Ok, I got the info on the magnets to attach to the oil filter and have ordered some. Thanks for the pm's on that.

What I am now wondering is whether anyone has actually got these magnets married to a sump plug? Seems you can get rods of the stuff that would be ideal if they can be attached securely.

Am I dreamin' (again!)

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1964 Cooper UK 970 S 'CZ 4289'

I think you can buy a sump plug with a magnet already built into the end of it. Mine has it.

Cheers Michael. I'm thinking of the kick ass rare earth magnets tho.

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1964 Cooper UK 970 S 'CZ 4289'

you can also get one that has an extension on it and puts the magnet about 3-4 inches into the sump, to attach the stronger magnet i'd be looking and putting a sleeve around the magnet thats already on the plug and slot the rod magnet into that.

Might be strong enough just cause of the magnetic attraction but you could try some sort of araldite/resin sort of bond inside the sleeve. some of the stuff you can get now is stronger than welding!

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1962 850,Frog

What about a couple of super strong ones on the oil filter, a bit like the Magnestrap (I think there's another one called FilterMag or something. This bloke sells a pack of 10 for ZN$50 which look crazy strong and no worries about them coming off in the engine. The commercial products seem to be a nylon sleeve to hold them in place if the filter is aluminium skinned.

Worth a shot and you can cut the filter to see how much swarf you've collected.

I run 2 of the rare earth 25 dia x 10 magnets on the filter, man it collects heaps of small stuff inside.
No need to use a strap, these are so strong they are hard to pull off.

I have the magnet extension sump plug and a centre oil pickup too, but it collects nothing- all the fine stuff gets caught in the filter now.
Cut a filter up afterwards, you will be amazed.

All Mini sump plugs had a magnet, but it will only collect whatever wanders over to it...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

One of my minis had the sump thread stripped and a bigger bolt put in. So i got a stack of rare earth disks and araldited them on. To test it i put the bolt head in a vice and i couldnt snap the magnets off.
Collects all sorts of fun

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Dean Hutton's first car was a Mini.

OK, so I habe bought a new sump plug (magnetic) and will see how I go fixing a rare earth rod to it replacing the original magnet. I'll let youse know how it goes.

p.s. I have also ordered the Doc's recommended magnets for the filter.

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1964 Cooper UK 970 S 'CZ 4289'

I was just emptying my bin at work, and saw some old computers in the dumpster... dismantling the hard drives now I swear i don't normally climb into those things!

Sure Hymie

Just watch your fingers with those hard drive magnets - you don't want to pinch any skin between two of them! They work great on the bottom of the oil filters.

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Too many cars, and too little time.

I wouldn't use an epoxy based glue on the sump plug, most of them soften at 70 degrees. If you have to have one on the gearbox I'd find a way to have it outside the case so that there's no chance it can stick itself to a gear.

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The 850 Man

Small ones are fine but yeah, just be a little careful. I've got a rare earth megnet at home 50mm diameter by 25mm thick - can pick up 40kg with it and almost took a finger tip off with that sucker once

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-Alan
I blame my dad for my love of minis. I think I was conceived in the back seat of one
I also blame my Dad for me being 6' 1" - not really the optimum height for driving a Mini.

Albino, no way was I gonna use epoxy. I bought the new magnetic plug to see how they attached the 'normal' magnet.
With a brand new 5 speed box, be assured I am gonna be very, very careful.

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1964 Cooper UK 970 S 'CZ 4289'

I bought a long extention sump plug with the magnet on the end. It is attached by a spring - rod into the spring one end and the rod magnet in the other. However the spring has been bent and the whole set up seams flimsy and by 'unscrewing' the bits come apart - is that normal?

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

I know you can get an aftermarket magnetic plug which goes where the oil pickup bolts to the gearbox casing in place of the flat plate. It is supposed to pick up the filings in the oil gallery before they get to the oil pump.

If this really works it would save lots of wear in the pump. A rare earth version of this might be good. You really need to have the gearbox apart to fit it properly though.

Pete