Project Zippy (Midas Mk1 Coupe) Engine In!

[Bandit127]

This thread is awesome. The amount of detail that goes in to a proper restoration is an eye opener for me. I know I would never have the patience to overcome the setbacks and spend the time on all the little bits and pieces that need doing to make it all work properly.

What you will end up with though is something better than the original would have been and probably one of the most satisfying drives you have had.

Keep up the good work.  .

[MrBounce]

This thread is awesome. The amount of detail that goes in to a proper restoration is an eye opener for me. I know I would never have the patience to overcome the setbacks and spend the time on all the little bits and pieces that need doing to make it all work properly.

What you will end up with though is something better than the original would have been and probably one of the most satisfying drives you have had.

Keep up the good work.  .

Thanks Bandit! I have never set myself a time limit so have no pressure to finish in for a certain event. There have been a number of times where I have come close to setting the garage on fire as I've been so annoyed, but it is starting to come together a bit easier now, and comments such as yours make it all worthwhile. I hope I can continue to amuse, inform and entertain with future updates 

[MrBounce]

The Midas now has something bolted back on to it!! However, it has not been without its complications and there's not an awful lot to show for it. Let me explain.

On a Mini, bolting on the front dampers is nice and easy because all you need to do is to pop 4 bolts into the captive nuts on the inner wings. The Midas has 4 bolts to attach nuts to, 2 of which are captive and INSIDE the front crossmember. The top 2 are just chucking a couple of bolts through the bodywork; however the bottom 2 are somewhat different. I have made 2 plates with 2 bolts in (one for each side) as an improvement to Midas' original design which was simply a "D" shapped washer welded onto a bolt to stop it turning. Getting them in is - how's the most polite way of saying this? - a ******* challenge. The only way is to insert it through the hole for the big tower bolt for the front subframe, and it takes a lot of patience and contortion. Forget about putting in/removing split pins from the master cylinders - THIS is the most difficult job on a Midas. I have only managed to get one in so far as it took me close to 2 hours to get it in. I'd love to know how they did it in the factory if they'd already built the body...

Anyway, the passenger side shock mount is on. I am expecting the driver's side to be equally troublesome. Watch this space.

Well - it's done. And I still have one more to do. Whoop-di-doo.

[MrBounce]

Although I have not spent much time in the garage recently for a myriad of reasons, I have struggled for a good 3 hours to get the second captive bolts into the driver's side crossmember without success. I think it's because the plate is just that little bit too wide that's causing the problem, so I am going to trim it down on my friend's grinding wheel and then have a another go. If that doesn't work I may have to resort to more brutal measures i.e. cutting the crossmember open under the dashboard, popping the captive plate in and than glassing it up again.

In the meantime, what else to do? I really didn't fancy spending much time in the garage, so I decided to clean up the expansion tank. This was filthy dirty and had obviously come from a car which had little or no care taken of its cooling system. The inside was covered in a nasty rusty residue and it really needed a clean up. The question was - how? It wasn't exactly an easy thing to get a brush into as it's a weird shape. Once I'd bunged up the pipes, I made a solution of hot water and caustic soda, and left it bubbling away for half an hour, giving it regular agitation. This had no effect whatsoever. So I had a chat to the knowledgeable chaps on the Mini Forum and the best solution was bleach, rice and agitation (I could also have used water & coarse sand, but as I had none to hand, the rice/bleach seemed the easiest option). The rice acts as a a mild abrasive and the bleach does the rest. Many thanks Nick, Kev & Ian for your advice.

Much pouring, shaking, tutting and tired arms later, there was a significant improvement. I then rinsed everything carefully then gave the tank a good clean on the outside using hot soapy water. It's not perfect as there's still a few really stubborn dirty bits inside the tank, but if half an hour with various chemicals won't shift them then not much else will! As I don't have a dishwasher, I might casually pop it into one of my friends' next time they're filling it...

Before, with ugly rusty residue and dirty exterior.



After, looking much more serviceable.

[MrBounce]

Well it's been a while... I have had no motivation to get into the Manroom so I just haven't been in there - for about 5 weeks! So, having had a clean up, I looked at a few of the little jobs that I can be getting on with whilst waiting for the weather to warm up enough for me to spray the car again.

I had a look at a couple of interior bits that will need work, primarily the rear-view mirror & sun visors. The mirror itself is ok, but the light's internals are rusted and useless and the lens has had its retaining clips damaged. My first thought was to build something up where the original light was, but I thought that I would also look at replacing the whole unit. I discovered that these came from a Fiat 126. As there's not too many of these left around today (the engines are popular with the Classic Fiat 500 brigade), I thought it'd be unlikely that I would find anything. Yet good ol' eBay came up trumps. It was slightly more than I wanted to pay, but hey, the chances of me finding another cheaper would be nigh on impossible. Just waiting on delivery now.

The sun visors were also in a sorry state, having been damp in the past, as well as being subjected to some orange overspray (Oops, my bad). My first thought was to replace using some from the same seller I got the mirror from, but his ones looked much the same condition as mine. As I like a challenge, I think I'll have a go at remaking/rebuilding them. At least I know they should be relatively simple...

I had a stroke of luck when helping my friend Tink clear out his garage. He'd been storing a few Mini bits for a friend and there was a sump guard there. My driveway has a few bumps on it, so I asked how much he wanted for it. The text reply was that he couldn't sell it too me - he could give it to me instead, on the condition that I bought cakes in for Tink's garage nights. Guess I'm going to be getting fatter.

Finally, I have pulled out the gear selector as it will need to be extended. Originally my Midas had a remote gearbox and a Cooper S engine, and thus did not have the original extended factory rod change unit. My plan is to cut the steady rod at the lever end and the selector rod nearer the gearbox end so once extended they do not clash. I have cut some 1/2" ID steel tube to a 4 3/4" length, allowing me to sleeve the rods at 1/2" each end of the tube, giving me the 3 3/4" required. The rods have been marked out - I just need to cut and weld them now.

Rear-view mirror ok, but light and switch is knackered. Replacement unit ordered.



Sunvisors showing the after effects of overspray and damp...



... on both sides. Time to get creative!!



Nice sump guard for the price of some cakes. Needs a clean but I love it!



Steel tube cut to size before tidying it up (you can still see the blue paint from the hacksaw!)



Rods marked ready for cutting, sleeving and welding.

[lemski]

Coming along nice. Fair play to keeping at it all this time bud

[MrBounce]

Thanks Lemski! 

I have received a few items from my eBay splurge, and among them was a can of chrome spray paint. I have struggled to get a decent shine on the tarnished rear light units, so to aid shine I thought I would use some of this stuff. I spent ages with some sandpaper making sure that all surfaces were suitably keyed on both the rear lights and also the front indicator/sidelight units, then gave them a good coat of the stuff in the garage. Have to say I am quite pleased how well it's turned out. There should be a suitable amount of reflection now.

I have also received a full set of manifold studs, brass nuts and appropriate washers, a pair of half-decent windscreen washers and a pair of gear selector mounting bobbins. The mirror and interior light combo also turned up, but the light lens was broken. To their credit the seller has immediately offered to send a replacement lens free of charge. Top bloke!

Newly "chromed" rear light units. They'll do. 



Some of the eBay haul. Replacement mirror/light combo to follow.

[MrBounce]

During my recent garage clear-up (it still looks like a tip) I noticed something about the subframe which I wasn't happy with. The rubber boots on the knuckle joints were starting to perish. I can't remember where they came from, but they should last longer than a couple of years - and that's being kept inside. As a plus point whilst helping Tink with his clearout, we found Matt's pair of Adjusta-Rides, brand new and still boxed. A (very reasonable) price was arranged and they returned home with me. The adjustable cones on my subframe were generic no-name types and although there's no reason why they won't work just fine, I would be happier with a more well-known brand. I also plan to paint the metal part of the cones, as they are looking tarnished.

So after borrowing Tink's cone compressor, I whipped out the old cones and knuckle joints. Whilst they're off I can also fit the top arm rebound buffers - for some reason I had 3 new ones, but when I fitted the cones, I could only find one of them. So that's been put on the list of "must-dos".

Old cones out...



...because of this...



...and these...



...and the need to fit these.

[lemski]

That boots bad considering its done no miles and just sat there.

[MrBounce]

Not much more to report other than I have taken out the bottom arms, end plates and doughnuts and have given them a coat of the same paint as the engine, radius arms and hubs. The top arms were bought painted in a slightly different shade of blue - although I thought it wouldn't bother me, it did start to niggle so as I had everything apart, I may as well give them a fresh coat. I have also fitted the 2 new top arm rebound buffers, but I think they're so boring I didn't bother taking a picture...

Freshly painted doughnuts, top arms and...



...end plates. Those aren't chips by the way - it's light reflecting!