camilladainow
1 posts
Joined: 15/05/2006 20:30:27
Location: Birmingham United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
WHEEL ARCH KIT IN ABS PLASTIC 2.5'WIDE WP TYPE
Hi there,
I'm looking at changing my standard black plastic cooper arches for some mini spares wide profile (WP) ones (or similar). Do you reckon they'll fit using the same holes as the old ones, and how easy do you think i could do them?
Do you think these are the nearest copy to the retro wood and pickett ones?
Any tips, let me know!!
Thanks,
Camilla Dainow
Posted: May 15, 2006 08:37 PM
chriswood206
6 posts
Joined: 24/01/2005 09:32:37
Location: knaresborough United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
car
hi, i know its abit more than you wanted but, ive got a 1litre mini, which i gt insured on for 486quid, (im 17) but im selin it now to get a new project, its white with two blak vipers dwn the centre of the car, group5ex wide arches, white alloys, new chrome, new subframes,new radiator,water pump,hoses, its got red corbeau racing seats red harnesses,red int carpets, black dash, 12 racing steering wheel, red racing geerknob, il be leaving it with a set of jbl component speakers in it which are amazing, and it has two hioles for 6 x 9s in the bak of the bak seat, which can be uncovered if you take the back seat off, its all sprayed underneath as i have speakers in it now, the car is georgeous, i have only used jbl, momo, sparco, n minispares parts so its all top spec, looks amazin, if you can stretch to it ill sort some pics out for you, im sellin it for as near to 1000 as poss, but its got about 2an a half grands worth of kit in it, perfect for a 17year old, get back to me, chris
Posted: Mar 29, 2005 10:29 AM
Roger
17 posts
Joined: 07/02/2006 13:05:05
Location: March United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Metro 1275 to Mini Dilemma
Hi everyone, just thought I’d share this little bit of decision making with all you guys out there with loads of mini experience just to see what you think. I have recently fitted a 1275 Metro lump into my Mini 30. A job I’m sure a lot of you have done. The transplant went without too many problems and “Lulu” as she is referred to goes extremely well but there are one or two issues I’d like some opinion on.
Firstly the wheel size. To get the same overall wheel size as the Metric wheels of the Metro I need to fit 155/65/13 tyres and wheels. Getting these is not a problem I’ve already checked, but I’ve read so many horror stories about fitting 13” wheels. Having to do some body surgery etc, and that isn’t going to happen, I’m not too concerned about maybe loosing some road holding characteristics as My wife and I are not bidding to break the land speed record around any bends. If we were then I’d leave it alone. it’s just the top end makes the old girl kind of scream a bit. Noise and the cost of “Jungle Juice” are the main reasons for change.There is a second option to sort this I think. Change the ratio of the Primary Drive gear chain. This means taking her heart out again which is not too difficult, just a pain in the butt.
The second item for debate is the suspension. The unit I’ve installed has an automatic gearbox. OK, I can hear the groans from here. My little lady can only drive “toy” cars so automatic it is and she enjoys the driving experience which was the reason for the mod. But!! The gearbox is much heavier than the manual so the suspension needs to be considered as the clearance between the front wheels and the wheel arch is a bit close.Here again it seems there are two or three options. Just fit Hilo’s and jack it up a bit or replace the cones with springs and Hilo’s. Mini-spares are more than enthusiastic about these but only recommend them for racing. Surely if they are good for the arduous task of supporting the car under race conditions it should be good enough for Joe Public trundling around on our roads? The third option for this query is to fit coil over kits. In all the forums I’ve read through no one mentions either of these modifications to the suspension yet coil over kits are virtually the same idea as Mcpherson struts on every other car on the road except the coil over kits bolt to the side wall of the wheel arch not the top but they must give a better ride. Who out there has experience of these things? Or is it an insurance thing and nobody fits them? I await you opinions
Roger-D
Posted: Dec 26, 2007 01:26 PM
Tyrone
12 posts
Joined: 30/12/2004 13:22:52
Location: Trowbridge United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Red Hot
Hi I'm new to this forum and thought you'd like to see my '88 Red Hot. It's only done 33k and has a stage 1 kit. Sounds very nice. I had the wheels for xmas and sprayed and fitted the wheel arches. I am pleased with the result. Next step is to add a MK1 grille with moustash and a walnut dash. Ty
Posted: Dec 30, 2004 09:03 PM
biblejohn
85 posts
Joined: 08/05/2005 12:44:41
Location: United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
shocks
Posted: Jun 06, 2005 10:59 AM
pickme
672 posts
Joined: 08/09/2004 23:10:14
Location: Chippenham United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Suspension Dilema
Sounds like a nice project on the go :-D 1. As youve probably already noticed, this is expenceive and for a track car, Ive seen some quite scary wheel lifting under braking with wet. Ideally, youll need uprated helper springs to keep the backend on the ground but Im not sure how easy these are to come by. 2. Expencive to start with (unless you already have to change a subframe) but will probably pay for itself over the next few years with cheaper replacement parts. Youll also get a better selection of suspension bits for dry including hi-los and adjustable dampers etc which wont work on a wet setup. 3. I think the rear wheel arches had to be turreted previously, but looking at the new coil over sets, it looks like the rear dampers are offset at the top now instead. It should all bolt in place with out too much bother, but Ive thought that before on Mini upgrades..... Only thing I would say is look through the Blue Book to see if coil overs are valid. It says in the 2004 Blue Book, that the suspension must remain in the standard configuration. I guess that means you cant fit double wish bones where MacPherson struts used to be, but then a coil over kit doesnt change the action of the suspension. Anyone out there been through this? What event are you going to run in? Im entering the Friarsgate-MG Rover Curborough Sprint Championship this year in my 93 SPi. Itd be good to have something else well within the 1400cc limit to run against ;-)
Posted: Feb 20, 2005 08:50 PM
Chris
3 posts
Joined: 21/09/2004 09:47:26
Location: Hatfield United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Selling Advice...
Hi guys, just looking for some advice with regard to selling my mini and draw on your pooled mini knowledge, its an 89 City in red with all the Cooper decals and a Stage one kit, also has all the chrome bits (bumpers, wipers) and bonnet pins and grill buttons fitted as well. The interior is standard Sprite interior plus a CD player, full mini dash and dash monuted Kenwood speakers. the arches are cut for 13s and she comes with 6x13 Superlites fitted as well. THe bad bits are mainly the body, theres a fair bit of rust in both the rear panels and one of the a panels, itll need a fair bit of work unfortunetly. Theres also a bit of damage to the bootlid but im looking to get a replacement for it. Lastely its Northern Ireland registered with the plate GDZ 6667 which ive heard is pretty cool, totally legal here and i i hear NI plates are quite popular too. (also seems to avoid parking/speeding fines!) Now my question is one of two things, is it best to sell it by parts (which will break my heart) or sell it as a whole? And if I do, how much do u reckon Ill get for it? I was hoping for £300-£400 at least with the wheels and all. Oh and its got an MOT till te end of August and ill put 6 months tax on as well. (If you might be interested itll be ready next week, email me at C.Wilson@herts.ac.uk)
Posted: Jun 09, 2005 11:55 AM
DANIEL
Joined: 01/03/2005 09:32:03
Location: IPSWICH United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
RE: mk 1 grille and carb change
Hi again, You can get the electric fan kits from any mini specialist, there around about £100 so do check to see if yours has got one or not. I know the later minis were fitted as standard but im not sure what year they switched over. The electric fans are fitted inside the passenger side wheel arch so youll be able to see it if you look behind the front left wheel. If its not electric then itll be in between the engine and the radiator. Minispares stage one kits come with a K&N filter element which goes in the original air box that sits on top of the engine, which is an improvement over the original air filter. The pancake filters are good, and cheep, around about £10 i think, i had them on my mini when i had twin carbs and i was perfectly happy with them. The K&N cone filter is supposed to be the ultimate (link below), but you proberly wont notice the differance on the road and there alot more expensive, around £45. http://www.minispares.com/Product.aspx?pid=35281 Sorry about the pics, i think that was my fault, ive tryed to attach them again so hopefully you should be able to see them this time. Glad to be able help, Daniel.
Posted: Jan 25, 2006 04:40 PM
Roobz
223 posts
Joined: 15/12/2005 01:31:36
Location: Redbridge United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Lowering my mini......Help!!
Been thinking bout lowering my mini for a while now but cant seem to get round to finding a proper kit, i only really need to drop the front by maybe 2-3 inches but the back,,damn look like it could be dropped about 5-5 inches, im runnin 7x13inch metro turbo wheels with sportspack arches so as you can imagine with that massive gap above the real wheels it doesnt really sit well and looks a mess from the side, (all sizes are random guesses just from lookin)
so can anyone help me and point me in the direction of a good price kit, im not looking for any performance brand named stuff il do all that fancy stuff later, just need a decent kit for now at a decent price,
Looking forward to some good advice. Cheers. Richie
Posted: Jul 25, 2006 05:55 AM
Danny
11 posts
Joined: 29/04/2006 20:08:37
Location: ROCHESTER United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
My New Mini (Classic)
just recently brought Rust boot floor (not battery bay) :D inner sill l/h ns drivers floor has a thumb hole what do you recomend doing (will be doing the oil and filter change shortly .. work in garage) i also need a twin air filter it has a twin carb set up any one got a link to one as i cant find also the body kit fron rear and sides have not been put on right the wheel arches have a rubber sill and that looks neat can you get something like that to go on the front sides and rear they all be put on but not very well and are damaged thanks Danny.
Posted: Oct 08, 2006 12:02 PM
Betty 2K1
19 posts
Joined: 15/03/2006 15:40:07
Location: Bolton United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Roughly how much is my mini ?
Hi, I'm looking at selling my mini, but not sure what it is worth. It is a 1983 mini city and has done 16,000 miles.
There is dent just over the wheel arch on the rear driver's side and needs a re-spray/touch up on the roof and driver's side also. The interior is all original and like new. It has chrome wheel arches fitted and alloy wheels. It also has a stage one engine tuning kit fitted.
Many thanks in advance.
Posted: Mar 12, 2007 09:33 AM
John
1948 posts
Joined: 28/05/2006 16:49:46
Location: cambridge United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
What's my type
officially the factory stopped marks at mk3. so 1969-2000 is mk3 as later changes in structure were too minor to warent a mark change. instead it gradually changed over production. but there is a genrally agreed mark system. of which yours is a mk5, but it means little more than a guide to aid part selection.
as you will already have 8.4" discs you will need 12" minilight wheels, 13" can be fitted with modifyied wings and arches, 10" reqire 7.9" or small discs. alloy width vary but u can fit 165 tires on 4.5" rims as are standard steel wheels.
if you wish to convert to 7.5/7.9" discs to fit 10" wheels then the same disc hubs are used and kits to convert are around £300, if money is tight it is becoming quite popular to fit mk1/2 ford fiesta calipers onto cut down discs with metro flanges that costs less than £100 after modifying work.
Posted: Jun 17, 2007 02:17 PM
gaz coilover suspension
Front's easy, just bolt the bracket kit in place and away you go.
Rears are a bit more involved but it's better than it was. Most new rears are offset at the top to avoid changes to the wheel arches. I think there is a problem with standard trailing arms in that the damper mounts are in the wrong place or can't take the weight. I fitted KAD alloy arms which are suitable as standard.
You can keep the rear sub frame but there is a weight saving to be had if you don't.
Posted: Jun 28, 2007 12:22 PM
J. Clarke
1985 mini 25 998 100bhp engine help
. I would use standard rocker ratio pressed steel or cast ones will be fine and standard ones are weaker but will hopefully manage. Use around 180lb springs as greater than this will only waist power. Fit a good radiator and and extra electric fan inside wheel arch may help on hot days in traffic. Exhaust wise medium or large bore should be ok, however it will run smoother at lower rpm with medium rather than large bore, if turbo is used u may have to use large bore. The best turbo kit available was janspeed one if your going second hand. but i would go the supercharge root as can vary prussure simpley with cange in pully sizes make sure not to overspeed it beond what its designed too. supercharge will give no lag and large turbo on small engine will give very large lag.
that was end of my post earier but it cut it off as pasted too much text in
also as far as iam aware scatter cam just takes in consideration shared exhaust port on a series engine. scatter profile is only used on siamese port engines so to my knowledge only affects exhaust profiles not intake but correct me if im incorrect
Posted: Oct 06, 2008 04:50 PM
Il be original and name this Thread 'My Mini' lol
So this is my mini,
Its a 998cc 1992 Rover studio 2, but as you can see its been painted and had wheels and arches fitted,, was this way when i brought it, wheels and tires were brand new,, (still had the tire paint and stickers on em) and iv never seen em on a mini before, there from a metro turbo i beleive,, but have been powder coated white to contrast the car
hoping for a few minor mods (998 cooper head, stage one kit, HiLos, negative camber)
Let me know what you think guys. Richie.
Posted: Feb 13, 2007 04:57 PM
retro wheels
yeah either 7.5" discs or minisport do 7.9". then you have a choice of ventilated brakes (these can be used longer before brakes loose there bite so good in hilly areas or racing). and 4 pot calipers, these have 4 pistons pushing 4 pads instead of std 2. if your car is just 998 the 7.5" non vent 2 pot caliper setup is fine. you can get 10" cooper s style wheels from mini speed that go over 8.4" but be warned they have a massive offset so will stick out far and put increased load on your wheel bearing, you will also need wider arches.
his minisport setup ready
http://www.minisport.com/classic-mini-shop/products/brakes-drivetrain/brake-kits-assemblies/brake-conversion-kit-mini-product.html
minispares also do it but dont think do kit for 8.4" discs to 7.5"
Posted: Feb 22, 2007 11:05 AM
Neuro
Joined: 12/08/2005 05:55:39
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan Brunei
coilovers
Hello people.
Was thinking of the same setup on mine. Maybe GAZ coilovers.
Question: Does the bracket kit for these coilover good enough to provide clearance for the wheel/arches? Any body work required?
Anyone out there have it done?
Posted: Apr 27, 2006 02:41 AM
61van
Joined: 15/05/2005 17:57:43
Location: Afghanistan
Arches help needed - cant find what I need
I fitted these arches last year as a temporary measure to cover the wheels, but now I need to get it done right prior to a light body restoration. The arches have a 'dent' for a front bumper and a cutout round a wing indicator, which I dont have, and at the back the fit is not good because I think a saloon curves inwards slightly where of course a van body doesnt! Theres also another 'dent' for a rear bumper, but nowhere near where a van rear bumper would be. I need some suggestions of what other arches might give a better fit or how best to make the ones I have do the job. And, just to make it a bit more tricky, theres the second photo I uploaded. Thats the Mini van trailer that I just found, which needs a similar pair of rear arches. So I either need a kit of SIX arches including four rears, or of just TWO arches - I wouldnt imagine any arch manufacturer selling them in numbers other than four! And just in case anyone can help, I also need two more matching alloys for the trailer - 8*13 deepdish chrome minilite replicas. Absolutely ANY help very much appreciated! Mike
Posted: May 15, 2005 06:11 PM
Rob
4 posts
Joined: 05/04/2007 22:04:21
Location: RAINHAM United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
my toy
hello fellow mini fans, been lookin at all you minis here thought i should put mine up if my limited geek knolage allows me to do so hahaha. not very
its a bit of an oddball but i love it....log book and heritge say its a mk1 cooper s 1967 but i have a mk2 body. but i think it is a cooper got twin tanks and all the gear no interior though and no engine but will kit that out when i can get some cash together
goi to be island blue, black inside 10 inch wheels no arches and hopefully a bit nippy.
a piccie ( i hope) dont look much at the mo but only had it since 2003
Posted: Mar 31, 2008 01:40 PM
AndyAd
13 posts
Joined: 15/01/2006 14:27:25
Location: LIVERPOOL United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
My almond green mini 1000
Introducing 'Magic' my 1980 mini 1000. Been off the road since June 2006!
Almond green with old english cream roof and retro roof rack. full length italian job style black leather bonnet straps.
Minispares Stage one engine kit with electronic ignition and 7.5 inch cooper S disc set up.
Original blackpool mint rock style seats and mini special centre console with glove box.
Refurbed and very rare Exacton 10in wheels with orginal metal centre caps and repro centre logos./falken rubber. Group 2 narrow arches.
56k on the clock and no rust. Waxoyled inside and out.
I plan on using it next summer as my daily driver.
Posted: Sep 18, 2008 09:26 PM