Tink: My '89 Mini

[MtyMous]

Still getting settled in here, but the house is coming together. We've got to get stuff organized so I can move some of the crap out of my garage. And this whole 4°F thing isn't helping.

But I haven't stopped. I'm building the list to complete the motor and the transmission. Not much left as far as parts, but I need to make sure I get it right. One thing that's somewhat irritating is that I had a set of brand new crank bearings (OEM NOS) and the engine builder used them to make sure the crank was within tolerances and not going to bind. Well... It looks like he rubbed off the coating and now I get to buy a new set just to be safe. Not pumped about that... So if anyone has any leads on the best set of crank bearings to get (standard size) then please let me know.

On progress, I've decided I will completely rebuild the wiring harness in some, if not all, places. This will allow me to beef up the harness in places that are notoriously bad for thin wires and bad connections. I'll also be able to use weathertight connections in places that are exposed to the elements and not open air bullet connections that wil corrode and eventually fall off or stop working. Can't tell you how many times I cursed the mini designers for their shortcuts or under engineering. And yes, I'll definitely be over engineering this, but I don't care. It will be done right.

It'll also give me a chance to use the new labeler I bought. It will do wire labels, wire flags, and even prints on heat shrink tubing. I'm going to try and buy all the original color scheme wires in certain gauges, but some of the wiring I'll be doing wil be non standard. Fuse panels, fuel injection, upgraded switches, additional circuits for lighting, ect. It will all be labeled and terminated in a modern way. Just the thought of it feels awesome. haha. My over engineering OCD side is taking over.

Pictures of progress soon. Until then, here are some of the things I'll be doing in the garage.

Making one of these for the harness rebuild


Figuring out how to work this new beast


And buying all of the right weather tight fittings

Duetsch or Weatherpack

[Merlin]

I use the weatherpacks on my projects, but I think that either will work for you. DIYautotune has a kit of weatherpacks that I bought for my needs. Make sure you get a good set of crimpers and a removal tool.


Also, the dymo is a good choice. That's what I bought for my work for doing the electrical on the skids we build at work. Search around for the wire shrink. Amazon has the best prices, but they are never in stock. Allied electric has as many as you need, but pricing is ok. Set the machine at 8pt and you will get nice prints on 1/4" shrink. 3/8" shrink will work good on bunches of wires, but I find the 1/4" to be the best. Make sure you buy a bunch of it because you will burn through it in no time. 3-4 rolls should cover you.


Also, the table may be overkill, I have had the best luck doing harnesses on the vehicle as you can get the exact lengths and tape it up so that it holds the curves and edges as you need. I rewired my whole truck that way and once it was pinned in place with painters tape, I then terminated and wrapped in electrical tape and wire loom covers.

Wire loom cover can be found for cheap at oreillies. Don't buy the shit they have in the plastic bags behind the counter. They have spools of it in the back. I bought them by the box and it was cheap. like $0.25 a foot cheap.

[MiniDave]

I used the ones in the lower pic, but I think I like the square ones in the top pic better, the wires organize into the clip better with those, the flat ones get pretty wide when you're terminating more than 2 or 3 wires.

BTW, you need to update your location......

[MtyMous]

MiniDave,

The Duetsch connectors are on my short list, but they are easily double the cost of the weatherpack ones, and the crimping tool alone is about $200 for everything I need to do one car. haha. But I still think I'm gonna go that route for the exact reason you listed. Compact, better for organizing, and they are just a better quality seal.

Merlin,

The table will actually be a pegboard mounted to the wall. It's not going to be used for termination, but rather for bundle matching the original harness. I'll lay out the original harness and then wire-for-wire match it with new wiring. Then I'll move to the car to get it all laid out and find out exactly what/where I want to run. That will give me the opportunity to make the runs longer/shorter and go different routes if I decide to.

I'll also be using wire look sleeves. I'm still deciding what and where to use it. I'm leaning towards chemical and heat resistant braided sleeve at least for the engine bay.

[Merlin]

Here are a few pics of the LS in my truck. You can see I used the plastic wire covers. Since you are building from scratch, you can look at that Chinese-fingertrap wire cover. I had a buddy use it and it looked good. You can also see my fuse block and my wire labels and weatherpacks. Just remember that some things can be converted, and sometimes you will need to dig through mouser for a high number connector if you want to do a firewall bulkhead connector.

My suggestion if you need to find a large number (say 15 or 20 connections) is to go to the junkyard and dig around until you find what you want and pull the part numbers and look it up on mouser.

[Merlin]

In case you are interested, here are the fuse block holders

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=635812&jsn=358   
this is for the block with a continuous connection on one side.

http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=12004943virtualkey63000000virtualkey829-12004943 
Block alone

http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=12020334-Lvirtualkey59690000virtualkey829-12020334
Small blades

http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=12020321-Lvirtualkey59690000virtualkey829-12020321
Med blades

http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=12020400-Lvirtualkey59690000virtualkey829-12020400
Large blades

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/srly-2/socket-for-automotive-relay/1.html
Relays that connect to the above fuse block

[MtyMous]

Awesome. Thanks for the resources, Merlin. Looks good. I've been looking at a few bulkhead connectors. The bad thing is I have access to the Mil-Spec connectors we use on the jets... the bad thing is the price tags. haha. I want them so bad! Clean installs, easy to disconnect for service, etc. I'm probably gonna have to settle for something OEM from another car. I'm still on the hunt. Got other issues I'm working right now that aren't related to this car, unfortunately. I'm ready to get this thing back on the road.

[MiniDave]

And we're ready to see it!   4.gif

[Merlin]

I have seen some of the bulkhead connection with the cam hadle on them, but they are always in the >$500 price range. Love 'em but got to leave them for the cheap stuff.

[MiniDave]

Cam, are you out there?

Any progress?

[John Gervais]

Wow, nice hardware!

I wasn't building a submarine, so I kept it simple.

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/product.php/358/led-fuse-box for accessories.

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/product.php/651/interlocking-relay-socket for fog lamp, driving lamp, low-beam headlight, highbeam headlight, horn, a/f meter.

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/product.php/653/fuse-relay-socket 2 of these for the aux fuse panel.

I've got circuit breakers arriving next week to replace the fuses to the radio, drive and fog lamp relays:

http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/product.php/1247/blade-circuit-breaker

I've also got some 8mm APEM Q-series LED's (recessed bezel, somewhat resemble the Smiths gauges bezel) arriving next week to replace the incandescent panel warning lamps on my switch panel.  The switches (fuel pump, driving lamps, fog lamps, rear fog lamp, electric fan) are APEM 3500 series from Holden Vintage and Classic.

http://www.holden.co.uk/displayproducts.asp?sg=1&pgCode=020&sgName=Electrical&pgName=Switches&agCode=0502&agName=Toggle+Switches&pageno=2

http://www.holden.co.uk/displayproduct.asp?sg=1&pgCode=020&sgName=Electrical&pgName=Switches&agCode=0502&agName=Toggle+Switches&pCode=020.151

http://www.holden.co.uk/displayproduct.asp?sg=1&pgCode=020&sgName=Electrical&pgName=Switches&agCode=0502&agName=Toggle+Switches&pCode=020.152

[MtyMous]

Guys... I feel like a total failure. I just CAN'T find the time to get out into the garage. I've only been home 3 weekends since I moved to Ohio. That was the 3rd of February. My job has me... um... out of town... for a considerable time now, and with the nature of my programs, I can't afford to lose track of it for a second. I'm planning on buying everything I need to get the engine and transmission done and then just taking a couple days of leave and building them both up in the garage.

Unfortunately, I have a sever exhaust leak on the truck at the headers and possibly a cracked flexplate. Those have to get fixed first as it's my daily driver. Kinda sucks. But I'm STILL going to complete all the stuff I have said I would. Just need to get back in my groove.

[MiniDave]

No pressure, Cam......

(taps foot impatiently)

;D

[MtyMous]

Good news is I'm back in the game. Got some skin in it now. I am placing a big parts order this weekend to take care of some missing pieces for the engine and transmission build. Best part is that the brit pound is down and it's a holiday sale weekend. Double whammy.

Gotta get back on this thing. My new job is 1000 times more work and a lot higher stakes, but it's an awesome job. I've officially been selected for promotion in December, so guess where the new money goes!!! bills... lol. But there will probably be some left over for car parts. lol

[jeff10049]

Cool glad to see it moving forward, my car took 7 years so you're doing well lol

Jeff

[MiniDave]

So Cam, how's it going? anything new to report?

[MtyMous]

I'm still alive. Tink is making extremely slow progress. I need to buy some new shift forks and synchros for the trans. I'm a dummy and forgot to order them on the last order. My time is so limited at home lately, and I want to spend most of it with my wife because of how often I'm out of town or stuck at the office. I LOVE my job and I get to do awesome things with badass aircraft, but it's very time consuming.

Gearbox is sitting on the bench awaiting parts, Still need to paint the engine block. Maybe I'll do that this weekend and then final block assembly is waiting for me to get off my ass and buy bearings.

In the meantime, I might just start a new thread that shows the cool stuff about my job that I'm allowed to share. On a related note, I'll be going to RAF Lakenheath over in the UK sometime soon and will likely spend a week of vacation there in London as well, so I may just have to get myself some parts while I'm there... or another mini. haha

[MiniDave]

Now's the time to pick up a bunch of parts while the pound is down! Be sure to buy the "good" bearings, not the cheap ones - if you're going to be upping the power above stock (and I know you are!)

Look forward to seeing the progress.....that paint job has been waiting long enough.....

[MtyMous]

Any recommendation on where to buy good bearings? I'll pay whatever is necessary. I had a good set of originals that got trashed by the machine shop somehow. Pretty pissed actually.

[MiniDave]

7 Ent has them if you want them quickly, do you need standard or undersize, rod mains or both?

Good ones are only about $25 more than the cheapies......

[MiniDave]

So.......how's Tink coming along these days?

[MtyMous]

I have a wishlist of parts ready to order, but I don't have time to install anything. I can't talk about it much, but my new job keeps me extremely busy. I'm on an airplane more than Dan is now. haha. I'm gonna try to get something ordered soon to finish the trans and motor. Sorry to disappoint.

I promise this project isn't dead. Maybe I'll use the winter hibernation phase as an excuse to get it all done.

[Willie_B]

The mini is not big. Just load it on the plane and work on it in flight...

[MtyMous]

Stuff happened recently in my life that will change my priorities. This car is coming back in a big way in the near future. If nothing more than a therapeutic outlet.

That is all.

[MiniDave]

Thanks for checking in with us, hope everything is good........ 77.gif