The dreaded alternator bracket
The Alternator bracket I designed to go under the wheel arch broke about three times in four years. The alternator was just too heavy to hang out that far. It had to go.
A new one was designed however it required a much smaller alternator to fit in the relevant space. A Daihatsu Cuore was the smallest I could find. Only 60 amps. I don’t have many auxiliaries so it has been ok so far.
A new one was designed however it required a much smaller alternator to fit in the relevant space. A Daihatsu Cuore was the smallest I could find. Only 60 amps. I don’t have many auxiliaries so it has been ok so far.
Shock absorbers
The good old KYB shock absorbers provided a comfy ride but so comfy that the rear tyres would rub on the wheel arches every time I went over a bump. They were just too soft so I had to make a change. Spax Adjustables were my choice. To make it a bit easier to swap them over I cut some holes in the rear seat to access the top of the shocker. Beats taking the fuel tanks out that’s for sure. These shockers really stiffened it up. No more rubbing which was great but can be a bit bumpy on our shit Melbourne roads. I changed the bump stops to the shorter poly ones while I was there. I also added a rear sway bar to reduce the body roll which was one of my favourite additions. It handles like it’s on rails now. I would recommend this to everyone.
Got to love an exhaust....
The 2” mild steel exhaust with the Redback chambered muffler was next to go. I bought some 2” stainless tubing and 45 degree bends, cut it all to size and had a friend of mine John from Heckrath Engineering tig weld it all up for me. He did a great job as usual. I mounted it to a polished Magnaflow stainless muffler with a single inlet and twin outlets. A nice addition was my two 3” Akrapovic carbon tips. Something different to the usual mini exhausts out there.
One of my favourites...The wheels
As much as I liked the 13x6” Sportspack wheels they just didn’t fill out the wheel arches as I’d like them too. The offset wasn’t quite right. One day scrolling through Instagram I saw the Enkei style 13x7” Ultralite wheels in anthracite grey and after some research I found them to have a different offset to the usual 13x7” Minilites which meant they filled the arches but didn’t go out past them. Perfect for the look I was after.
The 2019 Mini Show (60th anniversary of the mini)
July 2019 saw the 60th anniversary of the mini and it was fitting that the Victorian Mini Club inc. put on a mini show for all to see. I managed to get mine ready in time after some trouble with the starter switch a few days before. It wouldn’t start the bugger. I thought the four spot lights should also go back on for the occasion too.
On the day there were several categories to be judged. Mine was entered into the “Rover Modified” category. There were plenty of great minis including a couple of original Cooper S’s, Coupes, Clubmans, Mokes, Race cars, BMW mini’s,
I was lucky enough to be awarded 1st place in the “Rover Modified” category. It was a great honour given the work I had put into it over the years although I have always done it for the love and passion an not the awards.
On the day there were several categories to be judged. Mine was entered into the “Rover Modified” category. There were plenty of great minis including a couple of original Cooper S’s, Coupes, Clubmans, Mokes, Race cars, BMW mini’s,
I was lucky enough to be awarded 1st place in the “Rover Modified” category. It was a great honour given the work I had put into it over the years although I have always done it for the love and passion an not the awards.