The Ultimate Mini Upgrade List

[minimax]

so, I've been doing a lot of thinking about the parts which tend to break on a mini and I remembered plotloss talking about heavy duty titanium tie rods () and cooperman talking about a strengthened driveshaft or something similar which has eliminated a known fail point etc... the thinking behind it is trying to replace all the standard BL bits with upgraded heavy duty parts that will take the merciless caining I give the car on a frequent basis.

so, who will start me off? cooperman, what about those driveshafts? where did you get them from & how much were they if you don't mind?

thanks

[Plotloss]

Force Racing will sort just about every stress bearing component in Titanium and the stuff they dont carry patterns for they will probably mill as a one off.

Curley for carbon fibre body panels and interiors.

Ohlins for shocks.

45 years of history means there is an exotic flavour of just about every part I reckon.

If only I could read Japanese, they have some amazing Mini bits and bobs...

[Cooperman]

Mini Spares for the EN24 drive shafts with the circlip grooves deleted.
The Mini Spares adjustable tie rods are also very strong - even I've never managed to bend one.
Ultimate engine steady is also good.
Quaife s/c gears are very strong - also very expensive.
Non-Verto flywheel and clutch would be a reliable alternative to the Verto unit.
12 volt coil to avoid the 'pink' ignition wire which can melt and wreck the front wiring loom is something else to do and the original inertia starter with remote solenoid is more reliable than the pre-engaged type, needs a different starter ring (early type).
If you have an electric fuel pump, then fit a second one in parallel with separate wiring and switching.
Remove the by-pass hose between head and water pump and fit a Metro water pump and a blanking plug in the head.
Bolt the manifolds on rather than use studs as you can get the head off without disturbing the exhaust pipe clamps. This is very useful if you have an LCB manifold. In that way you can change the head gasket in about 35 to 40 minutes.
Use a BK450 head gasket and ARP head studs and nuts.

I'm sure I'll think of lots more things when I read through my build sheet for the rally cars. Even then thinks fail, like last weekend when the gear selector shaft just snapped off and caused my instant retirement.

I hope this helps,

Peter

[sagalout]

Does anyone manufacture a roll pin that goes through the gear selector linkage that will come out when you want it to?
I have shifted these before the the one in the current box just WON'T come out.
Why didn't they do it with a little splined joint, might have taken out some of the "slogger" too.
Mutter mutter grumble grumble.

[Cooperman]

Hey, Sagalout, then you could use the roll pin to make up two location dowel pins for inlet manifold to head location when you have opened up the inlet ports and can no longer fit the location rings.
Waste nothing!

[sagalout]

If I could only get the damn thing out.....
Been in there 30 years and doesn't see any reason why it should move for me now!

[haynes]

it helps to have it in reverse and use a really good punch the same diameter as the pin. Anything smaller or with a point just splays the pin out.

[Cooperman]

If in doubt, and it won't come out - USE A BIGGER HAMMER!!

[miniman]

I had a great plan for doing the roll pin last time I took the engine out. Needed plenty of room under the car, so I rolled it up onto ramps so I could give the hammer a really good swing. Put it in reverse (as you do), got underneath and gave the pin a good wallop. Surprisingly, it came straight out, no problems at all.

So, I thought, now I can get the car back off the ramps. So I got in, pulled the gearlever out of reverse... but of course I'd just disconnected it

Much jacking and swearing later...

[Paul V]

I have a feeling its a 5/16 punch but can’t be sure, the punch and a club hammer will normally shift it, as said in reverse helps, also get the car nice and high (using axle stands or similar) so you can get a good swing on the hammer.

[minimax]

Cooperman said:

If in doubt, and it won't come out - USE A BIGGER HAMMER!!

quite so, if in doubt, clout!

lots of good ideas here people, I will make a list when the thread gets a bit longer and maybe post it up so it can be of use to us all

[sagalout]

Sorry Tom, seemed to have hijacked your original topic, anyway the little bu66er is out now and hopefully,so too will the engine be by tomorrow.
After all these years away from Minis, I had forgotten the reverse gear selection bit & was using first/third as that got the selecting rod further away from the box. Actually it's about 18 years since I actually drove a Mini and couldn't remember where reverse gear actually was!!!!!
Tony H,

[miniman]

The new KAD QuickShift looks like a tidy bit of kit. Anyone got any thoughts on these gizmos? I would guess that if there are any problems with the box (worn synchros etc.) they would be amplified by a QuickShift?

Also, I suppose the ultimate mini would have a nice Stack data console instead of the basic dials.

I also LOVE split rim superlights. Got to get some. Got to get some money first!

[Paul V]

My old engine builder hated them, said they will destroy a good gearbox quite quickly and said not to bother. One tip, if the gear select is feeling a bit sloppy on the rod change box is to fit new mounts to the linkage, made a lot of difference to my car.

[Cooperman]

Paul you are quite right. I used to think quikshifts a good idea, but the load they put onto the linkages and baulk rings/syncro cones is something like 30% higher than the normal gear linkage.
After the fatigue failure of my gearbox selector shaft last weekend I think I would be reluctant to fit anything like a quikshift in future, especially as this thread was about increasing overall reliability.
If you want less gear lever movement you could take a couple of inches off the height of the gear lever.