Project Old Dog

[sparetimetoys]

Cool post up photos over here. I have ordered up the heratage records for this one. I'm hopping that it was built on Jan 14. It's a senttamental thing. We plan to keep this one if it was built on that date. A bunch of the other numbers in this car match dates for things in our family.   I need to go do some more reading over at the 59 site to crack the generator date code. I don't think this is the original engine but the trans fits the target dates. But it is an 850 and found out today it's not seized up like we thought. I think my wrench was hitting a bolt I didn't see when we first checked. That being said I'm going to look for the correct head and carb.

[tsumini]

You may want to try this http://www.minimania.com/cars4Sale/11545/Part__Mini_850_A_Series_Engine_-_nee
I inquired about it. I was looking for an engine with a 5 digit SN close to 13xxx . he said his was SN 14xxx so was close. Found out it was in pieces and would need rebuild. He wanted $300. Shipping from California could be expensive. It would have been period correct but decided it was too expensive and didn't persue it.
Generator should have the date stamped on the frame. I have one dated 1 60 under the LUCAS name.

[sparetimetoys]

My gen is date stamped 5 - 60 and my engine is 352XX  so i would bet the gen is the one from the engine.  Im holding for the cert to see what engine I need and how far off his is but may just look into the head and intake stuff.

[tsumini]

Yeah the cert will show exact Engine SN I would say probably around 11xxx. Does yours have clutch adjusting nut (Shown in 59 mini registry)? I didn't try very hard to get a close SN. Mine I think is about 68 vintage  althoiugh I do have a running June 60 Morris engine.

Conventional wisdom or mini forums is to spend money on better engines 998, 1275 etc. rather than 850's. Rebuilding them costs as much as later engines and parts are easier to come by they say. Not sure if correct engine or period correct adds much value.

[sparetimetoys]

Nope no adjusting nut on the clutch. Also if you look at the memo about the gas tank drain I just missed out on getting that update also.

[tsumini]

Yeah My tank was missing so I replaced it with one with drain tube although I may have to look to see if it has the hole in the body.

[sparetimetoys]

What a mess. I tried sand in the touch up sand blaster and it plugged it up and worked like crap. So on the advice of one of my co-workers I tried baking soda. I have that junk all over everything. I'm using my leaf blower to clean out the shop 50.gif. I think I'll just take it over to Wylie to the hot rod place and have them blast the thing. I'm going to work hard on it this comming weekend to finish stripping it down to a shell. Then build a rotisary to spin it on before I can take it anyplace for blasting.

[Mudhen]

What a mess. I tried sand in the touch up sand blaster and it plugged it up and worked like crap. So on the advice of one of my co-workers I tried baking soda. I have that junk all over everything. I'm using my leaf blower to clean out the shop 50.gif. I think I'll just take it over to Wylie to the hot rod place and have them blast the thing. I'm going to work hard on it this comming weekend to finish stripping it down to a shell. Then build a rotisary to spin it on before I can take it anyplace for blasting.

Didn't strip off any paint at all or just too much of a mess?

I have a dual tank blaster from Eastwood...have yet to try soda in it.  Getting the sandblaster side to work properly has been hard enough..

[sparetimetoys]

It took off the paint just fine but made more mess than its worth.  Im going to hit Northern Tool this weekend and get the bag of blasting media and just be done with it.  That way I can hit the small sopts I want to work on before taking it to the big strippers.

[sparetimetoys]

Nice drive up to Tulsa and back to pick up my parts today, only hit one hard downpour for about a mile then back to flying low. We got the parts all put away and I looked up the head I picked up and it for an A+ series engine now I just need to see if it will work?  But it has the same size valves and chambers I should have so I need to figure what makes a plus head??

[94touring]

Glad you made it back ok.  Sounds like that head will work just fine from the guys on minimania.  Glad I could be of service! 

[sparetimetoys]

Yea from what I get out of what they are saying is I should be good with unleaded gas with this head. I think I'll look into gasket sets and fuel lines that are ok with the ethonal blends we now get. That way it may not be the factory engine but it's one the proper size modified to run on today's fuels.

[sparetimetoys]

I joke about having a hornets nest for wireing but this is rediculous!

[sparetimetoys]

We tore down the bad door today and found a couple good things. I have brass hinges and the bottom of the door is solid. Does anyone know what this thing is that was mmounted just below the window?

[tsumini]

Mine doesn't have the thing below the window so don't know what it is but looks like a ball and socket mount for a mirror? or such.
I have the brass hinges also. Are the hinge pins tight or worn?

[sparetimetoys]

Mine doesn't have the thing below the window so don't know what it is but looks like a ball and socket mount for a mirror? or such.
I have the brass hinges also. Are the hinge pins tight or worn?

The hinges are a little worn but a saw a rebuild kit someplace that looks easy. The thing on the door is inside the car. I'm going to try to strip down my other door this week because our good boss is on this weekend and I can bring them into work. If they fit in the landing gear blasting cabinet I'll have them down to bare metal in no time.

[sparetimetoys]

I took the right door into work today and spent some quality time at the bead blaster. It fits inside the cabennit we do gear parts in. I had to sift the media out when I was finished but it was well worth it. I need to sand down the rest then it will need a little hammer and dolly work and a skim coat of filler but I can save it.

[Mudhen]

That must be a big blast cabinet!!!  Lucky.  Did you use straight sand or something a little less harsh?

[sparetimetoys]

That must be a big blast cabinet!!!  Lucky.  Did you use straight sand or something a little less harsh?

It's 4' X  4'  X 3'  it's made to take 737 parts.  It has glass beads that keep getting smaller as you go. Eventually it's so fine it gets sucked out the exhaust vent and you dump in another 50 lbs.

[sparetimetoys]

My heratage cert came in today. My VIN and body number match. My engine is wrong # but I figured that out awhile ago. The car was speedwell blue with grey cloth. It was built on 12-Jan-1960 and shipped 21-Jan-1960 it's options we're a heater

[Mudhen]

My heratage cert came in today. My VIN and body number match. My engine is wrong # but I figured that out awhile ago. The car was speedwell blue with grey cloth. It was built on 12-Jan-1960 and shipped 21-Jan-1960 it's options we're a heater

Cool stuff.   4.gif

Are they still 'signed' by someone?  If so, who?

[sparetimetoys]

My heratage cert came in today. My VIN and body number match. My engine is wrong # but I figured that out awhile ago. The car was speedwell blue with grey cloth. It was built on 12-Jan-1960 and shipped 21-Jan-1960 it's options we're a heater

Cool stuff.   4.gif

Are they still 'signed' by someone?  If so, who?

Yes they are signed but I can't read it.

[Mudhen]

Thanks.  A friend of my family used to do them, but that's not him...

Pat

[tsumini]

My heratage cert came in today. My VIN and body number match. My engine is wrong # but I figured that out awhile ago. The car was speedwell blue with grey cloth. It was built on 12-Jan-1960 and shipped 21-Jan-1960 it's options we're a heater

Cool Your car 8 days older than mine. Did the cert say deluxe?
If you are interested the British Heritage will answer one question for 5 pounds i think. For instance I had a Morris chassis with an engine I thought to be original. I provide the VIN number and asked for the original engine Number. They came back with the engine number installed so I confirmed it original to the chassis. You could provide the engine SN and find the chassis number I believe.  It may even be a Morris engine.

[sparetimetoys]

Yep they said delux.   The engine installed while being a low number ie off by a couple ten thousand from what the cert says. I found a complete 1275 with trans for dirt cheap so for now I think I'll go that way and have some pep in the car. Down the road if I sell it who ever gets it can rebuild the 850 and put it in. I'm not going to do anything to it that isn't reversible.