Daniel's 1966 Morris Mini-Minor Super Deluxe

[dhenry]

Hello,

I purchased a 66 Morris last week and as it is my first mini I will have lots of questions. I live in Brighton and work as a production manager. I like my cars very original with period motorsport and tuning mods. My other set of wheels is a 1968 BMW 2002 which is undergoing some serious welding at present. The BMW is being built with period motorsport in mind. So far it has bilstein sport dampers all round (very stiff) and a mildly tuned motor running on twin 40 solex's and mechanical dizzy. See blog, http://www.1968bmw2002.blogspot.com

My mini will be reserved for daily chores but will also see some competition in the way of hillclimbing if i have my way. The car has been fitted with an early 998cc unit which runs very well, very smooth with lots of compression. The car should be Island Blue and most of the interior still is. The exterior has been painted in Teal blue. The interior trim was cheap retro crap so I have since scored a complete mk1 interior out of a 67 island blue complete with all carpet, trim, door cards, dash cards, parcel shelf, seats the lot. I have also picked up an original gear knob and steering wheel. Eventually I'd like a nice wooden wheel but cant justify the cost at this stage.

The car appears to be very solid. It has been welded plenty of times, Some of its scars look very good but a few look a bit dodgy. This brings me to my first question. The first areas that need attention are the driver side a-panel which appears to have been filled instead of replaced and the driver side door skin. I can weld so this is easy but my question is this. The paint on the car looks very good. It is cellulose and is only 4 years old. After I treat these problem areas with the kindness they deserve I would like to return the car to its original Island Blue. As the paint is very good and flat can i save myself a lot of work and spray the Island Blue straight over the Teal Blue? If so, what will the process be?

I have purchased the Cooper 7.5" disc kit from minispares plus new engine mounts, front shock kit, stabiliser bushings and soundproof kit. Work will commence shortly however, I must finish the BMW first despite having a new toy. Thanks for all the help I have recieved so far, I look forward to meeting some of you in the future. Cheers


the wife with toast.

[Mike]

Daniel,

I responded previously when you were looking for some assistance but feel compelled to reiterate that you really would find it beneficial to make contact with Doug and Colin of Caburn Classics at Ringmer, Near Lewes. They are the most friendly of enthusiasts, have a wealth of knowledge and a collection of many hard to find parts.

Everyone who has had dealings with them appreciates their knowledge and integrity.

Mike

[59fan]

Daniel,

Nice toast. It would of course have been better with Marmite.

I'm moving to East Sussex next month, around the Uckfield area and can concur with Mike about Caburn Classics, their reputation is second to none, and I will be visiting them as soon as I'm settled in.

The mini scene is very active down there, I used to live in Worthing for many years and both the WSMOC and Brighton Mini clubs are very good.

Ian

Oh, the mini's nice as well

[dhenry]

Hello,

Yes, I have already been in touch with Caburn on a few occasions. They have been very helpful. I work in Barcombe which is dead close to Ringmer and Uckfield. Cheers,

Daniel

[dhenry]

A busy summer. I have however got a little work done on the mini. Underneath the teal blue paint there is a fairly straight and original morris mini. I have been trying to get the car back to how it "should" be. First of all I sourced a complete original interior out of an Island Blue 66. I tore out the modern black rear seat, door cards and carpet and have replaced them with original items. I had a displacer pop on me so I had to replace that. I then replaced all of the bumpstops with the progressive versions from mini spares which has made a huge difference to the car. I put cooper disc brakes on front with all new bearings, hubs, CV's etc, which has gone a lot further to tightening up the front end. I replaced the stabilizer bushings which has stopped the engine flopping about on down shifts. The car also passed an MOT in this time.

Next on the list is to replace the clutch with an AP fast road version. I also plan to pull the engine out in order to tidy and repaint the engine bay back to Island Blue. After that I will pull the petrol tank out and repaint the boot in Island Blue (currently black for some unknown reason). Also, need to repaint the floor. It has been welded and painted in Teal Blue although only the floor is teal blue. The rest of the interior is in its original Island Blue and will remain that way. Once all of this has been done (hopefully before spring) I am going to start on the exterior. It needs a new a-panel on the drivers side, new seems (the current ones have been filled and I prefer it to look original) then key the paint and respray in island blue.

I am currently looking into getting a 12g940 head, a camshaft and twin SU carbs to put on. It already has a decent exhaust. I would consider a 1275 engine but I know my 998 is good and I'm looking forward to seeing how a change in cam and head etc effects performance one stage at a time.

Here are some recent photos with the BMW in the background. The BMW will be receiving a new chassis rail on the drivers side and a new outer sill shortly.

[Pete]

Nice collection you have there, is the 'Bully' yours too ?

[InimiaD]

That's a lovely looking Mini.
Some nice tasteful mods you have planned as well.
keep us posted with the progress.

[Toby]

Nice toast. It would of course have been better with Marmite.

I'm with Ian on that

[dhenry]

The VW is not mine but it keeps the BMW company. I just got a new distributor fitted yesterday and what an enormous difference that has made. I upgraded to a 45d with a fast road/race advance curve and electronic points. The engine rev's much faster now, it has loads more torque and power throughout the whole rev range and it is generally a lot smoother. It runs a few degrees cooler now too. I am, however, still getting that misfire on the motorway. I think the next port of call is the fuel system. I am going to order a facet system this week and hopefully that will fix my problem. Cheers,

[dhenry]

Just to keep you updated. I have been having trouble keeping my battery charged. I have replaced the dynamo with a shiny new one but still no joy. Other than that I have rebuilt the heater box, fitted a new heater valve and new hoses. I rebuilt the carb once more after some extensive research. The needle I had in there was a somewhat conservative AAV. Not only that but the mixture was wound all the way out to compensate for how lean it was. I put an AAU in it and set the mixture to 12 flats out and things are much better. Still needs some fettling as I think it is a little lean but overall a massive improvement. And no more misfire on the motorway!

The other task I set myself was to make a racing dash panel with an old smiths tacho. I think it looks excellent (photos to follow). I also replaced the cheap and tiny 80's steering wheel with an original mk1. Soooo much better! My taste is no longer offended every time I sit in the drivers seat. Furthermore I can actually see the little green indicator light now.

I bought an electric washer pump which I have yet to fit and I need to rebuild my wipers as the passenger side has fallen apart. I am also after some correct sun visors as the ones fitted must have been made in the 80's or 90's.

Things to come. I need to pull the engine and repaint the engine bay. It is all flakey and getting rusty in there. I would also like to paint the engine in the correct shade of green. All fun things to look forward to I suppose. Here is a picture outside my work in the snow. There is a little hairpin on the way in which was negotiated with a little handbrake and throttle action. I felt like Timo Makinen for about 6 seconds as I slid into work through the snow. Happy days.

[dhenry]

Unfortunately I made the decision to sell the BMW. I just didn't have the time or cash to pile into it and it needed the work doing before it rotted away. It has now gone to a new home where it will be getting a full resto.

The plus side is that I am now free to play with the mini. I am building up stock pile of fun bits. So far:

12g206 cylinder head
276 cam with isky springs and alloy top hats
oil pump
performance intake manifold
AP clutch

Things I still need:
lightened flywheel
water pump
gaskets
studs
engine paint
island blue cellulose
carb needles
oil cooler
desmo/raydyot mirror

The plan is to pull the engine, restore the engine bay with fresh paint and re-wrap the wiring loom. Whilst the engine is out replace the oil pump, cam shaft, cylinder head, water pump, intake manifold and clutch. Clean and paint the engine and drop it back in. Hopefully all in one weekend.

After that I will be pulling the interior out cleaning up the floor (might need some welding). Tidy up the exterior, plug some holes, repair 'a' panel, clean up seems etc.

Now that the BMW is out of the way, let the work commence. I promise to get loads of pics too. Cheers.

Oh, one question. Standard 998cc bottom end, 12g206 with 9:1 CR, 276 cam, intake manifold, cooper exhaust and fast road dizzy. What needles should be looking at for my single HS4? At least a good starting point needle. Cheers.

[InimiaD]

Looks as if you are going to have one helluva busy weekend.
I think you'll need a spacer under the oil pump though.
Regarding needles, Mr vizard reckons with your spec an E3, H6, or a No7 with a blue damper spring.
Only a session on a rolling road will get the mixture spot on though.

[dhenry]

Ok, here are the bits for the engine refurb/tune. The 12g206 is in really good shape and has never been skimmed. I have the Kent 276 with spider drive oil pump. Will i need a spacer for that in my 998 pre a+? New water pump as mine leaks a little. Also got some isky double springs thanks to Aaron, a period 3 point Britax harness and a desmo mirror thanks to ebay. I have decided to wait on the flywheel. I can always add it in the future but for the time being there is more pressing matters such as replacing my rotten doors, a few spots of welding and paint. I am also planning to re-upholster my cobra buckets with a higher quality black vinyl with black cord centre.

[InimiaD]

That little lot should give some extra grunt.
With regards to a spacer under the oil pump I dragged my rebuilt 1030 block out to check.
I bought this unit in 2009 freshly rebuilt with 276 cam etc etc and the pump HAS got a spacer under it.

[Etienne B.]

Daniel, very good and a nice picture too,
I like the way you enjoy your mini : it is refreshing !
Reminds me the years my wife and myself had so much fun fixing and tuning ourselves our 998 and driving it every day to go to work !!
I have endless stories of fixing it at the last minute before leaving for work or a night with friends, most of the time in front of very annoyed if not agressive neighbours - happy days, I have nothing like the time to do so now !
Didn't want to hi-jack your thread !

[dhenry]

Thanks for the comment Etienne.

I just picked up an old Britax harness. It was missing the labels from the shoulder belts so I set about making some replacements. I haven't any originals so I had to by photos. I measured the area where the label used to be and created the artwork. I printed these labels on a fabric which I will trim out and glue/stitch to the belts.

[dhenry]

New tyres! I am truly amazed at the difference these have made. Its like a new car. Absolutely loving these.

[Vegard]

If you're fitting A008s on 4,5" wheels you're in for a surprise. It's shit. (As you've got no arches)

[dhenry]

Fitted on 5's. No arches yet. Been on since saturday and I'm very pleased. What is shit exactly?

[dhenry]

After a little digging at the weekend I found that my bulkhead crossmember is a little soft. Rubbish. I have ordered new ends both left and right (just in case), new front floors (left and right) and new inner sills (inner sills are ok they were just welded badly last time they were done and offend my good taste because they look a bit sloppy). So in the next couple of weeks it will be out with the subframe and engine, out with the rotten metal, in with the new, a lovely coat of island blue paint and bob's your uncle. Whilst I am in there I will replace the worn out bushes on the tie bars and lower arms, replace the fuel pump, intake manifold and give the engine a coat of paint. All very exciting.