Engine Stablisers or brackets? please help

[benlg81]

Hi All

Me and my girlfriend have just purchased a 998 mini h reg and thought we would take it to aldon automotive for a pre winter rolling tune up whilst there they mentioned two things to my girlfriend we she has passed on to me but i am new to minis so just need to know what the part is and if pos the best place to purchase and part numbers if known.

1: The first part is in the top of the engine bay apparently we need to replace the rubber but i might as well just change the whole part, the part in question has been highlighted in red.





2: This seams to be quite a urgent part as it has snapped which can be seen from the pictures, it is based from just next to the box and goes to the front of the engine bay.





3: The garage said they couldn't fully tune the car due a crack in the exhaust system, we are planning on getting a stage 1 kit in January but i was wondering how these differ from place to place and what is the recommended star buy as used by the majority. also is this a kit that can be easily fitted on the drive or is it recomended to get it fitted else where?

Cheers for all help in advance look forward to spending many an hour chatting on here

Regards

Ben [/img]

[wooooody]

Get a stage one kit with the RC40 system and K&N filter for in the standard airbox.

You just need to replace the bushes on the top engine steady bar, the bar itself will be fine. Just be careful as the bolts into the block can shear when being undone. It looks as though the worn bushes have allowed the bar to move about in the past and ovalise the bulkhead bracket, which has in turn been fixed to an extent with the large washers that you can see. You will need to inspect the metal beneath these washers. Additionally, you many wany to purchace an ultimate engine steady. This is bolts onto the thermostat housing and bulkhead crossmember area and should prevent failure of the main steady bar bushes in the future.

The lower steady bar bracket has failed most probably because of the worn bushes, and is easily replaced. The crack in the exhaust may well also be derived from the bush problem.

[dogfather]

i dont know too much but ive just fitted a stage 1 to my 1275 mini, i used the Ashley comp system = LCB manifold with a 2 into 1 coupler which connects to a 2 1/2" middle pipe and then onto a 3" center exit bak box. i used a k&n cone filter on my standard 1.50 su carb. Make sure you get the right size if buying online (check your carb size). If using the 2 1/2" system you must aline the 2 into 1 coupler precisley because the mid pipe sits very close to the gear selector or against the tunnel part of body. i also found that it didnt sit center and being a center exit exhaust this isnt good. its a bit of a pain getting to a few of the bolts underneath the carb but apart from that if you have basic machanical knowledge and the right tools its pretty simple.you will also need a new inlet manifold i went for an original cooper inlet, but make sure the flange on your new LCB manifold is the same profile thickness as your inlet manifold if they are diffrent the washers that clamps them both to the head wont sit flush over the two. this happened to me because i bought my stage 1, part by part not as a complete kit. this obviously results in blowing straight from the manifold. you may also need a carb needle, if your old one is worn in it may be ok. The needle apparently determins the mixture of air an fuel, if to rich or not rich enough it will cough and splutter so you will know if you need to replace it. The first thing i would do is change the plugs and leads and engine gaskets this is a simple task just remember where things go and for god sake when you remove your carb and reinstall it dont forget to conect the fuel line back up, i did this and started her up, it threw a couple of letres of fuel all over my engine lmao. I used bosch super 4 plugs and daytona leads, the plugs have a twin spark so are twice as powerful as your average plug and a little more expensive. I hope i have been helpful enough and good luck with your mini adventure..happy new year...neale.. heres a few pic she nothing special but shes special to me

Edited by dogfather on Saturday 29th December 21:54

[benlg81]

wooooody said:

Get a stage one kit with the RC40 system and K&N filter for in the standard airbox.

You just need to replace the bushes on the top engine steady bar, the bar itself will be fine. Just be careful as the bolts into the block can shear when being undone. It looks as though the worn bushes have allowed the bar to move about in the past and ovalise the bulkhead bracket, which has in turn been fixed to an extent with the large washers that you can see. You will need to inspect the metal beneath these washers. Additionally, you many wany to purchace an ultimate engine steady. This is bolts onto the thermostat housing and bulkhead crossmember area and should prevent failure of the main steady bar bushes in the future.

The lower steady bar bracket has failed most probably because of the worn bushes, and is easily replaced. The crack in the exhaust may well also be derived from the bush problem.

Cheers for all your help i will keep an eye on the stage one kits and look out for the rc40 system.

i will get the bushes for the top bar this week from mini spares with the brackets are these off the shelf? i will get the new bottom bracket at the same time

cheers again

[benlg81]

Cheers for the advise dogfather i will have to look into new leads and plugs etc i wanna run a full service in the new year and re grease all around just to make sure its all good.

i will have a good read around these stage one kits but cheers for your advise

ps nice looking engine and car i will try and get some images of ours tomorrow

[benlg81]

Sorry for the dirty car it has been a nightmare keeping him clean and have run out of time today.

plans so far are:

Replace bushes and broken brackets as previously discussed
stage 1 kit to get rid of the horrible exhaust on at the moment
remove eyelids
change rear lights
new petrol cap
replace bonnet stripe (currently says joe reynolds no good to us!)
new wheels either revolutions or minilites (great debates at the moment)
new interior (classic buckets possible show cage and new dash)
possible cam change if anyone has opinions on a 998 with stage 1

[dogfather]

thanx she still needs a clean up in the engine department and also i told you about adding my stage 1 last week, well as i dont get my lisence for a few more days i havent been able to test drive her, but today my buddy came round and said "GIVE US A GO THEN" so i let him the verdict was she needs tuning because of the changes ive made to the engine which realy upset me because i was expecting her to run sweet straight away, but thinking about it now its obviosly gona need a tune up.
luckily my buddy is a bit of a car guru so hes cumming over again tomorow to tune her up (fingers crossed). your mini looks great, dont no about the wheels but youve already mentioned swapping them, apart from that it spot on.

benlg81 said:

Cheers for the advise dogfather i will have to look into new leads and plugs etc i wanna run a full service in the new year and re grease all around just to make sure its all good.

i will have a good read around these stage one kits but cheers for your advise

ps nice looking engine and car i will try and get some images of ours tomorrow

[dogfather]

benlg81 said:

Sorry for the dirty car it has been a nightmare keeping him clean and have run out of time today.

plans so far are:

Replace bushes and broken brackets as previously discussed
stage 1 kit to get rid of the horrible exhaust on at the moment
remove eyelids
change rear lights
new petrol cap
replace bonnet stripe (currently says joe reynolds no good to us!)
new wheels either revolutions or minilites (great debates at the moment)
new interior (classic buckets possible show cage and new dash)
possible cam change if anyone has opinions on a 998 with stage 1

p.s dont get rid of your eyebrows they look great.....