Back on the Mini

Had a little break from the norm last week, I was in San Francisco for business and got to put in a couple of rides. The weather didn't really cooperate, and I ended up getting really cold and wet. I managed to stay healthy, and now can cross off  'ride over the golden gate bridge' from my to-do list. Got some nice rides in by the coast as well-it is really beautiful there.

Northern California Coast-by bike!

I've been working on the body of the Mini some. I started on the bootlid; my new/old shell came with a nice double-skinned MK1 bootlid, and I really like the look of it, especially the inside. It was pretty much the only rusty part that I got from that deal, so I got to work fixin' it up.

Rusty MK1 bootlid

Got out the grinder and cut out the rusty bit. Traced a replacement patch with a piece of paper, transferred it onto some sheet metal and cut it out. After a bit of grinding it fit OK, and I welded it in place. Ground off all the splatter and mess that I made with the welder, and welded some more. After about 3 cycles, I ended up with:

Rust gone, botched patch in!

Now I've got a rustless bootlid, just need to break out the filler to clean it up. Next step is to tackle the shell. It was sandblasted, and had all the rusty metal replaced, but still needs cleaning up. I will start on the underside, with POR 15 and urethane seam sealer to make sure it is rust-free, sealed and strong.

1967 MK1 mini shell

Simply clear out a space, put some old tires on the garage floor, and flip the car onto it's side:

under the mini shell

I'm pleased with what I found. Looks like it has a new boot floor, new front floors, new sills, valence, a-panels and wings. There are a couple of holes and bits that I am cleaning up, so I started by grinding off the primer and filler where I needed to work. Next, I welded up any gaps and little holes that I found. Now I will have to POR 15 the areas that need it, fill the cracks and seams with Pro Form PF224 urethane sealer/adhesive. I will also use this to seal around the wings at the scuttle joint, and at the front seam under the  headlights. Right now it'll have to wait for another night...

Flooring and more rear subframe

Well, pulled an all-nighter and laid down the flooring in the 3 bedrooms this past weekend. Better to take a chunk of time to do it all rather than bit by bit. That way the inconvenience of moving all of the bedroom around is avoided and everyone can get a good nights sleep with their new floors the next day. I'm happy with how it turned out, didn't run into any problems. Laid down the red rosin paper first, and laid the 3 1/2" birch flooring on top. Secured it with 2" staples; my mastercraft flooring stapler didn't miss a beat. Had to be sure that it was sitting correctly on the edge of the board, and give it a good whack, and it went well. Hit it a bit soft and the staple will not drive in all the way, and either nail it in the rest of the way, or pull out your cutters and trim it down to the wood.

New floor in our bedroom

The rooms look bigger, I guess that's a function of the pattern and gloss. It is nicer than the plywood that we've been walking on for the past 6 months!

I've also been doing a bit on the Minis rear subframe. Got the radius arms bolted on-that was a bit of a chore. I forgot how my negative camber brackets brought the bolt heads really close to the ends of the suspension arms, and make it really tricky to bolt them on. A few choice words were said, and then it all came together.

assembled rear subframe

I don't like the look of the old brake pipes, so I will change them. Just gotta figure out the correct flare, buy the flaring tool, source the brake lines, and make up the replacements. I will probably go with steel lines, as I don't like the possibility of work-hardening stainless or fatigue prone copper. Sure, the steel lines will corrode a bit and look dull before not too long, but they will work reliably for a long time. I'm building the Mini to drive and thrash, not to wash and bring out only for Sunday drives.