Hi guys,

Just need some basic advice. Firstly I am wanting to replace my old shocks on the rear of my mini, went to try and take them off today, but i can't undo them as the shocks keep Turning themselves so the bolt won't loosen So just wondering how I stop them from turning, cos you can't grab onto it enough to stop it turning with the body being so close to the shocks.

Next thing is my fuel sender doesn't work anymore. So I was wondering if someone can tell me briefly the steps on how to pull it out of the tank, and try and make it work.

Thanks in advance for your help guys.

Cheers Lockie

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Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!

You can grip the shocks by grabbing them from within the wheelarch with a pair of multigrips (channel lock pliers) and a rag. Undo the top nut like this, same for reinstall. The rag stops you from scratching up your pretty new shockers.

The sender might be a number of other problems, but all the same...after making sure the fuel level is low enough, remove the lock ring from the tank by using a suitable drift and tapping around until the ring pops out. Its held in by a cam action and needs to be rotated to be removed. Be careful from here on in a spark will make an impressive explosion. It would be smart to use a brass or copper drift and soft hammer to avoid creating sparks.

Test the sender with a multimeter, you should see a range of resistance between empty and full positions on the sender. You can do this with the sender in place if you fashion a hook of wire from a coathanger to manipulate the sender units float.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

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

Oh ok kool thankyou. Though won't gripping on the shocks and having to squeeze on the shaft of the shock, damage the shock? Because I am using the shocks on another car, after they are off this one. Oh and is there a rubber type of seal that seals the fuel off from leaking out the hole, that I need to purchase before taking the sender out of the tank?

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Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!

Hence the rag to protect the paint, and you only grab it enough to remove a nylock nut, not to crush the housing...the valving is in the inner shock in any case. If you want to be expecially careful, then grab at the very top of the shock.

You can reuse the original rubber ring, but obviously check for damage and watch for leaks after fitting initially.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

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

Check the top of the threaded section of the top of the shock , most brands have a 10mm or so section of square rod at the top so you can hold it with a shifting spanner or similar while using an open ended spanner to undo the nut . When there isn't enough room to keep a spanner on the square bit just reach under the rear guard and hold the shock body by hand and the nut should be loose enough by now to undo with your fingers .

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ok i've tried all this, and the bolt still wont fu**ing budge. It is frosen solid, and wont even move even after getting drenched in WD40 and left to sit to penetrate. So any idea's what to do now would be really good guys, cos I'm now starting to get a little angry that it is taking me this long just to undo tho bolt.

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Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!

Get a cold drink , sit down and watch some tv or cruise ausmini for a while and relax , let it soakwith the wd40 a bit longer and try again when you aren't as frustrated with it . When relaxed just have a look and see that there isn't anything physically stopping the nut being undone (crap on the thread , lock nut on top of normal nut or anything else ) . They can be tight but rarely that tight that you can't undo them while holding the top of the rod with a shifter .

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yeah i agree. I let it sit there for a good 30mins and still no luck. But im going to give it another 10min and see. There is definetly no crap or anything on the thread either, so it just doing it to annoy me, as they do Bluddy annoying, i don't know what im going to do if I can't get it off??

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Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!

I got my hydro springs out by getting a pair of mole grips/ vice grips on the nylock nut and another pair on the square that sticks off the top and slowly undo the nut like that, took a while and destroyed the nut but they came off. And try a better penetrating fluid. I use inox and works heaps better.

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Simplify and add lightness

Sometimes just cleaning the contacts on the sender work to get the fuel guage moving - it did for me many moons ago - was worried as had no money for anything at that time........worth a go......

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Cooper S Mk2
Cooper S Mk1
ex Cooper S Mk2, various Morris 1100s, 1300s, 1500s, Leyland Sherpa!

As a matter of fact, I used Inox, just happened to say I used WD40. Oh and well it did finally give way, after about 4 hrs of mucking me around.

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Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!

yeah that's what I'm hoping to do. I am in the same vote, have hardly anything to spend on the mini nowadays The sender must work to some extent becuase the gauge does move between full and just under full, so it does work to some extenet.

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Bluey-1973 Clubby - 1330, high lift, big cam, 7 port madness in progress..

Gumby-1978 Minivan, British Racing Green - 1310, high lift, mild cam, enlarged porting and chamber shape with big valve head, supercharged build in ever slow progress!