Working on 2 Minis is definitely more expensive than one...

Yesterday to Victoria on Vancouver Island for a set of A008s for LUCKY the Woody build.  They will go on 4.5"x10" Special tuning wheels with S offset.  2 A539s for spares on the ALCAN 5000 in August.  Lightweight flywheel & backing plate for the 1185 build for ROO the ALCAN Mini, various other bits for the ALCAN Mini & a few more for the Woody.

Today, time on the A+ gearbox to go under the 1293 for LUCKY - diff assembled & installed, speedo housing installed with drive etc.  Halted on judging that the side covers ought to have new out put shaft bushes.  So installed new bushes in several diff covers and will get them & new pot joint to the machine shop for reaming & honing to size.

Almost done...new flywheel housing to mod for breather....

Mr. Bean watches over all until we return!

This project has gone on far longer than I imagined.  It has been 18 months since the shell was delivered for final body & paint.  My first error was saying "no rush".

Then, sadly, my daughter-in-law lost her 3rd battle with cancer last September and we have all been pulling together to support my son & 9 year old grandson.

Woody should be in paint quickly now, engine is built, transmission is almost complete, subframes are prepped, painted & suspension bits assembled.  Seat mounts for TR7/8 seats are almost ready for primer/paint.  Last big acquisitions foams for TR seat rebuilds, standard post 1973 carpet and raised vinyl for upholstery.

Will be a busy spring getting it all together...while preparing the Aussie Window Van for the ALCAN 5000 Summer Rally.

Yes Ian....in 2014 we started out badly - carrying spares, tools, gear & 2 heavy cartons of Tourist Books for the Fraser Valley to be part of our presentation at MMEMW in Milwaukee re hosting MMW 2015.

But we had only gone 30 miles or so to Lordco in Abbotsford to pickup 2 fan belts for spares (didn't need) and on leaving the store I thought, that Mini is really low at the back.  Stopped at the Hunter Creek Truck Scales and we drove over the scales...overweight by a tad overall and that was at the back.  Got rid of 1 carton at the Hope Tourist office...they were thrilled to get them.

We were OK most of the way east on Hwy. 3 until a couple of good bumps got into the rear flairs again.  So, we lengthened the rear trumpets.  Finding that we needed to do that again & add washers in Ontario.  After MMEMW we gave all our extra stuff to a fellow VMC member driving a Subaru and when he left us after a night in Sioux City, Iowa (he had to get home family medical emerg) we threw in everything we did not need for our touring in South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho to home.

The new 4 Red Dot cones up front did not collapse, but the new 3 Green Dot cones at the rear were not up to the task.

Moulton Smootha-ride cones all round & adj. GAZ dampers (at the rear) seem to have the issues solved.  GAZ set at 10 (of 40) with load on the hwy., at 5 (of 40) light load/empty in town...all good.

Rick

I think this would have been to accommodate the expected extra loads in the back.  I've find the standard length arms quite adequate even with a bale of hay and a couple of bags of chook food.

Of course, Rick's requirements do seem to stitch the limits 

Cheers, Ian

Can't recall Ron...our host should have them.  I see them listed @ $16.95. 

Rick, Where'd you get your rear door hinge repair kits???

Yes Spitz,

The original welded steel trumpets on the LWB were longer.

On the 2014 trip across Canada & on to Mid-Ohio, Milwaukee for MMEMW, the NEW 3 Green Dot rubber cones in the rear collapsed.  We both extended the hi-los (on Kootenay Lake in B.C.) & added washers purchased at a bldg. supply store in Hornepayne, Ontario (north of White River on #631) when we got to White River.

1st photo - extending the rear hi-los on Day 2 (Kootenay Lake)

2nd photo - adding washers on Day 6 (White River)

Rick

The original trumpets for the Estates, vans and PUPS were a little longer than saloon ones.
I think the "hi lo" tubes would easily be as long when extended

Ummm For why????
 As far as I can tell the rear subframes are the same as the sedans.. 

I’ve used a standard set of later model (externally adjusted) Ripspeed HiLos for years in my Traveller...

Cheers, Ian

Rick, We are Very close to working on the wood kit. The rough bodywork is done, just would be blocking etc. to smooth it all out. Pop's worked on the top yesterday, and has it in very nice shape now. We noticed that some of the wood pieces were longer than needed, and figured that this was " built In " to allow for differences in the cars. I have enjoyed this topic and follow it closely. Thanks for all the tips and info you have provided along with the others' who have chimed in. I would've never thought about checking those rear bumpers till I saw it on this post. Thanks!!

Don/blue box

Right you are, Bare Naked Ladies, just another Brain Fart to close out January

My excuse is that there are just so many great Canadian bands out there,Blue Rodeo, Tragically Hip, Bare Naked Ladies,Great Big Sea and can l add Justin Bieber who l see is trying to make a career in the NHL LOL

Big AL

That would be the Bare Naked Ladies , AL

Rick, thanks for the pics

Spitz,

Your Birthday?????,

How can l ask a long time mini friend and past customer $16k US Dollars for the red woody

And especially after it went from Regina SK to Calgary AB And then by train to me in Ontario

It's like the song from Blue Rodeo, " If l had a million dollars", l would buy you a K car" except in this case a mini woody wagon LOL

Big AL

Big Al,

My Woody has the rear floor/tunnel extension & external tank.  The nose with flat windscreen surround is dated pre November 1960 (change to recessed), and the nose was spliced to the later rear through the A pillars, door steps/sills and across the floor from side to side.

The only remaining part of the original floor pan is the rear section of the tunnel (including extension) as we put a rod change forward section in together with a modified round tunnel crossmember.

Build date for the original Woody is July 19, 1961.  It would make sense that external tank Woodies were being built to provide stocks for the release in the fall...as happened from April 1959 on until the Seven was introduced in late August.

Rick

PHOTOS - showing evidence of the splicing up front, the rear of the floor & tunnel and one of the A pillars where the welds had been leaded

That estate was born on my birthday Al !
How much?….lol

And further to my post above, l just had it explained to me from a good mini friend that the only reason the Estate wagon had the battery box moved to under the rear seat was to allow the hanging of the tank under the rear of the car, so the battery box had to go so that the external tank would fit-

Brain fart , # 7 for the day, now why didn't l realize that? Big AL

Rick;

Just spent a couple of hours re-reading your very interesting and most informative thread-

Quite frankly it gave me a headache (and no l was not looking for sex)

In the going you discussed, build dates etc and then JimF jumped in with his woody built just days away from yours

You have an external tank, his an internal tank although the external tank appeared in Oct 1961' so confusing especially when you think. Your estate was made up of two different cars or used as a test car "dummy" at the factory ??? This now brings me around to my Austin Seven estate, internal tank , recessed glass windscreen,smooth roof LHD correct mini, Heritage confirmed build date of Nov 07 1960

AS you know early estates used a rear saloon floor, patched up to cover the extra length of the LWB model, sunken battery box and of course internal petrol tank Well my original battery box had some rot in the bottom (not surprisingly considering it is 57 years old) sol purchased a new box from our host-guess what, ? the new battery box is too small for the hole (front back), so will have to either fabricate a correct sized one or patch the hole to fill in the open area- Bummer I appreciate these factums apply to very few people here,(spitz, Jim F, Spank,Tagus yourself and a few others) but all part of the early mini experience

Thanks for the thread Big AL

Hi Tim,

We are going to build the transmission to complete the power unit in mid-February.  1293cc with new Hastings rings on 20 over Cooper S pistons, on new A+ rods, on new A+ crank, new SW5 cam/lifters, new IWIS duplex chains & new gears, new oil pump, new water pump, new distributor, rebuilt head with new valves, guides, springs, 1.3:1 roller tip rockers...new lightened flywheel, rally clutch all to be attached to a new/never built A+ transmission housing with new shifter forks.

This Mini will be a keeper so working to get it all right.  Have new steering rack, new upper arms, new HD adj. lower arms, new HD adj. tie-rods, subframe has extra stitch welds, gussets on tie-rod ears, welded in wheel nuts for bolting apron to sub frame, new hi-los, new doughnuts, new rear adj. brackets, new rubber & synthetic bushings as appropriate.

Not sure about the interior...all the FORD Fiestas in Lime Squeeze have Grey & Black interiors some black seats with white piping...not my cuppa.

Final body, paint & wood finishing still hanging out there...(not my fault).

Have natural gas furnace in the garage for climate control  Just need to get the build back under control!

QUESTIONs - Has anyone had steel rods made for LWB hi-los??  How do users like rear sway bars on LWB Minis?

Tim:

See you in 3 months @ Ancaster Auto Jumble

Big AL

Hunter - how's the progress?  Anything to update?

Tim.