Hi all

Just wondering if there is a suggested tool or a trick to fitting the distributor spindle.



I know it seems pretty straight-forward but mine found its way to the bottom of the block/transmission casing. Now for the fun job of retreiving it.

Thanks

_________________
1968 Mini-Matic ex998 Now 1098

Welcome to the club! You haven't really experienced the challenges of building a Mini engine until you've done this - ONCE! Good luck retrieving the offending part. I spent about 2-3 hours with a wire coat hanger, magnet, and anything else that I thought might work before deciding that pulling the engine off the gearbox was the best solution.

To fit the drive spindle you should screw a suitably sized bolt into the end of the spindle and only remove the bolt once the helical gears on the spindle have meshed correctly with the camshaft AND the spindle retaining piece has been bolted down tight.

_________________
ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

i think i remember using a head stud/bolt? but yeah that sounds like a engine-gearbox split to me

d'oh!!

never had that problem, never plan to! I use one of the bolts from the passenger side engine mount, they're about 5" long

good luck!

lL/H engine mounting bracket bolt... long 5/16ths unf

there are 2x f them running horizontally (nth/sth) mounting the engine mounting braket to the square alloy block on the end of the box

these bolts are "perfect" for fitting the dizzy drive



poor bugga

i`ve never dropped on into a box before but i expect it`s onr of those things that you only ever end up doing once in your lifetime

hope the engine isn`t in the car???

_________________
No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

Went very close to it once- took about 10 years off my life expectancy.......

_________________
1967 Cooper S - new front bearings to do.
1965 Cooper S shell - Slow progress. No time or money!
1966 Deluxe- next rustoration!
Mk 2 & XJ6 Jags. Less said the better.

Years ago a French bloke on the BMC 1100 mailing list dropped his one into the gearbox. So he cut a hole in the front of the gearbox and then pop riveted a patch over the hole.

My how we all laughed.

Thanks for the responses.

Was very lucky to have a mechanic helping me with the right tools;
* lamp on a bendy stem
* camera on a stem connected to a laptop
* camera/lamp with a handheld LCD display
* 3 x extendable magnets
* pair of extremely steady hands

We managed to find it laying horizontally and slowly but surely we lifted it up. My mechanic said this would be the hardest things he's had to do with an assembled engine.

*big sigh of relief*

_________________
1968 Mini-Matic ex998 Now 1098

Reminds me of the joke about the gynaecologist that did a mechanics course

_________________
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!

Hi Bytesize, I did the same trick when I took my spindle out, thought I could get it out but it fell down into the abyss. Fortunately, I could see it and was able to manoeuvre it with the help of a strong magnet so that the thread was facing me. I went to the local bolt shop and got a 5/16 UNF bolt, 6" long and was able to screw it in the spindle and get it out. When putting the spindle back in, keep the bolt screwed in when you are trying to locate the end of it and it was easy as after that.

well fancy that.... the amazing-ness of modern technology,,, crickey, what will they think of next???

you guys are legends

_________________
No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.