Sc@ Chi

At my old work we had hundreds of black plates we would bandsaw up and reweld into "replacment" plates, it was very hard work to keep them flat,

^^^ This, before it breaks. 

Minibitz (Lee) is awesome, also Minispares.com - delivery can be as little as a week depending on time zones/ordering time/couriers etc.

Windscreen: Can be a pain in the arse. Trade Me or Minibitz for new rubber and filler strip, but while the screen's out remove the dash and check everything behind there (electrics, heating) as you can't really remove the dash with the window in.

Front subframe: May be better to get a new (to you) one.

Headlights: Common to everything that came out of the UK post-war (WW1 that is). Upgrade to H4s but install relays so your wiring doesn't catch fire.

Stop lights: Multimeter on the switch (front right of the subframe) first, the bulbs.

PM me and I'll send you some new rear shocks.

White will also be easier if you're painting it in stages. I bare metalled and painted my mini and there's very subtle shading differences between the doors, body and bonnet. Rewarding though when the finished result looks okay to you and impressive to others.

To be honest, I'd throw some rust converter into the seams then the cavity wax. I wish Bilt Hamber products were available here. Their cavity wax is designed to cope with rusted surfaces. It might be worth importing some depending on your project's ultimate value.

FWIW, my MIG and TIG both came from PMT Motorsport. Both chinese (what isn't these days), but superb customer service and both work really well. I had some issues with the MIG so they said send it back. They checked it and thought it was the little spools of wire I was using, recommended I use the bigger rolls but send a new MIG up anyway - absolutely no complaints here and I have no other connection with PMT, just a happy customer. FWIW...

Oh and my TIG is their 200A TIG/stick/plasma (I think they have a newer unit they sell now), but it works a treat.

A-series motor which is common as muck (Minis, Allegros, Morris 1100/1300, Metro and ministerial BMW limos). There are some dodgy head gaskets out there that are rubbish; chances are that's what your problem is. Ring around and find an old school mechanic and it will be cheap to fix. I'd recommend my guy but I doubt you want to cart it down to Wellington. Possibly call the local Mini club and see who they recommend. Not sure about Austin/Morris/Riley/Wolsley subframes, but in Minis, the auto motor has a slightly different subframe. But again, the parts should pop up cheap if you wanted to drop the auto and go to a manual. The only issue might be the gearlever - on those, don't they come out of the dash?

Desired Mods:

- An XR600 engine transplant (To give it more mumbo, although I am concerned about having to kick-start a 600 single… I’m a useless kick-starterer)

Do it. They are not that bad at all, once you get used to them and the manliness to onlookers is worth 20bhp easy. Mind you, my PE400 could kick back like a bitch and more than once I was hopping round the garage forecourt swearing into my (crash) helmet.

Whip the tank out. It's too dangerous, and because someone got away with it doesn't mean there aren't plenty of people who didn't. If it does go, it's you, your car and your garage gone. Plus, if your car's rusty the tank may be too so it's a great time to treat and repaint it.

This morning we landed at wgtn airport and I walked to get the car which we'd parked in a nearby street as usual. Never had a prob with broken windows. The Volvo can be a bit cold blooded so I opened the drivers door, started it up and went to put my backpack in the back (It's a wagon). Slammed the rear door and the central locking kicked in. So the car's running, I can't get in and the family (including Charlie who's under 2) are waiting for me at the airport.

I walked to the petrol station and got a bit of strapping tape but couldn't get in. So I broke the 1/2 light window of my own car. Fuck. When I got to my wife, she pointed out that they could have caught a cab while I waited for the AA. Fucketty fuck. Monday fucking monday.

I can highly recommend Ron Covell's MIG welding video. Magoos in Masterton sell them on Trade Me. $80 but you won't waste time and money trying stuff that just won't work. Or even better, do an evening class. I've done the MIG/TIG one at Weltec twice and it's $350 well spent. You also learn arc, gas, brazing etc.

I'd also caution trying to weld thick stuff with a low powered welder. I've tried 5mm with my 160A welder (Telwin), and a 150A Lincoln and it is not safe. The weld might look okay, but with a 100A welder you won't get penetration which is what holds it together. You really do need to consider the consequences if it fails, i.e. your arse on the line.

Has anyone had any experience doing this sort of thing to a road car in NZ? I'm maybe thinking frontal impact issues with the added steel for the 'hinge' but i hope this will not be an issue with the age of the car and as far as strength goes its just a glass body anyway all the strength comes from the chassis.

You're right, you have the advantage of a separate chassis. Should make it much easier. You should draw up what you plan to do, making sure it's neither weaker than the original structure nor too strong, i.e. retains some of the original crumple zones. I know, it doesn't make sense with old cars but it's what I did with my plans for a Mini flip front (a crumple zone in a Mini? Well, it's what they said...). Then send your drawing to the LVVTA technical committee (costs $35 or something like that) and they'll approve your plans. Build it to the plans and you're sorted.

Bear in mind that not all certifiers can sign off chassis modifications like this. You'll be needing a certifier anyway with the engine swap, so planning ahead and talking it through makes sense. They will be able to guide you as well, usually over the phone or email. The LVVTA forum is a great resource; Justin (the admin) seems to monitor it and answer questions accurately and quickly. I just wish I'd asked a question there before starting down a suspension upgrade on our Clubman Estate...

I like Scimitars, or anything that is less likely to rust. They still look great even though the design must be 40 years old.

I've google and googled and can't find a source of SU carb rebuild kits, principally for HIF44 carbs for my minis.

Any suggestions?

TIA

Had a quick chat to Ken McAdam who said that he couldn't certify it due to the class of certification required and put me in touch with Andrew Smith in Levin. He can certify it but he doesn't know of anyone who's done it before so I'm guessing it will be an involved process. I'm also guessing that the bracing will need to be substantial compared to the brace bars buys use in the UK. Will have to think about it and work out the best way to brace it against the firewall...

Really? I guess if I cast my net slightly wider and include the Hutt and out towards Porirua.

I need to have a chat to a certifier in Wellington city who knows minis. I need to find out the legalities of a fiberglass flip front on my mini, whether they need to examine sample welds of mine and a few other issues before I get to deep into the rebuilt. The front on mine is rusty and a flip front has always appealed. In the UK it seems all you need to do is run brace bars from the inner wing to the front of the subframe and I'm guessing it's been done recently in NZ (and been certified).

TIA,

Simon.

It's not rocket science and although you can buy kits, the basic chemicals are common and cheap. It's not like chrome plating, for example. This site has all you need to know and get started. With a bit of fine tuning of your set-up, it's more than feasible to do at home but not economic if you only want one part done.

^^^ True, but (a) spool guns are very expensive, and ( migging aluminium is tricky, as once you pull the trigger, you're committed to the weld at the settings you've chosen etc. The guy on MIG Welding.co.uk mentions this in regard to migging aluminium:

Aluminium TIG Welding - The Easier Way to Weld Aluminium

Since writing this page I've decided that using a MIG welder for aluminium is a pain. Though this page should help the DIY MIG welder who doesn't fancy spending money on a TIG. That's where I was when I wrote the page but I caved in.

The photo shows my first attempt at TIG welding aluminium. I've found it much easier than MIG welding aluminium, or even TIG welding any other metal. The TIG welder needs to have the option of AC current rather than just DC which prices it towards the £1000 mark. It doesn't require a heatsink, and a model without a foot pedal will work fine though it's nice to have the option to add one later (I didn't use a foot pedal for the work in the photo).

Industrial fabricators use MIG for aluminium purely for speed, where time is money. For home/hobby use, it has to be TIG. Even then you need to back purge and take the heat treatment required into account if it's a stressed item. A 200A+ MIG with spool gun will be more than a decent AC/DC TIG, and the skillset to use it correctly requires training.

+1 for PMT Motorsport (sole trader of Mitech units in NZ) - knows what he's talking about. I bought the 200A 4-in-1 unit (AC/DC TIG, stick & plasma), foot control and helmet as a bundle. I can MIG okay, but like learning new skills. You'll also need to budget for tungstens, gloves (must be lightweight and clean, not oily), filler rod and building a neat little cart for your gas bottle and welder.

Now here's the best bit of advice I can give: Do a welding course. Weltec do a MIG/TIG evening class, which I did a couple of years ago and teaches you MIG & TIG (obviously) but also gas cutting, gas welding, bronze welding, stick and more. It's about $330 for 12 weeks, one night a week, but worth every penny and more. Although it also caters for people who need to maintain their ticket, the tutors are great guys who can help with whatever discipline you want to specialise in. For example, the first time I did it, I practiced a lot on migging thin gauge steel (for bodywork). I've enrolled again as I need help to get the best from my new TIG unit, so I'll be seeing how schwing I can get with neat, tight 'stack o' dimes' welds on steel and aluminium.

Other good resources are The TIG forum of mig-welding.co.uk, WeldingWeb.com and WeldingTipsandTricks.com.

If you want to see some really hot welds, check out this thread on WeldingWeb.com. This is a guy building a cage for a 4x4 polaris, and it is unreal. The welds are so tight and neat, and they're migged, not tigged. In fact there's a thread on WeldingWeb.com about 'MIG like TIG', although almost everyone agrees it's more for aesthetics rather than any structural reason. Anyway, something to aspire to. Sample below:

I will let you know how I get on with my welder at the course - hope to have some nice samples of welds for the mantlepiece

There's loads of info on the net about how to do it (various methods), but has anyone any experience in engineering a flip front for a mini? Specifically, can it be done in the same manner as most people do it overseas?

Normally the flip front is one piece (either fiberglass or original steel panels) but running brace bars from the inner guards/scuttle to the front of the subframe.

If so, were there any particular things the certifier wanted you to do? Just looking into the feasibility at the moment. TIA.

Depending on the number and quality of cars for sale, it would make an excellent auction, although I'd love to get in early and pinch that Clubman estate. One was in Turners' recent classic auction with a price guide of $2,500 - $4,000. Sounds like a lot of the cars need to go to loving homes, and since I've got a Clubman saloon and a Clubman van, an estate would complete the set

Well, it's INTERNATIONALLY reviled now... (hee hee hee...)

From Anti-Rice.Com

Ain't it nice - NZ car and all...

Dunno, but they made the Perana, a factory V8 capri (great name). One of the crew at Practical Classics dropped a v8 into a Mk I capri, claimed the engine was lighter than the V4 that came out of it.

The Australian-assembled six cylinder 4.2L Cortinas (MKIV) were brought to NZ in about 1980 and widely held to be the most vile-handling pieces of crap ever land here. The engine was way too heavy for the car.