With the engine running you wouldnt believe how excited i was to drive it. It cant be far now.
I attached the custom made driveshafts and installed the 4 pot brakes calipers. I had previously purchased some DOT3 brake fluid which will also be used for the clutch, and proceeded to bleed the clutch system first as it was a single line. Next was the brake lines, so i continued bleeding in the order of: Left-Hand Rear -> Right-Hand Rear -> Left-Hand Front -> Right-Hand Front.
It took a few tries and almost 2 bottles of brake fluid to get rid of the air in the pipes but i wasnt convinced they were completely gone. I found a link off the net on how to make your own brake bleeder for $20. All you needed was a few bits of hose, some hose fittings, a pressuried garden pump and a pressure gauge. This specific brake bleeder would pressurize the master cylinder (15psi is fine) and force fluid through the pipes, rather than relying on gravity. This worked an absolute treat! I'd definitely recommend making your own.
So finally i was able to drive the car and test out the brakes. But before i did i had to be safe, even though i am already in the wrong for driving a unlicensed car shell, i needed to install my seat belts. Quickly enough they were in and i was out the workshop going for a joy ride.
The reason for wanting to drive the car was to test that everything was okay before i painted the shell and so i knew i wouldnt have to make any more modifications if something didnt work.
After driving the Mini a few times, i am rather impressed. The weight of the car is barely even felt. I did have some issues with traction though and found only the passenger side wheel spinning, which is why i ordered the Quaife LSD. Although the reason may have also came down to the car being a lot lighter than it will be once its finished or the fact that my camber was terribly out.
I did calculate the Power to Weight of this project based on standard figures:
Mini clubman. Weight 640kg
4E-FTE Engine. Power 100kw/130hp
= 156W / kg
So from Wikipedia. It has an equivalent or slightly higher Power to Weight of 2008 Subaru Impressa STi @ 150W / kg.
In the end, im pretty happy with its progress and cant wait to drive it again once its all painted and back together for the last time...
I attached the custom made driveshafts and installed the 4 pot brakes calipers. I had previously purchased some DOT3 brake fluid which will also be used for the clutch, and proceeded to bleed the clutch system first as it was a single line. Next was the brake lines, so i continued bleeding in the order of: Left-Hand Rear -> Right-Hand Rear -> Left-Hand Front -> Right-Hand Front.
It took a few tries and almost 2 bottles of brake fluid to get rid of the air in the pipes but i wasnt convinced they were completely gone. I found a link off the net on how to make your own brake bleeder for $20. All you needed was a few bits of hose, some hose fittings, a pressuried garden pump and a pressure gauge. This specific brake bleeder would pressurize the master cylinder (15psi is fine) and force fluid through the pipes, rather than relying on gravity. This worked an absolute treat! I'd definitely recommend making your own.
So finally i was able to drive the car and test out the brakes. But before i did i had to be safe, even though i am already in the wrong for driving a unlicensed car shell, i needed to install my seat belts. Quickly enough they were in and i was out the workshop going for a joy ride.
 |
| From 4EFTE Mini |
The reason for wanting to drive the car was to test that everything was okay before i painted the shell and so i knew i wouldnt have to make any more modifications if something didnt work.
After driving the Mini a few times, i am rather impressed. The weight of the car is barely even felt. I did have some issues with traction though and found only the passenger side wheel spinning, which is why i ordered the Quaife LSD. Although the reason may have also came down to the car being a lot lighter than it will be once its finished or the fact that my camber was terribly out.
I did calculate the Power to Weight of this project based on standard figures:
Mini clubman. Weight 640kg
4E-FTE Engine. Power 100kw/130hp
= 156W / kg
So from Wikipedia. It has an equivalent or slightly higher Power to Weight of 2008 Subaru Impressa STi @ 150W / kg.
In the end, im pretty happy with its progress and cant wait to drive it again once its all painted and back together for the last time...
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