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So I went to a car show with my best buddy Alex. We were a bit like the odd couple. He has a '52 Plymouth hot rod. old Hemi, Chevy 4 speed and Ford 9" rear. It's quite a sight. His current project is a 1932 Cadillac.
Anyway, leaving [a few miles down the road] he did a burnout which was pretty impressive. I did one but forgot to take off the traction control- somewhat disappointing to say the least. Later in his driveway I did another. Better but with no LSD, kinda lame. [but at least I left a mark and some smoke] but a short time later, back in my garage, a distinct clutch smell.
Ruh Ro.. 165 k miles and no known clutch replacement, I shoulda known better.
Drove it tonight and I didn't notice any slippage, even in a higher gear, but back in the garage, that distinct smell. Slight, but it was there.
The good news is I won the 50;50 raffle at the car show, [$500] so it wasn't a complete bad day.
So I'm currently pricing a Valeo Gen 1 clutch and flywheel, and a Quaife LSD. And, contrary of my nature, I may actually pay for the installation. Money isn't the issue, quality of workmanship is...
I sort of knew this was coming, and figured if I did do a clutch the LSD would be done at the same time, But maybe a little earlier than expected.
I'll probably regret this but I have a few too many irons in the fire right now.
robj
Highly recommend the Valeo--I'm really happy with mine. I paid for the install when I first got the car (in my mind it was part of the purchase price to get all the maintenance items done right away so I could rely on it).
X2 on the Valeo single mass conversion. Great feel, no chatter, a very high quality kit. I don't blame you for outsourcing this, it is a task. Especially with the LSD install on top of it. Book time on the clutch is around 11 hours! You have remove the core support and the front subframe.
Thinking about this... So far no slippage noticed. Fingers crossed.
But as Blue Car will probably spend shitty winter weather parked in the shop, I watched a few videos on the clutch/LSD install. Didn't look awful so I may end up doing it myself just for "fun".
Any idea the price range for an independent shop for a clutch replacement ?
Sorry for no posts. A friend loaned me his Bobcat and I've been busy rearranging the landscape, along with widening the driveway for the shop addition. I'm hoping to move out of the boat shed by spring.
previous location of a hedgerow, 100' long, 50' wide and 6'' tall. Some vines as big as your arm.
Kinda fun but it ain't no Mini! Doesn't corner worth a darn...
The clutch install is far more involved than I ever thought it would be on a fwd car. Book time is somewhere around 11.5 hours. You need to remove the rad support and the subframe to get the transmission out. I got Grumpy's done in about 8.5 hours working on a lift with a transmission jack. Not saying you won't be able to do it yourself, but also preparing you for hefty labor bill if you're paying someone. Depending on labor rate, probably in the $750-$1000 range, I'm thinking.
Rob - I once saw an ad for an “amusement park” that was filled with “toys” like that Bobcat just so folks can dig holes and fill them back in just for fun. Just sayin’ - it looks like you are having too much fun with that. Hope you remember where you property line is; you neighbors may not want their driveway widened and their hedgerow removed...
On bit more somber note, we just had a wind and rain event that took out 200K utility customers, pulled up trees all over the place. Had an 8” dia branch just missed my garage. My track MINI is in there along with the JCW. All is good, just a bit of cleanup needed. This storm only lasted 5 to 10 minutes. Mother Nature can be a real #**!!...
"On bit more somber note, we just had a wind and rain event that took out 200K utility customers, pulled up trees all over the place. Had an 8” dia branch just missed my garage. My track MINI is in there along with the JCW. All is good, just a bit of cleanup needed. This storm only lasted 5 to 10 minutes. Mother Nature can be a real #**!!..."
Sounds like you really dodged a bullet there! Mother Nature is not to be trifled with!
"but also preparing you for hefty labor bill if you're paying someone. Depending on labor rate, probably in the $750-$1000 range, I'm thinking."
Around here labor rates are $100 an hour and up so I would be looking at $1500 I'm thinking. I've got really tall jack stands and a floor transmission jack so it's probably doable but would probably be a challenge for sure. Lot's of up and down!
Maybe I'll watch some more videos. To be honest I'm not as concerned about the money as having a flat rate guy rush through the job as it isn't his car...
There's a independent shop not too far from me that specializes in BMW/Mini and they have really good reviews. My first question was going to be "how do you pay the techs".
Hey Rob, how's it going? We're all missing your build.
All is well. Thanks for checking in!
I'm missing the Mini build as well. Ended up on the back burner temporarily. In the shop waxed and under cover going out about once a week. I had 15 trees taken down at the south end of my shop to widen the driveway in preparation for a shop addition big enough to get my 28' Chris Craft in, another work in progress. In between that fixing a trailer for a Jon boat I bought for crabbing next spring.
Also had some fun fixing a power band saw from somewhere between 1890-1910. I've been dragging the pile of parts around for 20-25 years and finally found time to get it together. It was originally driven with a flat belt and in the 20's was converted to electric. The motor is from the "Edison Electric Company" so even the re-fit is old.
But it does cut really well and is a handy addition to the shop. Despite it's age, it works! [A lot like me...]
That saw came out nice! All of my woodworking tools are from the 50's or earlier. I love that I can replace a bearing and be back to business for just a few dollars. I gather the weight at the top is moved to determine the cut rate?
The weight just applies down pressure. The stroke is determined by the adjustment on the arm side. I had it set all the way out on the full stroke and it wanted to dance across the floor a little even with the rubber feet lowered.
I would love to post a video of it running but my skills are lacking...
It's pretty cool to see old machines still in use today. The printshop I work with still uses an old guillotine thats about 100 years old daily. The sounds of the 3" leather belt spinning the giant flywheel and the mechanical sounds of the mechanisms and 44" guillotine slicing through the paper really takes you back to another time.
I agree. Can you imagine a paper slicer made today lasting 100 years? I don't think so. Part of the quality advertised back then was that tools would last. Now it's pretty colors.
robj
I would really like to post a video of it in operation. It's pretty mesmerizing. To me anyway. A while ago someone gave me hints on posting my dyno videos, but I've forgotten.
Obviously I don't post many videos. Any hints?
rob
Great to see your handy work, Rob! I'm getting 96' of 16ga 1" square tubing today to start making my wife a new office desk for Christmas. Grumpy has been hanging in there without much done recently. Still leaks to be fixed, but nothing horrific.
As for the video, I'm no expert, but it does require hosting the video elsewhere, and then posting the link here. YouTube is the most popular video hosting site.
My saw of choice for metal cutting: Metal cutting saw
I have done a lot with this saw, including cutting quite a bit of metal for furniture I have made. We have a bit of the “industrial” look going on.
We have a similar look going on, though with lots of rustic wood thrown in the mix. I just have cheapy Harbor Freight chop saw that I picked up for doing exhaust work. It does alright, but isn't the most precise. Might be time to pick up something a bit nicer.
We have a similar look going on, though with lots of rustic wood thrown in the mix. I just have cheapy Harbor Freight chop saw that I picked up for doing exhaust work. It does alright, but isn't the most precise. Might be time to pick up something a bit nicer.
Maybe more than you think... Metal, wood and glass on my end...
Evolution makes 2 versions of that saw; one is a single sided miter that is less expensive than the one I showed. I have cut a number of different metals with it, including 1/4” thick steel. I have also cut wood and MDF. The different blades they have for it make a difference, too, for the different metals they are designed to cut. All in all I give it high marks.
That looks like a good option for me as it fulfills metal cutting and wood cutting duties. I've also been thinking it's time for a wood miter, so this is a great option.
Did you get busy painting the inside of your bell housing? 😁
Ha! you're too funny! If I end up doing the clutch and a LSD, don't tempt me!
Mini has been sitting over the winter for the most part. Mostly as the driveway around the back of my shop has more or less looked like peering over a WW1 trench. Took out 14 trees, then 6 dump trucks of fill dirt, and paid a guy that was good with a track loader [unlike yours truly] to smooth things out and spread some stone, Goal was to widen the driveway by about 20'. All in preparation for a 20x40 addition the the barn/shop to move the ChrisCraft here. [a slow process].
After a year of Corona, I'm pretty much retired and the VP is taking over the business. I check my email about once a week but that's it. I'm not sure how I found time to go to work to be honest. Attempting to catch up on projects and as everyone at work has been working from home I'm selling my office so lately I've been *alls deep it getting that ready for sale.
I'll be 69 in 2 weeks so "maybe" I'm not getting stuff done as quickly as I used to, but having more fun doing it due to less pressure. Been working since I was 13 so I figured 55 years of "work" was enough.
In the meantime I built a "Crabbing boat" making a 30 y.o., $400, 14' Jon boat into really something to behold. [I got tired of bitching about the high price of blue crabs so I figured I'll catch my own] That's done and waiting patiently for the crabs to wake up. In addition I've been helping a good friend work on his new to him 27' sailboat, and restoring a 60 y.o. aluminum row boat for my daughter and son-in-law,, Their "pond boat". [they bought a house with a big a** pond so they def. needed a row boat]. Along with "minor" projects like rebuilding a friends Roto-Tiller...
I told my wife that I may break but I'll never rust!
Back to the Mini.
I've got a "Detroit Tuned" bypass valve that I never installed. When I had the car on the dyno they suggest that might be an issue.
I had bought a bargain aluminum overflow tank that has given me a constant problem, leaking at the cap. I tried an OEM cap, tried an extra cork gasket, tried filing the top and nothing worked, Still had a very slight leak. So I bit the bullet and bought the $139 version instead of the $49 version. We'll see...
I also noticed some dry rot cracking on the intercooler bellows so I got a pair of silicone bellows from M7 speed..
I'm also thinking about installing the 380cc injectors that I've had for a while. I'm thinking it will run ok as from what I read the ECM can compensate for that, but at that point it would probably be time for a "tune" .
And at that point the fact that it doesn't have a LSD is going to rear it's ugly head. As I probably have more money than time, I may farm the clutch and the LSD out. Runs contrary to my nature, so we'll see!
I'll post some driveway pics when back at the right computer. [maybe a boat pic if there's interest..]
Not sure any of us got much done over the winter... I’m getting going now, but my projects pale in comparison to yours...
Congrats on “retiring”. I say it that way as it sounds as if you are still working none the less.
And boat pictures for sure. I grew up sailing on the St. Lawrence in the Thousand Islands with my dad. His last boat was a 26’ Person and I was good enough on it to be able to single hand it and dock it on sail power alone.
