My VTEC Morris Mini : The Car in my Shed

[OnkelC]

that's an ambitious project, kudos!

[Guff]

Thanks guys!

It sucks that I'm at point where I can't really do anything because of a lack of parts. Maybe I'll start doing brake lines soon as I don't really need to wait for anything to do that. But I need to buy a brake bending/flaring kit and I'll have to learn how to do that.

Actuallly...

Since the original cable handbrake was utterly jacked up, I removed the assembly it from rear drums. I was thinking that I could use a Hydro E-brake (like drifters use) that had a parking lock on it as a parking brake. Is this a terrible idea? I read somewhere that the hydraulic pressure might bleed off as you let it sit, but I have full manual brakes so I'm not sure if I would have that problem. Also, I would be using that in conjunction with leaving it in gear, so I like wouldn't have an issue. If I do go with that, then I would have to run the brake lines from the cylinder to the e-brake, and then the e-brake to the rear.

Other than that, I might start on getting the fuel tank prepped and put back in. It needs to be sanded and painted, and I think I need a new fuel pump. And then from there I need to run fuel lines (More parts to buy...)

August is looking way too damn close...

[Guff]

Update 2 is up in the OP, gentlemen. It's short, but it was a big step towards getting the motor in!

The ball joint shims come in tomorrow so there's a good chance the motor will also go in tomorrow!

Fingers crossed!

[SomeoneWhoIsntMe]

hydro handbrake with a lock on it to actually hold a car from rolling away is a terrible idea

carry a block of wood in the car and leave it in gear like a normal person

[Guff]

Originally Posted by SomeoneWhoIsntMe

hydro handbrake with a lock on it to actually hold a car from rolling away is a terrible idea

carry a block of wood in the car and leave it in gear like a normal person

Ok lol, that's what I was looking for. Is it because the pressure bleeds off?

I guess what I'll do is retain the factory cable handbrake and eventually get around to getting all new parts for it and making it work.

[SomeoneWhoIsntMe]

all I know for sure is that you're not supposed to do it.

certainly any sort of leak would let the car roll away, and it can't be good for the seals in the calipers to have them pressurized all the way for hours on end. I think it's because it's just far less reliable in general.

also, in some locales, roadworthiness laws require the emergency brake to function independently of the main brakes, for obvious safety reasons.

[SomeoneWhoIsntMe]

not that roadworthiness laws particularly matter... nobody's going to crawl under there and check, but it's still a good guideline for building a safe car.

[Guff]

Originally Posted by SomeoneWhoIsntMe

not that roadworthiness laws particularly matter... nobody's going to crawl under there and check, but it's still a good guideline for building a safe car.

Yeah, I agree. Safety is definitely a big deal for me, but this car is a ways from being drivable, so I'm trying not to worry about the smaller details yet.

Update is coming tonight! I got some stuff done! Motor is hopefully going in tomorrow!

[bcj]

Yes, the pressure can bleed off. Hydro systems are like balloons. If one seal goes for whatever reason, the whole thing deflates.
Fed Regs mandate a separate mechanical parking brake.
Likely you'll need be inspected to get it licensed and back on the road.

[Guff]

Originally Posted by bcj

Yes, the pressure can bleed off. Hydro systems are like balloons. If one seal goes for whatever reason, the whole thing deflates.
Fed Regs mandate a separate mechanical parking brake.
Likely you'll need be inspected to get it licensed and back on the road.

Thanks! I'll start looking for e-brake parts or perhaps try fabricating something to work.

[Guff]

I screwed up a bunch of stuff tonight... I guess it was just an off night. Put the wrong side hub on and then had to use a separator fork to remove it, then cross threaded the caliper mount on the hub. I ended up fixing it, but it took way too much effort for what it's worth. I only got one side done before I figured I was way too out of it to work, so I retired before I could screw anything else up...

I'll update the OP with what I did get done. Tomorrow however, is going to be awesome! Motor is definitely going in, as I'll have the extra pairs of hands tomorrow!

[Calum]

Damn, that's a "shed"?

[Guff]

Things are going kinda rough. Had to pull the subframe out to put the motor in because the motor wouldn't fit in the subframe while it was attached to the chassis. Now I'm finding a slew of things with clearance issues and it's pissing me off. Hopefully the motor+subframe will be in by Tuesday, but we'll see.

I feel like I'm going backwards, but I suppose it's all part of the process...

[bestwheelbase]

@Guff this is my new favorite thing.