PREP
So the rebuild went well aside from the winch deciding to develop a fault, temporarily making us ponder more manual ways of getting the engine in. Fortunately we managed to fix the winch - a far better solution. Once the engine was in, reconnecting all the ancillaries went well. A pot joint that I had not managed to fit properly six months ago was replaced and new balljoints and bearings fitted. I’d planned to replace the radiator but the Extreme version from Radtec just would not fit despite assurances from the company that it would. So, at least for the journey home, I would have to reuse my old leaky radwelded radiator and hope for the best. Not ideal when you’ve just built a new engine… I don’t really want to blow it up on the way home!
Just call me Bill
As part of my sponsorship program I spoke to suspension company Bilstein who sent a set of their new dampers for
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love:mini
Radtec assured us their ‘Extreme’ Mini radiator would fit without modification even after much fettling and different angles of attack - it just didn’t fit, so wasn’t used. A standard replacement rad was fitted instead.
classic Minis. They kindly threw in a baseball cap and some lanyards… and biggest so from then on I decided I problem, came about once we was to be known as Bill Stein had got the car running. We on the forthcoming Italian Job. couldn’t get it running right. The time came to start the So close to the finish line and engine and for some reason we I needed to return home, we couldn’t get oil pressure. We’d spent over 12 hours tinkering checked the and trying pump during the build and it was good, and we’d put enough oil in. Paul suggested Bilstein!!! taking the oil pressure valve out. Again no oil on turnover. I turned to Facebook and eventually someone suggested backfilling the oil gallery through the Had to grind the CV oil pressure valve. joint nut off after This worked a treat I had previously and I got a nice flattened the thread squirt of oil over me trying to locate for it. Lovely! the Pot Joint (long The next, and story)!