Mini Gene's 1977 Mini Rebuild

[MiniGene]

Hey guys!  It has been a while since I've been on the site.  I suffered some set backs and lost my motivation.  You know what it is like when "Life" gets in the way.  Anyway, I've been getting my sh*t together and getting ready to finally get back to my Mini.  Last weekend I bought 16 square feet of 18 gauge steel so I can finish my floors.  I had a bunch of power tools stolen late last year, to include the all important angle grinder.  For my birthday last month, my Father in-law bought me a new grinder.  He wants me to get my arse going!  He's a great guy.

I'll be posting pics of my progress as much as possible. 

I'm thinking about taking some leave from work and getting down on it.  We'll see what my bosses think. :)

Gene

[94touring]

Thats good to hear you're gona start working on it.  Any cool pics we can gander at?

[MiniGene]

No, not anything new.  I haven't really done much in such a long time.  Maybe this weekend, though, gonna get my cut, weld, and grind on.

[MiniGene]

I was able to do a little bit of work today.

Here is the hole in the floor that I have needed to finish for quite a while.  That cardboard is from a 12 back of Coors.  Buy local, that's what I always say. lol



Here's the metal I picked up a couple of weeks ago.  18 gauge.



The tools of the trade.  I'd like to thank China and Harbor Freight.



The section is in.  Not the prettiest welds but they'll do.



From another angle:



Now I need to finish extending the floor to the rear subframe mount panel.  Then a couple more floor patches, and then weld the inner and outer sills in.

[94touring]

IThe tools of the trade.  I'd like to thank China and Harbor Freight.

22.gif  That made me laugh. 

Nothing some angle grinding and seam sealer can't fix on those welds if you're worried how they look.   

[MiniGene]

 :D
Haha, yeah I picked up the HB flux core welder after you told me that is what you use.  I'm not nearly as good at it as you are though.  My clamps, body hammers, welding magnets, and my new grinder are all from there too!  Not the highest quality stuff but they get the job done.

I'm not too worried about these welds.  I don't know if I'll even grind them down.  They should be covered with carpet in the end.  This mini will be somewhat of a rat anyway.  The plan is to rattle can it OD green.  I'm not worried about resale value.  After putting this much effort into it I don't ever want to get rid of it.  I'm emotionally attached to it, so is the wife, so are the kids.  My two younger ones don't even remember when it was running, heck one wasn't even born! LOL

I convinced the wife to let me leave all my stuff out since it will be easier for me to pop out there and get cracking on it.  She was cool with it and has no problem parking in the driveway instead of the garage!

[94touring]

Rather than rattle can OD green, go back to HF and get the purple spray gun.  When I get home I can give you a link from ebay of a guy who sells acrylic enamel paint by the gallon that's inexpensive.  You'd have about 100-150 in paint and supplies if you went that route and a nice paint job believe it or not if you can spray ok. 

[MiniGene]

Hell yeah!  Send me that link.  I figured trying to get all the stuff to do it myself would be a lot more expensive maybe 500 for paint alone.  I think I am pretty good at spraying from a can.  Do those skills transfer over?  I figure that the fundamentals are the same: spend a whole lot of time with your prep-work, don't be a spaz when actually spraying...is this right?

[94touring]

That's right.  Hell if I'm swinging through on my commute I'd even help supervise if you need some help. 

[94touring]

Heres the link. http://stores.ebay.com/wbmesq-ppg-custom-mixed-car-paint  

Get a gallon of whatever color you want (he'll take special colors if you contact him) couple cans of the reducer and one hardner.  I doubled up on the reducer when I sprayed it and thought it layed out better.  This is the same stuff I used to paint that airplane on a budget.  Certainly better than rattle can.  I'd recommend going with a solid color, I thought spraying metalic was kinda tricky with acrylic enamal but that could just be me.

Another tool to add to your list from HF should be the variable speed buffer.  $40 give or take and works amazingly when it comes time to color sand and buff the new paint job.            


Gun: http://www.harborfreight.com/20-oz-high-volume-low-pressure-gravity-feed-spray-gun-47016.html

Buffer: http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-variable-speed-polisher-sander-92623.html

Total cost: $150

Paint job on a budget!

[MiniGene]

Thanks for all that great info!  I really didn't think a paint job was within my budget.  Even though I am a ways off I now know otherwise.  Pretty exciting, really.  Now I get to think of all the cool colors there are out there and the possibilities. 

I'll probably work some more on the floor this weekend.  Do you know of any stores that sell weldable primer?

[94touring]

Granted AE paint isn't the highest quality paint, but this stuff is PPG and way better than rattle can.  Not sure about the primer, probably talk to some local paint shops or search online. 

[MiniGene]

Went to a couple of autopart stores today for spark plugs for my 4runner and totally forgot to check for weldable primer.  It's okay, I'll be back on Monday to pick up the plugs I ordered.  Of course they wouldn't have the ones I needed in stock. LOL

Hope to do some more floor patching tomorrow.  I'll take some pics and post them too.

BTW, Dan if you're ever in the Denver area let me know I have a mini fridge in my garage now and I try to keep it filled with beer at all times.

:D  <--my six year old son came over to me while typing this message and asked me to put this emoticon in. 

[94touring]

Yeah I go through Denver on my commute sometimes, perhaps we can trade your couch for some help on the mini. 

[MiniGene]

Got out the garage for a couple of hours this afternoon.  I was able to get the floor patched in the rear extending the piece I put in last weekend.

Here's the new piece.  Lots of my standard unground, sloppy welds but this will be covered up and not seen.



Now if you put something in the rear pocket it won't fall out!



Prepped the lip where the outer sill will go on.  In stead of spot welding I'll be button welding.



A closer look.  Next weekend I should be able to get the sill on.

[joltfreak]

looking good!

[MiniGene]

Thanks!

[MiniGene]

This weekend I had to tend to my other car, my 4Runner.  Had to change the spark plugs and I am glad I finally did.  Look at these bad boys:



So, since I was wrenching, and it felt great because I haven't wrenched in long time I decided to not do any welding this weekend.  Instead I tackled removing stuff to get to the crankcase bolt.  Here is the before shot:



And here is the after:



Now I need to get this bastard to move:



Does anybody know the size of the crank case bolt?  I think I need to pick up a new combo wrench, nothing I had fit at all.

Here's the background on my engine:  1977 998cc that hasn't turned since about October of 2003.  That is going on 8 years!  Sat outstide (in the mini with the bonnet on) in North Carolina for 5 of those years.  I tried to put the car in gear and rock it back and forth to free it up but that didn't work.  I originally put some oil down the spark plug holes in order to get it to free up.  I went on Minimania.com and some people recommended Marvel Mystery Oil.  I currently have quite a bit of MMO sitting on the cylinders.  Once I get a wrench big enough to fit the crankcase bolt and a breaker bar I'll see if I can free this lump.

Anybody got any tips?

[94touring]

Pull your head and take a look.  My engine sat for 3 years under the bonnet and I ended up with some rusty cylinder walls.  I plan to pull it apart and hone it. 

[MiniGene]

Yeah, I imagine a rebuild is in order; head, block, tranny.  I'm just trying to get it free.  If I can that will be a big psychological boost for me for this whole project, you know?  LOL  Just knowing I don't have to get a new engine will help. 

There's been some cool conversions on MM lately.  I forget who is putting in an engine and tranny from a little Chevy Metro.  Fuel injection, 5 speed, 200 dollar rebuild kits available....sounds interesting. 

[MEhinger]

I believe the crankshaft nut is 1-5/16". Big sockets aren't all that expensive at Harbor Freight and they sell a pretty good selection of individual sockets at Northern Tool and Equipment, a supplier a little upscale from Harbor Freight. I found some weldable primer at NAPA, and most recently at O'Reilly's.

Back to painting, I'm not sure how a serious garage user can get along without a compressor. Some pretty good ones with good capacity are available at either of those tool supply places. Spray guns aren't that expensive and bada-boom, there you are. And then you have air supply for a lot of other useful things related to body work.

[MiniGene]

Since it cooled down this weekend, I decided to head back to the garage.  This time I worked on getting the right inner sill in.

Here is the seat belt mount I fab'd up:



Here's the other side of it:



Fitting the inner sill and getting ready to weld it in:



Welded in (front):



Welded in (rear):



A view from the inside:



Although I'm working at a snail's pace I'm making progress.  As long as it isn't hot as balls in the garage I plan on heading out there more now.

[94touring]

Excellent, very good.  I heard its cooler in Tulsa today too, I'm ready to hit the truck hard. 

[MiniGene]

Thanks!  Can't wait to see your progress on the truck...and the Impala.

Managed to make it out the garage for a couple of hours this afternoon and made a cross-member patch.

I don't have a metal brake (or is it break...?) so I did the old two 2X4s in the vice trick:



After about two hours of bending, cutting, grinding, and bending and cutting and grinding, and more bending, more cutting, more grinding this is what I have:



Another angle:



Fits pretty good:



View from the passenger side:



Hopefully next weekend I can weld it in.

[94touring]

Wow man hell of a nice job fabbing the end of the x-member!  You may already have it welded into place but if not shoot the back with some high temp paint before you weld.