1964 Hillman Super Minx - Project/Resto

[PardonTheWait]

I've been busy!

Quick round up...

Wishbones off, bushes out. Chisels, mallets, air chisel, blowtorch, oxyacetelene torch. Good fews hours total getting those out!

Front crossmember stripped, rust treated, undercoated.





Wishbones and various other bits, rust treatment and hammerite. A lot of this hasn't got any pictures, I'm useless at remembering to take during shots.



Some bits going back on.



New brake lines on - look a weird shape in this picture and they sort of are, but they won't foul any more which is obviously a big bonus! Not connected at the junction yet. Top and bottom ball joints have been cleaned out, regreased and the grease caps re-fitted with locking wire.



Hub and brakes back on. I want to get new discs but I'm not able to find any at the moment. They are being produced but currently out of stock everywhere. Depending on how it goes I may get these skimmed, I have the width in the disc to do it so it's definitely an option.



Picked up new shocks today, really impressed.



Big improvement over what was on there! Not leaking for start.







Jazzed my key up a bit



Got a three day weekend and my other half's going to see her sister, so I should have plenty of time for the following:

Rest of front suspension back together
All four shocks mounted
Brake lines connected
Brakes bled

And then hopefully get a look at the engine/gearbox and see if I can work out what's up. Definitely not my strong suit but I'll keep trying.

I may try and get some retrimming done inside as well but I've got a big garage sort out to do as well, I've bought loads of tools lately and an extra toolbox, need to get organised.

 

[Lopéz]

Nice one! Should feel much tighter with the new suspension set up.

 

[PardonTheWait]

Nice one! Should feel much tighter with the new suspension set up.

It couldn’t have felt much worse if I’m honest! Once the shock let go it was really awful. Very much hoping it feels pretty good after this.

 

[PardonTheWait]

Well, she's back on her feet:





Little bit lower at the front due to new spring pads, but I'm slightly concerned it might be a step too far. The wishbones are basically horizontal, maybe even slightly over, and I reckon I've got about half an inch gap between the bump stop and the ... thing the bump stop hits. I'm going to get a couple of pictures tomorrow and see what people think. Hopefully I can cut the bump stop down and run it like this because I like the look.

I haven't driven it yet because a) no MOT (although I could probably sort that online now, but I do want to get a certificate. I don't really agree with the new MOT regs for classics) and b) haven't bled my brakes through yet.

I did get the new pipes plumbed in though, will snap some pictures tomorrow, although I managed to lose a load of brake fluid all down the engine bay like a ****. I can do up any nut you want as long as it's not a brake pipe fitting, as soon as it's a brake pipe fitting I lose all motor control and start getting angry! Happy with the way the brake lines run though - they're totally out of the way of any fouling which was really bothering me before as soon as I noticed it. The track rod had obviously knocked/moved the old brake line and it had a kink in it.

Also got myself an extra intermediate box the other day, and last night I swung past IKEA to get myself a cupboard. Trying to make as much use of the small space I have as possible, working out pretty well finally:

 

[skaif]

Car (and garage workshop) looks really good!

Regarding the MOT, is it just an online process now? I know of the changes but wondering how its enforced. Do you have to answer questions or anything?
Is it just a case of notify intention to have car on road, print certificate and off you go?

 

[PardonTheWait]

Car (and garage workshop) looks really good!

Regarding the MOT, is it just an online process now? I know of the changes but wondering how its enforced. Do you have to answer questions or anything?
Is it just a case of notify intention to have car on road, print certificate and off you go?

It offers it to you when you tax the car, but I think you have to have an expired MOT for it to offer it to you, from what I hear from other people. This failed the MOT a while back which is what set me off to overhaul the suspension (needed a new shock and track rods), and although it was already 'taxed' til April next year I just went online and taxed it again (for free). After that it said is this a historic vehicle and exempt from MOT, with a short explanation of the criteria, and I just said yes.

I guess when I do the engine swap I will be required to MOT it again - although there is the argument that I'm planning to fit another 1600cc inline four and the original engines are 'prohibitively' difficult to come by. I think some people are seeing it that way although I don't really feel like it stands up personally. I will just MOT it when I do the changes.

For this year, I know what it failed on and have rectified all the issues (and then some) so I feel fine about not getting a ticket on it, it's £40 or whatever I don't really need to spend.

 

[PardonTheWait]

I know you guys on here aren't really so much into uncool obscure old british tat, but it's nice to keep a log and a couple of people seem interested so I'll keep updating on here.

So I haven't been up to much with this of late, took her to a couple of shows, did some camping, and while she gave me **** the whole time, she didn't (and hasn't, yet) actually let me down.



She got a little picture in a magazine as well:



The engine though, in general, isn't in a great way. One of the valve lifter thingers is really sticky, and I've known something isn't right for a while, but at a show we took the rocker cover off and had a look, and that's what it is. This is easy enough in itself but honestly the engine wants a proper rebuild, and with the way I am I'd end up throwing a few hundred at it, and... it would still be a **** engine. So basically I put her in the garage and left her there until winter.

Also really getting on my nerves is it clunking badly into gear. This I think is due to pinion angle, basically the angle of the driveshaft is a real mess now because the car's sitting on its arse, so that will need addressing either by angled lowering blocks or by moving the actual spring seats on the axle to change the angle.

Anyway, fast forward a bit, last week we bought this old bag of crap:



It's a 1991 Eunos roadster, 1.6 automatic. It's not in bad shape really. 101k miles, no history (had some discs a couple of years ago, aux belt also, has done like 500 miles since), a few dings around it, windows and wipers are a complete joke, but the hood is very new and the wheels are in good nick so I should be able to get a small amount of money back on a few bits like those and the light assemblies etc on eBay.

Basically the plan is to pull the engine and gearbox from this and put them in the minx. Along with the brake master cylinder, radiator, possibly the accelerator/gas pedal assembly, instrument cluster, and if they'll fit, the seats.

There are a million other jobs that will need doing, but the vague list (along with some jobs I no doubt will forget to list, and a much bigger list of jobs that I don't even realise need doing) is:

Pull almost everything from the minx's bay

Mount engine & gearbox - Engine mounts should from what I gather actually mate up fine. Gearbox crossmember I will have to have made up

Make brackets for radiator

Find out how to mount the MX5 brake master cylinder, plumb it in to the minx brake system

Find out how to make the throttle work, the minx has a linkage and the mx5 is operated by a cable, might conceivably be easier to find a way to move both pedals over from the mazda (both cars are auto)

Either modify the linkage from the Minx's column shifter to work the MX5's auto box, or use the MX5's shifter - I would like to keep the column shift, which should actually be ok to do, as the mechanism on the BW35 auto box is in a similar place to the Mazda's box, and should be modifiable to work

Get suitable instruments to fit the dash, or take the whole binnacle from the MX5, or get and mount a digital dash

Find some way to mount the MX5 seats if possible - the minx has a bench seat looking arrangement that is actually two separate seats, but the transmission tunnel turns into quite a large square box that the original seats actually mount to on one side of each seat. I'm unsure if the MX5 seats will fit either side of this, and they may just look or feel wrong, so I may have to keep the original seats and put in fresh foam

Fit a suitable fuel pump - the minx fuel pump is in the engine bay and pulls from the tank but the mazda's fuel pump pushes from inside the tank. Hopefully can fit an inline fuel pump to the fuel lines

Get everything wired up - I will keep and label up as much of the MX5's loom as possible, as the Minx has very little wiring of its own being a 1964 car. I should be able to run everything I want from the MX5 engine and ECU to the car, rather than the other way around. It's really just ignition, lights and... well that's it

Look into suitable axles that will be better suited to the mighty 114 (or possibly 100) bhp of the mazda engine as opposed to 60/80 bhp of the original engine (I'm not sure of power figure but it is as fast as marmalade roughly). The original axle might be ok with this, we'll see I guess

Sort out the pinion angle by changing the angle of the rear axle in the car with angled blocks or cutting off and reattaching the spring pads on the axle

Have a driveshaft made up to fit the MX5's autobox at one end and the original axle at the other

Underseal the car throughout, the frame rails and arches have been done but I need to do the rest

Have an exhaust system made up

There's more, there's definitely way more, but it doesn't come to mind at the moment.

I feel like I might possibly need to get hold of a welder and learn how to use it, but I'm going to see how I go. I should be able to borrow an engine hoist and get some mates to help with the actual mounting of the engine, but according to what I've read that should be actually easy enough, it's making all the other bits work that will take time.

 

[vanpeebles]

Keep posting, I love uncool obscure old British tat

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

Good luck! I shall be watching with interest

 

[Dup]

How much different are the sizes between the cars. Couldn't you not mate up the full skate from the MX5 to the Minx? That way you get all the subframes, suspension and brakes too?

 

[Blackjack Davy]

Well that was an interesting read. My parents had a couple of these cars when I was a kid it was blue and white, turquoise-ish. Rootes engine yep remember it had a rootes badge the car somewhere or other. Rust everywhere/constant need for fettling, yep sounds familiar. Engine trouble that too everyone knew when we were about to head off starting up the engine was a task in itself and clouds of blue smoke would billow down the road. Heading off to London to see the grandparents it would always overheat/breakdown and had to call out the AA. Thanks for the memories.

 

[Rilot]

I know you guys on here aren't really so much into uncool obscure old british tat,

I don't care what it is. I just like to see people doing stuff to keep uncool tat on the road.
Keep posting

 

[PardonTheWait]

Thanks guys, I will keep updating. I won't be doing very much for a while, as my fiancée starts a new job on Tuesday and she's had to give her little company car back, so we got this for her to use while she looks for a car, then I'll take it and use it for a donor, but I'll put stuff up as I go.

How much different are the sizes between the cars. Couldn't you not mate up the full skate from the MX5 to the Minx? That way you get all the subframes, suspension and brakes too?

I haven't measured up, but that sort of job is way outside of my skillset and equipment!

 

[vanpeebles]

At the risk of sounding unfashionable, is there any tuning or mods for the original engine? Or are they unobtainable? Or even home made turbo etc Like some of the Imps have.

 

[Dup]

I haven't measured up, but that sort of job is way outside of my skillset and equipment!

Haha, yeah I watch too much YouTube they make this stuff look easy (I love these projects by the way). At least you way it's reversible and gives you options.

Incidentally I saw a green/blue Minx this morning parked up. Think it was a series 6.

 

[PardonTheWait]

At the risk of sounding unfashionable, is there any tuning or mods for the original engine? Or are they unobtainable? Or even home made turbo etc Like some of the Imps have.

Not much on the original engine, but the Holbay version of the engine is a bit tasty, and makes about 110bhp. They're very rare though and I like the idea of a semi-modern injected engine.

 

[Outcast]

Twin weber 45 DCOE's as I recall Holbay cars were tagged GLS

I had a F reg (SPK 721F) 1500 Hunter that I put a rod through the side.. Replaced the engine & box with a GT 1725 engine & box from Seaton Scrapyard and promptly blew the planetary gears in the diff !!

The GT engine had twin SU's

 

[RCA]

Better?

It's going to get a proper clean and wax tomorrow morning because I'm going to Maldon Motor Show on Sunday.

Hello Pardon the Wait. I have just joined this Blog but have had a Hillman Super Minx for 45 years. And looking at your photos of the restoration of your car reminded me of what I did to mine when I restored it over 40 years ago. Looks like you have done a great restitution job. Mine is 163 circa and is also Carnation red but it is a convertible. I do hope you still have yours and we can communicate with you. Over the years I have been busy with other cars and business but have retired now and have taken an interest in my Hillman again.