Hey everyone
My name is Glenn. Am almost finished a vtec conversion into a clubman...well, the body is almost at the painters.......has taken approx four odd years, and am looking forward to getting in behind the wheel........
Have been blessed with a good mechanical mind as well as a great problem solving ability and have used these two factors to build my min.
Am a Toolmaker by trade, Engineer by qualification and am the workshop supervisor of a small engineering machine shop in the lower South Island.....we have several CNC mills and lathes and needless to say have all the toys to do the job
take pride in being able to do or make everything.....and have done so with this project......subframe, neg camber bottom arms, drive shafts, engine steadies......only two things I tend to let the profeesionals do and that is exterior paint and alittle upholstery.....
I am a memeber of the UK based club 16vminiclub, they are a great bunch of guys and have helped me out with a few problems that required a fresh input.........
Anyway, thats me in brief, look forward to chatting with you......and I'll try get some pics up.......

Glenno

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If you idiot proof the world, only idiots there shall be!!!!!

Hey Glenno!
Can't wait to see the pics.

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Too many cars, and too little time.

So as a tooly ,like myself, tell us what was the hardest task in doing your conversion was ........?????

Hey guys
Dont think there is any one thing that sticks out..........just the project generally has been a challenge....funny things have been testing.......trying to get the local foundries to cast bottom arms to my pattern that would pass crack testing (inclusions)...gave in and had some profiled outta tensile steel plate.................sourcing spherical ball joints that would pass certification............pric that sand blasted the shell-stretched the front wings after he left the gun in one area too long.............Most things seem to be people I've contracted to do stuff.......the mini itself is a heap of little challenges that require some lateral thinking some trial and error, a touch of paitence and access to some nice CNC toys.......

Think the most rewarding thing to date, was wiring the car myself.......stuck with the Factory ECU and when i bought the engine, was given the complete car loom, i downloaded some schematics from UK and set to and wired the engine completely.......took me a careful 3 odd weeks.....but when the day came, the engine was oiled up and petrol was pumped up, I flicked the key and it started first pop...no fault light or any greif.....think this was the biggest buzz to date.......only to be topped by that first drive when shes all done...........

Anyway, I'll get some pics up soon as I can figure all this comp-posting stuff out....

Glenno

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If you idiot proof the world, only idiots there shall be!!!!!

I can relate to that...although not with car stuff...the joy of something JUST WORKING first time...its orgasmic

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Bling me up Scotty!
"wait till it grows into a plant...then bunny rabbit THE PLANT!"

1966 Morris Mini DeLuxe FOR SALE

ha ha well done glenno. you certainly did get blessed with ability. i bet alot of other guys on this forum would be happy to have your sorta skills.

I get my motor back from engineer soon, all being plugged in and sorted, fingers crossed that it starts first time. can't wait. feels like the buzz you get from first day of school.

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Torque Steer is a very evil thing. Fun..... but evil.

West Aussie Mini Boys Represent...!!!

Sounds great, can't wait to see the pics.

Dan

Glenn, would you say that just about everything is trial and error when you take an engine from a car made in the 90 and put it in a car made in the 60's or 70's especially given the issue of room. I found that while alot of things worked out first go because of good planning, in some instances no amount of planning seemed to avert some disasters?

Still given the access to and knowledge of some of the tools you have access to must have made things easier to overcome.

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225hp atw on 14psi. 1/4 Mile no idea. Take one 1971 Mini Clubman, one Starlet GT Halfcut, Simmer over a warm MIG Welder, and Voila Minstar! www.mpdesign.id.au

I'll second that.

Dan

Hey Guys
Happy New Year!!!!!!........

Yep, there has been an aweful lot of trial and error.......lost count of the amount of times I cut and welded about 5 mini clutch pedals to get the right one for the cable conversion...and then this was only the pattern for the actual one as cert requires pedals to be one-piece and no welding allowed.........
The clubby I started with was no more than a front cut....floor pan forwards...including bulkhead....used this as a placement trial and was cut to pieces in fitment attempts.....when I was happy it was almost there I sourced a doner car...the front panel needed to be replaced along with the wings (rust)..practically another front cut was required to replace these (which has now been fitted)...but all the old panels were left in place for final fitment of frame and engine.....when it all looked sweet, I cut the front off, from the front seems and begun to assemble the car......after the "test flight" the car was stripped back to bare shell (no running gear) and the new front panels fitted.........still alot of trial and error with the likes of rad brackets and the like.......
Before final weldeing a dry assembly was done and all movements were checked for clearance ie lock to lock and travel under full lock.....
I think it comes down to a certain way of thinking to avoid disasters......paitence...not rushing thru an operation just to get it finished, but making something and thinking "ok, it works and looks sourt of ok, but how can i make it look sweet and work that much better...." and never loosing sight that one part has several relationships with a host of other parts, of which, you plonk your bum in it and plant boot!!!!!
At present it sits in my shed as a bare shell awaitng some paint in late Jan............
The CNC "toys" I have access to are very clever in what they can do, but are only tools that do not know what they are machining...YOU have to tell them where to cut and how deep to drill.....they are a tool such as a pen to write on paper or a chisel to carv wood........they do cut down time and effort but are only tools.....it comes down to operator skill and experience......I am lucky enough to have alittle of both, but theres nothing I have made sofar, that i could not use a hacksaw, file drill or the like to fabricate....
To everyone that reads these posts and is feeling alittle unmotivated, just hang in there and wait til the first wee spin down the road........the light at the end of the tunnel is the numberplate light of all those rice-racing, mass produced, common crap heaps that you are about to pull out and overtake in your 16v mini!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glenno

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If you idiot proof the world, only idiots there shall be!!!!!

Nice words at the end there You definatly need patience most fabricated parts i make are at work so you wait all day till you get home and fit it up ,only to find it needs more fine tunning back at work. so another day goes, then you build your daughter a cubby house mow the lawns, work on the house and forget what you were trying to do on your mini

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with the fury of a Monkey Dishwasher aimed at your Purple

57 Morris minor
88 Rover Mini