Z-Cars Mini Type R
Discussion
Having spent a lot of time recently viewing other peoples projects I thought I'd add mine.
My first Kit Car was a Tiger Super 6:
But after 2 years I had got fed up of getting wet, and I'm too tall, an inflexible, to get in and out of one with a roof, so decided to build something else.
My first car was a Mini so I'd always been interested in Z-Cars conversions and having visited their factory and had a demo in their Hayabusa decided this is what i wanted to do, although with the vtec to make it a bit more usable.
The following weekend at a friends bbq I was offered a mini for free, he'd been paying for a garage to store it in for 8 years and decided he was never going to do anything with it. I said yes, without seeing it, and collected it the following week. Having seen it I understood why he hadn't tried to sell it:
My first Kit Car was a Tiger Super 6:
But after 2 years I had got fed up of getting wet, and I'm too tall, an inflexible, to get in and out of one with a roof, so decided to build something else.
My first car was a Mini so I'd always been interested in Z-Cars conversions and having visited their factory and had a demo in their Hayabusa decided this is what i wanted to do, although with the vtec to make it a bit more usable.
The following weekend at a friends bbq I was offered a mini for free, he'd been paying for a garage to store it in for 8 years and decided he was never going to do anything with it. I said yes, without seeing it, and collected it the following week. Having seen it I understood why he hadn't tried to sell it:
zetec_s6 said:
rhinochopig said:
Did you opt for the ~ 250bhp version with Emerald, TBs, etc.?
It's got a Hydra ECU and ZX12 Throttle Bodiess. It's currently 258bhp but needs setting up properly, I'm hoping to do this before I do a trackday at Silverstone in June.The most impressive thing - beyond Chris actually fitting beneath the steering wheel - was how good the ride was down the b roads around his farm.
The first step was to strip it to a bare shell
I then cut the back out to make space for the rear frame, slightly less than was required
I could then see exactly how much work bodywork was needed, this is when my 9 month schedule went out of the window, it required:
Doors
Inner sills
Outer sills
Lower door frames
O/S Rear quarter panel
Rear valance
Front panel
Front wings
A-Panels
Inner wings
Front floors
Scuttle
I then cut the back out to make space for the rear frame, slightly less than was required
I could then see exactly how much work bodywork was needed, this is when my 9 month schedule went out of the window, it required:
Doors
Inner sills
Outer sills
Lower door frames
O/S Rear quarter panel
Rear valance
Front panel
Front wings
A-Panels
Inner wings
Front floors
Scuttle
Before starting on the bodywork I trial fitted the front subframe
and rear frame
to see if any more bodywork needed to be removed, before building a spit to give better access for the repairs
I started with the O/S Inner and Outer Sills
before tackling the rear quarter, floor and inner wing
and repeating the process on the other side
and rear frame
to see if any more bodywork needed to be removed, before building a spit to give better access for the repairs
I started with the O/S Inner and Outer Sills
before tackling the rear quarter, floor and inner wing
and repeating the process on the other side
With a relatively solid body I refitted the front and rear frames
Reskinned the doors, fitted the front end, bootlid, lights, exhaust, fuel and brake lines, water pipes, seats and switches and as many other things I could think of that would require welding or holes drilling.
It was then time to strip the shell and refit the spit to finish off the bodywork. After a lot of filling, sanding and priming
The underside was sealed and stone chipped before painting it and the inside satin black and spraying another couple of coats of white primer on the outside
Reskinned the doors, fitted the front end, bootlid, lights, exhaust, fuel and brake lines, water pipes, seats and switches and as many other things I could think of that would require welding or holes drilling.
It was then time to strip the shell and refit the spit to finish off the bodywork. After a lot of filling, sanding and priming
The underside was sealed and stone chipped before painting it and the inside satin black and spraying another couple of coats of white primer on the outside
I then painted the roof and all internal surfaces door shuts the final colour as I wanted to hire a spray booth for a day to spray the car, as I didn't fancy doing it my garage, so wanted to spray it with the doors fitted, which would also help with getting even coverage.
I covered the inside with sound deading, in an attempt to make it a more usable car, before starting the wiring.
Made a bulkhead, fitted carpets and headlining
Trial fitted the arches and all other external parts
Before stripping it, again, for paint.
I covered the inside with sound deading, in an attempt to make it a more usable car, before starting the wiring.
Made a bulkhead, fitted carpets and headlining
Trial fitted the arches and all other external parts
Before stripping it, again, for paint.
Spray day didn't go quite as planned, having arrived at 9.00 the booth wasn't available until 12.00 and it wasn't much cleaner than my garage. The paint coverage was not as good as I'd expected so required 8 coats + 2 of laquer, but by 19.00 it was done and I was pleased with the result.
Brightwork and arches refitted
Brightwork and arches refitted
It was at this point that I tried to start it for the first time, it turned over fine, but wouldn't fire, after a couple of evening I admitted defeat and arranged for the car to go to Z-Cars to get it running as they'd supplied the engine and loom, I think there was a faulty sensor but the main issue was a bent valve. With the engine rebuilt and running the car came back and the finally few bits were sorted.
After 88 miles the engine developed a knocking noise, the oil pressure dropped and it seized solid, all in about 3 miles. The car went back to Z-Cars who replaced the crank, rods and bearings, they think it was linked to a blocked oil line. Due to various issues with the supply of parts it took 3 months to get the car back, which meant I missed most of that summer.
After another 100 miles exactly the same thing happened again, this time I just sent the engine back to Z-Cars to be exchanged with another 2nd hand one.
In the 180 miles I'd done in the car the only real complaint I had was that the revs were quite high, 4200rpm @ 70mph so I bought a 4.052 final drive to replace the standard 4.76, which has dropped the revs by about 600rpm and also makes 2nd gear more useful, previously I'd hardly used anything less than 3rd.
After 88 miles the engine developed a knocking noise, the oil pressure dropped and it seized solid, all in about 3 miles. The car went back to Z-Cars who replaced the crank, rods and bearings, they think it was linked to a blocked oil line. Due to various issues with the supply of parts it took 3 months to get the car back, which meant I missed most of that summer.
After another 100 miles exactly the same thing happened again, this time I just sent the engine back to Z-Cars to be exchanged with another 2nd hand one.
In the 180 miles I'd done in the car the only real complaint I had was that the revs were quite high, 4200rpm @ 70mph so I bought a 4.052 final drive to replace the standard 4.76, which has dropped the revs by about 600rpm and also makes 2nd gear more useful, previously I'd hardly used anything less than 3rd.
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