evening ausmini folk

I have been looking at a few "roundie" clubbies and it got e thinking.

Would it be legal/posible to have a clubman with a roundie flip front.

My other thought was if this is possible could you then also have an interchangable clubman nose. Would it be legal to swap them around like that? If you kept the chassis no on the rad cowl and left that attached to the rad somehow could you get away with having a roundnose mini if the cops pulled you over?

May be dreaming.

DAVID

it's OK to do what you're suggesting, but it's gotta be engineered = $$$

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Yes, as mentioned, the flip front conversion will need to be engineered to be legal.

When doing the flip conversion, the inner guards are usually completely removed and thrown away........ BUT...... you could also leave them (and therefore also the radiator shield with body number) right where they are... so you would flip the outer guards to reveal the inner guards surounding the engine.

AND THEN

you could have a seperate bonnet so that it would be possible to do regular engine checks (eg: in front of police) without flipping the guards forward.


I have seen one done this way..... its a bit strange, but works well. Just not as much access as a regular flip conversion has..


Just note: you will need a Rover mini bonnet for the hinges to line up properly with clubman mounting points.

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[NATHAN] -- Sold everything mini related and am back in big beautiful BMWs

Wouldnt the fact that the clubman bodyshell is a few inches longer at the front than a roundnose one present a problem?

nup, it's only the guards and bonnet that are longer, the subframe/engine is in exactly the same position

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Well, yes and no.....

As "skssgn" pointed out, the subframe is in the same location, so having either the round or square front on the same car is possible..... but the main issue would be the inner guards.

For 2 reasons.

The clubman inner guards appear much heavier due to the formed upper section. This bit basically blends the wider clubman bonnet opening to the radiator shroud.

The length of the inner guard from the bulkhead to the headlight mounting panel is a couple inches longer on the clubmans too.

These 2 reasons make the fitment of a round nose front slightly challenging.... but not impossible. The clubman inner guards can be kept, although they would not be able to support the outer guards in the correct positions, and would need modifying to suit the shorter round nose guards.

If it was totally necessary to keep the inner guards, the smart thing to do would be to have them detatchable aswell, possibly by having the inner guard overlap the body (or fabricate some 90* edges that would mate together) in the section above the upper shock brackets... held together with a few bolts or quick release fasteners..... and then making a bracket to locate the lower front edge to the subframe. (you could have both suare and round stlye inner guards to suit the outer guards you have fitted that day )

Now you would be able to lift the bonnet as per normal (or modify the hinges for quick release), then flip the front forwards (or remove it), and then remove the inner guards.

It all depends on how much stuffing around you are prepared to do.


If all that sounds too hard, have a look at this front end replacement I am doing.... (just a quick overview)

Click on pictures to enlarge them

Here you have a body with the front end removed...


1. Take a Rover Mini front cut...


2. Cut away all the bulkhead, leaving the inner guards, outer guards and front panel


3. Leave an overlap here for permanent welding (or mounting brakets for easy removal if desired)


4. And you get a car llke this

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[NATHAN] -- Sold everything mini related and am back in big beautiful BMWs