What a shame to paint them. 
General Franko the 1971 500L
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General Franko the 1971 500L
What a shame to paint them.
I agree the look really nice it bare metal but not too shabby in black either.
I notice you have a grinding wheel there Sean. Can it take a polishing pad? All the alloy bits like the steering box, engine mounts etc polish up like new using a wheel.
Tony
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OP
Oh yes, we do like our toys.
I just found some old photos of my old turbo charged Mini, some good, some bad
Those were the days when I had more time, I rebuilt this from a bare bodyshell 4 times. I admit it did have 3 different shells as I had a tendency to crash them. It was rather fast, I raced a Sierra Cosworth and kept up with it until 95mph down a 1/4 mile stretch. It used to have so much power at 14psi (standard 4-7) that it used to be hard to keep in a straight line as the wheels would still be spinning.
Oh to be young again. Mind you I only had 3rd party insurance and didn't declare all the modifications.
I just found some old photos of my old turbo charged Mini, some good, some bad
Those were the days when I had more time, I rebuilt this from a bare bodyshell 4 times. I admit it did have 3 different shells as I had a tendency to crash them. It was rather fast, I raced a Sierra Cosworth and kept up with it until 95mph down a 1/4 mile stretch. It used to have so much power at 14psi (standard 4-7) that it used to be hard to keep in a straight line as the wheels would still be spinning.
Oh to be young again. Mind you I only had 3rd party insurance and didn't declare all the modifications.
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I think writing off a Mini was a expected scenario in my youth. Not clever but it did happen quite a lot as it seemed to be the young drivers car of choice.
One of my mates has a old 60's Mini fitted with an Eaton Turbo or supercharger I can't remember which. I think it is a turbo. He has the rally type gear shift fitted in it and I can't remember how much BHP it produces but it makes a horrendous noise and the wheels spin so much it is virtually impossible to keep in a straight line. I would describe it as undrivable.
Last time I heard he had taken it to some place in Sussex that are Mini specialists and I think they basically recommended removing the turbo.
One of my mates has a old 60's Mini fitted with an Eaton Turbo or supercharger I can't remember which. I think it is a turbo. He has the rally type gear shift fitted in it and I can't remember how much BHP it produces but it makes a horrendous noise and the wheels spin so much it is virtually impossible to keep in a straight line. I would describe it as undrivable.
Last time I heard he had taken it to some place in Sussex that are Mini specialists and I think they basically recommended removing the turbo.
OP
OP
The pedal assembly has now been fitted back together with a nice bit of grease on the shaft/bushes. Just waiting for pedal rubbers & the master cylinder repair kit.
The sand blaster has seen a bit of action this weekend.
I had stripped the gear lever assembly & the starter/choke mechanism apart a while ago and gave them a good clean. With a good blast to get rid of all the old paint & rust, all was needed was a little preparation for some of the pitting.
The gear shift mechanism was in perfect order including the bronze bearings in the rubber bush. That's a very cheap ingenious bearing they come up with. The only parts required are 2 bolts & a gear knob to finish it off.
The plastic levers for the starter/choke mechanism were rather weathered and the surface was all deteriorated, I gave them a quick blast then sanded them smooth.
Once painted the plastic gave a slight textured look where the plastic has a tendency to fluff up. This gave the finish I was after.
I will probably give them a coat of satin black once the gloss has cured properly.
The mechanism was a nightmare to get back together due to the spring. And it wasn't until after I put it together that I noticed the 2 black plastic bushes were different length, and guess what? I had them the wrong way round so had to take it all apart again.
In putting it together the levers get scratched, so I had to give it another coat of paint once assembled.
At the start of this restoration I thought I might need a new one as it looked so bad. So it just goes to show what can be repaired.
Some other items on their way to restoration are the air ducts, Regulator and the ash tray.
The sand blaster has seen a bit of action this weekend.
I had stripped the gear lever assembly & the starter/choke mechanism apart a while ago and gave them a good clean. With a good blast to get rid of all the old paint & rust, all was needed was a little preparation for some of the pitting.
The gear shift mechanism was in perfect order including the bronze bearings in the rubber bush. That's a very cheap ingenious bearing they come up with. The only parts required are 2 bolts & a gear knob to finish it off.
The plastic levers for the starter/choke mechanism were rather weathered and the surface was all deteriorated, I gave them a quick blast then sanded them smooth.
Once painted the plastic gave a slight textured look where the plastic has a tendency to fluff up. This gave the finish I was after.
I will probably give them a coat of satin black once the gloss has cured properly.
The mechanism was a nightmare to get back together due to the spring. And it wasn't until after I put it together that I noticed the 2 black plastic bushes were different length, and guess what? I had them the wrong way round so had to take it all apart again.
In putting it together the levers get scratched, so I had to give it another coat of paint once assembled.
At the start of this restoration I thought I might need a new one as it looked so bad. So it just goes to show what can be repaired.
Some other items on their way to restoration are the air ducts, Regulator and the ash tray.
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Interesting seeing how complex such apparently simple mechanisms are. Glad I was able to turn a blind eye to those sorts of bits. It would have added years to my speedy restoration.
It's dangerous that sandblaster. in theory it speeds things up because you can avoid loads of rubbing and degreasing etc. but it makes such a nice job you will have to restore everything
It's dangerous that sandblaster. in theory it speeds things up because you can avoid loads of rubbing and degreasing etc. but it makes such a nice job you will have to restore everything
OP
OP
Lucky for me I am running out of parts to restore.Interesting seeing how complex such apparently simple mechanisms are. Glad I was able to turn a blind eye to those sorts of bits. It would have added years to my speedy restoration.
It's dangerous that sandblaster. in theory it speeds things up because you can avoid loads of rubbing and degreasing etc. but it makes such a nice job you will have to restore everything
There are a few suspension components to do, the rear arms will have to be taken to where I got the car done as they are too large for my cabinet and will take ages.
I suppose there are a few parts to restore on the engine.
After that its buy new parts, I have a fairly large list but I have saved what I can. There's patina that I can live with
Good on you Sean...like a lot of us, you should be committed..you're so committed
Interesting seeing how complex such apparently simple mechanisms are. Glad I was able to turn a blind eye to those sorts of bits. It would have added years to my speedy restoration.
It's dangerous that sandblaster. in theory it speeds things up because you can avoid loads of rubbing and degreasing etc. but it makes such a nice job you will have to restore everything
Looking good Sean.
Good job I didn't have one of those cabinets. Can you imagine it, there wouldn't be a component on the car that wouldn't have got blasted!!!!!!!
Tony
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I know that feeling Tony, I must admit it works well and takes a lot of the hassle out of rubbing things down. It gets rid of all the rust in areas I could never reach with wire brushes etc.
Lovely Jubbly.
Lovely Jubbly.
OP
OP
A couple more items refurbished.
Voltage regulator all done, just waiting for new decal.
Ash tray done, had to repair a hole in the main tray, bead blasted the lid & base. I went for gloss black in the end. I think it looks smarter. unfortunately you cant see the finish properly in the photo, I tried a few times, might be better in the daylight. I even went for a flat & polished piano finish.
Assembled one of the air vents. However the over air vent plastic section snapped in my fingers when I removed it. Does anyone have a spare one they could send me?
Voltage regulator all done, just waiting for new decal.
Ash tray done, had to repair a hole in the main tray, bead blasted the lid & base. I went for gloss black in the end. I think it looks smarter. unfortunately you cant see the finish properly in the photo, I tried a few times, might be better in the daylight. I even went for a flat & polished piano finish.
Assembled one of the air vents. However the over air vent plastic section snapped in my fingers when I removed it. Does anyone have a spare one they could send me?
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Sean, is the silver part of the ash tray brushed aluminium? Mine had been repainted so I went and redid it.
OP
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Well I think it was either zinc plated or painted aluminium, it was rather corroded in the bottom due to either cigarette butts or water from where it sat with the roof missing. I ended up spraying it silver in the end. It looks fine & won't be getting any action from cigarettes.?
Good idea! Silver paint.
OP
OP
Hi all,
A little late but happy new year to everyone!
I have been rather busy with work, family & my other passion Backgammon recently, and what with the cold weather I have been a bit slow going with Franko.
There has been some action in the garage and I will try and get a few posts going once I get all my photos loaded.
First off the front suspension & steering.
I decided to keep things simple and just restore everything as a standard 500 rather than start modifying things. That can be a later project.
First off removed the shock absorber and upper arms.
The upper arms then required the bushes to be removed as they were worn out. These were tricky little buggers. I found the best way was to warm the bushes up with a blow torch and then use a nut, bolt and large socket to pull out the metal & rubber bush, then run a hacksaw down the outer metal sleeve which allowed it to come out easily.
Then off with the drum, brakes shoes, brake cylinder & back plate.
On inspection the kingpins were rather worn.
I was a little confused on removing these as there was no information in the Haynes manual, and a recent posting someone advised you punch through the cap in the bottom of the upright. I tried but it was too tough. Then I found out mine were fitted with screw in caps which were undone with some circlip pliers.
The top silent bush as it is called had to come out the similar way to the bushes in the upper arms. Then came the fun part of removing the kingpin. First remove the roll pin that goes through the stub axle. The Kingpin was seized solid. With a little heat from the blow torch I was then able to drift the Kingpin out by driving a punch through the top hole.
Once removed it was clear to see the bronze type bushes were very worn. I tried removing these with a punch but the kept breaking up. Lucky enough my Dad still has his lathe, so I turned up a drift that fitted the inside diameter of the bush and then this gave me something to knock the bushes out with. This will also be used for replacing the bushes as it will prevent them getting damaged.
Once all was dismantled, everything was degreased and then into the sandblaster they went. They have all been given a coat of etch primer and waiting to be painted when I have some more parts ready to be done at the same time. Needless to say, I now have a few more items to purchase. Which in a way I am glad I haven't ordered yet as the Pound has increased against the Euro from about 1.10 and is now worth about E1.30 to the pound.
A little late but happy new year to everyone!
I have been rather busy with work, family & my other passion Backgammon recently, and what with the cold weather I have been a bit slow going with Franko.
There has been some action in the garage and I will try and get a few posts going once I get all my photos loaded.
First off the front suspension & steering.
I decided to keep things simple and just restore everything as a standard 500 rather than start modifying things. That can be a later project.
First off removed the shock absorber and upper arms.
The upper arms then required the bushes to be removed as they were worn out. These were tricky little buggers. I found the best way was to warm the bushes up with a blow torch and then use a nut, bolt and large socket to pull out the metal & rubber bush, then run a hacksaw down the outer metal sleeve which allowed it to come out easily.
Then off with the drum, brakes shoes, brake cylinder & back plate.
On inspection the kingpins were rather worn.
I was a little confused on removing these as there was no information in the Haynes manual, and a recent posting someone advised you punch through the cap in the bottom of the upright. I tried but it was too tough. Then I found out mine were fitted with screw in caps which were undone with some circlip pliers.
The top silent bush as it is called had to come out the similar way to the bushes in the upper arms. Then came the fun part of removing the kingpin. First remove the roll pin that goes through the stub axle. The Kingpin was seized solid. With a little heat from the blow torch I was then able to drift the Kingpin out by driving a punch through the top hole.
Once removed it was clear to see the bronze type bushes were very worn. I tried removing these with a punch but the kept breaking up. Lucky enough my Dad still has his lathe, so I turned up a drift that fitted the inside diameter of the bush and then this gave me something to knock the bushes out with. This will also be used for replacing the bushes as it will prevent them getting damaged.
Once all was dismantled, everything was degreased and then into the sandblaster they went. They have all been given a coat of etch primer and waiting to be painted when I have some more parts ready to be done at the same time. Needless to say, I now have a few more items to purchase. Which in a way I am glad I haven't ordered yet as the Pound has increased against the Euro from about 1.10 and is now worth about E1.30 to the pound.
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That's a horrible job out of the way dismantling the kingpins Sean. I hope I didn't misdirect you with the plugs/discs in the bottom. I have never seen them screwed in and they have always dropped out relatively easily or been missing already.
So I presume that you must be re-fitting rather than going for an exchange part. I will watch with interest. I have reamed bushes on a Fiat 500 and an Austin in the past but it's not a process about which I feel very confident.
I've been busy with "sharpening up corners" I might have slightly cut when going for the finish with mine; such as fitting new inner tubes, better wiper blades and a new fan belt and dynamo pulley. You know...big jobs. Local (ie. British) touring targets this year as a practice for next year. I have had some interaction with a club planning a 500 mile tour of Scotland this year; I should reach 500 miles in the 500 this week.
So I presume that you must be re-fitting rather than going for an exchange part. I will watch with interest. I have reamed bushes on a Fiat 500 and an Austin in the past but it's not a process about which I feel very confident.
I've been busy with "sharpening up corners" I might have slightly cut when going for the finish with mine; such as fitting new inner tubes, better wiper blades and a new fan belt and dynamo pulley. You know...big jobs
. Local (ie. British) touring targets this year as a practice for next year. I have had some interaction with a club planning a 500 mile tour of Scotland this year; I should reach 500 miles in the 500 this week.As always Sean bits are looking superb. As Peter said they are pigs to take apart but it helps to have your dads lathe available to make the drift.
I have an idea this 500 is going to be something special when it's back in one piece.
Tony
I have an idea this 500 is going to be something special when it's back in one piece.
Tony
OP
OP
I must admit Peter I was a bit confused, maybe it was a modification on the L model. They were a right bugger to get apart. The Pins were corroded solid in the stub axles and the grease in the bottom was rock hard which made it difficult to see what I was doing. As you mentioned in one of your posts, I nearly hurt my hand too. I thought at one point I was going to break the vice.
Those silent bushes take some work to remove. I ended up doing 12 in the end. 2 on the leaf spring, 2 front hubs, 4 top arms & 4 on the rear swinging arms. What a job! Im not sure how easy they go in, I am wondering if I should replace them before I paint the parts to prevent causing any damage.
I need to make sure I purchase the decent kingpin kits as there are some cheaper versions available without the grease gallery & also cheaper version bushes. If a job is worth doing, its worth doing right, and once only
Good to see you are still getting your hands dirty with all those difficult jobs. That was a great photo on your oldclassiccar site. Beautiful scenery.
Tony, I don't know how many times my Dad has got me out of trouble with his tool making/engineering skills. He has always been a hands on guy who would repair anything or make a new one. I have picked up as much as I can from him over the years, and he always taught me to look at how something has been made, as this usually helps to understand how it comes apart.
Sadly he has no interest in cars anymore, but I do like to give him a project every now and again to keep him active.
Cant wait to get to a stage where I can put things back together. I have parts dismantled everywhere!
Still as you said hopefully it will turn out nice in the end.
Those silent bushes take some work to remove. I ended up doing 12 in the end. 2 on the leaf spring, 2 front hubs, 4 top arms & 4 on the rear swinging arms. What a job! Im not sure how easy they go in, I am wondering if I should replace them before I paint the parts to prevent causing any damage.
I need to make sure I purchase the decent kingpin kits as there are some cheaper versions available without the grease gallery & also cheaper version bushes. If a job is worth doing, its worth doing right, and once only
Good to see you are still getting your hands dirty with all those difficult jobs. That was a great photo on your oldclassiccar site. Beautiful scenery.
Tony, I don't know how many times my Dad has got me out of trouble with his tool making/engineering skills. He has always been a hands on guy who would repair anything or make a new one. I have picked up as much as I can from him over the years, and he always taught me to look at how something has been made, as this usually helps to understand how it comes apart.
Sadly he has no interest in cars anymore, but I do like to give him a project every now and again to keep him active.
Cant wait to get to a stage where I can put things back together. I have parts dismantled everywhere!
Still as you said hopefully it will turn out nice in the end.
Those Silentblocs are the pits to take out. You did it the only way really available. When I was a "proper" mechanc we used to take out things like that with careful use of the gas torch to melt away a groove. The good thing is putting the new ones in should be a doddle so it's optional whether to paint first or not. Also, they come out easily when they haven't been in for long, as I just discovered.
You seem to be aware of the kingpin issue. What you want is the ones with a central longitudinal drilling, as original. My wrong-'uns will probably be failed very quickly as the grease is expected to find its own way along the groove on the outside, past the joints with the stub axle and up to the bushes...physically impossible and it all splurts out at the gap. That's why the plug in the end being screwed in is such a good idea because the pressure of grease in a proper setup needs to be retained there so that it is forced around the bushes.
I read a post once on the Fiat 500 Club which recommended tapping for
individual grease-nipples for each bush. That can't be a bad idea, but to work properly I think it would have to be accurately aligned with the spiral groove...maybe not.
Whatever, the kingpins are the worst bit of the car for me and I remember that the constant tussles with them were among the things that lead me to falling out with Fiat 500s back in the eighties.
You seem to be aware of the kingpin issue. What you want is the ones with a central longitudinal drilling, as original. My wrong-'uns will probably be failed very quickly as the grease is expected to find its own way along the groove on the outside, past the joints with the stub axle and up to the bushes...physically impossible and it all splurts out at the gap. That's why the plug in the end being screwed in is such a good idea because the pressure of grease in a proper setup needs to be retained there so that it is forced around the bushes.
I read a post once on the Fiat 500 Club which recommended tapping for
individual grease-nipples for each bush. That can't be a bad idea, but to work properly I think it would have to be accurately aligned with the spiral groove...maybe not.
Whatever, the kingpins are the worst bit of the car for me and I remember that the constant tussles with them were among the things that lead me to falling out with Fiat 500s back in the eighties.
OP
OP
The Gearbox:
After a good few hours of cleaning 40 years of dirt and grime off the gearbox it was time to strip it apart. Unfortunately I could not drive Franko when I first got him. The brakes were shot & so were most of the cables. I checked that all the gears were operating before removing the unit so now was the time to check the condition inside.
I suppose I could replace it with a 126 unit, but as of yet I haven't seen any locally so I have decided to stick with the original for now.
The drive shaft flanges (Flexi joints) were in a right mess, the gaiters were split, 1 spring was about 5mm too short, and one had a load of mastic all over it (which has been a right joy to remove).
Removing the outer diff bearing housings was difficult as these were stuck in tight. After removing them I realised it may have been easier to slacken the bolts of the flywheel housing first. The oil boots were okay but I will renew these as a matter of course.
With the flywheel housing off the diff assembly is easily removed. This was then dismantled, clean & checked. There is no wear on any of the teeth and the idle pinion shaft shows no sign of wear, so that's going back in as it may be better than a new pattern one. The side gear thrust rings have a lip on them so these will need replacing. The diff bearings run smooth and show no signs of wear ever so I think I will take the chance and leave them alone. The car only showed 55000 km on the clock and the service book kind of supports that mileage. So if this is the case I am going to presume its mechanically quite sound. The top cover was removed & it all looks okay inside with no signs of wear on any of the teeth. I was going to full dismantle the box but I have decided to leave it alone rather than disturb it. I will remove the front cover just to clean it and renew the gasket as I don't want any leaks!
The clutch shaft oil seal was fun, I know Tony has also been carrying out this little task as well. Its easy with the flywheel casing off. Remove the bolt and then a gentle tap from the rear and it pops out, but the hard part is removing the seal. First you need to remove the bronze bush by tapping it out from the other side using a drift/screwdriver. The seal is the difficult part to remove, I ended up forcing a small screw driver between the seal and its body to bend the metal ring inwards. I did this all the way around and it still wouldn't come out. So I resorted to a small chisel to break the metal ring and then it came out ok. As you can see from the photo I will definitely be needing a new one.
So with everything clean & checked, another load of parts added to my ever increasing list. I have prepped the driveshafts, joints, clutch lever & top cover ready to repaint them. with a little more cleaning & new parts delivered it wont be long before the gearbox is ready to go back together.
Then onto the engine.
After a good few hours of cleaning 40 years of dirt and grime off the gearbox it was time to strip it apart. Unfortunately I could not drive Franko when I first got him. The brakes were shot & so were most of the cables. I checked that all the gears were operating before removing the unit so now was the time to check the condition inside.
I suppose I could replace it with a 126 unit, but as of yet I haven't seen any locally so I have decided to stick with the original for now.
The drive shaft flanges (Flexi joints) were in a right mess, the gaiters were split, 1 spring was about 5mm too short, and one had a load of mastic all over it (which has been a right joy to remove).
Removing the outer diff bearing housings was difficult as these were stuck in tight. After removing them I realised it may have been easier to slacken the bolts of the flywheel housing first. The oil boots were okay but I will renew these as a matter of course.
With the flywheel housing off the diff assembly is easily removed. This was then dismantled, clean & checked. There is no wear on any of the teeth and the idle pinion shaft shows no sign of wear, so that's going back in as it may be better than a new pattern one. The side gear thrust rings have a lip on them so these will need replacing. The diff bearings run smooth and show no signs of wear ever so I think I will take the chance and leave them alone. The car only showed 55000 km on the clock and the service book kind of supports that mileage. So if this is the case I am going to presume its mechanically quite sound. The top cover was removed & it all looks okay inside with no signs of wear on any of the teeth. I was going to full dismantle the box but I have decided to leave it alone rather than disturb it. I will remove the front cover just to clean it and renew the gasket as I don't want any leaks!
The clutch shaft oil seal was fun, I know Tony has also been carrying out this little task as well. Its easy with the flywheel casing off. Remove the bolt and then a gentle tap from the rear and it pops out, but the hard part is removing the seal. First you need to remove the bronze bush by tapping it out from the other side using a drift/screwdriver. The seal is the difficult part to remove, I ended up forcing a small screw driver between the seal and its body to bend the metal ring inwards. I did this all the way around and it still wouldn't come out. So I resorted to a small chisel to break the metal ring and then it came out ok. As you can see from the photo I will definitely be needing a new one.
So with everything clean & checked, another load of parts added to my ever increasing list. I have prepped the driveshafts, joints, clutch lever & top cover ready to repaint them. with a little more cleaning & new parts delivered it wont be long before the gearbox is ready to go back together.
Then onto the engine.
