With the engine removed again, it was time to start on a long list of rework and fixes ...

I wanted to avoid having a long rubber coolant hose behind the engine (that connects the cabin heater core outlet and water pump suction pipe) to mitigate rubber hoses rubbing on things. I made a short hard line with a rubber adapter on either end with the bracket bolting under the intake manifold.


I also formed a bead on both ends and welded on a tab on either end so I know that I've pushed enough hose onto the tube when fitting the hoses.


While I was heat cycle testing the engine in the Mini, I had the radiator cap off and forgot to pressure test the system. To simulate this I blocked off all coolant ports and made a plastic plug for one of the radiator hoses, with an air line fitting screwed into the plug.


With the workshop air system set to 20psi, I sprayed soap/water mixture around all the coolant fittings to look for any bubbles and found one leak around the turbo coolant lines, which I then replaced.


The clutch line was interfering with the radiator bottom outlet when removing the radiator so I remade the clutch line to tuck in much tighter against the gearbox
Old line


New line


The HKS adjustable wastegate actuator length was preloaded to start opening at 9psi. This will likely need adjusting once the Mini is on the road


The hole for the accelerator cable that I made in the bulkhead a long time ago was a hack just to get the cable route correct, but now wanted to make a better seal over the steel lip in that part of the bulkhead


New mount

_________________
-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.

Great stuff Alan, keep it up!

I wanted to remake the layshaft bracket as the old one had a few bolt fitment issues and was badly warped from when I first made it. I used my 3D printer to print a series of prototypes to make sure the hole spacings were dead on


The final layshaft design in plastic


..and in 8mm steel (laser cut)


The alternator bracket I made a long time ago didn't have the alternator properly aligned which ended up causing the belt to move side to side slightly while the engine was running. I wanted a much more accurate way to align both crankshaft and alternator pulleys and I ended up making multiple one-off tools for this task. The first tool was a length of steel rod that I machined to fit some standard 608 bearings.


which when pressed against the crank pulley, indicated the centreline and was accurate enough to indicate a ~1.5mm misalignment over approx 330mm (less than 0.5 degrees)




With some 3D printed spacers between the camgear and alternator and a one-off between the crank pulley and alternator pulley, I made a new alternator bracket




New bracket


This may seem overkill for a single alternator bracket but it was worth it to get the alignment spot on, especially with the engine running to just over 7000rpm. The alignment was checked and the engine run to ~3500pm with no visible movement on the belt.

_________________
-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.

very snazzy!! this is one of the few threads I'm subscribed to.. always impressive

_________________
did I tell you that I won a trophy?

In regards to the bracket, I also realised that one bolt boss on the engine block is actually 1mm lower than the others, as indicated by this piece of 1mm steel sheet and a ruler edge. I made the original bracket years ago and never picked up on this before and until now could never figure out why it didn't fit perfectly


Once the bracket was remade, I also welded on a 1mm washer on the back of the bracket to allow for the difference in that third bolt boss height on the block.

_________________
-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.

Nice work Mearcat,

Yeah those bolts on the back are super annoying. Why are they all different heights/depths/sizes!!

Looks like you are nearing the end too so well done.

Cheers
Madmorrie

_________________
Madmorrie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oczLolENFMQ

I originally machined a plastic Tee piece and a 90deg elbow to join the two ports in the cam cover to the Provent oil separator but when I had the engine running, I realised that they were not sealing properly so a redesign was in order. Old design :


I started with welding an elbow - lightly press fitted into the breather port between cylinder 1 & 2.


I used my 3D printer to prototype and make a single piece connector instead. I may remake this in steel later or just keep it as PETG.


The oil drain hose from the Provent oil separator was also fouling on the engine mount bracket. I bent some 25mm tube and welded a section of it to the engine mount bracket to stop any rubbing.


Significant sections of the inner guards were cut away to fit the custom subframe and I wanted to make some inner guard liners to prevent potential debris from entering the engine bay from the wheel wells. I mocked up a design in cardboard, then replicated it in fibreglass.
Drivers side :


Passengers side (weird shape cutout of for the gearbox snout)


A few tabs tapped with a M5 thread were then welded on the subframe to mount the fibreglass liners. These liners are not designed to be a super tight fit - there is minor gap between the pieces and subframe. This photo was taken of the drivers side from inside the engine bay

_________________
-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.

Great work!

_________________

I've lost count the number of times I've had to remake brake lines after designs have changed, and here we go again...
I firstly 3D printed and assembled a plastic version of the commerically available hand-held straightener and it works surprisingly well especially compared to the DIY version I made years ago





The passenger side brake caliper line mount under the engine is far lower than ideal and exposes it to getting damaged from underneath.


I mocked up the brake line route with some wire and made a guard / skid plate that bolts to the tie-rod bracket, to mitigate any debris strike. The route does ensure clearance for the tie rod to fit and move up/down.


An intermediate line from underneath the gearbox to a joiner in the engine bay, with a mount against the subframe to hold the brake line joiner.


At the end of this intermediate line, I used a standard joiner however I machined a small section in the centre of it and 3D printed a saddle clamp for it, where the clamp has semi-circle underneath. This acts as a retainer and keeps the joiner from moving laterally, although thinking about it later this is probably overkill. Ah well


Now that I'm no longer using a brake booster, the brake line from the master cylinder to the front 3-way splitter Tee was remade (and Tee relocated from the previous location) and then the two lines from the splitter tee to the brake hose mounts made - a short line on the drivers side and longer one on the passenger side.


I also decided to remake the rear brake line (lower on on master cylinder) - so the bend radiuses matched

_________________
-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.

It was time to sort out holes (and making new ones) in the engine bay...

The passenger side had a small gap between the inner guard and the subframe


A thin strip was welded on to seal this


The same on the drivers side before :


After


Many holes had to be welded up in the engine bay (so many holes!!) eg Drivers side inner guard :




Some new holes drilled for wiring grommets including wideband sensor


Holes in the roof for a new adjustable roof mounted antenna from a Hyundai Getz


The firewall grommet I had previously installed for the speedo cable was not as clean as I'd liked so I 3D printed a custom two-piece clamp which was much better.




For a subtle touch, I added a plastic clip in the bonnet stay rod mount to stop it from rattling


Finally, to improve cooling efficiency of the small front mounted intercooled, I made a shroud for it - to force a majority of the air through the intercooler rather than be directed around it






The semi circle on the side is to feed the small air duct for the alternator, which half sits inside an enclosure in the drivers wheel arch

_________________
-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.

Great work Alan, the 3D printer is getting a good workout!

The intake manifold was always too close to the brake master cylinder for my liking and if I ever needed to remove the outlet line, it would have been just about impossible.


Since the master cylinder cannot be moved, I chose to cut away some sections from the manifold for clearance and cover with with some 2mm aluminium plate.


Despite how substantial the modification looks, only ~2mm of the inside of the inlet manifold runner is blocked.


This provides all the clearance need to remove the brake line from lower master outlet.


I've mounted my Turbosmart manual boost controller against the engine head with some custom hardlines. I did contact Turbosmart and they have confirmed the Boost-Tee will be fine to handle the heat in that setup, however recommended the use of high temperature silicone hose for the connections instead of rubber.


The 3D printer got another workout to make an airbox duct


...and some other minor items to finish off the engine bay. Remaking the drivers brake line to squeeze in-between the subframe tower and the engine mount.


making some last wiring loom mounts


Raising the intake piping so it doesn't squash the distibutor wiring loom




Fixing the frayed end of the accelerator cable with quick touch from the TIG welder, then cleaned up on the bench grinder.


The engine bay is now 100% complete and everything will soon be removed.

_________________
-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.

I'm working on the final parts of the cabin wiring now. I've already fabricated the custom heater control assembly for the dash but had a PCB made to to route the power from the cabin wiring loom to the fan power switch and speed controller The PCB also includes a power supply to a T-10 wedge globe for a backlight through the heater lever slot.


The wiring loom for the combination switches (lights, indicators, wiper stalks behind the steering wheel) was re-routed under the steering column mount


The cabin wiring was then wrapped with a few flyleads left bare and will be cut to the correct length and fitted with appropriate connectors during the final install.


The floor cross-member had some 21mm tubes welded in to make it easier to feed the wiring through. 3 out of the 4 tubes are for the digital display & wideband controllers (under the drivers seat) and associated sensor wiring. The fourth one is for rear wiring (lights, fuel pump etc)



The cabin loom was installed to confirm fitment was okay post-wrap, and it's certainly a squeeze behind the Mini dash but will need a bit of a tidy up with cable ties during the final install.


The central locking actuator and power window motor wiring in the doors needed some mounts welded on to secure the wiring looms.


Since the Mini never had any wiring in the doors from factory I took inspiration from JK Jeep Wrangler and decided on routing the wiring over the door check strap. A cover piece to hide the wiring was made using an open end zip and this was then sewn to the new check strap made from 50mm seat belt webbing. The cabling gets squashed a little more than I'd like once the door it closed... so I may change my mind on this cable routing idea yet.

_________________
-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.

Back to welding...

The last big of subframe strengthening was done - with the subframe bolted on and shell rolled on it's side so nothing warped whilst welding


Some additional 1.6mm plates welded over the "subframe "wings. I already have a 3mm plate between the wings for the rear engine mount, and a 25x3mm steel strip welded between the base of the towers. Plenty strong enough




To mitigate any cracking in the toe board (which I've seen in some high powered Minis), I welded on a pair of 2mm thick spreader plates where the subframe bolts through the floor. The nuts were also welded to the plates so there is no need to pull back the carpet if removing the subframe.


Unfortunately with many Mini engine swaps including this Toyota Starlet 4E-FTE, the engine is so wide that the from subframe suspensions arm pivot shaft cannot be removed as the engine and gearbox block its' removal. On the drivers side, I could remove the water pump and crank pulley to get it out...


but on the passengers side there's no way to get the pivot shaft out with the gearbox there. Of the dozens and dozens of engine swaps I've seen out there, this is a problem that I've never actually seen solved and I doubt anyone wants to remove an engine just to e.g. replace the rubber seals on either end of the upper suspension arm shaft.

My solution was to modify the subframe to allow the pivot shaft to also be removed rearward. The subframe normally has a 1/2" hole on the rear of the subframe towers for part of the shaft to seat into but this was enlarged


and replaced with a custom locking plate that will replace this 1/2" mount hole. Same size & shape as the factory locking plate piece on the front side of the pivot shaft




A 1/4" nut was also TIG welded to the inside of the tower for one of the locking plate bolts as this nut would not be accessible once the upper suspension arm is fitted. In this photo you can just see a factory-welded 1/4" nut welded inside the tower on left hand side.


To remove the pivot shaft rearward it required a opening in the upper footwell to access the locking plate bolts and pull the pivot shaft into the cabin footwell area. The drivers footwell (wheel arch adjacent to the opening) :


On the shell exterior I welded/formed a perimeter and welded on some nuts/studs.


Blanking plates (to be sealed with a custom rubber/neoprene gasket) were then made to close out each opening. The small bump in the plates also provides some additional clearance to the large nut of the end of the pivot shaft (just in case)

_________________
-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.

there's some good lateral thinking.. nice

_________________
did I tell you that I won a trophy?