Mk1-alike Mini 1000 - Project Retro Rally

[rich@minispares.com]

some cracking photos there, that titanic building looks awesome doesn't it!

[minitravellerman]

some cracking photos there, that titanic building looks awesome doesn't it!

That it is - well worth a visit if you are ever over on this side of the Irish Sea.

[minitravellerman]

Photo I got sent of last year's Derek Walker - love this shot

[rich@minispares.com]

that's a great snap

[mk1]

What a brill photo!

[minitravellerman]

So the Cream Cracker has been off the road for the better part of a year. After the show season last year I was getting her ready for MoT and the list of parts needed was escalating that much I put her on the back burner for a few months while I was getting my new garage weather tight before the winter. Then it was Christmas, then the New Year, then bad weather ... so I really only started getting her ready this last 6 weeks or so.

So list was something as follows;

- replaced rear subframe (got a good used one and then refurbished it with new bushings, mountings etc
- fitted complete new rear brake assemblies
- replaced all handbrake items
- replaced rear suspension trumpets (with good used one) and rubber cones
- replaced rear shocks
- repair to small rust spot to boot floor under fuel tank
- replaced front subframe teardrop mounts with solid type
- replaced tie rod bushings
- replaced steering rack boots
- replaced front discs and pads
- replaced front ball joints
- general service

Thankfully all went to plan and I came home from the MoT Centre last night with a clean bill of health and no advisories

I have a slight oil leak (drip) to track down, but I think it's where the rod change penetrates the gearbox housing (I have a new seal anyway), and also the washer to the sump plug. Hopefully a nice easy fix - I don't want an oil drips on my nice new garage floor.

Time to get some miles under her wheels again and then start prep for the Legends event once the final regs come through.

[InimiaD]

Good news Ian.
Time for a bit of fun now.

[minitravellerman]

Good news Ian.
Time for a bit of fun now.

That's the plan

I've replaced the bucket seat that I did have fitted with a set of Cobras with slightly lower back to let me turn round and see out the rear window when doing reversing maneuvers in autotests. Just need to make brackets to fit them and then take her out for a shakedown. I have entered 3 shows over the next 3 weekends (modified car show a friend organises this coming Saturday, a fantastic classic show at a local National Trust property the following Saturday, followed by the Loughgall Festival of Motorsport in which I have again put my name down for the parade demos on the stage). Perhaps I might get to take the Mini on the high speed jaunts throughout the day - I put my name down last year and with the huge number of cars looking to take part I'm on the reserve list.

I also want to get the Mini out for a bit of a photoshoot on the local stages of the Circuit of Ireland. I literally was able to walk to the stages this year, and my local stage was one of the great stages of the 70s and 80s. It's been run off and on since then but not for the past 3 or 4 years.

[minitravellerman]

Had an absolutely awesome weekend at the start of June at the "Join The Mini Legends" event, and with the only Mini 1000 in the entry list finished a very respectable 35th overall, especially as it was the first targa event that I had competed in (not used to this average speed nonsense!! lol).

Anyway - a few photos of the event (in no particular order);

[InimiaD]

Looks as if you had a fun event Ian.
Much envy re Rauno's signature.

[miniminor]

Thats a fantastic picture on Torr Head!

[minitravellerman]

Had a great day at the Killyleagh Competition Car and Bike Show and got a few pics of the Cracker;









There was a great wee drive to close the show that took a short hop around the Co Down coast. I got parked up for a couple photos in front of the spectacular scenery. If any of you are ever in N Ireland this lovely county I call home has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world and well worth a visit.

[minitravellerman]

Oh, and I had a alloy fabricator friend of mine commission a set of Speedwell style mirror brackets and then fitted them up with SVC's Downton style bullet mirrors.

[minitravellerman]

Had an idiot run into the back of the Mini the other day while I was sitting waiting on traffic to clear before driving onto the main road from side road
Thankfully there was a big rock on the road so I was sitting further left than normal so when he hit me he just clipped the off side corner, just missing the taillamp. He was driving a Vivaro or Traffic van with a big plastic front bumper so it left a big black skuff on the paintwork which I was able to T-Cut out but the bumper lip got folded down and the rear valance got a bit of a squeeze.
At the road side he admitted it was all his fault and that he hadn't seen me due to the sun and that he's pay for the damage. Great. But then he says "och but sure it's rotten anyway!!!". Yes ... the back valance, the original 30 year old one, was starting to get a little soft to the touch at that corner, but that is totally besides the point. He still hit me and damaged my wee motor.
Anyway I did get contribution from him to replace the full rear valance. I got him to pay for his section of it, and I'd foot the bill to replace the rest of it while she's in the bodyshop anyway.
Typically I have only less than a week until the CCMC show on the North Coast but I've tidied it up as best as I can in the meantime.
Raging!!!

[InimiaD]

Grrrr. Things like that always seem to happen when you have the least time.

[minitravellerman]

Can't believe it's been 4 months since White Van Man pranged the back of the Cracker!!
I've just been busy with one thing or another so have never had the time to get anything sorted until the last few weeks, and with being off work for Christmas I decided to give the Mini the once over to get ready for the trip to Scotland and back in a few weeks, and to get the rear valance replaced.

So while thinking about my plans for the holidays I popped round to by friend's 'shop (Brooklands Fabrications) for a catch up and chat, and we came up with a small modification job ...

As the Cracker is '87, a fog lamp is required by law, but as the standard Austin Rover fitment lamp is an ugly and frankly an "after-thought" looking thing I've always had it removed and replaced only for MoT. So, while flicking through the Demon Tweeks catalogue the Keeper Technology rainlight jumped out of the page. Small and subtle but with 51 bright red LEDs would be ideal for a fog. Credit card out and one was bought. So the chat with Pete from Brooklands Fabrications ... I had a CAD (cardboard aided design) template made up for a bracket to be fashioned and welded onto the new rear valance centrally above the exhaust, but Pete had the idea of cutting the valance and making a bracket behind it so the lamp would be frenched in and much more subtle ... so that's the direction we went;



And as fitted and painted, complete with 1/2" hose pipe bumper;



And fog / rain lamp wired in;



Prep well underway - basically a full service, replace front bump stops, brake check and general spannering to make sure everything is still tight after a year of autotesting;



Just in case it decides to snow when we're in Scotland;



And so we at least look the part, I finally got some embroidery done for the "team";

[minitravellerman]

Been a year since I updated this thread!! Hard to believe it's been that long.

Well the wee Mk1 lookalike Mini 1000 hasn't really had much in the way of project work since Christmas last year. I attended the Monte Scotland start which was a lot of fun and will definately being doing the 2018 event.

In other news, I have been competing in the 2017 Northern Ireland Autotest Championship in a Clubman Challenge with Project Retro Rally and have been doing pretty well against the other more powerful cars in my class. The final event was last weekend which I had to miss following a "situation" on the MG Car Club Classic Trial event .. which I'll go into later. So overall I've finished 3rd in class behind a Citroen Saxo VTS (2nd place) and a Nissan Micra K11 C (1st place), with a 12th overall standing out of 30 entries. I'd missed 3 events for various reasons, so I'm chuffed with my result. Plan is to compete in all events next year with a lightened car (cue carbon, fibreglass and perspex).

Anyway .. the "situation". As a member of the MGCC Ulster Centre, I compete in their multi-venue autotests (the Derek Walker Trial in February and the Classic Trial night event in September). On this year's Classic Trial I was doing very well and putting in good times on the autotests and grass slaloms, and clearing all of the Production Car Trials. This had put me in a very good position going into the final test at a farm near Killinchy Co Down (I believe I was running 8th overall out of 35 starters and mixing it up with much more powerful cars). However on the penultimate test I was finding selecting gears getting a little hard but the Mini was going well other than that ... but on the final test following the first maneuver (tail through to reverse into a garage) I couldn't get out of first. Car stalled and then I could get into reverse, do the maneuver and then finish the test. Unfortunately it transpired I was leaving an oil slick over the test site ..... planet gear decided it didn't want to live in the diff anymore and tried to make good its escape by punching a hole on the casing!! I did finish the test and set a reasonable time despite everything. Just meant the remaining cars had to wait 15 minutes or so so the marshals could lay cement dust and try to clean the concrete
All in all I still finished a very respectable 12th overall and 5th in class.

Currently the Mini is in the garage with the engine and box on the bench. Changing the diff for a 3.44 ratio while I'm at it rather than the standard 2.9 and fixing a couple oil leaks while it's out. Also gives me an opportunity to tidy up the engine bay and repaint with new colour I'm going to do the car (still need to decide which Mk1 colour to go with ... Almond Green, Smoke Grey or Fiesta Yellow), and replace the steering rack which got an advisory on the last MoT.

Might replace the front wiring loom when I'm at it as there are a few repairs / additions made to it over the years.

[minitravellerman]

Update - engine and gearbox separated and standard (now broken) diff removed. Engine degreased and ready for repaint. New diff ready to refit once I have the pinion replaced in the gearbox to suit.
Engine bay degreased and ready for repainting as well once I've decided on the eventual new colour for the car. Thinking Smoke Grey.