South African Mk3

So, rather than be bored on a Sunday afternoon, my brother and I decided to keep ourselves entertained by fitting the grille strip to the bonnet. I'd been putting it off because of fairly poor alignment with regards to holes between bonnet and strip. Now fitted, along with the catch mechanism on the slam panel. It needs some adjustment, but that'll come later once the hinges and bits are fitted.

She finally has a completed face :

looks really good

Big_Al_Smith wrote:looks really good

Cheers Glad other people like her as well!

My above statement wasn't entirely true, this is what her completed face will look like :



I really do like this view, especially with the stickers underneath :



An almost complete exterior :



Some may not like the light covers and the tow strap, but oh well.

The next step :



I'll be doing this, while figuring out a seat mount for the Cobra.

So I went to have a go at the RHS tank install today, only for me to drop a fully assembled front brake hub onto my foot (no shoes I might add). After lots of swearing I gave up and will go back to it during this week.

I did give the car a wash today, just to get rid of dust and then also to clean out the boot area.



This face will greet me tomorrow.

Screw it, I was bored and I got over the pain of the foot, so my brother and I went out for an hour or two. Here's the results :



RHS tank test fitted. I need to put some spreader plates in then it'll be good to go. There's still some work to be done, but the platform is there.

So, not done much with all this varsity work that's been dumped on me, but I have prepped the boot board. Sanded it down and got all the edges straight and smooth. Not the best picture, but yeah :

So it looks like you're using a standard left hand tank as a second tank? Are you going to relocate the filler neck and fill the sender hole? Wondering what your plan is.

Red Riley wrote:So it looks like you're using a standard left hand tank as a second tank? Are you going to relocate the filler neck and fill the sender hole? Wondering what your plan is.  

I am yes. Trying to get a RHS tank in this country is more than a mission. I've found one, which my brother picked up. I'll be moving the filler neck to the rear of the tank, facing the bootlid. The sender hole will also be filled.

Long weekend of crappy weather hasn't helped progress much, but I did manage to complete the boot board. I sanded down, made the frame for the box to sit in, painted and carpeted. Here it is, with bungee cords :



And in the car :



Not bad I think.

Hi Jared, just read your build thread from start to finish and had to compliment you on what you've done.  Amazing paint colour and retro looks and your attention to detail shows in everything you have done.  Excellent build and a great read.  Keep it going, it'll be well worth all the effort once its "on the road" and the fun begins !  Mini's in general have always been an individual car for modifications and yours is a great example of what 'can' (not 'should') be done.

I have a 1990 Rover Cooper 1380S conversion Mini which I bought from John Coopers Garage in Ferring West Sussex back in 1991.  I fitted twin petrol tanks and found a good way to "plumb" them in was to have 2 outlet connection pipes braised onto both tanks, one at the top and a larger one at the bottom.  Connect outlets top to top and bottom to bottom with fuel grade hose then you can fill up both tanks from either side (although you may have to wait a while for the fuel level to equalise between tanks while filling).  The added advantage of this method is that the fuel always 'levels' between both tanks, the top pipe acts as a vent line for air between tanks and the bottom pipe as a supply/equalising line for the fuel.
That means that the existing fuel level float switch can still be used and is accurate for total fuel level of both tanks and the one fuel feed outlet from the existing tank needs no modification or "T" piece fitted.  Remember to blank off the fuel feed outlet from the RH Tank.

This system has proved very effective in my Cooper giving greatly increased range between fill-ups and has worked perfectly since fitting.  It also gives you the option of which side of the car to put fuel in so that when there is a queue of Mini's all waiting to fill up from their LH side tank you can pull up on the other side of the pumps and fill up from your RH side !  

Whats not to love ???

boris

boris710 wrote:Hi Jared, just read your build thread from start to finish and had to compliment you on what you've done.  Amazing paint colour and retro looks and your attention to detail shows in everything you have done.  Excellent build and a great read.  Keep it going, it'll be well worth all the effort once its "on the road" and the fun begins !  Mini's in general have always been an individual car for modifications and yours is a great example of what 'can' (not 'should') be done.

I have a 1990 Rover Cooper 1380S conversion Mini which I bought from John Coopers Garage in Ferring West Sussex back in 1991.  I fitted twin petrol tanks and found a good way to "plumb" them in was to have 2 outlet connection pipes braised onto both tanks, one at the top and a larger one at the bottom.  Connect outlets top to top and bottom to bottom with fuel grade hose then you can fill up both tanks from either side (although you may have to wait a while for the fuel level to equalise between tanks while filling).  The added advantage of this method is that the fuel always 'levels' between both tanks, the top pipe acts as a vent line for air between tanks and the bottom pipe as a supply/equalising line for the fuel.
That means that the existing fuel level float switch can still be used and is accurate for total fuel level of both tanks and the one fuel feed outlet from the existing tank needs no modification or "T" piece fitted.  Remember to blank off the fuel feed outlet from the RH Tank.

This system has proved very effective in my Cooper giving greatly increased range between fill-ups and has worked perfectly since fitting.  It also gives you the option of which side of the car to put fuel in so that when there is a queue of Mini's all waiting to fill up from their LH side tank you can pull up on the other side of the pumps and fill up from your RH side !  

Whats not to love ???

boris

Thank you, I really appreciate the kind words I realise the car is my own and how I build it is up to me, but it's nice to know that others like it and can appreciate the time invested in the car (it's not all about how much money you can put into it all the time). I've grown up around Minis, everything from a standard Clubman through to my dad's Cooper S, so I do agree with what you say about the individuality.

I like your idea with regards to the tanks. It's a logical idea and a simple solution, especially with keeping the fuel levels equal. The way I've gone about it is two filler necks, with the two outlets joined with a T-piece. Theoretically the tanks will drain equally using this method - well I'm going off how my dad's 'S' was linked up. That way the standard float can still be used as well. Maybe I'm wrong?

I really like the idea of the twin tanks, especially with some of the trips I have planned. I'd like to do quite a few cross-country trips of a good few thousand km's, so this would definitely help out!

Once again, thanks for your kind words. And get some pictures up of that 1380!

Jared

You're right on the the tank connection. The stock twin tank connector is this piece. Since the Cooper right hand tank has the fuel feed at the front, the longer bit goes to the right tank, and the fuel pump pulls off of the tee. Both tanks are vented to air, and only one fuel sender is needed. Job done.

I was thinking of using something similar to that line as well. I've sent the tank in to be modified, this includes relocating the outlet.

Tow strap now fitted for good :

Looking good!
I have to admit I don't get the tow strap. Puts me in mind of someone's tongue sticking out.
I would be worried that it would flap around in the wind and scuff up the paint. But if it works for you, good on ya!

Thank you

To be honest, on the Mini it does kind of look like that It's easily removable though and I do like the look of it without it as well.

You dont see Tow Straps like that over here but whatever floats your boat is good !

Going back to the Twin Tank 'plumbing' methods, the advantage with my method is that the fuel 'levels' quicker, so more accurate and both tanks can be filled from either filler neck, there is no need to fill both tanks. and there is no need for any extra mods or pipework underneath the car.
Cant say I've ever seen 'my method' used on any other Mini but it seems to work very well for me.

I think there's quite a bit that'll divide opinion on this car. I've already had the guys out here in SA telling me the dash needs to all line up and not stick out so much . . . Sigh

I'm intrigued by your method, especially with the fact that you can fill one up at a time, rather than both. It's definitely something I'll look into further down the line. Thanks for that! I think the only reason I'm doing it the 'simple' way is to save time at the moment. I'm planning on redoing a few things once she's up and running again and this may be one of them.

Just remember that the tanks will balance according to gravity, so fill up both tanks and then park on the side of a hill with one tank lower than the other, and watch what happens.

I remember that happening with my dad's 'S'. I think the best part of owning that car was getting to the pumps and the petrol attendant would get all confused

I started a small side project today. My brother gave me a set of weather shields for the 7.5 inch discs, which started out like this :



Very battered and bruised, but after some hammering and knocking, they look like this :



They're going to soak a bit to get rid of some of the corrosion before being refurbished and fitted up to the car. Still waiting for a caliper rebuild kit and an adjustable proportioning valve for the rear subframe to come.

Those plates were left to soak in vinegar for a day and a half and came out like this :



Not bad I think. Will leave them over night in vinegar again and then start the process of cleaning up properly ready for some paint.

I removed those plates from my Cooper S after a stone got behind one of them once which caused a loud screeeeeeeching noise as it rubbed on the disc !
No plates - nothing to rust - no trapped stones - no screeeeeching !!! and less weight !

There is an argument that they are fitted to protect the discs but I didnt notice any disadvantages in removing them

Very dry climate, so no rust for me Like you say, my only worry is something being trapped behind it and scratching the disc . . . If they cause a problem it's not too difficult to remove. I think the only I reason I'm putting them on is because I have them and need something to do