Making some progress. Took apart both drive axles and changed all the rubber boots. Working with this grease is awful. It gets on everything.

Cleaned up the left hub and rattle can painted for speed. Repacked the bearings. And changed the ball joints to the NO shim type. Unfortunately, I do not have a large deep socket because it calls forth a torque setting of 70nm. I just have to guess by the feel of the resistance of the spindle. To fit the regular ball joints, you have to have the patience of a saint. And I don't have the time. I'm into the second week without a car. Lastly, new brake pads.

Today, rinse and repeat for the right side. 

Well, I'm struggling with getting the motor mounts to mount. Putting in new mounts, the holes are not lining up. Clutch side using the captive nuts and the rad side without. 

Updated edited post. Spent 2 hours getting the nuts and bolts into the subframe after a fresh start. then...

I can't believe I can be smart and extremely stupid at the same time. With the engine mounted, I looked down the rad side and saw the two long bolts holding the aluminum sandwich and bracket were about 1/2 inch too long. I figure I would remove one at a time to shorten them. The first one went OK. After putting it back, the bolt could not hold the engine assembly. You guessed it. I spent the next 3 hours trying to get second long bolt in. I was fighting with myself. Saying, I'm not going to remove the motor mount. 

I finally gave in and loosened the nuts and bolts to take the tension off. What a dumb move. At least the lump is in and mounted.

With the help of my GF, we were able to get the engine into the engine bay, without removing the big brake booster, and without any damage yesterday. I tried to replace the speedo cable but realized that it did not come with the rubber grommet. I think I will leave the old one. I know it will bite me later.

The engine is just floating above the subframe now and I will get to do all the necessary swaps. Swapping the PJs, intake and exhaust manifolds.

Starting the 2nd week without a car. 

Yeah, I knew you meant pot joints!

Dan, you made me laugh. PJs are the pot joints.

Made some progress today in cleaning up the engine parts and painting them. For most of the restoration, I took off the rust and paint, primed with Sherwin Williams industrial paint that is a primer epoxy coating , let dry for a day and then top coat with another 2 part epoxy coating. Unfortunately NY does not allow this product any more. I have the paint mixed to a shade similar to the BRG. But today in dealing with the engine parts, I striped to bare metal, ospho treated and painted with the 2 part epoxy top coat. Unfortunately I need to get this engine back in and the mini on the road.

Yesterday I was thinking about repacking the wheel bearings and replacing the knuckle boots. But that is getting me side track. As Mr. Miyagi says- "focus". 

I had (have) the same crack (in what you call the toe board and what I'd call the floor or footwell) on the right side. I discovered it while tracking a creak or snap sound when going on/coming off power. I eventually tracked the problem to a faulty upper engine steady bracket at the firewall cross-member. The lower part of the bracket is a metal clip that also supports a hydraulic line (clutch or breaks?). The weak factory weld failed and a previous owner had brazed it without proper prep, so the brazing failed. It wasn't noticeable until the hole in the upper portion - the heavy stamped plate under the master cylinders on a RH car or the heater hoses on a LH car - had completely torn out due to stress cracking. This left the engine steady loose and the engine free to rock, applying stress to the floor. The dogbone, rubber bushes and bolts were all fine. 

Not having a welder, I made a new lower bracket with a piece of steel angle bolted on and made an upper plate from thick aluminum plate. It hasn't moves since.. The crack in the floor pan is OK and has not increased and is undercoated. 

I did a mental double-take when you said "No, I did not remove the PJs. " Yeah, welding under a car with nothing on would be an issue!

Thanks Dan and Ve9aa for your support.  Must do things keep coming. The list getting longer and more overwhelming.

The subframe got bolted in and then, I noticed what looked like a crack in the toe board sheet metal next to the mounting stud. Unbolted it and had to remove paint with dremel and layed down some ugly beads. Ground the ulgy welds back down and rewelded. Did it over, over and over till it was pretty. Primer coat and today top coat. Very hard to work upside down and in a cramped space with me and the legs of the engine hoist all sharing the same space .

Made a pot joint removal tool. Guess what, I forgot to drain the oil out of the old engine. No, I did not remove the PJs.  Just realized that going to be a little more difficult to get the oil pan underneath.

The drive shafts will come out today and will need a clean up and shafts separated from CV joints. I want to replace the speedo cable even though it works fine. I just remember the early cars, they would always break. Not sure if they fixed that problem Anyone out there with a 90s car with this issue?

Thinking out loud.

I should replace those darn knuckle boots and repack the front bearings. I might have to do them after I paint the mini. Really need to get the mini back on all fours and back on the road.

Jim.

I love your determination and perseverence.

By the way, one has to be a nutcase jut to own a Mini. 

You are a special kind of nutcase (and I mean that in the best way)!

WOW, what a job, today my goal was to put in a new steering rack using the rear drop method. Dropping the rear of the front subframe. Let me tell you I could not get it to work. I wasted many hours trying to mount the rack and the u bolts in that sliver of space. I finally decided to drop the entire subframe and use the engine hoist to raise the body. This gave me the space needed to work. I did reached my goal. 

I put in a quick rack 2.2 turns, will let you know how I like it when I get the mini back on the road. 

Tomorrow's goal is to mount the subframe and begin to swap the new engine back in.

As far as I know, I am the only person in the western hemisphere that is driving an old english car as their only mode of transport. This means not using the spouses , girlfriends, boyfriends car, or motorcycle as a back up.

Heck, I might be the only person in the world. Let me know if you know of another nutcase. Just bragging.Thanks for reading. Jim

I cannot imagine a Mini as your only mode of transpo, but good on ya dude!

They're all gone here...rusted to dust....a long time ago

A few pix?

Good luck - you're a brave soul!

I'm into it now. Yesterday I pulled the lump out. It took two days to disconnect all the fuel injection and exhaust and everything else. I was able to leave the big brake booster connected. I did not want to bleed the brakes during this time. Gone are the days where replacing the engine in and out took only half a day. Let me begin at the beginning.

For the past month and half, Ive been doing the body work. Starting at the rear, I cut the rust out at the triple laps. Then moving forward. Doing the body work before and after the wheels.

This is my only mode of transport so that means I can't take the mini off the road. We all know that once off the road it stays off the road. About 5 years ago, I did major rust removal at the inner sills and replaced the outer sills.  Now I'm getting ready to paint so the body work is more detail. 

I've gotten to the point where I can remove the engine (Yesterday) and drop the front subframe to replace the steering rack (Doing that today). Once the rack is in I can take the front axles off to the replace the inner and outer boots. I had a SPI lump rebuilt a couple of years ago. I will have this original engine rebuilt, and keep as a spare just in case.

This is a SPI mini which I've own for 30 years. My hope is to make this mini last 20 more years.  My target date for painting is next week. I'm going to lightly metal flake the paint. I'm changing the mini BRG to the 2004 Jaguar BRG ( X type) which also has a little yellow pearl color.  A very striking color. From a distance it looks like BRG. White top will also have metal flake. I will also take all the glass out before painting.

The weather has been with me as I'm doing all this outside on the stone driveway.

Once I get the engine in and running, I will continue to sand the entire mini up to 600 grit. Then it's paint time.