1984 Mini City E - ready to de-engine

[N Dentressangle]

22 minutes ago, Lankytim said:

Got to absolutely love a Mini that hasn’t been buggered about with and is still standard. They’re almost extinct nowadays! 

Yep - even though the silver 25 was one owner from new, and only had MoT work by the local garage there was still plenty of bodgery and filler to get through, making the rust 10x worse.

The black one is going to get completely stripped and then mounted on something like this:

I've got a long scaffold pole. If only I knew someone who was good at making stuff out of wood, eh @Uncle Jimmy?

[tooSavvy]

Ooooff!!

https://youtube.com/@upbuild4397?si=G2008eZVcu2fQ_KK

Ahh 🤫

🙃

[Matty]

Seem to remember when you parted with a spitfire and replaced it with a 206 I asked you what next. You said the 206. I was non plused. Knew it wouldn't take long 😆

[danthecapriman]

This looks a great little Mini to restore. Despite the rust it still looks pretty standard and not a bodged up mess.

I must admit, having driven a few Mini’s and love them, I’ve never actually owned one! A shameful thing for a British petrol head to say. Maybe one day.

[Uncle Jimmy]

5 hours ago, N Dentressangle said:

Yep - even though the silver 25 was one owner from new, and only had MoT work by the local garage there was still plenty of bodgery and filler to get through, making the rust 10x worse.

The black one is going to get completely stripped and then mounted on something like this:

I've got a long scaffold pole. If only I knew someone who was good at making stuff out of wood, eh @Uncle Jimmy?

Is that the fashionable central steering option there or do you pop rivet a couple of bits of fridge door over the holes at the end of the project? 

[SiC]

6 hours ago, Uncle Jimmy said:

Is that the fashionable central steering option there or do you pop rivet a couple of bits of fridge door over the holes at the end of the project? 

It's the Factory Rotodip hole in the pressings. 

[N Dentressangle]

48 minutes ago, SiC said:

It's the Factory Rotodip hole in the pressings. 

If only.

No rust protection inside any cavity whatsoever.

[SiC]

1 minute ago, N Dentressangle said:

If only.

No rust protection inside any cavity whatsoever.

I think they had completely stopped the Rotodip process by then I think? But the marks in the pressings still there and then covered up. Wasn't terribly effective process going by the rampant rust on ADO16 and landcrabs. 

[sierraman]

Great to see a standard mini, they always get all the Tat stuck to them like fucking Union Jack rooftops or Cooper bits. I cannot remember last time I saw a standard one like a Ritz or a 25. 

[N Dentressangle]

4 minutes ago, sierraman said:

Great to see a standard mini, they always get all the Tat stuck to them like fucking Union Jack rooftops or Cooper bits. I cannot remember last time I saw a standard one like a Ritz or a 25. 

I'm amazed the groovy wheeltrims weren't binned off years ago

[N Dentressangle]

OK then, what shall we do first?

See if the engine runs?

[Matty]

28 minutes ago, N Dentressangle said:

OK then, what shall we do first?

See if the engine runs?

Can't do clever computer shit but imagine a furiously nodding head gif 😂 

[Bren]

It's looks very similar to a city an ex work colleague owned as a stop gap - it was auto as well.

I remember him telling us that one freezing morning he put the wipers on and was rewarded with both blades disappearing into the air.

[tooSavvy]

2 hours ago, N Dentressangle said:

I'm amazed the groovy wheeltrims weren't binned off years ago

HaHa.... I have *3 Proton Savvy hub caps (ONLY on Street version.... Alloys on Style!)

*Well, 4 actually.... the odd one is in our backyard - covering the hole with the water stopcock in it 🛠️

🚙💨

[N Dentressangle]

21 minutes ago, Matty said:

Can't do clever computer shit but imagine a furiously nodding head gif 😂 

Then LET'S DO IIIIIIT!

First step with old Minis - get the fuckin thing to more like a normal person's working height:

it came with the bonnet loose, so no need to bugger about with that.

Next, remove the front grille with all its daft little screws:

Done. Screws look original, which is weird and a bonus. I'll de-rust and save them for when it all goes back together.

Airbox screws are well-seized, but a bit of gentle tapping and some remonstrating fluid and they're off. A finger down the SU intake shows the piston's seized, so we'd better take the dashpot off and sort that out. Mmmm, dandruff:

Piston's a bit fluffy too, so we'll get those cleaned off and put back together and move on to the float bowl:

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Looking online, it ran out of tax in 1994, so has been sleeping/fizzing for the last 30 years. It could explain why the screws on the grille look orginal. What's the back story with its long slumber? 

[SiC]

18 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

What's the back story with its long slumber? 

Rust I bet. Always rust with Minis. 

Every single one I've ever seen is rusty. From cheap crap to recently restored. Even the Moss branch show car is rusty.

I came to the conclusion that the best Mini purchase is the one that is already rusty. You're going to have to do a restoration at some point so might as well start with a fucked one and get it sorted properly. 

[N Dentressangle]

20 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Looking online, it ran out of tax in 1994, so has been sleeping/fizzing for the last 30 years. It could explain why the screws on the grille look orginal. What's the back story with its long slumber? 

That I have no idea of. Might try and do some digging if anyone has any idea where to look.

 

[N Dentressangle]

and on with the will it start.

Dandruff cleaned out from the carb:

and muck from the float chamber:

and all back together:

Good enough for the girls we date 😉

Before I even touched the lightning whirler I thought we'd at least spin it over on the battery and see if we had sparkles. So all plugs removed and a good squirt of oil down the bores. I know it turns freely by hand so no problems there:

Jumper packed hooked up in the boot, because that's where the battery lives on these, remember.

Turn the key and.... nothing at all, but as a little consolation here's what the dash is now showing:

She lives! Kind of.

Time for a cup of tea before I start on the solenoid.

[N Dentressangle]

16 minutes ago, SiC said:

Rust I bet. Always rust with Minis. 

Every single one I've ever seen is rusty. From cheap crap to recently restored. Even the Moss branch show car is rusty.

I came to the conclusion that the best Mini purchase is the one that is already rusty. You're going to have to do a restoration at some point so might as well start with a fucked one and get it sorted properly. 

Completely agree. Anything under £6k WILL have bubbling showing where it's coming through from all those unprotected cavities.

Most have signs of some kind of naughtiness in the 3/4 panel just in front of the rear wheel, showing that there's rot in the heelboard and rear subframe pickups, and the bottom of the companion boxes either side of the back seat will be damp and crusty. There will be bog in there somewhere, hiding rot and making it worse.

[N Dentressangle]

OK, excitement over.

Just put 12v to the starter - she spun a few times then died and now does nothing, so I'm guessing it's all seized inside.

Onwards with the strip down and rotisserie building, I guess. @Uncle Jimmy here are the dimensions for you to get cracking:

😉

Hopefully off to collect a 4m scaffold pole this afternoon.

[R Lutz]

At what point does it become more economically viable to just buy a new shell?

[tooSavvy]

1 hour ago, R Lutz said:

At what point does it become more economically viable to just buy a new shell?

How do you 'value/cost' your own time.. 😵‍💫

https://www.bmh-ltd.com/body-shells/mini-body-shells/

🙈🙉🙊

[Uncle Jimmy]

4 hours ago, N Dentressangle said:

OK, excitement over.

Just put 12v to the starter - she spun a few times then died and now does nothing, so I'm guessing it's all seized inside.

Onwards with the strip down and rotisserie building, I guess. @Uncle Jimmy here are the dimensions for you to get cracking.

Starter solenoid packed up? You need one of these...

[DSdriver]

Is that red clay in the bottom of the carb bowl? I seem to remember being told back in the early seventies that Esso products came from wells with a lot of red clay in the crude. This may have been bollocks but I have always avoided Esso garages ever since... and never had a problem with my carbs silting up.

[Matty]

5 hours ago, N Dentressangle said:

lightning whirler

Love it. Going to steal that. Though my personal favourite of 2023 was back at the start of Jan. I was in a mill down Kent with a lad from Cumbria and when the job we were doing started going our way he shouted "now we're farming!" I thought, I'm fucking using that in the future 😆

[Matty]

5 hours ago, N Dentressangle said:

Completely agree. Anything under £6k WILL have bubbling showing where it's coming through from all those unprotected cavities.

Most have signs of some kind of naughtiness in the 3/4 panel just in front of the rear wheel, showing that there's rot in the heelboard and rear subframe pickups, and the bottom of the companion boxes either side of the back seat will be damp and crusty. There will be bog in there somewhere, hiding rot and making it worse.

This was at swinging 60s at Oulten Park yesterday. Whilst I don't profess to being any sort of mini expert, I did kneel in the grass and have a right good look and it seemed every bit as good as first glance.

[N Dentressangle]

2 hours ago, Matty said:

Love it. Going to steal that. Though my personal favourite of 2023 was back at the start of Jan. I was in a mill down Kent with a lad from Cumbria and when the job we were doing started going our way he shouted "now we're farming!" I thought, I'm fucking using that in the future 😆

Hey, I stole it from https://www.youtube.com/@ViceGripGarage

There's a few hours of your life you'll never get back 😉

[N Dentressangle]

3 hours ago, tooSavvy said:

How do you 'value/cost' your own time.. 😵‍💫

https://www.bmh-ltd.com/body-shells/mini-body-shells/

🙈🙉🙊

Yep, that and how much fun / satisfying do you find it fixing stuff yourself.

I know there are a few of us here dedicated to stuff that would give St Jude excess acid 🥽

[richardmorris]

4 hours ago, tooSavvy said:

How do you 'value/cost' your own time.. 😵‍💫

https://www.bmh-ltd.com/body-shells/mini-body-shells/

🙈🙉🙊

I had to put my glasses on as I assumed the decimal point was wrong!