A visit to Julie this week with a wheel brace and an ashtray, plus a request a few weeks ago from Alixcompo has reminded me that I really must bring this thread up to date, especially as Pandawoman has been driving him around since last October!
So, where were we........
The bulkhead was the next job to complete.
Lower half of the van bulkhead painted black.
Mounted to the floor by three bolts through a stiffener bar.
Then carpeted on the front, and trimmed along the top edge with a new but cut down bonnet seal.
Two brackets were then made to hold the dog guard, which also sat tightly on top of the bonnet seal. They were painted painted black too, honest.
Rubber checker plate floor covering was used to cover the floor in the back.
Two tool/oddments bags were then fitted to save whisper the whippet having to duck and dive loose objects in the back.
The rest of the carpet could then be laid.
The centre console could then be fitted. This also houses a light to tell you when 4 wheel drive is engaged, normally in the instrument cluster but not in Bucket as he has a clx wiring loom and instruments. Black chrome pedals, a radio/cd player and the Alfa seats pretty much finish the interior.
Oh, nearly forgot the tailgate panel......
This is the finished exhaust system, it had a second silencer fitted which made a big difference to the tinny noise of the original while still sounding subtly sporty.
The cavity wax was next, lets just say it's everywhere underneath and in all box sections/doors. The wheel arch liners were fitted next, what a difference these make to sound insulation!
Next Julie asked for mud flaps, essential with those aggressive tyres throwing up rocks the size of golf balls, well maybe not quite that big.
I didn't want to drill the bodywork to fit them so after a couple of aborted attempts this is the final design......
That just about covers everything. I did take Bucket to a few places before handing him over, just to make sure he drove ok you understand. Here are some pics from those places, Isle Of Wight, Haynes Motor Museum etc....
Aren't Mini's tiny!
.
Driving Bucket is great. The Punto 60 engine is a nice choice for a 4x4, not enough power to worry the gearbox but enough to worry a few other road users. Suspension is firm, grip on corners is great, and of course the seats make it all comfortable despite the firmness.
As I said at the beginning of the post Julie has had Bucket since October, and reports that she has a smile on her face every trip. Phew!
Julie would like an inclinometer fitted though, so if anyone has one for sale we'd be interested to hear from you. I will put a wanted ad up soon though.
A few final pics from this week to prove Julie's looking after him well......
Finally, a massive thank you to Julie for letting me build Bucket, you've been a model client. :worship::worship::worship: Hope you enjoy him for many many years.
