Mk1 Mini Midas project Zippy

[Renrut]

Ah. I guess I'll have to get around to trying out the one I bought 6 months ago then

I might have to invest in a new angle grinder to go with it. My 4.5" one is starting to die, its lasted twice as long as the last one at about 14 months

[Mr Bounce]

Hubba Hubba Hubba



New pistons bought from Mini Spares and given to the man with the amazing shed. All the machining should be done within a couple of weeks. Very excited!

[Mr Bounce]

Decided to do some more stuff in the Manroom so dug out the clutch cover and gave it a deep clean in the parts washer. This had been fitted to the spare engine that had come with the project. The oil seal had failed on this and there was caked-on oily grime all over the inside of the cover. 20 minutes' work had removed the worst, and having left it to dry I cracked on with removing everything to check whether it was reusable. The clutch arm was stiff, but I think this is more down to not being used for a VERY long time. There was all sorts of gunge and dirt but nothing had got into the actual mechanism. A bit of penetrating oil had it all apart and I reckon the arm, plunger & release bearing are all good to go again. Success!

After this, I decided that the spare pair of axle stands had been hanging around under workbench for too long. It was time to remove the front subframe. So I started undoing the bolts on the rear mountings. I say "undo" - there were no nuts on them!! I simply pushed them through into the cabin. I also thought that loosening the hub nuts whilst the car was still on its wheels would be a good plan. The nearside one had no split pin at all and was finger tight, but I couldn't get the socket on the offside one. It had been butchered beyond all recognition, and I have no idea why. Still, a bigger socket had no issues with it, so it'll be something else from this car that goes straight in the bin.The tower bolts came out next. Nice and easy, with no need for big extension bars or WD40. Then the front mounts, again, not complicated at all, just two 1/2" spanners. I pushed the shocks off their mountings then undid the two track-rod ends.

Using the trolley jack and a nice large bit of wood, up came the car and down stayed the subframe. It sounds as easy as that, although it did take a bit of time as I was on my own and being careful! So the Midas now sits on bits of wood atop four axle stands. The suspension bits all seem to be recent and/or reconditioned but are all painted in a rather grim gold shade of Hammerite. There are yellow poly bushes in abundance (including the rear mounts), and the bottom mounts for the tower bolts are made by Deflex so should be good enough to go again. I am not so sure about the others... The shocks are garbage, and the subframe is missing the bracket for the steady bar (broken off as usual). The steering rack looks fairly new. I will have to inspect it in due course... It is very obvious where the old-style subframe used to fit. The holes in the floor need filling.

Disgusting clutch cover after a clean (it was virtually all black).



Now in bits - more cleaning required.



Butchered hub nut



Tower bolts out



Subframe out! My car's got no wheels on it!



Deflex bushes - they'll go again.



Good looking steering rack - doubt it's seen the road in anger. Poly rear mounts very visible on the floor.



Broken bracket. I must learn to weld...



Shocks fit for the bin.

[Mr Bounce]

I finished off cleaning up the clutch components. The arm was in pretty good nick apart from the grime on it; everything went through the parts washer until it was completely clean. I then fell over the subframe, so decided to do something about it. Without having a large mate to hand, I part lifted it with the trolley jack and then slid it on to the workbench. Usually I don't have too many issues with lifting subframes on their own, but this wasn't bare - it had everything including driveshafts and a pair of vented discs fitted, so it was a bit of a handful.

The driveshafts were the first to go - I popped off the pot joints and slid the shafts out of the subframe having pushed them throught the hubs. No problems, and aside from being a bit rusty in places they look in pretty good nick. I'll inspect the cvs at a later date and replace if necessary, but all the boots will be renewed as a matter of course.

Then I moved my attention to the hubs. And the fact I didn't have a balljoint splitter... Nevermind - nothing a few gentle clouts from MC hammer couldn't sort. At least on one side anyway. The other side was not moving at all. I resorted to the blowtorch, and eventually I used the power of gravity to get it off. It appears that the nearside top arm is seized, so that's something that will need attention. The bearings look good though.

I moved on to the bottom arms and tie-bars. There was no problem with these at all; everything came apart easily and the only bad thing about them was the strange mixture of standard and poly bushes and the fact that they were covered in that revolting gold Hammerite... The front mounts looked very used which was a bit odd - why put new bits on only half the car???

Cleaned up clutch arm. Ready for paint and it'll go again.



Subframe on bench. Bloody heavy as I found out...



Driveshafts out



Hubs on bench. New balljoints required. And NEW PAINT PLEASE!!



Bumpstops look almost new.



Knackered looking teardrop mounts



Tiebars and bottom arms with odd bushes and more of that evil paint.

[Mr Bounce]

This morning saw me attack the discs that came off the car. The discs themselves are Metro Turbo vented items which I doubt have ever been used on the road. However, several years of standing have left them looking rather rusty. I might have a use for the drive flanges however, so I needed to get them off. I left them soaking in penetrating oil overnight, then attacked them using a block of wood and a mallet. One disc was fine, parting company with the flange after 3 hits. The other however, was more stubborn than a Tory MP on Question Time. After a fair few minutes of clouting, it did eventually come off.

I then turned my attention to the evil paint on the suspension arms. It HAD to go. Luckily I have a tool for this and spent a busy and extremely loud morning removing all the paint. I was left with a small pile of paint dust and some shinier looking components, which I will repaint in due course.

Flanges finally off and on the bench.



That paint has GOT to go...



The right tool for the job.



Paint dust (there's more on the floor and workbench)



The stripped arms. Much improved!

[Mr Bounce]

Just a quick update. Went to see my good friend this evening and in between helping him chuck an engine in his Riley Elf project, I nicked his cone compressor to get my cones out. It was all straightforward and easy. And the top arm I thought was seized has freed itself off a bit too. I haven't removed the doughnuts or top arms yet - will do that on the bench when there's a bit more time.

One side done...



...and the other.

[mjslonergan]

I am admiring the nice methodical approach you are taking to this project, and reckon if you continue, you will reap the rewards by ending up with a very tidy little car.

[Mr Bounce]

Thanks The plan is to strip EVERYTHING from the body, then alternate between reconditioning the brakes/suspension/engine/subframe and sorting the body before putting it all back together.

At least that's the plan...

[Mr Bounce]

Another quick update - managed to get a bit of time this afternoon so I set about removing the top arms and doughnuts. The top arms were a cinch; just undo the bolts on the plate, then the big nuts on the shaft and push it out. Both the shafts looked in pretty good nick, weren't seized and had plenty of grease on them. The only things that will need replacing are the dust covers at the ends. I am hoping I can get these separately without having to buy a full rebuild kit. I took out the nylon cups where the knuckles sit as they're being replaced anyway. They gave up without a fight as they looked brand new and were covered in copperslip.

The doughnuts were somewhat different. Although easy to remove, they look very well used with cracks in the rubber and badly painted flaking hammerite on the metal bits. This is what I don't get about this car: there's some stuff that's in fantastic condition yet other parts are rubbish: why replace the top arms and not the doughnuts if you know they're not up to scratch? Never mind - I'll do both...

To make me feel a bit better I put the pedalbox back together with plenty of copperslip on the shaft. It all went together nice and easily (as it should!). The pics don't do it justice.

I didn't take a picture but I managed to scrape of some of the surface rust on the front (very seized and dead) shocks. It looks like says "Midas" on them. If that's so they're likely to be 31 years old. I am definitely not using them!

Nearside arm out...



...and Offside arm.



Nylon knuckle cups - out without an issue.



Rather sorry looking doughnuts.



Rebuilt pedalbox - better-looking in the flesh!

[Mr Bounce]

Having returned from a week in the Lake District (too much food, alcohol and walks - my legs hurt like hell after the first 2 days!) it was time to set about removing what was left on the shell. I started off with the damper brackets. 4 nuts to undo each side; how difficult could it be? Driver's side was a piece of cake although a bit of a struggle due to the limited access and excess rust (as usual). Turns out the bottom 2 nuts are on captive bolts. These are in the main crossmember and are inaccesible other than through the hole where the subframe tower bolts go. Which is virtually impossible without a very weird tool which I don't have. The passenger side however, because I started it on Friday 13th, was an absolute backside of a job. 3 of the nuts came off easily, but the fourth broke its captive mounting so the whole bolt just spun. Because it is in such a stupid place there was no way I could get to it. Due to the rust I would need to replace said bolt anyway, so out came my old buddy Dremel and I cut the nut & bolt off. The build manual states that it's a special plate with captive nuts that needs to be pushed in with a screwdriver. I'll have to get creative and build a couple of new ones. The damper brackets themselves are a bit strange - they're like a Mini damper bracket but with an extra bit welded on and with extra holes. And of course they are ridiculously rusty... Wire brush time methinks...

Next up were the brackets which the front subframe mounts bolt to. These were surprisingly simple and in fairly good nick, so just a spanner and ratchet needed here. They are slightly different though - wonder if these were made up by someone who got the dimensions wrong and one had to be changed?

For the sake of undoing six bolts the steering column and rack had to go. The column needed a bit of persuasion to part company with the rack (my rubber mallet helped!) but was soon off. It doesn't appear to be in bad nick, and the splines look in good condition. The rack was a bit of a surprise though. It wasn't as healthy as I had initially thought. It was ridiculously stiff, the track rod ends were shot to bits and the gaiters were damaged and perished. Time for a new one then. At least I've got a couple of brand-new old stock track rod ends on the shelf that came with the car. The rack still has that poxy gold Hammerite on it...

Walking around the car I removed the passenger side mirror blank. This was held on by a single rusty screw, which had of course seized solid and would not turn. However, I ground a straight slot in the screw with the Dremel, then used a flat balde screwdriver to undo it. It had released itself from the fibreglass due to the heat from the grinding. I also removed the two bits of rubber at the front of the rear wheelarches using the same technique. These are very strange. They appear to be protecting the beam assembly from the road grime and salt kicked up by the wheels and have been constructed of what appears to be an old inner tube. I will see what I can create to replace them.

The throttle pedal was next. It's one of the earlier (i.e Mini Mk 1-3 ) smaller pedals, but mine has a Speedwell extension on it, which I rather like. However, because of where the pedal has been placed, the extension fouls on the wheelarch so you can't get full throttle. I am not sure whether to simply remove the extension or re-mount the pedal (the captive bolts & bracket are a bit badly made) about 5mm closer to the centre of the car. I need to consider my options!

Also, after helping a good friend with his Elf, I found myself the lucky recipient of a modified Maniflow centre-exit back-box. Which may be used in due course...

There's very little left on the shell now bar the doors (which I want to get hanging properly before I take them apart), the brake & fuel lines, the rear wiring loom and about 3 bolts/studs. Almost everything is off!!

First bracket off



Nearside bracket viewed from under the wheelarch, with stubborn nut and broken captive bolt.



And out. A couple of minor grazes from the Dremel. Time for de-rusting.



Subframe front brackets & spreader plates. These will be repainted. Note they're different...



Column out - seems in good nick - I will re-do the bushes though!



Rack not so good...



... here's why #1...



... and here's why #2



Mirror blank off. It's ugly under there!!



Odd rubber things from the back of the car



New old stock track rod ends. Yay!



Throttle pedal. Decisions, decisions...



Modified Maniflow backbox - I may well use this!

[Mr Bounce]

Having bashed into the subframe for the umpteenth time this week whilst in the garage, I thought it was about time to clean it up. As it was a nice day (what's one of those??!!) I chucked it outside on the workbench and set about it with the angle grinder. After a couple of minutes it went "pop" and proceeded to spit bits of plastic all over the place. I opened it up and more bits fell out. It didn't work any more. And it was (typically) 13 months old and I had no receipt, having thrown it out the previous month... I bought a new big yellow one (as much as funds would allow anyway)from the conveniently newly-opened local Machine Mart and it breezed through the rest of the stripping with no bother at all. I didn't take all the old paint off (no point really), just the stuff with rust near it and the nasty flaky stuff.

I have given one side of the subframe a good coat of Hammerite and will flip it over and do the other side next.

I also managed to get the handbrake cable assembly apart (had to resort to Dremel-ing off the nut which had rusted solid). This will be de-rusted, painted and reconditioned with new stainless bolts etc.

Subframe before stripping



Angle Grinder went pop...



.. to be replaced by a big heavy duty yellow one



Subframe stripped...



...and painted



Handbrake assembly finally apart. Very rusty.

[Rob Bell]

That subframe is looking great! What paint did you use? I used POR15 when I did mine - a lovely paint to apply, much easier than Smoothrite.

BTW apologies, still not sent you out the heater matrix assembly - you've got a choice of two - one with a cracked cover, but all the wire connections, and the other with a better casing, but with much of the wiring snipped off (oops). Either would be useable though - but if you're planning to use the heater control unit that this was mated with, I guess it'd be easier to use the one with the cables still intact?

[Mr Bounce]

You have PM

By the way - it's good old fashioned smooth Hammerite. Not the best stuff to work with but it does the job!

[Mr Bounce]

It was time to try to get the Midas out of the garage. Normally this would have meant getting it back on its wheels, but I had a secret weapon called Shaun. He had liberated an old trolley cage from his work (due to be scrapped) and cut the handles off. This gave us a lovely flat platform and a very sturdy set of wheels. The question was how to get the bodyshell on to it. Given that the pair of us would give a few rugby forwards a good test, it really was no problem at all. One at each end and lift. It really was that light.

We lined up the trolley, lifted up the rear end and slid it under, then removed all the axle stands. We then pushed it out into the evening sunlight and lined it up so it sat on the trolley better. I swept out the garage and then we pushed it back in. Brilliant!

The Midas trolley, as modelled by Fred, next door's large Tabby.



Lining it up (Shaun posing)



Out on the drive, having been lowered into place properly.



And back in the garage. If I need it moved I just push it out of the way!

[Rob Bell]

That works a treat!