Thumper Club Forum
Club House => Chatter => Topic started by: mthee on October 26, 2021, 12:19:13 PM
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For those that may not have come across them, some clever types have been kind enough to share their videos on YouTube, affording us unique views into our beloved internal combustion engines!
Transparent rocker cover and sump;
Transparent carb;
Transparent clinder;
Transparent rotary;
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Great stuff. Many years ago I worked with a bloke who'd been an apprentice at BSA and he told me about making cylinder heads with quartz windows to look at the flame propagation.
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My Dad was an engineer working for a veterinary products and equipment manufacturer and supplier.
The vets asked him to design and make "windows" so that they could view the contents of a cows rumen, so that they could view the digestion process, with differing feeds and also sample the rumen contents to monitor the bacterial species and numbers.
The cows were quite happy, apparently and the vets were delighted. Quite how they did it, I have no idea.
Regards, Bill
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many moons ago, when i rallied my cooper S, i cut a large slot in the distributor, cut a matching piece of perspex and glued it into place.... all this so that i could see the vacuum advance/retard mechanism working ... as i was running a home made electronic ignition i needed the mechanical automatic adjustments to be exact... just saying ..
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Steve.. you had me at “cooper S” just the fact that you owned one, let alone rallied one. Respect 🙇???🙇???
In total I’ve owned 12 (original) minis, 2 were mini vans. sadly never a cooper S😢
Cheers, Michael
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Great videos, slow motion really helps you realise whats going on
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Micheal ... i owned 2 'S's
a 1071, i had a half share in, and rallied whilst i was in the RAF. once the guy who had the other share got posted we decided to sell it, can't remember how much for... but i see a well sorted 1071S going for £45K !!! hells bells!!
i was determined to have myself a 1275S and get rallying again ... found a write off, severe rear end shunt. bought a mk1 body shell/doors/boot/bonnet, front and back subframes direct from BL, got the local spray shop to paint it in Aubergine... tuned up the engine, bored to 1390, limited slip diff, twin 1/12" reece fish carbs, lightened flywheel, oil cooler, ventilated discs brembo calipers, 5j wheels and flared arches, koni 'ajustarides' etc etc.... was a real pocket rocket and won several rallies in the south west. i was still in the RAF and had loads of time on my hands working shifts on the nimrod flight simulator at RAF St Mawgan. i was also running a dreadful Austin '1100' as a family car ... so, with rallying becoming very expensive and moving off the highway and onto 'special stages' ... and my '1100' becoming an embarrassment, i flogged the 1100 and the 'S' became the family runaround! :) .. i had to fit a towing bracket to the 'S' as, with 2 growing youngsters holidays required a trailer for all the camping gear etc. my best memory was overtaking an MGC going up snake pass 4 up with a trailer and leaving it for dust!!.... great days .... i did 140k miles in that 'S' flogged it for £700 in 1979, (i recently checked the DVLA, not listed ) and bought a mk2 cortina estate ... i have now gone full circle and got myself a Yaris 'T' Sport .... 20 years old, well sorted and almost as much fun as my old 'S' .... sorry, all this clap trap is very non thumper ...
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;D ;D ;D
1978 and working in Greystoke Forest, felling and extracting, I had the keys to the gates. The local body shop, sponsored a sprayer with an 'S', similar spec to Steve's and having rebuilt the engine it required some "running in" and tweaking. The Forester, who lived on-site, went on leave for the week! ;)
So, as "navigator"/responsible key holder, after a days work, I locked the gates up, drove back to my caravan abode. Then walked down to the bodyshop, strapped myself in and we went "testing", using the Greystoke RAC stage and others. 100mph + down the main straight, whilst the stones rattled off the sump guard and the whole car twitched and lurched from side to side of the road was exhilerating! ;D ;D ;D Words are not adequate! :-X
If you want to view old school rallying, then I would suggest that you make a pilgrimage to the Isle of Mull, for the Beatson's Building Supplies Mull Rally. The 2022 rally is pencilled in for the 14th to 16th October 2022 and here is their website link:
Mull_Rally_website (https://mullrally.org/)
Good health, Bill
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I was closely watching the see through carb video and noticed the large fuel droplet is suspended in the air just before the charge of air hits it and breaks it up, it got me thinking, what if you fitted an ultrasonic transducer to the carb body so the ultrasonic waves break up the droplet before the air charge hits it, that would produce even finer droplets that would make the charge even easier to ignite, you could probably increase power and lower fuel consumption a fair bit as well
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Now that looks like a proper rally course Bill...
#1 Son is currently on Jura, apparently there is something nice to drink there ? ;-)
on their way home tonight.
pip pip
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Please don’t apologise for the rambling Steve. Envious is the word that springs to mind having just read your rally post. Always fancied building a Mk1 with an Arden 8 port head, sadly time, money, doing up houses oh and blinking marriage seem to get in the way. I read that someone now does a 16 valve head conversion using a BMW K100 (flying brick) head. Not cheap but apparently gives decent power gains.... one day, one day 🤞
Cheers, Michael
Ps.. apologies Matt for this thread kind of veering off course slightly 🤔
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I have been following this thread with some interest too-all aspects but particularly on the car side.
As some may know i am a regular attendee at Shelsley Walsh and have been known to do a few hillclimb and sprint "schools" in my sports car.
In recent years we've had quite a few classic rallying enthusiasts going up the hill and there's always a smattering of Mk1 and 2 Escorts, Longbridge minis and lots of others.
My mate who comes to most of the events with me is into classic cars big time and currently runs a 60's mini having owned around 40 of them over the years and in the last few years an AH Sprite and Mini Sprint (cut down) as well as several MX5's and Porsche Boxsters.
I used to go to watch the Lombard RAC rally in Sutton Park Birmingham in the early 80's when the Quattro's began to rule the roost.
To see something like a Quattro or Metro 6r4 or Lancia Delta Integrale at full tilt really is something special. To be driving one in (almost) full control must be really satisfying!
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Afternoon Martin. I’m a big fan of the mini sprints. Is there any chance of a photo of your mates at some point 🤞🤞
Cheers, Michael
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Aye SteveL,
I hope #1 arrives home safe, as the weather is threatening at the moment! Wind not picked up yet, but the tops are starting to disappear into the cloud base, with a touch of the white stuff. That'll be a long old drive back from Kennacraig and better done without the forecast 75mph hooley, up the jacksy! :(
No doubt there will be something "peaty" in the luggage for yourself! ;)
Good health, Bill
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Afternoon Martin. I’m a big fan of the mini sprints. Is there any chance of a photo of your mates at some point 🤞🤞
Cheers, Michael
I'll see what I can do Michael.
I might have one somewhere if not I can ask him.
We went to the Mini day at Shelsley Walsh in August 2019 when they lined the hill with minis.
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Here you are Michael : Hope this works!
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Morning Martin. Thanks for posting the photo up. Car looks cool as. I’ve always admired the skill of the people that can chop out a few inches of bodywork. Weld it all back together and still make it look as though it left the factory like that. Brilliant. I’m also a huge fan of the mini sprint speedsters.
Like I say..... one day, one day 🤔🤞
Thanks again....Michael
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Thanks Michael. You have to sit virtually in the back due to the chopping down of what is already a pretty small car-by modern standards anyway. It was somewhat a noisy ride and of course bumpy.We had to keep a careful eye on the water temp gauge as any upward hill resulted in the needle heading towards the red zone.Great fun though.
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hey Bill, all home safe 11pm last night.... no sign of the single malt yet though >:(
just out of interest he is currently driving a BMW Mini, the last one from John Cooper Works before they sold the upgrade lock stock and kitchen sink to BMW.
it was, when it left the cooper factory the fastest road going BM Mini road registered. (there is a magazine article somewhere about it),
#1 son has had it back to the ex cooper guys in Sussex for a turbo/supercharger upgrade, and a replacement of the competition clutch and rear suspension. I'm no great fan of the BM Mini, but this thing just flies .... and is beautifully set up ( first owner Juan Pablo Montoya) , so son has decided it's a keeper considering its provenance.
i have done loads of track days at snetterton on the srx's, currently in negotiations with the owner to do my first car track day ;-).
pip pip
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Aye Steve,
Glad to hear of the safe return, now blowing a hooley and sleeting, with a temp of 3.0°C.
Shame about the lack of liquid gifts! ???
As for the small hooligan vehicle, it sounds as though Snett's would be very enjoyable and worth forgoing a bottle. ;)
Knockhill in a Civic Type R was very enjoyable, especially after being authorised to "Push the R button"! ;D ;D ;D
I don't have the nuts to do the same on a motorcycle these days, my reactions are not what they were.
Good health, Bill
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nice motor Martin. looks like a Mk2 shell (internal door hinges & windy up windows, sometimes) like the air scoop on the bonnet, i did similar to my 1390 S , but suffered water ingress into the Reece Fish carbs, also freezing inlet manifold. so ended up blanking it off somewhat.
is that a BMW 'mini' in the background ??
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I can't recall the exact history Steve-although my friend did tell me. I am far from a Mini anorak! I think he said the guy he bought it from-who was the constructor- used an early chassis number unrelated to the appearance! I think it was so he could get a reg number without a suffix but I do seem to recall my friend saying "I don't know how he did that!"
I know it was vey hot inside the car on our trip to the Mini day at Shelsley.
He had all sorts of commissioning problems IIRC. Several engines were tried but don't ask me which!
He fitted several styles of wheels as well. "Rosepetals" comes to mind with Yokahama and Avon tyres?
It had an auxiliary fan to help with the cooling problems.
Yes that is a BMW Mini in the background- I think it's a 2016 "One". It's his other half's but he doesn't like driving it! I have been to Shelsley in it but that's as much as a can remember. Certainly not a Works Cooper or anything exotic.
My parents had a brand new 1959 red or blue Mini -was it a "seven?" when I was a baby.
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1959... the first year of production and release Martin, so yes most likely would have been a Severn.
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Here's my Mini contribution - thought it might be nice to stay dry on the many trips from High Wycombe to Bangor in Wales, where I went to college. Sold the Cx500, bought the Mini, failed my test, went, "bollocks!" sold the Mini and bought my Z thou! 😁
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1275GT. Nearly had one of those myself-in about 1981-but chose the sensible" option of a boring Opel Kadett after my TR6 (car not bike).
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1275gt .... Z1000 🤔🤔🤔, tough call, think you chose well tho Matt. As much as I Love minis I love bikes more.
Ps, you’re rocking them there white ankle boots dude🤘 Used to have a pair myself back in the day.🤘
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Ps, you’re rocking them there white ankle boots dude🤘 Used to have a pair myself back in the day.🤘
Very gracious of you not to mention the matching mullet 👍😂 Well, it was the 80's...
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Very gracious of you not to mention the matching mullet 👍😂 Well, it was the 80's...
Aahhhh.... the 80’s, never quite did the mullet thing, I just went straight to rockin the long hair thing.
Very David Coverdale 🤘🤘🤣🤣
(Pity the girls didn’t quite see my that way though 😉🤣)
Name withheld to protect David Coverdale 😉
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This popped up in my feed and I remembered we had a mini thread going on here!😁 I had subscribed to this guy's channel when I was finding out why they never featured welding on The Generation Game, way back when!
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Really enjoyed watching that Matt. Thanks for posting.
Think I’ll be finding part 2 on you toob when I get a mo 👍👍
Cheers, Michael