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Brakes - Split brake systems and adjustable bias valves

You can only use the MS72 adjustable brake regulator/bias valve with a front/rear split system. Definitely NOT the diagonal split type (for identification see 'Brakes - Rear brake bias adjustment'). These should have been 'X-ed' at birth. Makes the car handle very interestingly when the system only operates the diagonally opposed brakes. Scary stuff. Almost as much fun as when the rears only work on a front/rear split set-up - particularly as the PDWA is built into the master cylinder, and it still has to go through the FAM7821 pressure regulator valve! Damn near no braking on the rear. Either way - split system brakes are grossly inefficient when only using half the system as they are designed to do when a failure in the other half occurs. Quite frightening. To install the MS72 into a front/rear split system, it needs fitting into the rear feed line. Determining which this is can prove difficult if the system has already been tampered with or new replacement components fitted. Nam

Engine transplants - Ancillary parts

Engine mountings are a whizz to fit as the Mini ones fit straight onto any of the other units. Just remove the Metro/AA/1300GT ones and swop the mounts over from the Mini unit. If they’re split, fit new ones, they’re cheap.

Terminology -
BBU - Big Bore Unit
SBU - Small Bore Unit

NOTE: This information covers transplanting large-bore engine units into small-bore engined Minis. For further information for exact differences between pre-A+ and A+ units, see relevant separate article.

Engine mountings and steady bars.
Engine mountings are a whizz to fit as the Mini ones fit straight onto any of the other units. Just remove the Metro/AA/1300GT ones and swop the mounts over from the Mini unit. If they’re split, fit new ones, they’re cheap. If using the AA/1300GT unit - it's advisable to cut off the 'wings' on the front plate that carried the engine mounts on the radiator end.

KNOW YOUR MINI TYPE

This is to help you understand which mini you own from a spare parts point of view. Officially There were only Mk1/Mk2 and Mk3 on sales brochures but the Mk4 was introduced by Keith Dodd in 1976 to help people understand the main parts changes. From here we eventually got to MK7

What mini do you own-Make your Mark from this list Confused what mini you own,...

Flywheel - Verto types (not injection)

There is only one version of this flywheel as standard, and fits all A+, Verto or Valeo (same type, different manufacturer) installations. And it's heavy. Very heavy.

Those up-rating power outputs in later Minis bearing this set-up were stuck with it. It is possible to shave a few ounces off this chunk of iron, but is difficult - especially for the DIY-er - and not cost effective when paying to have it done. Mini Spares recognised this shortfall early on. Sympathising with the plight of their customers, they produced a replacement outer section for the Verto kit from the same high-grade steel as used in the other light-weight versions.

	LB	KG
Standard Verto flywheel outer section only - unmodified	12.83	5.82
Steel Verto flywheel outer section only	8.84	4.01

Predominantly 13-inchers, but 12s as well, the main thrust of the questions being 'what do I need to do?'

This subject is a regular visitor to the message board and 'Knowledge' section of Mini Magazine for whom I write - fitting bigger wheels. Predominantly 13-inchers, but 12s as well, the main thrust of the questions being 'what do I need to do?' along with 'which wheel arch extensions will I need?' The answer has always been somewhat 'clipped' purely because of the space availability issues both in the magazine and on the message board, so something a little more detailed was required. Although the Mini suspension was designed around the use of 10-inch wheels with cross-ply tyres, a quick dash through history reveals that fitment of these bigger wheel sizes isn't a recent, 'modern' application.

14A9010 BONNET SEAL

This is the original thicker bonnet seal that was glued on the bonnet scuttle panel drainage channel.

Early cars had a full width seal 38.5”whereas later cars used 36.5” leaving some of the wing drainage channel clear. Trim the ends to your requirement.

Conister Trust Historic Manx Rally - 28th to 30th July 2005

As this would be our first visit to the island, Anthony and I decided to take advantage of the two pre-event recce days on the preceding weekend, flying out from Birmingham and doing the Stage recce in a hired 1.4 Seat Leon

The weather was sunny and dry on the Saturday and Sunday and over a busy two days...

General fitting instructions

To ensure correct installation of the AP Braking remote vacuum servo unit, thoroughly read and adhere to the fitting instructions prior to carrying out any work on the vehicle. Introduction The vacuum servo unit is incorporated into the hydraulic braking system, remote from the master cylinder, as an intermediate stage operating between the master cylinder and the brake assemblies. The two main parts of the servo unit consist of the vacuum servo mechanism and the hydraulic slave cylinder assembly.

These component parts are bolted together so that the slave cylinder piston is in line with, and is operated by, the servo push rod. A plastic no-return valve is fitted into the vacuum shell and an integral air cleaner is incorporated to prevent foreign matter entering the air control valve chamber. The servo unit is designed to give no assistance with very light brake application. In the absence of servo assistance due to loss of vacuum, an unres...

Post race check after Donnington revealed – well, nothing really. Except I still have oil coming from somewhere to give a fine rust-proof coating to the area adjacent to the Clutch housing. Seriously annoying as generally I don't build leaky engines. No leaks from the calipers – so that's a relief, although I am still lacking confidence in the brakes on the whole. I am more and more coming to the conclusion that it is the pad type....

It was time to strip both front brake calipers completely and re-seal them to stop the irritating leaks. So that's exactly what I did using the new sets of seals I bought from KAD instead of the standard AP Lockheed seals. The AP ones look fine, but obviously something is causing them to relax or deteriorate in race use. With the calipers re-built and re-fitted I bled the system up with my Gunsons Easi-Bleed one-man brake bleeding kit.

It seemed pointless fitting new pads in for one race as I had plans to up-grade the brakes over the winter which would include a new set of a different type. I then decided to try and track down where the damned oil was coming from that was on the inner wing and under the clutch....

At the end of 2007 we were kindly invited up to the British Motor Heritage centre in Witney scheduled for the end of January. As luck would have it, this nicely coincided with the latest build of Mini Bodyshells.

Having donned our safety glasses our tour began. Anyone at this point that had visions of an automated production line, with robots and machines doing most of the work was going to be disappointed.

Mini Production dates

We have tried to get together as complete list as possible to show all the models made from 1985 onwards, hopefully this will help identify those cars that have been modified over the years. If you have any information that you know is correct or anything that you think is not right please let us know.

Cadwell Park Mighty Mini Season Opener

The 2009 Super Minis Championship kicked-off at the most technical and demanding of circuits; Cadwell Park.

Set in the idyllic hills of Lincolnshire, Cadwell is an aggressive rollercoaster of a track that demands total respect and commitment; get it right, and it’s one of the most rewarding experiences, get it wrong and it can bite with terminal ...

GS130273 Internal Bonnet Release Kit

The cable bracket is made to fit universally and will replace the original bracket as tacked in on the latest Minis. The funny looking tag, which points to the heater, is used on later cars to hold a relay and the single bolthole faces the front. This bracket should be fitted about 3" back from the lower padded rail of the parcel shelf and 5-6" from the R/H door seal. Ensure the choice of bolt holes in the cable bracket lines up with metal on the parcel shelf as latest vehicles have gaps (visible from underneath) and the plastic cloth of the parcel shelf would tear.

A Star is Born

Team Bailey with Mini Spares has had a very busy winter as you may know from some of the previous blogs I have written, and the run up to the first race at Castle Combe was to be no exception.

Besides all the car building I have taken on a new unit at the Snetterton race track in Norfolk to start the Snetterton Speed Shop as well as this being the new home for Team Bailey racing. Since October last year I have built up 2 new cars for myself a Mighty car 2 and a Super car 4 as well as my 2 team mates new cars a Mighty for Justin Cooper and a Super for Chris Slade.

Monitoring Radiators development since 1960.

I have been monitoring radiators and their development since the late 1960’s because they were and still can be a problem when tuning cars.
I have seen, tried and tested everything made available or offered to Mini Spares

Manx Rally 2023

Manx Rally 2023
Race Report

Having built one Cooper ‘S’ for Timo Makinen to use in Historic Rallying, in which he won two International Rallies, I decided to build another one with more power and less weight than the previous one.

One lesson I learnt the hard way building the first car, was that a reliable source of new parts with in-built quality, especially where obsolete parts were being remanufactured, was essential. Mini Spares of London...

Converting WET to DRY suspension The following is a practical way of converting your wet suspension to dry, acknowledging the fact that with enough skill, enterprise and facilities...

Articles search results for wing

Monitoring Radiators development since 1960.

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