwade]

your electrician doing all your wires? if you dont mind me asking expensive... i really just need to tidy up/ sort my wires and its not my strong point so keep thinking about out sourcing depending on cost!

the engine loom to the ecu was already done but he has done everything else for me and yes its alot of money however its worth every penny imo as there will be nothing worse than struggling in the future with old rotten wires and chasing crap earths and things like that,
which would possibly ruin a trackday which i dont want :(
i will pm you what its costing asi dont really want to broadcast it if im honest (plus the wife might read it and strangle me lol )

[ad53ggz]

yeah thats fine mate cheers

[miniwade]

i have been really lazy with my build recently :(
i did have a go at starting one of the front arches i think its something like it needs to be, i may just shave a little off of the top so it twists in and levels the front up.
any ideas anyone as this is a crucial part that could either make the car look good or c**p
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/c53c2dc0.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/fba5fd53.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/43c89b43.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/8abfc44b.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/87978599.jpg

[jamesfawcett]

your project looks really good mate!!!

where did you get your dash flocked? i need mine doing!
that looks spot on!

you know the locking catches in the corner of your bootlid ,are you using those?
i got the same ones from merlin motorsport, theyre crap! they snapped under any pressure at all,
i had a local engineers remake them from me from steel rather than the crap cast alloy theyre made from, much stronger and i use them to keep my front end locked on

[Mintegra]

Dont mean to sound stupid here but have you got the right arch on there?

I thought the Migilia's tapered into the body shape more... like this:
http://www.16vminiclub.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=13&pictureid=587

But Im guessing the extra wide miglia's may be different...

[miniwade]

Dont mean to sound stupid here but have you got the right arch on there?

I thought the Migilia's tapered into the body shape more... like this:
http://www.16vminiclub.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=13&pictureid=587

But Im guessing the extra wide miglia's may be different...
to be honest mate i dont really know if they are different or not but when they arrived they were taped together and all 4 arches sat on top of each otheter flush so im guessing they were all the same, that said i medded up with one of them and when i tried to order another one they asked which side i wanted so im somewhat confused now :(
now i know why i have been putting this job off for 3 weeks as t a royal pain in the arse.
i have managed to get the drivers side fitted up to what i think is the best i can get wih these arches due to the extra width of the track on the front.
hopefully will look better once its all one colour.
it does actually look better in the flesh than in the pics.
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/70625d8c.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/30eb45f6.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/30eb45f6.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/2e78a0f4.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/4dc13ebf.jpg

[vfast]

I think its a matter of taste when it comes to any arches yours look good in last couple of pics

[miniwade]

I think its a matter of taste when it comes to any arches yours look good in last couple of pics

i think you could be right about the arches mate, im quite pleased with how they look but i guess until its in colour i wont be able to tell properly.
if i dont like the look then i will just have to change them :)

[miniwade]

your project looks really good mate!!!

where did you get your dash flocked? i need mine doing!
that looks spot on!

you know the locking catches in the corner of your bootlid ,are you using those?
i got the same ones from merlin motorsport, theyre crap! they snapped under any pressure at all,
i had a local engineers remake them from me from steel rather than the crap cast alloy theyre made from, much stronger and i use them to keep my front end locked on

sorry mate just noticed your post, the locking pins on the back are pretty strong tbh and it locks pretty well, mind you the carbon fibre boot is like cardboard its that thin so that may help, cheers for the heads up.
also pm,d you about who has done the dash

[CraigieB]

Hello again buddy,

Looks great :D been cracking on then, can I just ask is your car tax exempt?

Cheers

Craig

[miniwade]

Hello again buddy,

Looks great :D been cracking on then, can I just ask is your car tax exempt?

Cheers

Craig
hiya mate hows it going?
to be honest im sure if it is or not as i have not looked that far as i thought it would be years before i finished. mine is an 83 a reg , do you have any ideas as to how old they have to be before they are tax exempt?

[stevo8273]

Car has to be pre 1973 to be tax exempt so unfortunatly it wont be.
Sometimes it can take a good few weeks getting the v5 stuff back from the dvla so the sooner you amend it and send it off the better

[Minirocket]

cars looking well lad shes definitely wide looks unreal love the wheels! keep up the good work

[miniwade]

cheerss for the positive comments people it helps keep me motivated :)
got a little bit more done today grill and headlights are now in so can see what its going to look like less the cibie oscars i have to fit at the end

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/05f946e7.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/ac334b32.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/6506f311.jpg

[CraigieB]

Fantastic!!

As above really mate, has to be 1972 or older to be tax exempt, I thought yours was 83 because mines 84 and is a b reg haha :D

Are you going to keep the silver and black plates on when you start using it on the road? I want to use them on mine and want to know if I'll get away with it basically

[miniwade]

Fantastic!!

As above really mate, has to be 1972 or older to be tax exempt, I thought yours was 83 because mines 84 and is a b reg haha :D

Are you going to keep the silver and black plates on when you start using it on the road? I want to use them on mine and want to know if I'll get away with it basically

cheers mate,
i might try my luck with the plates but will probs put the other plates in the windows when on the road then hopefully i will get left alone like i did with my clio hybrid :)
what are your plans for yor mini mate ? 16v?

[CraigieB]

Plans are metro turbo lump this summer, then start saving up for honda conversion - as im a student cash doesnt come as fast as I'd like haha :D

I want to do conversion similar to yours but with B18C4 engine instead but I want to do it properly - you know de-rust the shell and all that haha

Looks good mate :)

[monkey]

Coming on well mate, I like it, looks aggressive!

[miniwade]

a bit of a step back with the shed i mean mini :rolleyes:
garage that its stored at phoned me to tell me it wont start and could i get it running as they dont want to be pushing it in and out every day,fair comment in my eyes,
so i goes down and does a few tests and turns out the fuel pump is goosed not doing anything at all i wouldnt mind but i bought it brand new at the begining of the year :(
well all i can work out is that me being stupid and lack of knowledge wasnt aware that i should really of fitted a pre pump filter and after all the work i had done on my tank has caused a bit of swarf to get to the pump and ruin it:(
lesson learnt now its all sorted but still a kick in the plums when i was lacking a bit of motivation for the car as it was.
on the plus side i have managed to borrow my friends bodyshop next week as hes closed for a holiday so i can get a good stab at getting it ready for paint in the next few weeks :)

[monkey]

Things like this will always happen! No worries just move on!

[CraigieB]

Itll be fine mate - you should be used to this with the clio's you've had haha :) itll be alright - will be a weapon when its ready you know this :)

[miniwade]

well i have got my arse into gear this week have got the new pump in and fitted and now she runs again, also started with the bodywork shes nearly ready for primer now just a few dents to be removed from the roof then its ready :)
car is going to be be ford frozen white.
getting quite excited now,
a few pictures of where im at
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/f7ac4fb3.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/c995fa4b.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/6bf443c0.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/b5990d63.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/4904372e.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/97ffdd59.jpg

[miniwade]

got her primed last night so hopefully the shell will be all painted by the end of the weekend :)
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/4aa5293a.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/3b30e181.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/ca0e8874.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/145254cf.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/3375ef85.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/58e93a6b.jpg

[CraigieB]

what colour you going bud??

[VT-Doo]

Looking good!!

[Mintegra]

Getting there matey!!

How did your roof dents come out??... I had 3 pretty big ones, in primer they were un-noticable although after final coat they look horrendous... me thinking carbon fibre roof now :-)

[miniwade]

what colour you going bud??
its going to be ford frozen white or should i say it is ford frozen white as we painted it tonight :)

[miniwade]

Getting there matey!!

How did your roof dents come out??... I had 3 pretty big ones, in primer they were un-noticable although after final coat they look horrendous... me thinking carbon fibre roof now :-)
there still in there at the moment as the dent man was busy so hes going to do them later, he said he can still do them once its painted, i think im going to carbon wrap the roof anyway so will look ok.

[miniwade]

well i stayed late last night and got the shell blown over and started putting a few bits back on today
car is ford frozen white and turned out fairly well for a 30 year old car.
few pics of my progress and where were up to :)
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/fe9f6654.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/bf5d0df9.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/3338287f.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/bcf24c72.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/77bbf9fd.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/7e6db9a6.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/d7bcce15.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/f1415e0c.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/973e96ea.jpg

[koolhandkc]

That is a beautiful job! Top notch work.

[Kam]

Thats comming along sweet that, nice simple colour but it works, good move :cool:

[miniwade]

Thats comming along sweet that, nice simple colour but it works, good move :cool:
cheers:D
i thought about what colour to do it for ages and decided on white as it is good for hiding dents unlike a metalic colour.
just need to decide what colour to do the arches as im undecided between white or black!!
any ideas people??????

[monkey]

Lovely! Thats a difficult choice too, I'd say get carbon exposed arches :-)

[BLMC VTEC]

I'm liking those throttle bodies you have there - yummy

[miniwade]

Lovely! Thats a difficult choice too, I'd say get carbon exposed arches :-)

i really wish i could go for some carbon arches but with the amount of money i have already spent the wife will string me up by the short and curlies if i spend a few hundred quid on those lol
im leaning towards black or getting them carbon wrapped for now to match the roof as im currently thinking of getting that done aswell.
something a little different from the norm me thinks :cool:

[64van]

Looks great. Where did you get those tail lights? I don't think I've seen them before.

[Mintegra]

i really wish i could go for some carbon arches but with the amount of money i have already spent the wife will string me up by the short and curlies if i spend a few hundred quid on those lol
im leaning towards black or getting them carbon wrapped for now to match the roof as im currently thinking of getting that done aswell.
something a little different from the norm me thinks :cool:


Yeah !!! do it!!.... :-) like the sound of wrapped arches and roof!..

Interested to see how the carbon roof turns out as this is also something im currently considering until I can afford the real thing!...

[miniwade]

Yeah !!! do it!!.... :-) like the sound of wrapped arches and roof!..

Interested to see how the carbon roof turns out as this is also something im currently considering until I can afford the real thing!...

well i had a dent bloke call in today cold calling so i got him on the mini roof and have to say it looks amazing and now think the idea of getting the roof wrapped has gone for now but still think the arches are going to be a goer :)
as for the wrapping itself i do a bit of wrapping for a friend with a wrapping company when hes short staffed so getting them done will not be a problem at all :)
think i will get them sprayed first and see how they look then may try them wrapped and see how i feel from then on.

[miniwade]

just a little updatem i have got all the panels prepped for priming now, will give them a few nice thick coats then block them down nicely as there is nothing worse than fibreglass panels for for looking wavey and crap so hopefully a bit of time and patience they will turn out ok :)
im looking to have them all painted and back together by the weekend

[miniwade]

im a happy boy :)
got the rest of my parts sprayed today and started building it back up, had to call it a day as the wife put her foot down about me being home as there has been a few late nights this week :(
any way here a few pics, hopefully have it as a complete car by the end of the weekend :)

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/db3c2b81.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/21d0725e.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/00e27373.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/c0efae9c.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/8932a324.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/9b0fc5a0.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/9b0fc5a0.jpg

[Kam]

Very nice, I think the aero catches look good on that, wheels go well with the back end, same with the arch trims, spot on

Stance is sweet :cool:

[miniwade]

well its back together finally, just a few bits of alignment to do then i will be happy, what do you think?
i also took it for a cheeky drive up the road (sshh dont tell the law)
it needs a dam good tracking session and mapping but a bit of work and it will get there,
anyway a few pics for you

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/5bdb3d3e.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/dfdf1c37.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/672711bc.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/f1e56106.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/cc362678.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/b54b8518.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/38018da4.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/c1dcbe5f.jpg
http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/49949733.jpg

[jamesfawcett]

stunning mate!!! really evil looking front end, and i also like the cleanness of your aero catches looks really good that!!

id definately get some mesh in front of your radiator in the bottom bumper, you should have seen mine after 100 miles of driving, it took forever straighting out the fins again!
that was in winter though when the gritters were out

[miniwade]

stunning mate!!! really evil looking front end, and i also like the cleanness of your aero catches looks really good that!!

id definately get some mesh in front of your radiator in the bottom bumper, you should have seen mine after 100 miles of driving, it took forever straighting out the fins again!
that was in winter though when the gritters were out
cheers for the advice mate but i dont think i will have room for the mesh as it is so will have to do some shuffling around with the radiator and the front end, just when you think your nearly done something else come along :)
im happy with how it looks at the moment but after driving it up the road yesterday im a bit disapointed if im honest, maybe i expected more from the car i really dont know. i know it needs mapping badly and tracking so hopefully they will sort out and make it all seem all worth while.
thankfully its not my daily driver as i think its a little hardcore for daily use :)

[Mintegra]

Awesome!!... cant believe you have finished before me!... not even taken you a year!... :-(

Looks great!

[miniwade]

Awesome!!... cant believe you have finished before me!... not even taken you a year!... :-(

Looks great!
its not quite finished just yet mate, still alot of the fiddley bits to do which seem to take forever as you know, its taken me 9 months up to now, i must say it feels like about 9 years lol
i will be happy when its finished now, just got the dash to do and mapping but that can wait until after the family holiday in 5 weeks :)

[Kam]

maybe i expected more from the car i really dont know. i know it needs mapping badly and tracking so hopefully they will sort out and make it all seem all worth while

Are you running Watsons base map on the DTA? I used this obviously when I first test drove mine, but after getting it mapped (and alignment done) hmmmm :shock:

[miniwade]

Are you running Watsons base map on the DTA? I used this obviously when I first test drove mine, but after getting it mapped (and alignment done) hmmmm :shock:

im unsure of the map that is on the ecu at the moment as i bought it off of a fellow member :) plust the car has honda accord h22 injectors so will be throwing in more fuel than needed, so did the map and tracking make a big difference on your car?
i hope so :)

[jamesfawcett]

miniwade,

when you get your suspension right you will be happy wiht it,
i get fed up with how horrible mine drives sometimes, but then you tweak something... and it drives nicer, then you adjust something else, and the pedals get lighter.... etc

now the teething problems begin and sorting out making it drive nice!
i was pretty upset how mine didnt drive like a honda, and its definately hardcore like you say!

i tweaked the camber on the front of mine a few weeks back, and the tracking was all out, i went for a test drive and got really fed up with it it felt like it had gone backwards again,


it will be worth it trust me!!

[Kam]

so did the map and tracking make a big difference on your car?

Yeah you could say that ;)

I would send you my b16 map to try but my cars in bits so my DTA has no power running to it and its not saved on my laptop either

If you were more down south theres only one place I would recommend to map it, there is another up north though recommended from someone on here, so all is not lost for you lot :lol:

Clicky (http://www.rdt.tv/)

Hth

[miniwade]

miniwade,

when you get your suspension right you will be happy wiht it,
i get fed up with how horrible mine drives sometimes, but then you tweak something... and it drives nicer, then you adjust something else, and the pedals get lighter.... etc

now the teething problems begin and sorting out making it drive nice!
i was pretty upset how mine didnt drive like a honda, and its definately hardcore like you say!

i tweaked the camber on the front of mine a few weeks back, and the tracking was all out, i went for a test drive and got really fed up with it it felt like it had gone backwards again,


it will be worth it trust me!!
i do hope your right ( i know your right) was just a bit of an anti climax at the time, im getting my m3 4 wheel aligned next week after a new front wishbone so i will get them to set the mini up at the same time and see how it goes, as for the mapping i will have to twist my mates arm to sort it but hes rammed at the moment and is booked up for the next 2 months on his dyno and he says he wants to spend a bit of time on it to get it right for me :)

[miniwade]

Yeah you could say that ;)

I would send you my b16 map to try but my cars in bits so my DTA has no power running to it and its not saved on my laptop either

If you were more down south theres only one place I would recommend to map it, there is another up north though recommended from someone on here, so all is not lost for you lot :lol:

Clicky (http://www.rdt.tv/)

Hth
im not to worried as one of my best mates is in the same yard as me and has a rolling road and does mapping, hes done there tigra which is the fastest fwd car in the uk so im guessing hes up to the job for my baby vtec lol

[miniwade]

devastating news yesterday, my wife has been made redundant again (twice in one year) so unless i can win the lottery then im afraid all my hard work has been in vain and im going to have to put the mini up for sale :(
i wouldnt have a clue what to value it at though, any ideas people? i would finish the dashboard and get it mapped so it would be fully completed.

[Mintegra]

devastating news yesterday, my wife has been made redundant again (twice in one year) so unless i can win the lottery then im afraid all my hard work has been in vain and im going to have to put the mini up for sale :(
i wouldnt have a clue what to value it at though, any ideas people? i would finish the dashboard and get it mapped so it would be fully completed.


OH NO!!... thats not on at all!... :(

I was looking forward to having some mini meets with you when we have them road worthy!...

Fingers crossed she manages to find a new job before you get rid of it!...

C

[Dodger]

Oh - what a shame:(. Fantastic build.
Anybody out there can help with a job? What does she do?

[miniwade]

OH NO!!... thats not on at all!... :(

I was looking forward to having some mini meets with you when we have them road worthy!...

Fingers crossed she manages to find a new job before you get rid of it!...

C
its a really tough choice either the m3 goes or the mini, in the mini's favour is if i park it up and dont do anything for a couple of months then its not costing me any money whereas the m3 has expensive running and insurance costs so could get rid of that for a cheap run about but if im honest the m3 was always my dream realistic car and would be very difficult to get rid of.
aagggrrrrrr decisions decisions i dont know whst to do for the best :(

[miniwade]

Oh - what a shame:(. Fantastic build.
Anybody out there can help with a job? What does she do?
she was a accounts manager, she got made redundant last september the day we got back off our honeymoon and was vey lucky to walk into another job within 2 days but in the currrent climate i dont think she will be as lucky :(

[wilp99]

well, im sure you will do what u need to do. just be there for her, as im sure she's really stressed. give her our best wishes.

[miniwade]

i have had a really good think about this and the MINI IS STAYING :)
i decided there has been to much time, money,effort,blood and tears to let it go, its the biggest project i have ever taken on and to be quite honest im bloody proud of what i have achieved with this car.
it will get completed very soon im sure, today im getting the car recovered back to my house where it can sit on my drive and i can oggle the little thing lol.
cheers for the kind words people and helping me make the RIGHT decision.

[jamesfawcett]

glad to hear this miniwade!!!

what are you doing tomorow? im working in the centre of leeds, i could call round in my mini for more inspiration???

[Keoman]

Looking great, awesome job!

[miniwade]

glad to hear this miniwade!!!

what are you doing tomorow? im working in the centre of leeds, i could call round in my mini for more inspiration???
sorry mate just noticed your post, would of been good to have a butchers over your car to motivate my sorry ass. will definately have to have a meet up at some point soon :)

[miniwade]

have booked the car in for remapping on wednesday @ rs tuning in leeds this car best not let me down or blow up lol
anything above 150bhp and i will be happy for now :)
wish me luck!!!!

[miniwade]

well i had the car with paul taday @ rs tuning for him to work his magic, i had a small issue with the inlet manifold and had to take the itb's off only to find a foreign body in there.

i removed it and thought id got away with it but after a bit of time on the dyno it was soon apparent something wasnt right :(

paul did a cylinder test and confirmed the inlet valve was leaking by on that cylinder :(

he did what he could with the car and lets just say he gained 90bhp from what it went in there with but still not what i was after ( please dont ask for the figures lol)

pic of the foreign body

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk131/hybridhughes/57a7a8b8.jpg

a few of the dyno runs for you to enjoy some vtec flames :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xTBZuRTw6o&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zawU9zXpBVM



now to remove the head and sort the valve seat out, just when i thought i was finished lol.

[jamesfawcett]

no way!!! thats two of us that have had to do this! :(
sorry to hear this mate, have you had the head off before?

[jamesfawcett]

sorry mate just noticed your post, would of been good to have a butchers over your car to motivate my sorry ass. will definately have to have a meet up at some point soon :)

let me know when you have your MOT certificate we can go for a drive!
what did you think of RS? were they good? would you recommend?

[Kam]

Thats a foreign body alright! :shock:

Have you found where it came from or was it one of those 'just happened to get in there' kinda things during the build?

Flames are awesome, I know your rolling session didn't go as plan but just wanna say those flames are awesome :p

[miniwade]

let me know when you have your MOT certificate we can go for a drive!
what did you think of RS? were they good? would you recommend?
i would definately recomend them, hes one of my best friends and i worked for him for a year aswell but you can only work with your friends so long before you will end up falling out.
will definately give you a shout once shes legal and on the road :)

[miniwade]

Thats a foreign body alright! :shock:

Have you found where it came from or was it one of those 'just happened to get in there' kinda things during the build?

Flames are awesome, I know your rolling session didn't go as plan but just wanna say those flames are awesome :p
i really have no idea where its come from but looks like one of my new nuts i had bought so all i can think of is its somehow been dropped into the trumpet and then when i have started it up and opened the throttle its just dropped through :(
hopefully i will get it sorted soon, not had the head off before but one of my best mates is a honda lover and says we can get sorted in no time easy enough so fingers crossed we will get there in the end

[Kam]

Can you let us know what figures it made up until now please? :D

Not everyones rolling session goes as plan, its always a tall order revving your new build to the max when your thinking "whats and ifs"

[miniwade]

Can you let us know what figures it made up until now please? :D

Not everyones rolling session goes as plan, its always a tall order revving your new build to the max when your thinking "whats and ifs"
ok i will confess it made 145.8bhp and 120ft lbs of tourque that is on a dyno dynamics which doesnt give hp away for free,
that figure was @the flywheel, hopefully once the valve is sorted it will make the 160 i want :)

[Kam]

Your joking right? Thats a good figure (especially the torque) with one piston not running as smooth as it should? Nowt wrong with that atall for work in progress :D

Keep at it, and keep your nuts in place aswell ;)

[miniwade]

Your joking right? Thats a good figure (especially the torque) with one piston not running as smooth as it should? Nowt wrong with that atall for work in progress :D

Keep at it, and keep your nuts in place aswell ;)
so you think its doing ok then? i was a bit down hearted about it but you have cheered me up now :)
the tourque is probably up due to the throttle bodies,
will try my best to keep my nuts in check in future lol :)

[Kam]

Well my B16a2 made 165 with 116 torque, standard everything tuned with DTA, most of them are around that figure DTA or not, obviously rolling road figures differs but they aint gonna be way off

Your ITB's will have more mid range torque but don't expect alot, they need other components to work well, the sound will be second to none though like in the vid, mine sounds obviously nothing like that but my car is more sedate :-D

Going by your other post if your CR's are right then you need to check elsewhere, but they wouldn't be right with a valve out?

Trial n error mate, your doing a cracking job, don't get put off, this is part of it

[miniwade]

Well my B16a2 made 165 with 116 torque, standard everything tuned with DTA, most of them are around that figure DTA or not, obviously rolling road figures differs but they aint gonna be way off

Your ITB's will have more mid range torque but don't expect alot, they need other components to work well, the sound will be second to none though like in the vid, mine sounds obviously nothing like that but my car is more sedate :-D

Going by your other post if your CR's are right then you need to check elsewhere, but they wouldn't be right with a valve out?

Trial n error mate, your doing a cracking job, don't get put off, this is part of it

cheers mate,
the compression ratio's were all the same apart from that cylinder which would eventually get up there but the leak down test confirmed it was the inlet valve leaking by. will rip the head off over the weekend and see where im at :)

[jamesfawcett]

i would definately recomend them, hes one of my best friends and i worked for him for a year aswell but you can only work with your friends so long before you will end up falling out.
will definately give you a shout once shes legal and on the road :)

brilliant! do they have a website?

im going to have a go at tuning my part throttle, evolution has given me some good guidance, but if i fail terribly id like to ask him about tuning it for me for fuel economy

and yeah about taking the head off, id never done it before either until a month or so ago, and found it really easy, i left the inlet on made it much easier, i think it was all much easier than an a series anyway which always seem to take me ages! i found the cheapest place for genuine headgaskets was www.funkypower.co.uk

[jamesfawcett]

...oh and one more thing! i bought the proper lever tool for doing valve stem seals if you need to borrow it to do them at the same time, the viton stem seals are about £20 on ebay including postage

[miniwade]

well i had the car ecovered home yesterday and whilst i knew i had to take her apart i thought i would have a sly little drive, OMG its bloody amazing the whole experience was mental it just pulls and pulls even though its not at its full power, i cannot wait to get it sorted now, iwas genuinely shaking when i got out, i have driven alot of quick cars and my daily driver is an e46 m3 so its not like im not used to speed but the mini just cheered me up which it was i needed as last time i drove it i was massively disapointed so this was the boost i needed.
today i got the cylinder head off and to be honest cannot see any obvious damage so will leave it upside down over night with some diesel in and see if it weeps through.
hopefully i will start taking the valves out tomorrow, do i need a special valve spring compressor for these or am i ok with a normal one?

[jamesfawcett]

no you need a special one, text me today if you want me to bring mine over 07816366314, im off to Shelf now in bradford, ill stick it in the car incase you want me to bring it over :)

thanks
james

[miniwade]

no you need a special one, text me today if you want me to bring mine over 07816366314, im off to Shelf now in bradford, ill stick it in the car incase you want me to bring it over :)

thanks
james

cheers for bringing that over today mate and nice to meet you and see your machine :)
i managed to get all the valves out and to be honest im suprised any of the valves were seating at all as they are in crap state. will change the two that were leaking by for new valves to be sure there ok then i will spend some time grinding them all in to make sure all is good when it goes back together.

[jamesfawcett]

cheers for bringing that over today mate and nice to meet you and see your machine :)
i managed to get all the valves out and to be honest im suprised any of the valves were seating at all as they are in crap state. will change the two that were leaking by for new valves to be sure there ok then i will spend some time grinding them all in to make sure all is good when it goes back together.

no probs at all! hope you get it sorted in time for your holiday :)

[miniwade]

no probs at all! hope you get it sorted in time for your holiday :)

im more worried about trying to get it back together for the photoshoot a week on wednesday, fingers crossed it will be :)

[jamesfawcett]

hey wade, just wondering if i could get RS to tune up my part throttle for more fuel economy before i go to germany in 6 weeks, well infact, to mini in the park in 3 weeks, i dont suppose you have contact details for them do you or a number? or should i just call round there?

[miniwade]

hey wade, just wondering if i could get RS to tune up my part throttle for more fuel economy before i go to germany in 6 weeks, well infact, to mini in the park in 3 weeks, i dont suppose you have contact details for them do you or a number? or should i just call round there?

hi james,
here is his site with his details, you wold be best ringing him though as he is very busy and might take a while to email back, i have mentioned to him you might want him to have a look at your car.
give him a bell and have a chat, he isnt the cheapest out there but he will not let your car leave without being right and safe.
let me know how you get on mate
http://www.rstuning.co.uk/

[Mintegra]

How the re-build coming on??..

[miniwade]

How the re-build coming on??..
i have lapped all the valves in and replaced the 2 offending valves to be sure even though im certain there not bent but im not risking not changing them whilst its apart.
done some diy porting/polishing aswell at the same time, im going to do a few bits of tarting up also whilst its in bits as the miniworld photo shoot is hopefully on the 10th of august. got to have it looking its best and im away for 9 days from the 1st so time is not on my side.
i will definately have it up and running by mid next week :)
hows your car coming along mate? you had a cheeky drive yet?

[Mintegra]

Better get your finger pulled out then! :-D

Im keen to learn what figures you make when she is back together!..

Not yet!.. The steering geometry is a country mile out at the minute so dont want to risk it. Need to take it to have a 4 wheel alignment at some point.

[miniwade]

Better get your finger pulled out then! :-D

Im keen to learn what figures you make when she is back together!..

Not yet!.. The steering geometry is a country mile out at the minute so dont want to risk it. Need to take it to have a 4 wheel alignment at some point.

i have a number for a mobile guy who is shit hot if you want it? he can make bent cars drive straight lol,is your car back in leeds yet?
i dont think i will see over 160bhp mate but that will be enough as it was fun enough with the 145 :)

[CraigieB]

Good progress buddy :), I was expecting to see a chunk of metal or somethign not a full on nut! Haha :)

[miniwade]

well the car is almost back together now, will be running for tomorrow night.
i have a liitle video of my friend taking it for a quick blast after it was mapped, you can hear the throttle bodies spitting back due to the 2 inlet valves leaking by and a massive chunk missing on the ptfe intake gasket,
gives a little idea of what it goes like :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf5mRbSPnwM

[Jeffreypang911]

Goes like stink!! keep up the good work!

[miniwade]

got the car all back together tonight and she is running smoother than ever :)
its not spitting back through the itb's and just generally feels more responsive.
will try getting it on the dyno if i can before i go away on monday but i know there really busy so its unlikely to be before then.
i will spend the next 2 days flatting and polishing the car now the paint has had time to harden, there is a few other jobs i need to do aswell before im happy but im getting there at long last :)

[Kam]

Thats sounds a bit too brutal! :twisted: damm those TB's do sound nice :cool:

Wasn't your photoshoot today?

[miniwade]

Thats sounds a bit too brutal! :twisted: damm those TB's do sound nice :cool:

Wasn't your photoshoot today?

thanks it does sound pretty good :)
photoshoot is provisionally booked for 10th of august so got to get the last few bits sorted before then, and im on holiday for 8-10 days between now and then so i best get my finger out lol

[Mintegra]

Sounds rapid!... shame about the stupid trucks ar5ing around!! wanted to hear more of that vtec roar!..:-)

[miniwade]

Sounds rapid!... shame about the stupid trucks ar5ing around!! wanted to hear more of that vtec roar!..:-)
it does sound well i must say, but in all honesty i dont think it is mega quick but its the whole experience the car gives, its bloody epic lol, i wasnt driving in that video clip but it did make me laugh when the lad in the passenger seat shouts f****k and he has a porsche and a tuned raptor 700 quad so im guessing the mini is doing something right if it had that effect on him :)
todays job is to flat and polish the whole car (god i hate that job )

[Mintegra]

Sounded like it was spinning up in that vid.... :Dfactor

Oooof - tell me about it, Ive been doing mine in stages... such a laborious job but it is quite rewarding when you get a nice finish!...

[jamesfawcett]

worst cameraman ever!!! :P but awsome vid!

wade i got your pm, ill call round later on if thats ok? about tea time, 6.30ish?

thanks :)

[miniwade]

worst cameraman ever!!! :P but awsome vid!

wade i got your pm, ill call round later on if thats ok? about tea time, 6.30ish?

thanks :)

Yeah that's fine mate I will be in :)

[miniwade]

well im back off of my holiday now and things seem to have improved, the wife has now been offered a job so we should get back on our feet soon and i will be able to progress with the final touches on the mini :)
first job is to sort the last few bits of wiring and get the 4 wheel alignment done and then shes ready for its mot, i also need to get it back to the dyno for the map tweeking now the 2 valves are sorted and the inlet gasket replaced.
my aim will be to have it completed within the month now so i can at least have some much needed fun in it before the weather turns for the worst :)

[Mintegra]

Great news matey!.... hope you had a refreshing break!....