LED Clusters

The LEDs arrived this morning and plenty of these are needed now!! my eyes are hurting!!!

Just a sneak preview of how bright they are, this is only 12 LEDs. Each segment will have around 40 !!!!!!!

LED Clusters

The below (29/04/07) has now been finished and complete - and tidied to a much better standard than it was left in, however I haven't any pictures as it started to drizzle and wanted to get the car covered and safe from weather before it chucked down.

Wet weather work has started, design and mock up of the LED rear lights, and design of the loom has started - everyone that has owned a mini knows how unreliableable and shocking the electrics are in the mini - and this was to be one of the main priorities to replace when we started to rebuild.

Some mock up pictures for you, and the design.

Ordered some 5mm Ultrabrite LEDS from HK - £1.36 and they are 130,000MCD (in other words - f**king bright!)

Rear Arch Repair

Things have taken some progress this weekend, I have started and nearly finished a doorcard, and I have got both visors sorted, but I didn't take any pictures because I know how boring it is to see some random fabric!!!

Here are the pictures from the weekends work, if you've been keeping up with the blog you'll see the bits that have been added in and I have sat outside and skim filled over the top of them.

Not really much else to say so I'll get on with the pictures.

Companion Bin Repair!

Here is the "Companion bin closing plate' welded in and done.


Door step complete, and you can just see the template to make that rear bit, as they don't do a 'repair' panel, you can only buy a huge lump including the sill.


Door fits nicely!

Re-trim

This won't be a very interesting update - but I'm doing interior retrimming - I'm wondering why I don't do this for a living??!! HAHA!

Total spent on material: £12 (for a 3 sheets that would carpet several living rooms)
Total spent on foam: £7 (for a sheet that would carpet several living rooms)
Total spent on machine: £FREE!

I work this out to be cheaper than getting a company to do it for you, I found that one re-trimmed sunvisor was £25!!!!!!!

My weapon of choice, a Singer 748 (has a sticker saying 1300SPM!!!) this was a free machine from FREECYCLE - got to love it! (www.freecycle.org)



I cut some card from a Strongbow box - I'm an alkieholic! hehe! Good excuse to get another box maybe? The layers worked out as:
Foam > Card > Metal Frame > Card > Foam




I'm not hot on this sewing machine stuff, it was my first attempt since school, the top one is the second and the bottom one is the first.


Then I glued all my layers together with Industrial Spray Mount, and tried to work out how to get the layers into my material pouch?!

Little bit of a push and struggle I got them in....

Drivers Side

Well, just to prove that there is no slacking going on, I'll update a little. (I'll try and explain so you understand, but I'm never good with words!)

The new outer sill wasn't welded on very well (previous owner) - so tidying of the bird poo welds and re-welding the panel properly has been started, and general tidying up and sorting out. Not much really left on the drivers side to do, few little bits really, and the most major part is part of the rear arch (outer). Which is a lot less than we'd have had to do on Mutley Mk1, most of the rear arch would have needed replacing. So it's saved time and money on that front.

Anyway, picture time!

Rear arch section that needs replacing, shouldn't be to tricky, and this is the most major bit we have to do, which is nice. You can see the old sill inside the new one - I'm not sure what has gone on here, I think it was to do with them lining up the new one?! You can also see that huge bare metal patch... it was covered in filler - but nothing underneath - panel is totally straight as well - again not sure what's going on there?!?!?!?!

Tidying the sill and drilling the wholes to weld it on properly, I'm really pleased how clean this shell is - just minor bits and bobs to do really.



Ready for spotting - I was feeling a bit artistic at this point, can you tell?

I think we are on target to finish and get the shell solid before the end of summer, hopefully even before the end of summer. Fingers crossed!

I'm getting excited about the prospect of seeing 'him' sprayed and looking lovely - as I have been doing lots of bits and bobs with trim etc.

Brief History

Brief History

Mutley was bought in October 2004, with the intention of driving him for a few years until I wanted to start him as a 'project'. However in April 2005 we found that this was not possible due to POS (previous owner syndrome) everything that was supposed to be solid was actually a lie, but being new to mini's we didn't realise this, I now know alot more and kick myself daily for the amount I spent on Mutley MK1. The ends of the scuttle where stuff with newspaper, and fillered over at one end, the other had a plate of metal welded in with 3 inches thick of filler and fibreglass. Lots more of this kind of thing continued throughout the car. However much it dishearted me, I didn't have the heart to give up.
We come to present day, when I have just picked up Mutley MK2, simply because it is a much solid shell - and a lot less work is to be done - it's basically a bit of tidying, plus who could refuse at the tidy sum of £65 (INCLUDING DELIVERY!)

Pictures

Mutley in October 2004

(the day he was bought)

Some of the things we found
(Warning - these pictures are shocking)

The day he moved from my Mums house to my pad

The Boys together

Mutley MK2

Some of my Plans

Few of the plans on the cards, I've forgotten most of it, but I'm not surprised - new ideas come up every day with 'Mutley'.

Aiming to have a water-tight shell by the end of the summer (which hopefully will be painted!)

Tidy bodywork & strip yucky sound deadening
E16SE Turbo
Dakota Digital Dials
Bodywork to be finished in Volkswagen Brilliant Orange & Fiat Broom Yellow
Mutley MK1 to be made into trailer
Lots lots more!

Tasty Wheels