From - New England Mini Owners' Club
Articles from the British Marque
April through June, 2001
From the April 2001 Issue
On the beat with Dave Black
This month's word: ANTICIPATION. Webster defines it as
an expectation, or foreknowledge. Think about it, who among us is not
anticipating the warmer weather of spring? Synonyms for anticipation
include: foreglimpse (can you glimpse us heading out for our first
gathering of the year?); antepast (not the same as the antipasto you had at the
restaurant!);
forefeeling (I always feel better before feeling bad!).
Enough of that blather: I saw a sign in front of a church
today that says it all: "Who's praying for all this snow?" Let's
face it, it's been a fantastic winter for all of us who enjoy the snow, but now
the taste of spring is in the air. Almost all the salt is off the roads
and the frost is almost gone, so the tar can settle down and we can start
enjoying our low-strung buggies once again.
There's been little news from members this month. Steve's
rebuild is waiting for parts (we anticipate delivery any day now!).
Dave Reid has been busy taking a high-tech approach to
rebuilding his race engine this year. It seems that the cast iron A
Series blocks "flex" in response to head-torque and temperature.
To accommodate this and get a truly straight cylinder, Dave has acquired a
deck-plate (available for rent), and the honing process will be done at running
temp!
Dave anticipates another winning year and hopes to run in a
national event at least once. We¹ll be sure to keep you posted about his
schedule so you can root for the home team boy!
Speaking of Dave, he recently celebrated a momentous
birthday. Nancy invited lots of family and friends for a surprise party at
their house in Marblehead a recent Saturday night. Gag gifts were the name
of the game. You should have been there!
At this writing we are anxiously anticipating our
re-re-scheduled tech session at Newman's this coming weekend (April 1st).
At least the weather shouldn't be a problem this time.
From the May 2001 Issue
On the beat
No April Fools at NEMO's tech!
by Dave Black
April 1st dawned cold, damp and dreary! Ugh! What
an awful day to have a tech session. Forget about driving a Mini there.
Steve Dodge and I had run into a glitch in putting his car back together, and
the Thurd had given up some critical running gear in the bargain! So off
we went, down the Interstate and through the speed traps, he in his Caddy and me
in my
pickup, to the Newman's house we'd go.
Dave, Barbara and Christa gave us their customary warm
welcome and before long a real crowd had gathered. Over 20 folks in all,
and we had a chance to meet some new members and their Minis. Many thanks
to those who braved the inclement weather to show off their toys.
First on the agenda was sorting out a chronic problem Barbara
has had with her 998. The complaint was that it ran rough and had no
power. Scientific testing soon found that only three cylinders were firing.
The plugs were fouled to the point of no return, so a new set was fitted.
Better, but not right yet. Further investigation uncovered the cause of
fouling: the choke was not fully disengaging! The jet kept hanging
up in the carburetor sleeve and had to be forcibly pushed home. A little
lubricant and many up-down cycles later and things started to loosen up.
It seems the whole problem started almost two years ago when
the fuel line from the float bowl to the jet split on a trip home from British
Car Day. Dave had installed a replacement jet, but didn't notice that the
jet was too tight to allow full return from choke position.
These 998s are amazing, they can run for years grossly out of
tune and you never notice the lack of power! Try that with a 1275 and you'd
get about 10 miles before it quit!
Next up was Dan St. Croix who needed a hand adjusting his
Hi-Los. A trip to Sears to procure the proper wrenches, jack it up, and
with a little help from Steve things were soon set right.
Dave Swartz had driven all the way from Rowley to get help
sorting out a slipping clutch. Adjustments were made, but to little avail.
Another, in-car clutch job is in the offing! Maybe a good excuse for
another tech session!
Glen Carliss called soon after returning home to report that
he'd lost power about halfway there. He had eliminated the possibility of
an electrical problem and wondered what else it could be. Well, could be
valves, or could be much more sinister. He called again after removing the
head to say he'd found not one, but two bad valves! We wish him well and a
speedy recovery!
Steve's car is now back on the road and is often sighted
running with Greg and the Thurd.
Another rebuilt 1293 atop a rod-change transmission is
heading up to Maine next weekend. Ken Taplin is the lucky recipient.
Just when I thought things were quieting down for rebuilding,
along comes a deal too good to pass up. So now there's a 1293, three
trannys, and a new lump just arrived today to keep me busy in my spare time!
Anyone interested in some of this stuff?
Look for announcements about Cruise Nights in your mailbox:
we'll be planning some that aren't listed in the calendar. Be there!
Till next month S
From the June 2001 Issue
On the beat with Dave Black
Another slow month for driving events this month, but that
will change on June 3rd. Join other NEMO members and attend the "British
Cars by the Sea" show on the lovely grounds at Harkness State Park in
Connecticut. Enjoy this first show of the season along with scenic ocean views.
We are planning a rallye for July 29th at 11 a.m.
Starts from my house in Hopkinton and runs around Central Mass. to end in
Grafton for our usual cookout at Greg and Janet's house. Directions to
start: take Rt. 495 to Exit 21B. Turn right at the light onto West Elm
Street. We're #28, about a mile down on the right. If you can't find
it with these directions, then you shouldn't be in a rallye in the first place!
In member news this month, we understand that new members
Bill and Sheila Taylor from Westboro have imported a 1975 Inno Cooper 1300 from
Holland. We hope to see them at our events.
Steve Dodge sold his 1972 Innocenti to Peter Brown.
Peter and his fiancée were last seen sporting "Mini smiles"! In
further news from Steve, he is about to collect an orange Clubman fresh from
England. He will be offering this car with your choice of engines and with
the standard Clubman nose, or refitted with a Mini nose. Never to be
outdone, Steve reports that
yet another car was headed to him on the U.S. East Coast. This one is a
1975 Innocenti 1300 direct from Italy. It, too, will be available with
your choice of engines.
Early in May, Greg and I took a day trip all the way up to
Blue Hill, Maine. We performed a transplant on Ken Taplin's tilt-nose Mini
and came back the same day! It took about three days to recover from the
trip!
Feed your head
At last report, Glen Carliss had discovered two bad valves in
his 998 ("Banana Creme", for its yellow-over-white paint job).
He delivered the head to a local machine shop who advised that he replace all
the valves, seats, etc. Well, the expense would have been as much as a new
head, so he ordered a replacement.
Because Glen travels during the week, he awoke Saturday to
the happy prospect of fitting the new head and driving within a few hours.
He soon realized that the new head didn't come with a bypass hose nipple or
temperature sender. No problem, just pull those parts off the old head:
oh, nooo! The machine shop is closed on Saturday! Now what to do?
Call Dave < yes, the parts are in the basement, but, no, he won't be home.
Okay, he'll leave the door unlocked. Just to be sure, he¹ll leave three
998 heads in plain sight.
Well, the bypass nipples cannot be removed from the old
heads, so we'll just slap the best one on Banana Creme: what a great idea.
Okay, it's all torqued, let's put it in 4th gear to rotate the engine and adjust
the valves. What¹s this? It won't turn!
Reason? This is an A-plus 998 and the head is from a
pre-A-plus. One of the things they changed was the water pump pulley, and
the old head won't clear it! What to do now? Are you crazy?
Grind the head until it clears the pulley? What have I got to lose?
Thanks for the kick in the a** last night, Glen remarked
later. I went back in the garage, pulled off the fan, ground a little off
the head, and a little off the pulley. I snugged the head back down, put
everything back together, and adjusted the valves. When I turned the key,
she started up instantly.
I do not remember the engine ever sounding better or feeling
stronger. The only remaining problem is a sticky throttle. I replaced the
throttle cable and it is not operating very smoothly. I lubricated the
cable with white lithium grease and even put on a second return spring.
But it still is not the way I want it. Any suggestions?
Sure. Go to a bicycle shop and get one of their plastic
coated cables. Grind the button end to the same dimension as the one from your
car, then replace just the inner cable. Worked like a charm for me.
Now the clutch sticks
Do you have a sticky clutch? You've already rebuilt or
replaced everything (master cylinder, slave cylinder, pins) and it still won't
disengage properly?
It's a matter of physics.
The original Mini clutch system has a very limited throw with
the stock components. The master and slave cylinders are capable of giving
sufficient throw without modification, but the trick is to get the slave piston
positioned further in its cylinder so it has additional room to travel.
The easiest thing to try is to lengthen the actuating pin.
This is the pin that goes from the slave cylinder to the actuating arm.
Try welding on a 3/8" extension.
Next solution is to fit a washer behind the throwout bearing.
Another solution is to fit .100" thick washers between
the clutch diaphragm and the pressure plate. Three are needed and be
careful not to drop them!
A fourth possibility is to change the geometry of the clutch
pedal arm itself (cut and weld).
I have used the first and third solutions with success: call
if you need help!
Spot the Mini
Have you spotted the Mini in the first few seconds of the new
Beetle commercial with the structure that looks like a Apian viaduct? The
best way to spot it is to have it on videotape and pause it.