Mini with K series engine. (Phoenix)

It also comes with a DVD of how to fit it. i would need a mechanic with the DVD lol

it sounds like its coming along at a right pace now ..... apart from the stickers ..... theres a warning for anybody out there .......

I have been and bought a steel front end off a Clubman from Classic Mini bits at Bradford.

This will need fabricating onto my Mini once the rest of the welding is finished. (ongoing)

I need a Clubman bonnet if anyone has one for sale....

Most of the welding is now done. The front is photographed butted up to the Mini and will need welding.

I have had the front subframe trial fitted onto the car. This wasn't easy as the bolts didn't seem to line up. Anyway after a few adjustments, it fits now. Plates have to be welded onto the floor as the new subframe has solid mounts here. (photo)

The rear subframe has had to be welded as it wasn't in too good shape after a grinding up to remove the paint.

its looking good ..... youve got a very sunny view from your drive way

More drama.

This time I'm not impressed with Watsons for not fully explaining what is needed to fit this kit. Basically it is suposed to fit under a Clubman front but it doesn't until you cut the front panel. This would leave a 2" steel bar from the subframe stuck out under the panel and look horrible.







So today it have sliced the ends and bent the front panel around the subframe. This looks better than I thought it might but is still not good.

Anyway Lee is coming tomorrow to weld it into place so I hope it's gonna be ok.

I have also entrusted him to fabricate some metal back into my doors. This is because they are full of filler/dodgy welding!

is it possible to put a flat sheet following the profile as an extention between the a panel and the wing to lengthen it ...

I know what you mean but the people at Watsons had told me it fit. I have used the Clubman front so that I didn't have to extend the wings.

After some modifications I have made it fit. It's not brilliant, but looks ok. I'll photograph it when it's finished and fitted.

What I had to do was slice the end of the panel up to just below the sidelights. Bend this section forward about 2" and then bend the lower part (below the square holes) back down flat. This can now be bolted to the subframe and will help to stengthen the front of the car. The issue now is trying to fabricate something to fill the gap between the front panel and wings as it's about 3" wide now!

More frustration!

Watsons told me to get engine mounts from a Metro/Rover 100. So after ringing about 8 scrapyards, I found one in Bradford. Went, took them off myself and came home only to find one fit, the other one didn't. So I rang him. He said "Oh you have got the 1.8. You'll need MG F mounts on the gearbox"! So I had to ring round again and found some at a different scrapyard, in Bradford. Came home and fit that.

The kit comes with a set of driveshafts from a Metro, but the CV joint is different. I changed the CV from my Rover's shaft to suit. Came to fit it and the driveshaft is too long. I need MG F driveshafts.

So it looks as though I'll have to go back to the scrapyard again.....

Photo's speak for themselves.

Rollin' rollin' rollin'

Looking good mate ... hang on in there ,.. lovin it...

That looks beefy ................

Slow progress I'm afraid. Too many other commitments and holidays!

The front end is on now. Various patches have had to be welded up as it turns out that it was rotten in a few places. New A panels fitted. The doors in the photo are rotten but I have obtained a pair of better ones but will need the hinges changing to fit them. The corner of the wings at the bottom will need something fabricating to fill the gaps where it has been pulled out to cover the subframe. Lee has told me not to worry about it as he'll sort this for me.



The clutch has been a nightmare to sort out. Various options have been tried. Most people opt for the hydralic clutch and fabricate a bracket to hold the slave cylinder, but A, I didn't have one, B, it takes up more room in the engine bay, C, I had the cable from the Rover. This has been a very interesting trial and error session which I do think is now sorted.

I have also adapted the steering column from the Rover, to fit into the Mini. This involved cutting down the shaft in length and removing one of the two universal joints. Many advantages of using this over the Mini one. A, I can use the nice steering wheel from the Rover, B, the switches are better, C, all the wiring connectors will fit from the Rover wiring loom.

The altenator has had to have a new bracket made as it didn't fit under the front panel and had a new shorter belt fitted.

Looking good mate. lovin it ... i envy you in one way but then when you list the issue's you come up against .. it all comes flooding back

Quite a bit done since last update.

The seats from a Honda Prelude are in after fabricating suitable brackets to the floor.

The pedal box which has been a right pain is finally finished and in.



Brakes and clutch now work as they should. All brake lines renewed. Cheers Peter for lending me the flaring tool.



The steering column has been shortened and fitted too after fabricating new mounting brackets. This is now height adjustable like the Rover was!



Rear suspension is finished with new knuckle joints and Spax adjustable shock absorbers. Rear spacers fitted along with correct wheels.





Front Gaz shock absorbers fitted.

Plenty more to do like fitting the wiring....



MPi fuel tank with pump in, and lines yet to be fitted.

Fabricating a bracket to hold the radiator and piping it up.

i dont evnvy you with the wiring ...... its coming on really well ...

Looking good

They're some serious spacers lol

Good luck with the wiring - remember... red to red, yellow to yellow, blue to bits!!!

After another month of work it's coming along slowly.

Mini radiator is fitted backwards and at an angle, as pipes won't fit near gearbox the right way round.

Brackets for ECU, engine fuse box and expansion tank have been made. Cooling system is now all finished and filled with water. No fan as yet due to lack of space! I'll have to think about this at a later date.

Fuel tank is fitted and piped up along with new fuel lines.

A plate fitted to the bulkhead where the speedo was has been made to hold the Rover wiring which has been fitted and connected in the engine bay. The passenger fuse box has lots of wires which can be fitted into the same sockets and has been a week of "fun". Anyway I do think this is now sorted, but I appear to have lost the alarm module from the original car so it still doesn't work! Need to get it reprogrammed.

All the lights etc will need to have wires changed and lots of wiring to remove as the Mini won't have half the gadgets that the Rover had.

Hopfully my next post will included a video of it running!

i hope you got a heater in that there garage ........... itsa we nipper out there

keep us posted on the developments its sounds like a reight works of engineering

Well after a lot of head scratching here we are! (Sorry about Kyle's cameraman skills!)



The wires not being used have been removed. The rest will need to be fit and tidied up.

Clutch and gears all work. Had a drive up and down my drive. (About 10m!)

Camera a bit shakey there ... one to many the night before .............

How did it feel to get moving .....

It has been a lot of work to get this far so it is good to get it running!

The altenator had siezed. This meant the engine would not turn over even though the wiring was correct but I only found this out after jump starting it and all hell being let loose under bonnet! Smoke and screaming from the burning belt (which was brand new).

It was a little scarey driving it for the first time, but it was all ok. The accelerator pedal and cable weren't fitted so could only run it on tickover. It is now moddified and fitted. Brakes also worked fine but do seem to have a lot of travel. Hope this will improve when bedded in.

The wiring nightmare continues. I have pulled it all out now to shorten every wire as it's all about 4 feet too long!

Nice one fella - looks like it wont be long now..

quote
The wiring nightmare continues. I have pulled it all out now to shorten every wire as it's all about 4 feet too long!

4ft to long that just goes to show how short a mini is .....

on the serious side it looks realy good well done for keeping at it ....

will have to sort a run out when its road legal

Won't be able to keep up -- took a ZR 180 for a test drive, and it was Quick!!!!

supercooper wrote:

Won't be able to keep up -- took a ZR 180 for a test drive, and it was Quick!!!!

eeeeerrrrrrrmmmmmm can i feel a new aquisition coming on ...or are you thinking of an engine transplant.....