It's hard to believe I've been mini-less for over a year and a half since the crash!

However, with the engine recently rebuilt by my friends down at mini king, and the body work almost completed - I'm preparing to put it all together, which should all happen within the next few weeks! Excited

New radiator has been purchased.
Will be making sure all gauges working and accurate.
Upgrading to Halogen headlights!

A few questions regarding further upgrades. What's worth doing....

Is it worth installing an electric fuel pump? The mechanical one was fine before hand.

Where's the best place to get my new radiator hoses etc.? Is there a kit you can buy online? Once again, old ones seemed 'okay', but just though it's probably a good idea.

I've got the old style tin can master cylinders, are the new (plastic ones) any better? Apart from looking a bit tidier..

So you get the idea, this time I just want to everything properly. Any suggestions appreciated on anything I should think about upgrading or check for at this stage prior to putting in the new engine?

Cheers

i did much better (electric fuel pump)

you can buy silicone black hose kits from minispares & ebay. cheap & last forever.

ermmm. all i can think off.

maybe zinc all you're bolts? it's pretty cheap to do a bucket i think it's $80??

im sure mick did a bucket of his nuts

Zincing bolts. Worth doing???

Totally!

You can fill a 20 litre bucket with whatever and drop it off at a zinc platers. It will cost maybe 80 dollars for 20 litres of whatever you can squeeze in there. They will ask you if you are after yellow, black or silver plating and they will take maybe a week to two weeks to finish the job.

The benefits you get from having the bolts degreased is value on its own, then you start start putting things back together with all the pretty nuts, bolts and plates. Then you only regret what you didn't throw in the bucket.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Excellent. Off to get it done tomorrow.

How do you go about not getting the stuff all mixed up in the process? Or will it just be fun sorting through it all once you get them back??

Use a digital camera to take pictures of groups of things you would like to keep together. With the barrel plating process it will all be jumbled up and there's nothing you can really do about that, but you can find them all easy enough if you have a decent pictures before they go. I sort them out once they're back into their associated groups.

Make sure the place you take it to can perform barrel plating. Its cheaper, but the trade off is that a couple of bolts won't plate as well as the rest, and you can lose the really tiny stuff, although they are pretty careful all the same.

Consider keeping the really tiny stuff at home, its not worth risking them being lost. I am happy to send 1/8th self tapper screws, but am not keen on sending out the very smallest of unique formed shape washers for instance.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.