Author: chasdarwin

We got Mini on the road but found a problem with the left front brake.

Disassembly revealed two leaking wheel cylinders. I ordered replacements, and when installed we shall test again!

I organized in the garage, and created a new library of books we use there.

Hope to make progress this weekend!

We put the car away for the winter, and the on 18 Dec 2017, I had open heart surgery to replace my aortic valve and repair two others. I have been recovering an restoring since.

In late May 2018, my son Allen came over and helped me get Mini Out and ready for a rebuild of the off-side inner CV joint.

On June 18 – exactly 6 months after my surgery – Brad came over and we – mostly he – rebuilt the component and put the car on the ground – thanks.

We painted the garage floor, and will redo the shop as part of the basement upgrade.

On Oct 14 and 15, we had our annual LocoBrits Fall colors tour.

We started at Michelle’s Cafe in Grafton.

Our lunch was at the famous Malabar Farm Restaurant.

We stopped for scenic views, and ice cream.

Supper was at mark the miller in Dublin.

On Sunday, we visited and had brunch with Valerie and Bill in Dublin.

Friday the twentieth brought warm weather.  I warmed up Mini, and then Sharon, Babe, and I took a cruise to Huntingdon park: babe loves riding in Mini.

On Nov 5, Allen came over, and we put Mini in the corner for the winter.

Our decorator Patty and the picture hanger Curt came over came over on the 27th to hang pictures and rearrange plaques.

Brad and I drove Mini to LocoBrits, and she ran well!  Brakes and motor better than ever.

I too Mini out for a cruise, and it went well – brakes fine, pedal high.

On August 30, we drove to LOCOBRITS!

Today I took Mini out for the second shake-down run this season

First I changed to brand new sparking plugs, then I rolled her outside, and torqued wheels – about 1-2 flats each bolt.

On our first run, we had observed that under hard braking, the car pulled right.  I adjusted the (front) brakes, and found the left free, so I cranked down on the adjusters ( pumping the pedal after each adjuster).  On the right, the adjustment was tighter _ explains pull _ but there are two high spots.

Back on the ground, I added oil (SU oil) to the SU dashpots (when all else fails!) and started up – right off.

Since this car does not enjoy cold running, I warmed her up at 2000-3000 RPM, until I had 140 H2O temp, and then went for a little cruise.

o Brakes much better, pedal better, less pull.

o car ran well

o new turn signal works well

Back in the garage, I measured the ride height (wheel to fender arch), put everything away, and declared it a good day!

As for any leaks, I am going to wait for all the old stuff to leave…

 

Thanks to all who have helped, esp. Brad, Don, and Chuck

Sunday 13 August, I got some bits at Ace Hardware to help with painting and mounting my new nostalgia.

On Monday 14 August, I repainted the front floorboards, prepared for the clutch completion, and added a few looks to the garage:

(Allen and I got the BMC sign 25-30 years ago…)

On Tuesday, my son Allen arrived around 5pm, and we

We did a coast down, so I will tighten up the fronts and continue putting on miles…

The car and the garage were in need of a clean up, so I cleaned both!

I tried to adjust the clutch, and found I had to bleed it.  I tried to bleed it – using the pressure bleeder – and ran into difficulty.  Chuck Linick came over, and we discovered the source of this problem: a small hole in the bottom of the master cylinder.

New part on order.

Chuck also looked at the leak from the rocker cover cap, and we decided to order a new one – see picture.

New part also on order.

We removed the holy CMS – see picture.

MUCH thanks to Chuck!

On this saturday, I did some organization and cleanup in the garage, charged the batteryand then I removed the plugs,added oil to the cylinders, and brought up oil pressure (to 60 lbs.in**2) on the starter.

Brakes feeling good!