Lakeland 997

[smithyrc30]

Maybe not what you want to see now but this just popped up on ebay here in Aus:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mini-Cooper- ... 2287898166
I believe it is a 997 unit with a deva crankshaft.

Not in the best condition though....

[rich@minispares.com]

it will be interesting to see what a 'modern' 997 actually goes like

[Lakeland997]

Maybe not what you want to see now but this just popped up on ebay here in Aus:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mini-Cooper- ... 2287898166
I believe it is a 997 unit with a deva crankshaft.

Not in the best condition though....

Nothing a bit of emery cloth couldn't put right!
Interestingly, that one has no fuel pump hole and the '1000' on a riveted plate. Mine has the fuel pump hole (for what reason I don't know) and the 1000 is cast into the block.
Also plenty of different variations of engine paint there!

[Lakeland997]

it will be interesting to see what a 'modern' 997 actually goes like

I like to think of it as a short(er) stroke 1100!

[ace01]

it will be interesting to see what a 'modern' 997 actually goes like

I like to think of it as a short(er) stroke 1100!

Or as a small bore 1275.

I think you'll find that it goes very well. I use a different cam, although the other spec is similar, and a 3.9 diff. The engine was built by Southam and is quick and torquey.

[graham in aus]

Hi Lakeland! Can I ask about the source of the Saenz small bore rods? Mini Se7en?

Who stocks those?

Maybe SH Engineering? http://www.shengineering.co.uk/sh/conte ... ine-tuning

Cheers

[Lakeland997]

Yes that's right Graham. SH Engineering. I've never seen them anywhere else.

[graham in aus]

Cool, thanks for that, the car looks amazing!

Cheers

[JC T ONE]

Drooolll!

Hear hear - thats just simply gorgeous

Well done.


Jens Christian

[Lakeland997]

I must admit that the trimming side of restoration is not my favourite but the results can be satisfying.
As the rest of the trim will be new (most was missing when I bought the project) and flushed with the success of replacing the headlining in my 1275GT I decided to recover the frames.
A stained roof would have looked out of place.

The trick with head linings I have learnt is temperature. I carried out this work in my office where it's cleaner and nice and warm. I also used a heat gun carefully on the surface to get rid of the folding creases.

[Lakeland997]

If you're thinking of taking the plunge I'd say it's not too difficult if you take your time and follow the instructions/copy the original.
Just the back half to do now

[Andrew1967]

That looks great Andy.

I have to do one for my pick up and cant make up my mind whether to do it myself or pay around £100 for the local trimmer to do it. These pics certainly have got me thinking again.

Did you glue the edges before putting the clips on ?

[Lakeland997]

Yes Andrew, all the edges were glued with contact adhesive - non-solvent type in this case just to keep the smell down in the office!
I was as careful as I could be to keep the glue off the back of the fabric that will be visible to avoid the 'factory stain' coming through in future.
The material was pulled taught then stuck to the frame by the adhesiveness of the glue. I only added the clips later.

This is the order:
After stapling to the frame crossbars, I fitted the fabric to the edges dry at first with small crocodile clips and gently warmed (mixture of radiator and heat gun) and stretched it until I was happy.
Then I unclipped each edge one by one and glued it on both the fabric and frame, waited for it to go clear/tacky and stretched and stuck it back down.
Back edge first from the centre outwards, then front the same way, then each side moving from the back to the front.
You can get away with pulling the fabric back off if necessary to reposition it/stretch it a bit more.

Go back a page and you'll see this in pictures.

In reality I did this over serval days when I had a spare few minutes as the non-solvent glue takes over an hour to be ready to stick!

I suspect that the clips were just to speed up the operation in the factory (they may not have waited for the adhesive to set fully) as they don't seem necessary to me. The old fabric was pretty well stuck to the frame!

Andy

[Andrew1967]

Thanks Andy, thats very helpful.

Think I'll give mine a go. Don't like farming work out if I don't have to.

Cheers

[roger mcnab]

hi what sort of hood liner is that
roger mcnab

[dougie1142]

I love the engine detail, interested to see how the 997 goes with the upgrades.

Looking forward to seeing it develop..

Douglas

[Lakeland997]

I've not posted on this project for a while because it came to a halt when I realised the later diaphragm clutch flywheel didn't fit the 997 crank so couldn't finish the engine.
I waited six months for a Mini specialist to modify it before finally taking it back from them.
I recently followed up on a recommendation Mark gave to visit Simon and Rod at SMMC who had it done in a few days.
So now that I can fit the engine I thought I should catch up here on progress.

Heater and various parts refurb

[Lakeland997]

More parts. I can't take any credit for the distributor but i did clean up the cardboard heater hoses!

[Lakeland997]

Front and rear running gear.
I did opt for S discs but I have all the originals if I ever feel like reverting

[Lakeland997]

As I said, trimming is not my favourite job but somehow satisfying when it's finished. I had to buy front seats as they were missing from the project so I opted for recliners. Not correct for a 997 but comfort won the day.
If anyone has a spare set of single hole seat brackets I'm in need of a set.