Mk 1 Project Zippy. Looking Like a Car.

If you're taking on the task of rebuilding the whole Midas, please put the project in here.

Moderator: The Midas Forum Staff

Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy - Engine is In! 01/04/17

Postby fozzza » Tue Apr 11, 2017 12:48 pm

Geoff Butcher wrote:That Gaz damper will want a good slather of Supertrol or Waxoyl to stop it going rusty


Yes, zinc plating isn't the best coating for protection against the elements.
Roy
User avatar
fozzza
 
Posts: 229
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:25 pm
Location: Wolverhampton, West Midlands

Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy - Engine is In! 01/04/17

Postby MrBounce » Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:07 pm

Time for another quick update. I started to clear the main workbench as it had got a bit messy. Pulled out the heater as I had managed to get some overspray on it. Stripped it down and gave the outer panels a fresh coat of satin black. Then, as I was sorting other stuff out, I found a piece of scrap metal I thought that I had lost or thrown away. "That'll do for a bracket for the solenoid" I thought. So I dug out the solenoid, took it out of its box and started mocking up with good old CAD (This time it was the cardboard packaging for a new pack of socks!). If your starter is the older type with no piggy-back solenoid, you need to find somewhere other than the inner wing for the solenoid to sit as of course there's precious little in the way of inner wings on a Midas...

Once happy with the mock-up, out came the angry grinder and I used a 1mm cutting disc to make mincemeat of the now marked piece of 3mm steel. I cleaned the edges up with a file, then set about measuring then drilling a few holes for mountings. It's going to live on the front of the clutch cover above the starter, so all I needed were 4 simple holes and judicious use of a blowtorch and hammer. Over to the pillar drill, then I marked it, heated it with the blowtorch for a good few minutes then clouted it hard with a hammer until it was the right shape. In went a couple of 5mm rivnuts and I tested out where it's going to sit. It'll still need a little bit of trimming but overall I am happy with it.

CAD Template

Image

After bending and rivnutting

Image

Fitted. Still needs a bit of trimming but fits pretty nicely.

Image
MrBounce
 
Posts: 642
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 9:16 pm
Location: Suffolk

Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy - Engine is In! 01/04/17

Postby Geoff Butcher » Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:02 pm

Should be strong enough 8-)
Geoff
User avatar
Geoff Butcher
 
Posts: 751
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2008 9:10 pm
Location: Braintree

Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy - Engine is In! 01/04/17

Postby DavidL » Wed Apr 12, 2017 9:24 pm

Considering how little spare room there is under the bonnet of a Midas, I'd have rounded off the corners on that bracket to make it less of an injury risk...
User avatar
DavidL
 
Posts: 858
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2011 10:15 pm
Location: Tayport, Fife

Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy - Engine is In! 01/04/17

Postby MrBounce » Fri Apr 14, 2017 11:37 pm

DavidL wrote:Considering how little spare room there is under the bonnet of a Midas, I'd have rounded off the corners on that bracket to make it less of an injury risk...


It's wasn't finished in that photo David - will show it in the next update :)
MrBounce
 
Posts: 642
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 9:16 pm
Location: Suffolk

Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy - Engine is In! 01/04/17

Postby MrBounce » Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:53 pm

Back on it tonight after a hectic long weekend, I sneaked into the Manroom this evening to get an hour or so's worth of tinkering. I'd chopped a a couple of bits off the solenoid bracket to avoid losing a hand whenever I went under the bonnet and had also painted it, so I then chucked it on the engine to get it out of the way. When i was looking at the engine I thought I'd try the steady bar. Of course, this was a stupid idea as a) you need a shorter one in a Midas and b) there was a clunk and the metallic "clink" of something hitting the floor as I pushed the bolt through the bracket. Yup, the washer that had been welded or brazed on had gone walkabout, leaving a larger hole. How helpful.

I remember when I first added this bracket thinking that I was glad I would never have to fit it again. That of course was without the pedals and clutch lines added. Now of course, it was the most difficult thing in the world to remove. As the pedals are in the way you cannot get a socket on the bolts. The only option is to jam a spanner in there and hope for the best. After 20 minutes of adding to the swear box, off it came. Then off to the bench to give it a quick strip with the angry grinder and wire wheel and then find suitable washers to weld on properly. I will be taking it to Tink's tomorrow to use his ridiculously good MIG then will give it a fresh coat of satin black. It's likely I will then spend 3 days trying to put it back on...

To stop myself getting too annoyed I chucked in the heater brackets under the dash shelf so when I get some more time I will be able to add said heater to the car and get it out of the way. And finally I started making a CAD template for the expansion tank, which will hopefully sit on the crossmember just in front of the washer bottle.

Solenoid bracket amended to make it less lethal to hands...

Image

The most awkward thing to remove in my car. This includes the M/C split pins. Viewed from above to amuse you.

Image

This is the reason why - there used to be a washer here, making a smaller hole for the bolt.

Image
MrBounce
 
Posts: 642
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 9:16 pm
Location: Suffolk

Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy - Engine is In! 01/04/17

Postby MrBounce » Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:53 pm

Bracket stripped of paint and washers ready to be welded.

Image

CAD Template started for expansion tank. I need to find something appropriate to cut up for the bracket now...

Image
MrBounce
 
Posts: 642
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 9:16 pm
Location: Suffolk

Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy - Engine is In! 01/04/17

Postby MrBounce » Sat Apr 22, 2017 4:02 pm

You know those days where everything goes a bit wrong? I appear to have been having one for the last 3 days it would seem. Firstly my welded washer came off my steady bar mount so I took it to Tink's to use his welder. He discovered that he was out of gas. So he kindly took it to work and got it sorted there and I picked it up this morning. I then primed and painted it, running out of primer at just the wrong moment... Once the paint was dry I set about putting the mounting back on the car with a view to nipping up the new adjustable steady bar (also painted).

Amazingly, given my recent luck, the mount went back on the car really easily although of course I scratched the newly painted steady bar. I made up a spacer for the mount and bolted it all together. I then went to line it up with the engine and found that the steady bar was almost an inch too high. I suppose that nothing should surprise me on this car given the number of bodges I've encountered, but the steady mount is THAT far out?? Of course it may never have been used as there was a "Heath-Robinson" effort on the thermostat side of the engine (which looked about as effective as using Play-Doh...), but surely it doesn't take much to measure something properly?? Maybe I should have checked it first, but you wouldn't expect a mounting point to be that far out.

I shall use my CAD template skills (still in their infancy) and will make a new bracket up that utilises the original mounting points so I don't have to "drill and fill". That is, once I have stopped wanting to find the man who put it there in the first place and subject him to something severe. And possible painful...

Repaired bracket and new steady bar, both wearing new paint.

Image

It should be about an inch lower. Must resist the temptation to grab hammers and get ugly...

Image
MrBounce
 
Posts: 642
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 9:16 pm
Location: Suffolk

Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy - Engine is In! 01/04/17

Postby MrBounce » Tue May 02, 2017 2:15 pm

Having not gone into the Manroom for a week, I returned the other day realising that, in no uncertain terms, I have been an idiot. My apologies to the man who made the steady bar bracket. If I hadn't been so grumpy and tired I probably would have tried a different way of attaching the steady bar - this was, quite simply, to attach it to the engine first (loosely) and simply raise it up to fit the bracket correctly. All is now attached at the top, so I moved on to the other steadies.

I don't like the "Ultimate Engine Steady" bars that are offered on the Mini market having had a bad experience myself, so I looked into other ways to keep the engine in place. The older Minis of course never had a problem with the enormous aluminum gearbox extension on the remote boxes, but having a newer rod change box meant this wasn't an option. The standard set-up is of course the top steady bar from the bulkhead to the engine, and the one from the front of the gearbox to the subframe. Then there's the option of the "Ultimates" which I didn't want, but there are also the bottom rear steady bars available from Mini Spares. I had bought these ages ago so got them out of the cupboard and set about fitting them. The front one was a piece of cake, as was the left hand rear one - simply bolt up and forget. The right hand rear one just required one extra hole drilling in the subframe - not the easiest angle to get to. However, once the hole was there it was nice and simple. The engine doesn't move at all now - job done.

Continuing the theme under the car, I figured I may as well attach the gear selector too. Now bear in mind that when I got the car, it had no engine and gearbox in it, and the previous engine had been a Cooper S engine complete with remote box. As a result the gear selector hole was in the wrong place. I had filled in the hole with fresh fibreglass a couple of years ago, and now it was time to a) drill the holes for the bobbins and b) cut a big hole in the floor.

I don't know it different Midas models came with different transmission tunnels (or whether they could be ordered with different ones according to gearbox type, but it's clear that mine was designed for a remote box as it's far more curved. However, I drilled the holes (twice it turned out due to the curve - the unused ones are now grommeted up) and managed to get it all mounted. Amazingly I got the roll-pin in first time (yes, I did make a smug face underneath the car) - now all I needed to do was to cut a hole. So, using the mounting plate for the gaiter as a template, I marked out roughly where to cut, and attacked it with the angry grinder and the Dremel. It still needs a bit of tidying up, but I am happy that it's now done.

Finally I turned my attention to the engine and popped the oil pressure light switch in as well as the sender unit for the electric gauge I have. There's not a lot of clearance in there at all, so I may change my plans to just use the gauge. I shall consult various experts and see what they suggest.

Top steady bar now fitted after previous idiocy.

Image

Bottom front bar fitted as well

Image

Left rear...

Image
MrBounce
 
Posts: 642
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 9:16 pm
Location: Suffolk

Re: Mk 1 Project Zippy - Engine is In! 01/04/17

Postby MrBounce » Tue May 02, 2017 2:15 pm

...and right rear all bolted up.

Image

Extended gear selector also fitted and bolted up.

Image

Template marked out for making a hole...

Image
MrBounce
 
Posts: 642
Joined: Mon May 16, 2011 9:16 pm
Location: Suffolk

PreviousNext

Return to Complete Midas rebuild

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests

cron