Not having a functioning AC would be awful during the intensity of this summer's heat. Crossing my fingers for you in hopes you can sort things out.

Ok - but wait a minute....
Let's not gloss over the results of your cabrio braces/negative ground relocation mod...
How did that turn out?

No one likes a cliff hanger.
(ok so the movie wasn't that awful)

 

Yes, its so hot across the US, that you have to have A/C unless you like the heat. The Schrader valves at the main connection up top can leak, easy fix but you will need to recharge the system.

Other then that its usually the condenser (hole from rock and junk on the road), or pump itself. Check the line and look for a rubbed line or a leak with the Dye at the main connections.

 

I’ve not followed everything here but…

a trick to tell if the valve is leaking: put a small rubber balloon over it and monitor for inflation 😉

 

@Here2Go I'm afraid you'll have to keep hanging on the cliff for a while longer. Before leaving Wisconsin, I went to my friend's place and we welded on the new ground stud. That went reasonably well but I need to clean up the welds a bit with a Dremel. The ground strap is currently attached to the new stud. Still need to remove the old ground stud and then clean up/paint the area before installing the braces. I think I need to use a cutoff wheel to remove the old stud -- that part of the process won't be fun.

@ECS Tuning and @ssoliman As far as I can tell, there is no leak. I pressurized the system and it held for several hours. I'm waiting for a drier. Once that's here, I'll install it, use a vacuum pump to evacuate the system (there's no refrigerant so no need to have this done professionally), charge the system, and say a prayer for cold air from the vents. As for driving in oppressive heat, I've avoided driving the car during the hottest part of the day. It's not bad at all in the mornings and evenings.

 

I have functioning A/C! Yesterday, I installed the new drier, put the system under vacuum for about an hour, put 415-ish grams of R134a in and, voila, 47-degree air coming out of the vents. Very nice feeling in this heat. I'm reserving judgement on whether or not the system is actually fixed. Despite the fact that it held pressure when I tested it, all of the refrigerant from the factory (or previous recharge) had to go somewhere. Of course, I don't know the history so maybe the previous owner attempted a fix and didn't finish it after the system was purged. Anyway, I checked the static pressure this morning and it was ~85 psi at 80 deg F. Just about perfect. If it still looks good in a couple of weeks, maybe then I'll consider it fixed. In the meantime, I'll enjoy the coolness.

 

Congrats! Nice to have A/C when it's hot out.

 

Quite some time ago (even I don't remember how long it's been), I acquired a used set of cabrio braces, refinished them in flat black, and gathered the rivnuts, etc needed to install in my pre-facelift car. You may recall that I discovered that in my car the engine ground stud was located exactly where the brace should mount. I made a new ground stud (small block and threaded rod) in stainless and a friend and I welded it in place. I didn't get around to removing the old ground stud before we moved at the end of June. Fast forward to last week, I got up the nerve to take a cutoff wheel to the old stud and removed it.

With that out of the way, all that remained was to drill eight 9mm holes for the rivnuts, install a stainless rivnut in each hole, and then mount the braces. Oh, I also put some primer on the exposed metal in the drilled holes. Anyway, that all went surprisingly well. Three steps forward and one step back has been a theme in my work on this car. And so it was this time. When I re-attached the ground cable, the new ground stud twisted off, exposing our welding skills as not only novice but inadequate. Fortunately, I was able to replace one of the 6mm brace screws with a longer 6mm bolt and attach the ground cable to the brace. A circuit tester showed good ground. This is, of course, a temporary measure.

As luck would have it, one of our new neighbors owns a metal fabrication shop. Welding ground studs in engine bays isn't really what they do so tomorrow he is going to stop by to have a look to see if they can help me out. If so, the result is sure to be both more functional and better looking than what I did.

 

This morning, my neighbor's shop TIG welded the new ground stud in place. A young guy that works for him did great work. He clearly takes a lot of pride in what he does -- great to see. Later today, I hope to get some primer in that area to protect the bare metal and then order a rattle can of Indi Blue from Automotive Touchup.

 

I don't drive my Mini in the rain, unless I'm caught by surprise while out, so it doesn't get wet a lot. There's nothing I can do, however, to mitigate humidity and holy cow has it been humid here this summer. The point being that the ground stud surgery left exposed bare metal on the frame that I wanted to address quickly. So Sunday I put a couple of coats of primer on that area. The color coat can wait until I'm ready to do a more comprehensive engine bay spray. As the photo shows, I wanted to make sure there was no overspray in unintended places.

 

Holy plastic wrap Batman….

 

Good job - yep, overspray can and will make you do more work! Can't be too careful!

 

I'm still vertical! Both the Minis are doing fantastic. We flat towed the Mini Cabrio to the beach and had a blast. I was going to do the body work on the hatch this summer but I installed a new engine and transmission in my 07 Escalade ESV instead. I need the all-wheel drive if it gets nasty this winter. The recirulation acuator went out on the Cabrio and I have a new one to replace it.

Been doing a bunch of upgrades on our new to us motorhome. We are going to Key West next summer and pulling the Cabrio there too.
The Mini is looking good!

 

Good to hear from you, Chief, and glad that the Minis are going strong. Mini work ground to a halt for me during our relocation but I'm finding time to do a little tinkering along with exploring the area here. I'm happy to report that the car scene is significantly more robust here.

 

Yesterday, my son and I attended a small, informal car show hosted by the British Car Club of Western North Carolina. There were approximately 36 cars, a nice mix of MGs, Triumphs and a few others such as an XKE, an Austin Healy, a Morgan, etc. The owners were very friendly and the weather was beautiful which made for a fun day. My favorite car was a classic Mini on which the owner has done some great work. The club's big annual show is September 23. Stop by if you are near Asheville.

 

I have always wanted a chrome bumper MG, I think they are super cool. I love the original Mini too.
My mom used to live in Ashville, it's a very beautiful place. We went snow skiing at a place called Wolf Lodge or something like that. I don't mind visiting snow but I don't want to live in it.

 

Owned '70 MGB GT from new but never a classic Mini. Had friends (when I owned '65 Corvair Corsa) that had those early Minis and also went to an event (1966?) at SoCal's Irwindale Raceway which paired off "shoebox" Minis chirping front wheels on the 1/4 mile run. But then, that predated my time during 1967-1973 as an SCCA turnworker, wherein I saw plenty of now "classics".. Great memories, all...

 

That color on that original Mini looks suspiciously like IB. Nice looking car!

 

The big annual show for the club is in a few weeks. That classic Mini will be there. I'm hoping to park next to it to more closely compare the colors and sizes.

 

I had two chrome bumper MGBs as my first two self purchased cars… a 73, and a 74.
They are an interesting mix of 1950s tech (cork gaskets, points distributors, lever action shocks) and semi modern tech. those SU4 dual carbs were way better than the webers, and far easier to tune… once you got the linkage set correctly

Step 1 to replace clutch… remove engine. Good times.

 

The color comparison will be interesting. As for the size the R53/56 MINI is huge next to a Classic Mini…. They are so fun to see.

My first car was a ‘59 MGA. It was a mix of ‘50s technology and, well, ‘50s technology. Next was a Fiat 124 Spyder. Now that was a true sports car, with an engine that ran like a Singer Sewing machine, 5 speed trans, 4 wheel disk brakes that work, handle really well, had heat and a top that could be put up and down from the driver’s seat. Everything the MG didn’t have.

 

The size comparison is fun... they make a 'new' MINI look like a giant! Look at those teeny little tires!

 

My goodness this is quite the thread! Finally found my way to the bottom and gotta say VERY IMPRESSED! I appreciate the detail you've included, I was able to find some good info that will help me with a few things I've noticed with my '02 R53. Looking at mine, thinking I might try pulling my seats for better cleaning... a little nervous about what nasties I might find there though. Might have to start my own restomod thread... But back on topic, incredible work! I will definitely be following your thread going forward. Looking forward to seeing where things take you.

 

@jcolletteiii I've seen that photo in your thread and love it. I think both cars would fit in a single bay in my garage.

@JdmJen Thanks very much. Have you looked at jcollete's thread? His link is in the post above yours.

 

I decided it was time to do a paint correction. Not a repaint like @jcolletteiii but a multi-step polish with an orbital polisher. I went into the process knowing that the result wouldn't be perfect. The paint was in pretty good condition overall but the hood is a problem area, with a number of stone chips. It need a respray but I'm not yet ready to go down that path. There are a few other blemishes but nothing significant.

The process isn't complicated but does include quite a few steps:
-- wash
-- clay
-- wash
-- decontaminate for iron (Gyeon Iron)
-- remove wheel arch trims
-- wash
-- tape remaining trim
-- clean with grease cutter (Gyeon Prep)
-- mild cut (Griot's BOSS Correcting Cream with orange pad)
-- polish (Griot's BOSS Perfecting Cream with yellow pad)
-- clean with grease cutter (Gyeon Prep)
-- two coats of wipe on ceramic coating (Gyeon CanCoat Eco)
-- replace trim
-- take photos to share with the forum

Again, I knew it wouldn't be perfect but the result exceeded my expectations, in part because I had never machine-polished a car before. I'll admit to being a little nervous at the start but found that it really isn't difficult. One piece of advice, load up on soft, plush microfiber towels. You'll need them.

CanCoat Evo provides a deep shine and, according to reviews, outstanding hydrophobicity. I'm looking forward to getting the car wet to test that claim but that will have to wait since the instructions state not to wash the car for a week after application. Speaking of application, it's as simple as Mr. Miyagi said it would be: wipe on, wipe off.

So here are a few photos, taken on a glorious late October day.

 

Looks terrific! Kudos for taking that on with an orbital machine, which I'm too chicken to do (very bad experience with sole paid service done ~ 25 yrs ago). I've only used Meguiars products by hand on my own R53 but the paint remains quite good despite age with limited weather exposure. Yes, some stone chips on the front area typical from stuff tossed airborne from AZ's state highway roadsides. It would be interesting to try some of your listed products applied by hand with little risk of burning through the clear coat.