My Mini is finally at home. Now all I have to do is fit the flip front, mount the arches, hook the brakes back up and bleed them. Re- install all of the wiring throughout the car, mount the top section of dash, mount the actual dash, re-locate the hand brake about 12 inches, install the front seats, install the back seats,...who am I kidding? I need to install the entire friggin inside of the car. Where was I??? Oh yea! Mount both doors, put all of the door handle hardware on, install the boot cover, and the latch, put the battery in, wire the basterd, install the gutter trim, install the lower seam trim, install the steering rack, install the steering column, bolt up the steering wheel, mount the willwood pedal kit, plumb all of the lines associated with it, install the head lights, tail lights, turn signals, blow my brains out.....oops. Install the front glass, the rear glass and the side glass.

AND the good news is that I get to do all of this at home in the comfort of my own garrage. And I am only about 5 months behind. How was I supposed to know how long it would take. So what if Lance's has taken over a year. I was gonna set a friggin record!

Some morrons go out and find pro mechanic types to install their high dollar toys. Not me. I am a completly different kind of morron.

Anyone have an asprin........

 

Oh, my T...well said...a Mini lament which is a whole new blog genre.

Misery loves company and it's not like I love to see you wallow in your demise, I merely love to relish the notion that someone else is as miserable as me.

Keep in mind most DIYer's budget one month for the flip front. Ask Big Norm (the one in Florida, not the guy in Georgia) what he thinks about the process. (insert evil laugh here)

Do you remember Jim from Taxi? I think he built one of these kits just after he finished at Yale and look what happened to him.

Lastly, keep in mind that your wife is already tired of the project and she has yet to hear your fits when you try to install the flip front.

I'll make a reservation for you...me...Irtenkauf...and Dmini at Betty Ford. Group rates coupled with fraternity is a great way to enjoy the meds.

 

No kidding.
As much as I enjoy the process,,,, I hate the process.

Let me clarify. I need to re-fit the flip front. They installed it and cut out the needed areas and shaved where it needed shaving. I just need to re-install all the bits.

It will be a long trip no doubt.

 

As we use to say in the seventies....BITCHIN!

 

tti-
Very funny. Glad to see your humor. It's good to know that your grass is no greener than mine. During the past year, there have been trying moments down in "Vtec Detox" where I questioned my sanity for doing a checkbook resto/mod Mini. If I'm lucky, mine will be finished more or less in the same time line--which is when Meno's rodent graduates from hard-knocks to daily driver.

And, if that timeline gets too blurry/messy--I'm totally stoked to hook up a group rate at the Betty Ford Clinic. My wife will gladly send us Care packages.

 

Just needs some Gulf racing orange stripes to be a very classic color scheme. Whatever .... looks great to me.

 

Here is the latest pics of my K20 Vtec Mini project.
I drove it for the first time today and I can honestly say it scared me. My 67' is fast. This 62' is scary fast. I need to practice with it before I really get down on it. I never thought I would say that I was scared to drive a car but it really goes.
How does the smooth firewall panel look. I wanted a clean back drop.

 

nice

 

that is rediculously clean...

dont those tires rub?

thats a hell of a sleeper... being blue and all =D

 

I love you car

 

I'll be curious about your running temperatures in the heat of Texas. Mine has always run warm. Get that thing on the road before the summer heat is gone!

Looking great, T. Keep up the good work!

 

Fantastic looking car!

 

Thanks everyone.
Tires dont rub a bit.
Lance, so far it runs about 150-160 deg.
They let it run for close to an hour and it stayed there. They did have a fan in place but nothing huge. I will let you know.

 

odd... the suspension travel must be something like an inch then lol...

just look at the rear!

 

Are you quarter tubbed in the rear?

 

Always asking about rears. Whatsup with that?

Oh yea.... no not tubbed but alltered.

Here is the main switch panel as metioned a while back.

 

Ahhh, very cool...but do you have to hold onto the thing the whole time? If so, that doesn't really seem all that practical. I'll have a spare one here pretty soon.

 

TTI-

Looking really great. I love the clean firewall. Light blue/white is such a great color for a screaming fast little beast. I'd call it a retro-rocket. What flares do you have in mind? Are Sportpacks wide 'nuff?

 

No kiddin Lance. I'm looking for one that hooks on somewhere. My arm is already hurting.
As for the arches, yes they are sportspack. Same as Lance has.

I need to go tie down the shed and haul the minis to safer ground. Hurricane coming again.

FYI. Hurrican Rita came right into my neck of the woods. We went three weeks without elect.
Looks like Gustav is coming our way.


Later.

 

Pretty uneventful here as far as hurricanes go.
Anyway, I did get some time to work on a few things.

 

T - I missed the previous update and had no idea about the hurricane possibility - geography was never my strong suit anyhow...then again, I don't think I knew where in the heck in Texas you lived...parts is parts and Texas is Texas as far as this midget is able to think. What's the name of your town anyhow? Glad to hear about the "no worries" though.

Are those MINI seats going to allow you to make the rear seat accessible? Never thought I'd say that MINI seats look large but in this case, damn brother, that one there looks large!....but cool.

And what exactly did you get "accomplished" this weekend? Does pulling out the two Minis to the driveway equal accomplishment? Texas is a strange state.

 

Beaumont, Texas.
I never noticed that the seats look big but I see what you mean. As far as allowing access to the back seats, no problem at all there. The lean foreward and slide as well. They are super friggin comfty.

As far as what I got done, I have put off removing the protective tape from my dash so I got that done. I also finished installing the switch panel and the turn signal switch.

I guess the best part was that I drove it about 4 times all through the hood. Everyone was evacuated so it was ok to tear through the streets.

I have been waiting on a few little bits from MT so I can put the flip front on and that should go quick as its been fitted before.

Oh yea. We drank lots of cocktails while waiting for the storm.....

 

What a nice pair of minis. It would be great to have both. Yikes! don't let no stinken' hurricane get your toys. I'll store them for you (...and keep the batteries charged, tires warmed,...)

 

I love the power blue color !!!

 

Looks fantastic, I've enjoyed watching your progress, are you going to sell the red one when the blue is complete?