nmt_oli

It used to use the IO, maybe they downgraded to save money.

The x-rated* had the alloy frame and disk brake and better wheels than the std x rated. I presume that is what he is refering to. it has a tektro mechanical disk brake, using a 160mm rotor. Tell him a shimano deore hydro is about £60, and will be even better!

Wow, only really jus tnoticed this topic, and seen the wiki. It does look stupidly useful to be honest. After a quick explore i see my hope bleeding faq has been added with a couple of alterations, which is cool. i can see this being another way for me to waste my time when i should be revising!

I agree, and its nice to see someone giving a non positive view on the mini, and actually backig it up for once! not just slating it. I would be very interested to see crash test results. While the mini will undoubtably come off worse than a lot of modern cars, i don't think it would fair as badly as many people think. Its light, it has a lot of cmplex curves to absorb energy. The worst things are the steering column (which in standard busdriver mode would hopefully stand upright further, without causing too many problems) and the fact that the subframe pushes the floor back into the footwells.

I agree, the later minis command a higher price, and modernised minis that have been modernised by someone also. Even the 1275 units are in low insurance groups, its only when you get names like "cooper" on the end and if your young that insurance companys will shaft you. I completely disagree about the steering! Yes, with silly wheels and small steering wheel it will feel heavy, but the steering on a completely std mini (except maybe sportspacks) is exceptionally light for a non PAS car. Ok, my definition was maybe wrong, but the point still stands. Also, the drumbrakes are more than enough for a std car if maintained properly. I learned to drive in a 998 with drums, and had to do an emergency stop (because of some twat in front, not because i was practising them), and it coped very well indeed. i even had to let off the pedal as the wheels locked surprisingly easily! I will conceed they are much more prone to fade than the disks (which ALL mins after 1984 are equiped with, and some prior), but thats only an issue with spirited driving. You can't say anything about the tyres either! just because the car is old doesnt mean the tyres are. If anyone is running tyres older than 10 years they should just shoot themselves, its asking for a blowout. Its recomended to change them at 5 years, even if the treads still good as the rubber degrades. You wouldnt use a 10 year old condom would you? The current choice of tyres for 10" wheels is perfectly modern and safe. I will conceed, the mini steering column is dangerous, the most dangerous part of the whole car. I would bet that a mini would come off safer than the metro in a head on. The body shape of the mini allows it to deform a lot, and take a lot of energy from a collision lke crumple zones do. they kind of failed to do that with the metro.

Um, i bought it Brief spec in the min thread, more info will be in the mini thread when i next speek to morspeed, it should be built by the end of this week.

Steering IS NOT heavy! ok, it maybe heavier than some modern hatchbacks with silly powersteering desinged for grannies parking, but compared to "more modern" early 90s cars with no PAS, its a dream! The suspension maybe basic, but its a unique design and it works. If you upgrade to the moulton smootharide suspension, which was developed by alex moulton, the origonal designer of the rubber cone suspension, the comfort of the mini is dramatically improved. this wasnt implemented at the factory, as the car was designed to be cheap. in some minis, yes motorways are bad- the latest mins however, were modernised to quite some extent!!! The higher power from the modernised injection 1275 unit, combined with larger wheels and higher gearing, means motorway cruising is comparable to a lot of small hatchbacks. Reliabilty with minis lies only in some part with there design, the older parts mean smaller service interval and water traps for rust. Fundamentally, i still do not believe, if maintained properly, they are any less reliable than most cars on the road. Minis are thought of as unsafe cars, but there not too bad. in front impacts, they crumple a surprising amount (even if they werent designed too). This is due to the complex curves that Issigonis put into the design for looks. Ok, above 40mph frontal impacts are going to get nasty, but they will in anycar. One positive the mini has is its "passive safety". The mini gives you so much feedback, very good visibilty, and great road holding that its is an easier car to avoid awkward situations with. your more liekly to avoid an impending accident in a mini than another car. Don't get me wrong, i appreciate your post, it will help others make an informed decision, i just don't fully agree with it.

My engine alone is considerably over that figure. :$ ....Runs off and hides.

I worked out as away, but only due to bits of bike still being left in, and it just doesnt quite look right towards, although i could happily see both.

Thats nothing when compared to what ive spent over the last couple of weeks! riv run must have cost £150 alone, then theres the very expensive parts ive been buying!

Just get a new Mass air flow sensor and plug it in, the ECU needs to be told jack shit. if you want, disconnect the battery for half an hour and that should reset the ecu, erasing its "memory". Its not good to run it without the MFA, the fueling may not be right.

Looks a good buy for the money, you may need to fit that new front to pass the mot, dependant on condition of current front end.

Right. Minis are AWESOME cars, they really are. Are they reliable? that depends! if you buy a sh!tter, expect it to break down on you a lot! if you buy a good one, and do regular maintenance and servicing, you should have no problems at all. The ONLY reason why minis are seen as unreliable is because most of them are now old, parts are wearing out and people who arnt enthusiasts rarely maintain them properly. They are no more unreliable than any other car of comparable age, execpt on one point. Rust. This is a big killer, get the most solid car you can, even if it has dodgy mechanicals. The mechanicals on a mini are so simple to sort, its cheaper to put a new engine in than it is to fix rust. Are they worth the money? That depends. Recently, mini values have started increasing again. This is because they are now a classic, and becoming rarer. for £700, you will get better value for money in terms of features or condition with another car, and old golf or polo for example, however, it wouldnt be a mini. This is something you have to take into acount, that its not fair to compare them with other more mainstream cars. £700 should get you a taxed and tested std 998 with a couple of rust spots. Don't expect anything showinning. What are they like to drive? How do they handle? They are like no other car to drive. Considering they were designed as a 60s compact run around, it is very impressive. They are a true drivers car, lots of feedback, very predictable and very easy to drive, yet very fun at the same time. The rubber cone sprung suspension gives a very unique feel, bouncy, but planted. Without going for something like a kit car or caterham, they are pretty much the closest thing on the road to a go-kart in terms of driving. The handling is the minis strongpoint. even a std classic mini will surprise hot hatches around the twisties, and a properly set up one will beat most things around corners. The amount of fun i had driving a std 998 from wales to windsor earlier this year was unbelievable, i don't think any other car has the same grin factor as a mini. What kind of speeds are standard ones capable of? Well, don't expect anything earth shattering, its a 60s design, but theres a lot of room for improvement. Theres no point building a mini to go more than 100mph, one its ilegal on public roads, and two, they get very twitchy. acceleration is where its at, as there light. a std 998, depending on age and condition will top out at anywhere from 70 to 95 mph on the flat. pre 1984 minis with 10" wheels will accelerate quicker, but have a lower top speed due to the wheels and gearing. My dads 76' 998 got to 75 std, 85 with a stage one kit. the 998 i brought back from wales was a 90's model, and a very good runner at that and i got 96mph gps speed on the m4, which was off the clock down to about the 'H' of MPH. Expect slightly higher with a 1275 as it has more power, but they have similar gearing. Praticality: Yes, you can put 2 stock bikes on the rear seats in a std mini with no problems. one stock will fit with only front wheel removed. As a daily driver, there lovely, unless you need to do a lot of motorway miles, which can get tedious but isnt too bad. A lot of people have a 2nd car for motorway cruising, or if there minis turned into a project. Many people even have 2 minis! one as a project / weekend racer, one as a daily. Minis are very versatile, and can be made into really nice comfy daily drivers.

"Sshlunck"

Plenty of free parking is available in the residential areas of southsea, often people park on prawns road and ride in with him to city centre. Another parkign sugestion, although not free, would be pyramids centre as thats likely to be where the ride will end. this is down on the seafront.

It has indeed. Its like a different car it really is. Its just sooooooooooooo nice for cruising now.

here the latest progress pics, mainly dealin with audio. all is now done except new front subframe, front strut brace, new dash lights, and custom sub enclosure. All interior is back in, full leather now. im loving it! Amprack, had to modify it to fit around strutbrace. showing 4 channel amp.. 2 channel for the sub behind the board too. Installign the power cap. All wired up finished the front door pods, and got the door cards in. Interior lookign tasty!

not exactly, and i don't want too! it was meant to be a run around until the mini was finished lol.

More done! starting to look properly good now! Foam backed door cards for more sound insulation / less rattles. Hmm Strut brace Sprayed my c pillars black to match the a and b pillars. never did understand why the car came with beige ones anyway. Rear trim in place, new carpeted shelf supports. Since i cut a double din hole in my old center console, i got a new one to cut up for a single din. After liking the cubby-hole light in my mates a3, i decided to build on into my centre console. Then installed crossovers + stereo into console. Lots and lots of wires to connect! (3 sets of rcas, one iso block, wiring for the new light, arial, crossovers (3 stereo speakre wires into each)) Thats better Audi TT pedals! Eventually got my front leather set in too! Lushness! Started tidying up my front speaker pods this afternoon too, they were built in a rush for a road trip so needed smoohting badly. So close now!

im back in sals till thurs luchtim freddo!

Cars now on the road. Woop!!!!! Heres the progress pics. Will try and get a pic later of what it looks like now. Carpets are also now in, think i forgot to take a picture!

Went round to prawns last night to watch lots of top gear. He had about 8 cans of strongbow!

Is the rim clean? as contaminants can cause brakes to squeek, as does puttign tar on. You may also want to toe in the pads slightly. this means you dont set the pads up dead flat with the rim, but set them so that the front of the pad hits the rim just before the back (i use a credit card under the back of the pads to get it the same on both sides). this helps reduce vibration, and noise.

You did not tell me you had aquired a new engine! beast! If it fits in my calender, i may take the golf down. Not sure if i want to run it on the strip, small engine, clutch might be slipping again and its just got a LOAD heavier!

Good ain't it