"Might as well" aka "As long as you're"

[BruceK]

So, I've been suffering from the "might as well"  disease lately.  To be more specific, it's also known as "as long as you're doing something, you might as well do this other thing too" problem.

It started simply enough with the need to deal with a leaky brake master cyclinder that was causing the engine to aspirate brake fluid from the power brake booster.

I could have ordered a rebuild kit, but the brake master cylinder was looking pretty bad, rusty and, well, old.  So I ordered a brand new master cylinder instead. 

Then I looked at the brake servo itself. If the master cylinder is going to be brand new, it really should have a new servo to go with it.   Besides this one is beat up and full of brake fluid.  So I might as well replace it.   Bingo, new servo then.  (and new vacuum hoses and check valves and so on, of course)

You know, the shiny new brake master cylinder and sparkling new servo are going to look really out of place under the bonnet.  I might as well paint the engine to hold up its end.  Okay, to do it right let's start stripping stuff off.   Off comes the distributor and coil.   Then I pull the alternator.   And I notice it's looking a little tatty too.  So I clean up the alternator fan and I paint it.   But now I notice the black band in the middle of the alternator body is looking a little rusty.  So I clean that up and paint it black.   But it sure would look better if I clearcoated that black band.  So I did that too.

Now I notice the radiator surround has paint peeling.  So I pull the radiator out.  You know, I've never had any problems with this very nice 2 core radiator, but I would like to try one of those shiny all-aluminum ones that are available now.  So I order one off of eBay and it arrives from China and it sure is pretty and well-made.  So I strip and paint the radiator surround too, and it is nice and shiny black.

Then I realize that I might was well use this opportunity to replace all hoses.   And if I'm going to do that I might as well have silicone hoses that last forever.   So, back to China and soon I have some nice black silicone hoses for the engine, and for the heater too.

Now I'm looking at the water pump.  It's never done me any harm and I don't have any real beefs with it, but the more I think about it, the more I feel it would be a good idea to fit a top end, deep impeller water pump so I know what's what. Plus, with everything off, it's just 4 magic bolts and it's off.  So, a new water pump then.  Might as well put a new thermostat in while I'm at it.   And let's fit some stainless bolts for the thermostat housing too.  Oh, and a new top radiator mount too.   And new rubber grommets and bolts too, top and bottom.

Now my old radiator top tank sort of rested against the inner wing flange, and I didn't really like those two things touching each other.  The fancy new radiator is just a little wider at the top than the old one, so I decided to notch the car's wing flange to add clearance, Clarence.  And I might as well make it look nice by grinding it smooth and painting it, too.

Now back to the other side of the engine bay.  I clean up the clutch master cylinder bean can and it still looks like crap, rusty and discolored.  I consider masking it off and painting it, but then I realize that it too is 30 years old and likely to crap out soon. So, might as well get a new clutch master cylinder.   Ordered!    Then I look at the frame that holds the brake booster and linkage.  It's old and rusty too.  So I remove that and sand it down and get it ready for POR15.  I pull the clutch m/c and notice it really needs to be cleaned up where the rods drop down to the pedals.  So I work on that.  New learning for me:  There is no clevis pin on the brake pedal inside the car when you have a post-89 brake booster set up.   The brake pedal is unique and includes some of the linkage up into the engine compartment to the booster.  So... only one fun-to-deal-with clevis pin inside the car for the clutch pedal.  While I'm dealing with the clutch pedal clevis pin, I notice the brake switch seems to have a loose terminal.  Heck those are cheap and this one is old.  So I order a new one.   And I notice the bracket is rusty too.  So that will be POR15'd too.  You know, the accelerator pedal could stand to be cleaned up, painted and made pretty too.

Next I look at the windshield washer bottle.  It's natural polyproplene and discolored and yellowed.  I spend a long time cleaning it, but I stays discolored.  So I consider replacing it with a new one.  Yikes! Those are pricey.  So I get some special paint for plastic and make it white-ish again.  No long semi-transparent, but I can live with that.

Then I notice the breather on the clutch cover.  It's old and ugly and really needs to be cleaned up and painted. So I remove it and that begins. 

Right now, nearly everything I mentioned is incomplete and off the car.  This summer has been so hot, (many days over 100 degrees) that I haven't been working much in the hot garage.  But I really need to get some of these tasks under control and buttoned up.  So I might as well get back to work...   ;D

[MiniDave]

I had a similar experience on the green Mini. I needed new brake pads, then I noticed one of the ball joints was loose....so I planned to replace all of them. Since I was going to have the hubs off that meant repacking the bearings. Then I thought I probably should check the upper control arms and sure enough the bearings were knackered and new bushings for the lower control arms while they're off, and new rubber cones and.......and.......and..............

[94touring]

I could write a book.   You should see my minispares order history.   Your car is going to be one hell of a ride after the paint and body plus the things you're improving.

[gr8kornholio]

Dang if we go to shows together you can pop your bonnet too and show off alongside my shiny bit.  Sweet.  Also sounds a lot like me on my rebuild.  I did manage to save some parts and resisted the just buy new urge.  On some things.  Like just a few.  Restraint is good.  Lol.