Mini project

[RussellG]

Bit more work done tonight

Nearside before the hinge was fitted


23/2/12.1 by russell.grant, on Flickr

after the hinge was fitted


23/2/12.2 by russell.grant, on Flickr

and a few shots from other angles


23/2/12.3 by russell.grant, on Flickr


23/2/12.4 by russell.grant, on Flickr


23/2/12.5 by russell.grant, on Flickr

I will close off the end of the box sections and fabricate a section of inner wing to finish the hinges off at a later date. For now this should be enough to allow me to start attaching the hinges to the front end.

[RussellG]

camelotr said:

Drill a hole from the engine bay to allow some rust prooving. Water will get into that box even if you close it.

Thats a good point I hadn't thought about drainage. I will put a couple of holes along the underside of the box section tomorrow. It's always good to hear other people's suggestions and ideas. Thanks

[RussellG]

Update time

This weekends focus was on getting the front end hinge setup working which after most of Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon I am pleased to say it is. It still needs a fair amount of work yet but the basics are done.

Bonnet down


26/2/12.1 by russell.grant, on Flickr

Bonnet up


26/2/12.2 by russell.grant, on Flickr

[RussellG]

I have taken a very quick video just to show the flip front in action


http://youtu.be/yypauYqJIag


There is a lot still to do but this is how it stands just now

Edited by RussellG on Sunday 26th February 21:51

[RussellG]

I'm hoping to use a latch with a solenoid to give me an electric release mechanism for the front and then I will add some kind of mechanical backup catch as a safety.

[RussellG]

I havent done much on the mini since last weekends update but tonight I decided to have a look at the subframe brace bars and modify them as required

A quick inspection revealed they would take a fair amount of modifying to fit correctly and if im honest im not impressed with the finish of them


29/2/12.3 by russell.grant, on Flickr

So I decided to change there design from a pair of seperate brace bars which bolt on either side into 1 piece that bolts onto the front of the subframe and both sides.

I havent completed it yet but heres how I started


29/2/12.1 by russell.grant, on Flickr

And how it sits as I left it tonight (hopefully get this finished tomorrow night)


29/2/12.2 by russell.grant, on Flickr

[RussellG]

I have a set of 12" wheels in the garage but was considering a set of 13" instead. The pictures probably don't make it clear but the new brace bars should actually be less intrusive than the originals. However I will be getting wheels before painting the shell so that clearances and any arch mods can be carried out. So if it's a problem it's not a disaster to change.

[RussellG]

Finished the brace bars tonight , they just need a coat of paint now

Back view


1/3/12.1 by russell.grant, on Flickr

Front view


1/3/12.2 by russell.grant, on Flickr

Fitted


1/3/12.3 by russell.grant, on Flickr


1/3/12.4 by russell.grant, on Flickr

[RussellG]

Doubt the car will be ready for then and I doubt my wallet can stretch to the trip either. An engine and some shiny bits for the car will probably leave me skint.

[RussellG]

Don't have any pictures to show for the work since the last update.

A lot of swearing and trial and error means I am now confident that I will soon be able to post images of the new front hinge setup which will now incorporate a pair of these;


8/3/12.1 by russell.grant, on Flickr

[RussellG]

Got the actuator mounting points done on both sides now


17/3/12.1 by russell.grant, on Flickr


18/3/12.2 by russell.grant, on Flickr


18/3/12.3 by russell.grant, on Flickr

Got time for a quick video as well

http://youtu.be/my0np43n1u8

[RussellG]

Thanks for the response everyone. Its always good to get feedback be it positive or negative. I have had a hectic week so haven't done anymore yet and there is some work needing done around the house so I doubt the mini will get much attention this weekend.

[RussellG]

Nothing to report since the last update yet

Been having a new heating system installed in the house which has meant I have had to pull up floors and demolish walls in the process. So half the house contents were moved to the garage and I have been decorating the house. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now so hopefully by the weekend the house will be finished and the garage will get a tidy then its back too the mini

[RussellG]

The hinges are boot hinges from an e46 bmw 3 series and the actuator were ordered from a seller on ebay.

[RussellG]

Finally managed a few hours on the mini this weekend. So I decided to brace up the A panels







Then I braced up the wings as well

[RussellG]

Managed a few hours on the mini yesterday. I have dressed up the edge between the wings and the a panels now to give me a nice neat fit. Then set to work on tidying up the gap between the bonnet edge and the scuttle panel. I always knew that this was going to be a pain to fix but I felt it was important to make the bonnet fit well at the front since I was going to use a mk1 style grille which meant the fit along the rear wasn't exactly perfect. A bit of welding in of extra metal in a similar style to my door skins has sorted this though.

I forgot to take pictures when I finished for the day but will try to get some up soon.

[RussellG]

Today has seen a decent amount of work on the mini

Started filling and rubbing down the front end and blending the flip front with the a panels and scuttle panel. I also welded up all the mounting holes on the front end for the grille that are not required anymore.


9/6/12.1 by russell.grant, on Flickr


9/6/12.2 by russell.grant, on Flickr


9/6/12.3 by russell.grant, on Flickr

Then I decided to take a break from filling and instead tested fitted the grille, surround and indicators.


9/6/12.4 by russell.grant, on Flickr


9/6/12.5 by russell.grant, on Flickr

Hopefully some more updates in the pipeline tomorrow.

[RussellG]

quattrophenia said:

Liking that Russell, your making me want to rush out and buy an old mini for myself.....if only I had the garage space!

Don't forget a mini is only small. I'm sure you could find a space for one

[RussellG]

Not really worth taking new photos today. I have spent the afternoon doing a lot of filling and sanding down. This is the bit of the build I'm not so fond of. 

[RussellG]

Yeah I'm having a push over the next week or so to try and get the shell ready for paint soon.