Well it's started.
Discussion
Clubbie Proj well underway, with the sub frame out.
Lots of rust swept up from garage floor, plenty of holes in Mini floor!
Couple of questions, do you think it's best to weld up the holes from above where poss. (under the rear seat area) or from below. Either way you get raggy bits that will need tidying and sealing off?
Second, whilst the sub frame mounts are in ok state, there are holes within a couple of inches. my own thought is to plate over the area leaving holes for the bolts. Any comments?
Lastly (for now). I think I'm heading down the Historic/Road rally route rather than the hillclimb route. Probably on 12 inch wheels (sorry Cooperman) 'cos of readly available (at reasonable cost) brakes for the front. (A bit worried about reduced roadholding/handling as prev. discussed on other threads). Is it worth going for Hi los or similar, or packing with washers, or leaving standard for now?
Anyone want about 4 kg of rust/underseal?
Cheers!
Lots of rust swept up from garage floor, plenty of holes in Mini floor!
Couple of questions, do you think it's best to weld up the holes from above where poss. (under the rear seat area) or from below. Either way you get raggy bits that will need tidying and sealing off?
Second, whilst the sub frame mounts are in ok state, there are holes within a couple of inches. my own thought is to plate over the area leaving holes for the bolts. Any comments?
Lastly (for now). I think I'm heading down the Historic/Road rally route rather than the hillclimb route. Probably on 12 inch wheels (sorry Cooperman) 'cos of readly available (at reasonable cost) brakes for the front. (A bit worried about reduced roadholding/handling as prev. discussed on other threads). Is it worth going for Hi los or similar, or packing with washers, or leaving standard for now?
Anyone want about 4 kg of rust/underseal?
Cheers!
Hi Sagalout, if you are going to rally the car my VERY STRONG advice is to make sure that the shell is really sound, strong and rust free. If you do have the misfortune to go off, and we've all done it, you dont want to end up in a pile of rust with bits of metal sticking out of you!
On Geoff Loos' Post-Historib Clubman GT we put in new floor sections, new rear subframe mounting sections, and lots of other new metal. The car is now very solid as we took the opportunity to seam weld where we could. His first event was the weekend before last and it was a bit rough in places. However, his car was undamaged at the finish (unlike mine, but that's another story- you can't win 'em all!).
If you need bodywork advice or assistance you should call Chris Spennewyn. Dodgy Dave had Chris do some work on his car and he is, I am sure, very happy both with the price and quality. You can call Chris on Hitchin (01462) 711080.
For ride height settings you can use either Hi-Lo's or spacer washers. I use spacers on my '64 Cooper 'S' as I don't want any hassles with scrutineers who say they are not period. If your car is post Dec '67 then you are post-Historic and Hi-Lo's are definately OK.
If you want any more info re. specifications or preparation advice just email me off forum and we can make contact. it's always good to get some new blood (!) into historic rallying.
On Geoff Loos' Post-Historib Clubman GT we put in new floor sections, new rear subframe mounting sections, and lots of other new metal. The car is now very solid as we took the opportunity to seam weld where we could. His first event was the weekend before last and it was a bit rough in places. However, his car was undamaged at the finish (unlike mine, but that's another story- you can't win 'em all!).
If you need bodywork advice or assistance you should call Chris Spennewyn. Dodgy Dave had Chris do some work on his car and he is, I am sure, very happy both with the price and quality. You can call Chris on Hitchin (01462) 711080.
For ride height settings you can use either Hi-Lo's or spacer washers. I use spacers on my '64 Cooper 'S' as I don't want any hassles with scrutineers who say they are not period. If your car is post Dec '67 then you are post-Historic and Hi-Lo's are definately OK.
If you want any more info re. specifications or preparation advice just email me off forum and we can make contact. it's always good to get some new blood (!) into historic rallying.
Just thought I would back Cooperman up on his advice about Chris.
I wouldnt take ANY car anywhere else now for body work!!!
I'm going to be back up there soon as the bottom of my N/S door fell apart over the weekend.
Anyone got any doors for sale?
Cooperman
How did the rally go for you the other weekend?
I wouldnt take ANY car anywhere else now for body work!!!
I'm going to be back up there soon as the bottom of my N/S door fell apart over the weekend.
Anyone got any doors for sale?
Cooperman
How did the rally go for you the other weekend?
Dodgy Dave said:
Anyone got any doors for sale?
As it happens, I've got the old door off my Mini (replaced them with GRP doors) complete with windows - You can have them for a couple of beer tokens if you collect them. They're in Warwick at the moment, but can bring them to either Stratford-on-Avon or Oxford relatively easily...
They're not in great shape, but I think the frames are OK and it's just the skins that are knackered at the bottom...
E-mail me through my profile if you're interested.
sagalout said:
do you think it's best to weld up the holes from above where poss. (under the rear seat area) or from below. Either way you get raggy bits that will need tidying and sealing off?
No, you cut all the even vaguely manky stuff away until you are left with a nice clean edged hole in sound metal, then cut the patch slightly bigger and do a lap joint all the way round. Especially if you're rallying, I'd seam weld rather than spot weld, and if the original panel had corrugations, make sure the patch is the same.
sagalout said:
Second, whilst the sub frame mounts are in ok state, there are holes within a couple of inches. my own thought is to plate over the area leaving holes for the bolts. Any comments?
If there are holes within a couple of inches you'll probably find that the mounts are not OK when you clean it up more. Again, cut out anything that's even a bit manky until you're back to sound metal. If you plate over rusty bits it will fall apart again quite rapidly.
With repairs to rusty bodywork, as you cut out one manky bit you find you can now see more corrosion that you hadn't seen before, and this tends to go on and on... it's dead and chewed, but you just have to realise from the start that you'll probably have to replace at least four times as much metal as it first looks like...
Dodgy Dave said:
Fatboy
Have you still got full working windows woth your GRP doors?
No, I went with Polycarbonate windows (easier to fit and lighter), and the GRP doors aren't exactly a great fit. If you want lighter doors you'd be well worth looking at Minidoor for their efforts (they also offer a veriety of styles to enable you to keep the original windows if you want them.
>> Edited by Fatboy on Tuesday 4th November 12:15
Thanks folks. Will make SURE it's STRONG, honest. Don't want to go through the whole thing a second time after stottin' it down a white!
Wheels& brakes are a long way off but i hear it's possible to "adapt" 12" disc brakes to fit under 10" wheels. Nearer to the present situation, should I go for solid sub frame mounts or standard to give a little "compliance". Intend to get the adjustable camber/castor brackets. May just go "washers" rather than Hi Los and must re read Coopermans suspension text from a few weeks ago. Is there different rate rubber bits for the cones etc?
Wheels& brakes are a long way off but i hear it's possible to "adapt" 12" disc brakes to fit under 10" wheels. Nearer to the present situation, should I go for solid sub frame mounts or standard to give a little "compliance". Intend to get the adjustable camber/castor brackets. May just go "washers" rather than Hi Los and must re read Coopermans suspension text from a few weeks ago. Is there different rate rubber bits for the cones etc?
Yes change to the solid mounting kit for ur subframe.
As far as I know there are two types,the solid ally and polyurethane ones.
I put the solid ally ones on mine and the difference in handling was amazing.
You cant believe how much the subframe moves on those rubber mounts.
The poly ones fit neatly between the std and ally ones.
If I was rallying I might fit the poly ones as they are much more forgiving in a accident.
I know because I hit a kerb in the snow at the start of the year, not hard but as there was no give or movement in the frame it bent it and I had to buy another.
Hope that helps
As far as I know there are two types,the solid ally and polyurethane ones.
I put the solid ally ones on mine and the difference in handling was amazing.
You cant believe how much the subframe moves on those rubber mounts.
The poly ones fit neatly between the std and ally ones.
If I was rallying I might fit the poly ones as they are much more forgiving in a accident.
I know because I hit a kerb in the snow at the start of the year, not hard but as there was no give or movement in the frame it bent it and I had to buy another.
Hope that helps
Sagalout,
Use the most solid sub-frame mountings you can get and don't forget to reinforce the front tie-bar with triangular steel plates so the 'ears' don't bend backwards under impact/shock loads.
You can fit 10" wheels with the bigger brakes if you machine the calipers, but don't forget that in Historics and Post-Historics you can only use the 7.5" discs in order to stay within the regs. With carbon-metallic pads from Mini Spares the 7.5" brakes are fine.
Whatever you do don't fit plastic bushes at the forward ends of the tie-bars. Use the standard rubber ones and change them every couple of events.
You can only get one grade of rubber cone now, except for the soft-ride ones from Mini Sport which are not suitable for rallying. However, with SPAX dampers you'll be fine with standard cones. New ones do settle, however, so expect to have to add more spacers after a couple of events. Don't set the SPAX too had, just two or three clicks up from zero will be fine as rally car suspension needs to work and keep the wheels on the ground as much as possible.
If you want me to I'll email my 1964 Cooper 'S' Specification to you. My email is peterv@dial.pipex.com and if you let me have yours we can make contact.
Use the most solid sub-frame mountings you can get and don't forget to reinforce the front tie-bar with triangular steel plates so the 'ears' don't bend backwards under impact/shock loads.
You can fit 10" wheels with the bigger brakes if you machine the calipers, but don't forget that in Historics and Post-Historics you can only use the 7.5" discs in order to stay within the regs. With carbon-metallic pads from Mini Spares the 7.5" brakes are fine.
Whatever you do don't fit plastic bushes at the forward ends of the tie-bars. Use the standard rubber ones and change them every couple of events.
You can only get one grade of rubber cone now, except for the soft-ride ones from Mini Sport which are not suitable for rallying. However, with SPAX dampers you'll be fine with standard cones. New ones do settle, however, so expect to have to add more spacers after a couple of events. Don't set the SPAX too had, just two or three clicks up from zero will be fine as rally car suspension needs to work and keep the wheels on the ground as much as possible.
If you want me to I'll email my 1964 Cooper 'S' Specification to you. My email is peterv@dial.pipex.com and if you let me have yours we can make contact.
Thanks Cooperman, will E Mail you.
If I buy the repair panel for the vertical face where the rear sub frame forward mount fits, does it come with the threaded mounting block, or is that fixed to the "chassis rail" affair that sits behind the sill?
Can't quite get through the rust holes to see.....
If I buy the repair panel for the vertical face where the rear sub frame forward mount fits, does it come with the threaded mounting block, or is that fixed to the "chassis rail" affair that sits behind the sill?
Can't quite get through the rust holes to see.....
Gassing Station | Classic Minis | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff