Collecting a mini, now rust rust and more rust

[Stinkwheel]

Some new bits arrived.Couldn’t resist having a play to see how it looked 

 

[Stinkwheel]

Todays question for all the mini lickers (sorry, enthusiasts)

what the hell are these type of driveshafts?

 

[MiniMinorMk3]

Those are the old type drive shafts that have the rubber couplings. However the rubber coupligs have been replaced with Quinton Hazell QL5000 couplings.

MiniSpares sell reproduction QL5000 couplings.

QL5000 - Mini driveshaft couplings similar to q h roller type (pair) (minispares.com)

 

[Stinkwheel]

1 minute ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Those are the old type drive shafts that have the rubber couplings. However the rubber coupligs have been replaced with Quinton Hazell QL5000 couplings.

MiniSpares sell reproduction QL5000 couplings.

QL5000 - Mini driveshaft couplings similar to q h roller type (pair) (minispares.com)

 

Thanks a lot, this car is a real 'bitsa' it seems as those types of coupling are really wrong for a 1984 car i believe.

[MiniMinorMk3]

Yes, it should be on pot joints. 

What is the casting number on the front of the gearbox? My guess is that you will have a 22G 1128, but for that year it should be DAM 4818.

[Stinkwheel]

27 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Yes, it should be on pot joints. 

What is the casting number on the front of the gearbox? My guess is that you will have a 22G 1128, but for that year it should be DAM 4818.

Well again, its not as predicted

Gearbox casting DAM 5626   (A+ with 3 bolts bearing retainer)

Engine block casting WFM 1024  (A+ 1275)

Also think the reason for the earlier type driveshafts and flanges is because of the 2" LCB style exhaust system (better clearance)

[Stinkwheel]

Some extra info for you on this thing, the last V5 was issued in 1989 and the last tax disc expired in 1992, so yes, it got as rusty and modified as it is in ONLY 8 years and 3 owners on the road. It has been sat in a nice big dry barn on a farm since then.

Which make me think about a slight tangent to all the old cars I've owned and run over the years, my first car a 1981 Dyane 6 purchased in 1994 was 13 years old and totally rotten by then. My first CX GTI Turbo was purchased in 1997 when it was only 12 years old but had dropped to being worth only the 1400 quid asking price that i paid from being a 10k car new.

Odd what we considered old and cheap back then, wasnt actually very old 

[IronStar]

1 hour ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

Yes, it should be on pot joints. 

What is the casting number on the front of the gearbox? My guess is that you will have a 22G 1128, but for that year it should be DAM 4818.

22G 1128 is the vile bag of spanners gearbox with tunnel and forks that bend? 

[MiniMinorMk3]

25 minutes ago, IronStar said:

22G 1128 is the vile bag of spanners gearbox with tunnel and forks that bend? 

The 4-synchro 22G 1128 is one of the most sort after gearboxes in Mini Land

[MiniMinorMk3]

1 hour ago, Stinkwheel said:

Well again, its not as predicted

Gearbox casting DAM 5626   (A+ with 3 bolts bearing retainer)

Engine block casting WFM 1024  (A+ 1275)

Also think the reason for the earlier type driveshafts and flanges is because of the 2" LCB style exhaust system (better clearance)

That's a right mix of stuff. LCBs have no problems getting around pot joints though, but they are difficult to get passed the old rubber couplings.

[Matty]

35 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

The 4-synchro 22G 1128 is one of the most sort after gearboxes in Mini Land

These people with their decadent 4 synchro boxes 🤣

[Stinkwheel]

Just now, Matty said:

These people with their decadent 4 synchro boxes 🤣

Whats wrong with coming to a full stop before selecting 1st anyway 

[junkyarddog]

Just wondering looking at the Dash and modified engine/gearbox was this used for Navigation rally's or such?

[Stinkwheel]

Just now, junkyarddog said:

Just wondering looking at the Dash and modified engine/gearbox was this used for Navigation rally's or such?

I think thats very likely, but the farmer i got it from was selling on behalf of a farmer he knew who had died, so the person that could have told us, cant tell us anymore

[Stinkwheel]

Obviously I cannot leave well enough alone until one job is finished I decided to take the head off, looks like a standard bore 1275 with standard size valves to me, so not earth shattering but should be good for 60-65 Bhp, not bad for a mini

Waterways need a good clean out, that’s for sure 

[Stinkwheel]

More progress on the mini, got a flywheel and new clutch kit and a early type inertia starter sorted out, so thought I’d bung them onto the engine 

also as the head was off I decided to pull it apart for a clean and to lap in the valves and some new stem seals (inlets only apparently on these) 

 

although I have another question for the mini experts now, namely where have my casting numbers gone? Is there a reason they might have been milled/ground down?  

That’s about it for now really, I expect I’ll have to actually start the welding soon 

(Could maybe a friendly admin merge this thread into my main one, the ‘Stinkwheels mostly Citroen stuff’ one, pretty please and all that) 

[Stinkwheel]

As usual, where rust and past bodges are concerned, that escalated quickly 

I have repair panels and a mig, also many flap discs and wire wheels, watch this space, might even be a partially fixed shot later, maybe, possibly.

the aluminium sheet riveted over the big hole and then fillered really was a joy to see*

[drewd]

Liked for the progress. Less so for the aluminium plate. I've always liked Minis but they seem to be full of dubious repairs. 

[Timewaster]

There was a time old minis were the cheapest thing you could buy and the repairs usually reflected that.

A guy at work was telling me his first mini leaked so badly he had to put a tray under it at night and would pour the oil back in the engine each morning.

Full of horrendous bodges and scrapyard spares, but on a £25 car who cared?

[Stinkwheel]

Ok, so a small amount of metal has gone back in, then I ran out of gas for the welder, so it has now become tomorrows job

Please ignore my welding, it’s crap but strong enough and everything is easily sortable by mr flap disc and mr grinder 

 

[Stinkwheel]

3 hours ago, drewd said:

Liked for the progress. Less so for the aluminium plate. I've always liked Minis but they seem to be full of dubious repairs. 

I think as @Timewaster says, they were cheap and also they were often first cars, they got fixed by the skills people had at the time and on a budget, hence the many millions have gone to the scrappies years ago. 
Stupid thing with this one is that bits of it are really good, but then it should be, not having been on the road these last 32 years 

[drewd]

2 minutes ago, Stinkwheel said:

I think as @Timewaster says, they were cheap and also they were often first cars, they got fixed by the skills people had at the time and on a budget, hence the many millions have gone to the scrappies years ago. 
Stupid thing with this one is that bits of it are really good, but then it should be, not having been on the road these last 32 years 

Totally agree, they were period repairs and acceptable at the time. It's just never fun when you uncover someone elses handywork that's not aged too well. However, when we play with cheap old cars I guess it's to be expected.

[Stinkwheel]

I’ve been cutting and gluing bits of metal together again, coming on a bit now compared to how it was, bizarrely I’m kind of enjoying it, has been a long time since I got this stuck into something 

[comfortablynumb]

It's always nice when you stop chopping bits out, and start putting stuff back again IMO 👍

[Stinkwheel]

19 minutes ago, comfortablynumb said:

It's always nice when you stop chopping bits out, and start putting stuff back again IMO 👍

100% accurate 

[Marina door handles]

Nice work, I am enjoying this thread... Still fancy the idea of a project mini but I need to finish other projects and its taking a while! 

[Stinkwheel]

Ok, that’s all for today, got to a point I’m happy enough with to stop, almost looks like a mini inner wing now (almost)

 

 

[mat_the_cat]

2 hours ago, comfortablynumb said:

It's always nice when you stop chopping bits out, and start putting stuff back again IMO 👍

Welding is the fun bit, it's the other 90% of a welding job which is the PITA!

[comfortablynumb]

2 hours ago, mat_the_cat said:

Welding is the fun bit, it's the other 90% of a welding job which is the PITA!

Until you hit the rust you didn't quite clean up enough, and it explodes into a pretty firework putting whitehot metal in your ear/hair/boot/gloves ( delete as applicable)

Ask me how I know.......🤣

[Bmwdumptruck]

A couple of years back I did a similar collection of a basic MiniE for some friends in Scotland.  Hired a trailer from a place near Thame, then into the suburbs of London to collect it.  Then up to the highlands to our friends near Lochgilphead.  It’s currently undergoing a full resto, most of the mechanicals are ready to go back, but the shell is away at a local welder but should be done by the end of the year as the guys moving workshops or something.  Hopefully next time we go up we may get to see it.  Mind it was nowhere near as bad as this one.