I felt really good yesterday afternoon. Big sigh of relief.
The motor was back together.
With the exception of the airbox, which needs to stay out so I can feed the power steering reservoir back up when bolting the subframe back in and to reconnect the rack and pinion to the steering column, it is all together...... for now.


Here is a photo of everything (minus the airbox) back on.


New ignition coil and wires are connected to new sparkplugs.


Serpentine belt is on and tight.


During reassembly; I noticed the upper radiator clamps were rubbing against the intercooler, so


I rotated them 90 degrees in an effort to avoid further rubbing.


I certainly hope that Monty will never be this far dissected again.
But I fear that will not be the case. After I got to this point,


I was able to see A LOT of oil EVERYWHERE around the engine, not just where the power steering lines were. I originally thought it was the power steering pump lines (and it may well be) but with silicone around the VDO sensor that doubles as a drain plug and a general coating of oil all over the bottom and back of the oil sump, I fear I will be dropping the oil pan to replace the gasket AND doing some machining to get the NPT type thread into the standard automotive metric threads. I don't think this is one of MINI's best ideas, but that may just be me.


Problem is, I need to remove the A/ C Compressor to get the pan off. In order to do that, I need to remove the Alternator to get the compressor off. In order to do that, I need to........

That is it for the "some assembly required" part. Follow along next time as Monty's journey to Zig Zag or Bust will continue with the "but not before more disassembly" part on the story.

 

I can't speak for you, but nothing is more fun than doing the same job twice. You get to take off that nice newly installed serpentine belt and do it all over again. I feel for ya. It looks like you have the hard part done of removing the subframe. One item you might want to look at is the gasket that seals the steering linkage that goes into the cabin. Mine came loose the last time I lowered the subframe and allows water and lots of noise into the cabin. I'm on jack stands at the moment and will look at fixing it when I'm done working on the rear of the car.

 

Doing things twice seems to be norm around here, As I said at the beginning, this will be the second car that I have prepped for MTTS, but this one is MUCH more involved that the last one. I suppose because it is an MC40, I am fixing things I would normally wait and do later (if at all).

Thanks for the info about the steering column seal. I would have never thought to check it.

If it is out, to re-install it-
do I perform an ancient ritual dance in small cave?
or have a dinner on the beach watching men spin batons with the ends on fire while serving a roasted pig ?
or maybe a give a secret hand shake with fellow "club" members at night in a lonely place in the woods during a full moon wearing nothing but a rough wool hooded robe?

or, will it simply just pop back in place?

 

I don't have the answer, sadly. From what I have read it is a pain and maybe one of the three options you listed might need to be incorporated. I'll know in a few days.

 

I will need to have video evidence for science off course :P

 

Granted, I am taking it a bit slow and looking at things before I order parts, but sometimes it just seems like it takes forever to get a simple gasket or filter. On the up side, although I have a VERY long list of items I have replaced, that list could have been much longer had I just started guessing what I needed. Sure I could always send it back, but then I just paid round trip shipping for no reason other than poor planning. I am sure six months from now I would have wished I had put it in rather than send it back. So there I feel better having convinced myself I did the right thing.

Now onto the pictures.

While waiting for the gaskets and steering pump lines, I got bored and started some of the cosmetic things that needed to be addressed.

I cleaned and waxed the hind quarters and using the faded paint and small imperfections I was able to locate where the last decals were and applied a new one while leaving the protective cover on.


We test fitted the hood before I realized that I did not have any dimensions for it, so off to the nam forum and before I could even get back to my computer with a tall glass of milk and four, no lets call it three, yes three cookies, well officially it is just TWO cookie. The actual count is unimportant to this story, just know that I got two quick replies and I will put that info to good use before this week runs out. Let's call it two cookies and leave it at that. After all, we were all friends here right?


It was a nice change in pace. Although I had to get up and down on the floor a few times it went smoothly and Monty seemed to cooperate more than usual.

Anyway, while waiting for those gaskets, I took some time and made good use on my new steam cleaner (you know, the one I bought to steam clean the kitchen tile?) I got the rear hatch cleaned up, the hinges and even the chrome exhaust tips look shiny. I will need to transport my small generator in a few weeks and figured running the steam cleaner on it until the gas ran out would get two birds with one stone. Unfortunately I forgot to steam off the adhesive for the rear hatch mini emblem and will need to address that again at a later date. Steam and dental floss works so much better than warm water and dental floss for removing emblems. I also got the new inner and outer ball joints and the front sway bar bushings and lower control arm bushings torqued down. Two of the many lessons I have learned this week.

1. I should have bought one of those fancy hose clamp tool kits years ago. Amazon got it right this time, unlike the bonnet struts that took 2 weeks.
2.Like gravity, Bentley repair manual is more than just a good idea it should be a law. It would have saved me a lot of time doing internet searches for nut and bolt I had tightened. (You listing Santa? That is spelled- B E N T L E Y - for the 2002 -2006 MINI Cooper)





The oil pan gasket arrived today along with the oil filter cooler gasket. I forgot to take a picture of them when the pan was out, but here is the old gasket and filter (in the box the new one came in) I did remember that the oil temp sensor that doubles as a drain plug was coated with silicone and was still leaking, so I got a crush washer from the Land Rover drain plug and some teflon tape and was able to snug the unit up. I will find out if it was enough in a few weeks when Monty hits the road.





I also got the front license plate holder and I will show it when Monty gets back on all four feet.
By the way, I heard someone say that they got new shoes when they got new tires and someone else commented that if that is so, then new brakes would be new socks. BUT what can I say when the control arms were worked on? Monty got a new set of legs? (maybe not, I will work on that one).

Anyway the last picture is a testament to how things are going. The shelf is getting more empty every week.


I suppose when all the boxes are gone, Monty will be ready for the road.

Until THAT time Monty and I want to thank you for dropping by once again and checking up on Monty as he continues his journey to Zig Zag or Bust.

 

I have not gotten to that point, but I will let you know. AND take a picture.

 

I was under the engine torqueing the oil pan gaskets to meet some arbitrary fig Newton amount. I think there are 45 in a box and we used 31 of them. Might as well use the others on some random bolt or two before I throw the bag away. Then I saw this thing with oil on it.





Thanks right boys and girls, the oil heat transfer unit was leaking.

I had sprayed down the back of the engine last night and it should have been dry, but nooooooo. This little cooler unit had oil on it and a lot of silicone sealant from previous owner trying to stop it from leaking. I hope I don't find a bead of silicone replacing the O rings gaskets. I had already changed the oil filter, and the accompanying o ring for that and that funny looking three chamber gasket that goes against the engine, so the only thing left were the two O rings underneath that THING that the hoses connect to. UGGGH>

Well OK, a quick look at [ favorite parts store] web site and $17 later two rings were ready to ship. But then I looked again......



Both of these hoses looked like they were bulging and had been weeping. A hose is a hose is a hose, right? and I could always fix it later if it was leaking, I told myself. But as I was dragging my but out from under the car I realized how hard that would be once the subframe was in. So back to the web site and added two more hoses at the new hyper inflated BMW/MINI prices (enough so as to qualify for free shipping).

I am still waiting for the steering pump lines, so it is not like it stopped me. I was stopped already.

Now Monty's journey is taking a side road that will not get us back to the freeway for a few more days as we change out a hard to reach coolant line and put new O rings in the oil cooling unit.

Monty and I took a quick inventory and decided the only gaskets not replaced were the front and rear main seals. He promised not to let them leak for at least six months. (not sure I trust him, but will take him for his work this time.)

Thanks for reading, even though I feel we are stalled, Monty is hopeful he will be on the ground by Christmas and his journey to Zig Zag or Bust will continue all the way to Vermont......

 

I dont see any pictures, and it seems you are trying to link them directly from an email within gmail (which doesnt work). Consider hosting your pictures somewhere, I have been using Flickr.com for years, but there are many others like imgur.com etc etc

 

While I wait for the hoses and gaskets and hoses and gask.......


I thought I would stay busy and take advantage of the nice weather we had today.

So in no particular order here are the cosmetic things I got done.

2 coats of clear protectant on the headlights. really changed the appearance. I like the looks of them now.




New tail lights,, left and right, along with the BG emblem on the left rear part of the tail gate.




New tail light on Right side as well.


New MINI emblem on the tailgate latch bar.


and last but not least, following the direction from the forum, I have the Bonnet decals in place. Now he has both bonnet and hind quarter decal in place. along with the BG on the tailgate, so I think the exterior MC40 parts are completed.


Other than reinstalling the seats (when they are done) the floor mats, cargo net, driving light covers and mirror gaskets, the only thing left cosmetically is a good wash and wax. (I hope).

A "Full Monty" so to speak of the rear showing the new taillights and new emblems.


Montys journey is far from complete, but we did not let the lack of hoses and gaskets keep us from moving forward toward his chance to Zig Zag or Bust.

 

Great work, keep it up

 

Looks like the grommet is still in place and I won't have to mess with it.


/////AND//////
I did not need to:
perform an ancient ritual dance in small cave?
or have a dinner on the beach watching men spin batons with the ends on fire while serving a roasted pig ?
or maybe a give a secret hand shake with fellow "club" members at night in a lonely place in the woods during a full moon wearing nothing but a rough wool hooded robe?

Jeff

 

So, while waiting for some paint to dry, I decided to cruise through some of the other build threads rather than just sit there and watch it (dry). I was looking at nd-photos build thread and saw his post about some rusty bolts on the mirror he planned to replace. I had bought new gaskets for Monty's mirrors but was waiting as I just guessed I would need to remove the door car and remove a nut from the inside.

I definitely need new gaskets.



Well, thanks to nd-photo, I was able to find the bolts on the outside.


Once removed, I cleaned up the paint around the mirror mount.


Then place the gasket around the base of the mirror mount then plugged it back in and then bolted it back on.



slow weekend here with Monty. Just a few cosmetic things like the mirror gaskets and a trick with the clutch pedal (saving that for a later post).

Thanks for catching up with Monty and he continues his journey to Zig Zag or Bust next July.

 

Glad to be of help :D

 

I took the old hoses off from the oil cooler heat transfer housing because I was having trouble getting the Torx 30 head crews out, so I had to take the three 13mm bolts and put the whole darn thing on my workbench. I CAREFULLY put it in my vise and was able to get the last two Torx head screws out with on incident.

What I now had were two parts of the puzzle and I did not like what I saw.


It has silicone seal around and ALL OVER the gaskets. I hope this was an attempt to stop it leaking with the old gaskets. The old ones were stuck to the face plate and came out of the grooved slot real easy, so now I am concerned it will leak when I put it back together.

They pulled off the face rather easy enough and the face looks a little scraped up. Wonder what THAT part would cost.



The parts will arrive on Wednesday so I guess I will just watch TV for the next few days. I would invite Monty in to watch as well, but His journey lays on a different path and so he remains in the garage.

 

A quick recap of the interior. It was much cleaner than expected and sans the 3x3 build plate it was complete with the MC40 shift **** all four of the floor mats and the one in the boot.


The seats were pretty good considering they have 94,000 miles on them, but still there was a certain amount of patina that made the whole car seem a little more genuine.


But a closer looked convinced me that the seats needed some professional help. The leather was worn through and no amount of leather seat conditioner was going to fix that.


I was hoping that I could just fix the one bolster on the drivers seat and keep the patina and wear on the rest of the drivers and passengers seat. One shop wanted to replace all of the cover in a "new and better vinyl that would wear better than leather" I passed.
The second shop did not seem interested and pretty much said they only do "custom work" and factory restoration was not something they would be interested in.
The last shop I tool the seats to said the seats were sun faded and it would be hard to match the color as it did change from one part of the seat to the other, but they were willing to try. They also offered me a vinyl option just as a cost savings measure and admitted that they would not look as good as the leather. They said they would be better off in leather, despite the added cost. I agreed. At that point I got the feeling that they were interested in the project since they seem to prefer to work in leather.

They called a few days later with bad news. They could not match the faded color and the side bolster ran all the way up next to the head rest. (which was not as sun faded as the front or side of the bolster) and there was no way to just repair the front of the bolster without it looking "cheap and uninviting". I reminded them that because I resurrecting this car and wanted to leave it with as much normal patina to show it was an honest road car and not a full restoration for some museum I did not want to do a complete refit. We agreed to change just the red leather. (as a side note, it would have been cheaper to have replaced all of the leather red and black because they would not have to take extra time to protect the black leather for reuse)

After nearly 7 weeks, the seats were ready for pick up. here is the drivers seat as I first saw it.


They put in new foam where needed and even got new batting in the bottom of the seat.


Once home and installed, they do look good. I think I made the right decision to fix the seats. It was a major part of the budget (who am I kidding...... budget ha! we don't need no stinking budget"), but in the end it DOES look good.


Their attention to detail even got the airbag and MINI tags back in place.




After looking at the beautiful seats, I remembered that I had a cabin air filter on the self and since I was working in the interior, why not put it in place.

However, in the process to put in the new filter, I had to look at the old filter.... YUCK

Might actually be the original (or at least 10 years old).


We had a lot of pictures this time. Next time we will get the clutch bled and the subframe back in as we help Monty continue his journey to Zig Zag or Bust next July.

 

Yuck, that is dirty son haha

 

I had such a hard time bleeding the clutch that I gave up and put the rest of it together and out in the driveway before any pictures were taken. suffice it to say, the struts went in; the disk brakes on, the new pads were put in place; the calipers were secured; and all attachment wires ran and secured in their mounts. basically

They say: A picture is worth a thousand words. I am such a poor artist that if I were draw it; it may only be worth 642 words, BUT a PHOTO? that rates the 1,000.








He is on the ground but the journey is far from over.

The clutch is still not properly bled out, the windows are not positioned correctly so wind makes it very uncomfortably loud at highway speeds, the right door lock does not work, and the door lock switch in the dash does not seem to be working.

That's it for now. Monty is literally coming together. His journey is looking brighter these last few days. He has fought me a few times, and rewarded me on others but the journey continues (as do the invoices)

 

I have taken a break during the holidays. We needed to travel to family at the end of the year, but had a problem. We were taking a lot things for our trip, so we took the Land Rover (which normally sits outside). but that still three MINIs that needed to be inside while we were gone.

Normally no problem as we have a two car garage and two cars. BUT with us adopting Monty and getting him ready for the MTTS 2021 next July, well there was a problem that needed solving.

There was no way my wife would let Jameson the 2018 JCW tuned Countryman sit outside while we were gone. I did not want Nigel the JCW tuned 2003 BRG Cooper S out either, and with Monty runnig distilled water while I finalize all the hoses and gaskets, if it were to freeze, well I might be doing more work that planned.

We pondered this short straw dilemma as to who would sit outside for a few days and then my wife came walking in with tape measure in had and declared as if announcing the royal Queen herself were being presented at a fancy European ball..... "I THINK THEY WILL FIT!"

Now, my wife is not the most mechanically inclined and does not normally get involved with actual wrench turning, (she has been known to were out here left or right knee bleeding brakes or clutches and any number of project cars we have had over the years). What she may lack in actual wrenching skills, she more than makes up for with her ideas, that I for one, would have never thought of.

After few measurements and rearranging some items along the walls we had this:


View from the house

View from the driveway

I think it helped that we could start with Monty looking like this


With the four wheel rollers, it was easy to push the car around

I plan on tackling the clutch bleeding after the holidays as I need to get him on the road and make sure all of my repairs were torqued right and make sure I did not miss a leaking gasket or some such.

Monty is tucked away right now, but that does not mean his journey to Zig Zag or Bust is stalled. just taking a short holiday.

 

Looks like Monty will be up on the automotive quickjack again this week. I got Monty out on the road this week and he needs some more work. Specifically, a weeping oil sump/sending unit plug weeping and a rocker arm tappet that is making WAY TOO MUCH NOISE.

Seemed to be running fine. Pulls good through the whole RPM band (above 3,000 rom) and the trick to put a stick between the clutch pedal and seat frame after a good manual bleeding session worked so that part is OK as well.
Steers well, I may be able to delay a wheel alignment until he gets new tires. He seems to run down the highway the same as my 2003.

I got the windows adjusted so I don't hear any whistling even at Texas highway speeds of 85mph. So, that is sorted out. Having the "special tool" made it easy to adjust the windows. I may even try it on Nigel my 2003 BRG Cooper S to eliminate the whistle on the front part of the passenger window. This tool allowed me to raise the window all the way up, close the door all the way then remove the outside trim, reach in from the top with the tool and loosen the window fasteners. The all I had to do was move the window until the gaps at the bask are even and correct and the top is pushed in up past the drip rail. Tighten them up open and close the door a few times to make sure the window drops enough to clear the drop rail. Replace the trim.

I am still running distilled water for coolant in case I have to pull the radiator support to fix a leak. I have found anything that may require removing the radiator, but I have only driven him a few miles on 3 different days.
I do see the drain plug/oil temp sender is weeping. I may what to fine a better way of doing that. I think there is room to put in a tee fitting into the sump with one side having a plug and the other having the temp sending unit. That way, once the sending unit is in place it won't need to be removed every 5,000 miles for oil changes.

I have used 4 cans of degrease and still smell some residual oil burning off after a short drive. Back on the lift and a few more cans of cleaner and a rinse with the garden hose seem to be in order.

Monty is not up yet as I am debating about which option best suits him right now.
I have been in many discussions about swapping cam / rockers which can be switched and which need a new mating surface and blah blah, blah, and it seem like everyone has an opinion.
1. I could just find and replace the bad tappet. This is the second cheapest option $30-180 for immediate cash flow depending on how many tappets are bad, but runs the risk of damaging the arm/arms and then I am buying a new rocker arm (as some say you can change arms without changing cam).
2. Buy all new rocker arms. This is a $300+ option since there are 8 intake and 4 exhaust rockers, but I would not have to mess with the cam, or sprocket or timing chain , so it would be faster and easier than a cam swap once I get the valve cover off.

I have time to think about it I still have a right door lock actuator and a rear wiper to show up and get installed.
I just glued a piece of the carbon fiber dash back together and will decide which parts to get ordered........... soon.

That is it for now. A milestone was made as we made some road trips and so far the only leak is a weeping oil plug and some whistling windows. Monty is in good shape and ready to continue his journey to Zig Zag or Bust this July.

 

Just like that commercial about flea collars, or the original story about a puppet who wanted to be a real boy, Monty now has not more ticking when he idles.

Has it really been 10 days since I last wrote about Monty? Well truth be told, I have been doing other things. I do have a life outside of Mini's you know. Anyway one of the MINI things I seem to be doing a lot of lately is waiting for parts, AND questioning my own mechanical abilities.

I got the valve cover pulled off and looked for the bad tappet. pretty easy to find, it was the one without a plastic retainer cap, and it had a lot of up and down play and rattled rather loudly when moved by hand.


Here is the dirt rotten low down dog that stole my horse..... no wait that was on a different forum.
But this IS the culprit for the loud ticking noise most notable when it is idling.




New in the plastic wrapper rocker and tapper with plastic guide next to the old (and original after 100,000 miles) rocker with bad tappet.

After reading through some threads on the forum, it seems I am not the only one fighting something as simple as a little oil weep from the VDO oil temp sending unit. They say misery loves company, but right now, I would prefer to be alone.


Small spot of oil left overnight from the oil sending unit




I started with this, changed the gasket a few times. Each time I would bring the car up to temp and then let it sit over night and look for oil leaks. I also put in a regular plug (which did not leak). I tried 4 different types of gaskets ranging from paper, copper crush washers, rubber, and stopped when I found a metal crush ring with a rubber inner part that seemed to be tight against the threads. You would think picking a washer would not be so difficult


No leaks and a 1/2 tank of gas means we need to put him on the road and see what falls off. (I opted for tow coverage with my insurance for him ----just in case---. Monty drove a few miles to visit another Mini who was not at home, but maybe next time.


Well he ran fine, but I still smell burnt oil. I cleaned as much as I could, but there is still a lot under there. I just keep telling myself it will help prevent rust. That's it for today.

I almost said Monty's journey is coming to an end, but in reality he is just about to close the chapter on his time following his surgeries and his long road to recovery. He should be ready to go out on his one in a week or two.

Who knows what will happen then?

 

Monty is looking good! Glad to hear you are nearing the end of the beginning.

I've read there are two preferred methods to bleeding the slave cylinder - pressure bleed it, or remove it and bleed it with the slave as high as it will go to allow the air to escape. I'll be finding out what method works for me in due time.

 

Long time since writing anything new because I have not really done much to help Monty on his journey. In fact, his journey is technically over. When MINI USA announced the cancellation of the 2020/2021 MINI Takes the States Rally, Monty no longer had a destination. This make two MINI Coopers I have purchased and prepped for the rally, only to have them cancelled on me. I know they moved it to 2022 and I am excited about that, and happily plan to take my Gen 1 BRG Cooper S with my friends but I will not be building a third MINI for the trip in 2022.

Although Monty and I will not reach our destination, it does not mean the journey was for nigh. If I look at the list of things I have done, I am happy. 1. We rescued a forgotten MC40 and got it road ready. 2. I got to learn and practice about writing in a forum (my daughter calls it a BLOG what ever that is). 3. I learned many maintenance procedures that I will use to keep my 2003 BRG Cooper S running. 4. Hopefully I have entertained and educated at least 1 person during this journey. Since the cancellation announcement, many people have asked what I was going to do about Monty. I would answer "I don't know" my wife would answer Monty or Nigel, I do not get to keep two MINI's for the next year and a half, and we both agreed we would not be building a third one next winter.

ALL IS NOT DOOM AND GLOOM-
Somewhere along Monty's journey to Zig Zag or Bust, the write ups on this build thread, our friends enthusiasm for the adventure of driving Monty this summer and his future now uncertain, they called me and said they wanted him to come live with them. They also said that they will meet us for the next big rally, and will enjoy driving Monty until that day happens.

So, it was with both sadness and excitement that we loaded Monty up and sent him up to his new forever home.


I met the transport truck at my local auto body repair shop since it is difficult to get that size truck down my residential street



Monty is all bucked in and up front with a window seat for the trip. Not sure if he will be more, or less dirty, but at least they won't have to move him on and off more than once.

I want to thank those who followed Monty's journey and those who commented and helped me to do a better job of not only rescuing Monty, but also improving my writing skills.
This may or may not be my last entry on this thread for Monty's journey. I would hope that his new family will keep us updated with major events as he continues his new journey to wherever the next MINI event occurs.

Thanks for following along
Jeff

 

Monty made it! Just a little update that Monty made it to MTTS 2022. Here is a picture, and

he did fantastic on the Tail of the Dragon! Monty likes to go! Happy to report no pieces of Monty were left behind on the Tree of Shame.

 

We are VERY lucky to have friends that would build this car for us. We love our MC40 and Monty is doing well touring around New England.

He will be kept in the garage and be retired during the New England Winters and salt!