73 Mini

[94touring]

I know too well about deadlines and minis lol. 

If you have a dedicated 10ft area you work in, a radiant heater will keep you toasty.  I discovered it's great for the body filler work area when prepping doors, bonnets, boot lids  cause it speeds up the drying process.  Clicks on and instant heat.  We debated putting it on the patio to enjoy winter lunch breaks out there!

[John Gervais]

I really pity you folks with heaters...

My garage door (wooden, very heavy non-folding) doesn't have any seals, was constructed with a fresh-air vent - essentially a missing brick with a metal grate.  Because the garage is situated behind an apartment building several miles from my own apartment, there's no possibility for adding a heater.

I'm lucky to have electricity for basic lighting.

[MiniDave]

My garage doors are also about 1 1/2" thick planks, extremely heavy but while I don't have a vent exactly, I do have daylight coming in around about an 1 1/2 gap on one side of the left door due to the failing concrete that makes the door tip crooked once it hits the bottom - plus the floor has dropped in the middle, so there's a nice gap there too.

It's not too bad most of the time, but when the wind gets up there's no point in trying to heat that space......

Tonight we tried to go out and meet a friend for dinner, but while the Audi will go, turn and stop just fine the snow was coming down so hard the windshield would freeze over and I just couldn't see to drive, even with the  defrost on full blast, so we came back home.

Tis a nite fit for neither man nor beast!

[94touring]

Tiss a night for pilots though...  off to the airport!  Windshield heat on high, wings and cowl heat on, type 1 fluid full body, type 4 wings and tail.  My first officer is new and unsure about this.

[John Gervais]

Brrrr - makes me want to put on a sweater just thinking about it.

I once drove through Kansas and Missouri during the winter in a U-haul box truck from Tucson to Chicago and wow, it was cold.  The ice on the antenna was as thick as my pinky finger.  With so many accidents on the highway and generally deplorable snow and icy conditions, the drive took 4 days.

Thankfully I can stand on a few layers of cardboard when I'm in the garage, and always have an extra sweater and lab coat up there should my layered attire require enhancing.

[MiniDave]

Dan, just be glad you're not the guy out there spraying the deicer.....my brother did that for years.....

[94touring]

Oh I've been there done that too.  I still have calluses from picking ice off the Tulsa ramp to park planes during ice storms.

[John Gervais]

Seeing a picture like Dan's parking lot makes me glad that I live over here.  The grass is still green and although it gets relatively cold, we haven't really had any snow in years - usually just an inch or two and then it turns to slush in a couple of days. 

I think the last 'real' snow we had was around 4 or 5 years ago.  Hyacinth and I drove up to the estate and couldn't drive down 'our' road - had to hoof it through around 10" or so.  It was pretty though, deer and hare tracks all over the place, so we sat on tree stumps and lit a fire in the chiminea and enjoyed the quiet.

[94touring]

Away we go

[MiniDave]

Whew! -5° F here this morning, no work in the shop for me today.....(that's -20C for those who go that way)

John, I'm surprised to hear you say it doesn't snow much in Copenhagen, somehow we picture any country so far north as being blanketed all winter - maybe it's your proximity to the sea?

BTW, one of my favorite singers is from there - Mette Lindberg!

[gasmini]

Hey Dave -5 feels warm compared to the -11 I had coming to work this morning.

[jeff10049]

-21 according to nearby weather station truck was showing -19 when I got up yesterday morning.
I should start plugging the truck in, poor engine makes some noise when started below -10 or so.

[MiniDave]

Today we're all the way up to 20* and it's sunny and calm, so back to the workshop I go - I got the stub axle clip so I'll do that first.....

Seems like the new clip really made a difference, the hub fit on well enough, but there was a notable difference in the amount of force it took to overcome the resistance or friction of the clip while pushing it on the stub axle, and once home it sort of "clicked" into place. I think it will stay in from here on.....reassembling the rest now, tho I found the bracket that attaches the brake backing plate was installed wrong - it was under the arm rather than on top, and the tapered shaft of the tie rod end acted like a swedge for the hole and deformed it. I'll straighten it out and install it correctly. Wonder what else like this I'll find?

I still don't know what was making the horrible noise he reported, it's never done anything like that for me. I've read of some lowered cars pulling the inner joint out of the pot, but the boot was intact on this one, seems like it would have to pull it off or damage it for that to happen, but I could be wrong. I suppose it could come out and bang around and somehow find it's way back in place again, but that makes even less sense considering that the pot joint was slid out of the transmission.

[MiniDave]

I have to say I'm feeling more than a little chuffed - I fixed the window regulator!

Turns out the gears were off one tooth. I removed the little stop bracket and the two springs, that allowed me to get one of the gears out, moved it one tooth and immediately it looked better. I riveted the little stop bracket back in and viola! Works perfectly and lines up correctly, just as it should.

Now that the axle's back in, I have to remember to put the engine oil back in!

[MiniDave]

Well, I spoke too soon......first time I wound the window down one of the arms came off the track and when I tried to wind it up again (not knowing it had jumped out) the gears jumped a tooth or two also! Bugger!

The good news is that I am now the world's leading expert on Mini window winders......as I took it out yet again and apart yet again to see why it had done that. I found that when I'd worked on it last I hadn't bent the stop back up, but forgot. I also took it to the solvent tank and cleaned it thoroughly and in doing so found some "timing marks" on the gears. Lining those up, putting everything back right, making sure everything was snugged down as tightly as possible and it went right in- lined up - worked perfectly.

So, I now have the door completely re-assembled, the oil back in the engine and I'm ready to start it again. The roads are way too messy right now to take it out for a drive, that will have to wait till tomorrow when it's supposed to be in the 60's again!

Next time I take it out for a drive - since I now have the power socket in and working - I'll put the camera in and maybe you all can hear the suspension noise I've been trying to cure - I've decided it's just those damn shocks so he's considering going to cones and he'll sell these to someone for their track car or something.

[Willie_B]

Both of my windows are hard to crank up so I see taking it all out in my future. Done it before so not too bad.
Will clean the winders and look for the timing marks just for grins. 77.gif

[MiniDave]

Try some silicone paste in the window tracks first...I use a long thin screwdriver to get it into the lower channels....the marks line up when the arms are straight out to the sides.

When the window winder arms are in the right places it's not too hard to take the regulator out....but it's easy to break the little plastic dobbins that hold the door panel on.....using one of these helps!

Harbor Freight has them pretty cheap......



The owner is planning to come get the 73 tomorrow, I'll be happy to get my garage back, poor racing green has been out in the weather for a month now (I have a good car cover on it)

[MiniDave]

Took the 73 out for a drive this morning and it ran sweet - the new tires were as smooth as can be, steering felt smooth if a tiny bit stiff (new bushings were a little tight) I think the car rides better than mine but he's decided to go ahead and change over to Smootharides and get rid of these gas shock/coil overs.

The temp gauge ran exactly halfway between the N and H, but when I brought it home and checked it with my digital temp gauge it was right on the money - so I think the car has the wrong sending unit for the temp gauge. It went exactly to that spot and stayed there, whether running on the highway or stopped at a long red light.

He needs  new battery. Even tho it started Ok for me this am, it was dead at the top shop and it almost didn't start when he came to get it today.

He is mostly one happy camper - and the real bonus - the headliner change gives him at least an inch of headroom now, where before his head was always rubbing the top. We have a few little things yet to do, change out those noisy shocks, he's thinking of getting a Broadspeed dash, fix that temp gauge but it's mostly a very nice running car now. Not near as noisy as mine, and it rides better too......sorry about the pic, the light coming in from that window gave a poor shot.

Oh, and the axle stayed put - right where it's supposed to......can't believe a $6 circlip was all that was causing that problem.

[MiniDave]

The owner picked up the 73 and drove it about 30 miles across town to his office and texted me that the car drove great and he's so happy to be able to have it again - he said it was the best Christmas present he'd gotten!

He's already making a list of the next round of things he wants to do, including the Broadspeed dash, new suspension bits and so on.

[94touring]

Awesome 4.gif

[MPlayle]

What Dan said!   77.gif

[MiniDave]

Well, as I told him....it was a LOT of work but we're moving the car in a direction that he wants...it's now easy for him to drive and runs great. Once we get the suspension sorted he'll pretty much be where he wants it.

He's coming back to pick up his 10 MINI that he left when he drove the Red 73 home, and I already emailed him the bill...all that's left is a check.....till the next round.

I drove it this morning and it's a really good driving car - and it's solid as a rock, no rust at all anywhere so he should have plenty of fun with it. He's considering coming on our March Texas run too.

[BruceK]

Congrats on completing all that work!     

[John Gervais]

Yeah, awesome!   77.gif

[MiniDave]

I'll be starting round 2 on this car when I get back from our Texas trip.....that will include a complete suspension rebuild front and rear, installing Smooth A Rides, shocks and Hi-Los.

Then I'll be changing his dash to the one with the tach off to the side of the center binnacle which I'm sure will involve some custom work and some wiring.

I still have some work to do on his turn signals, they cancel sometimes and not others, need to see if that's just fine tuning or something else.

Needs a new temp sensor and heater valve...he about froze on his ride home as the valve was stuck and he didn't know he could just grab it and drag it open or use a screwdriver to open it.

Also going to install new headlight trim rings, his were rusted on the insides.

Lots of little details but it's getting there........