MiniWorld June 2019 45
up and adjusted the back brakes
by adjusting so that the wheel is
locked then backing o slightly
so that the wheel moves freely.
The handbrake locks the wheels
but the foot brake does not; I can
move the back wheels by hand
when an assistant applies the
brakes. Could this be a problem
with the rear brake regulator
under the rear subframe? The
front brakes seem to work well.
Neville Marston
The method that you are using
to adjust the brakes sounds
correct and the fact that the
handbrake locks the wheel
suggests that there is nothing
mechanically wrong with the
brakes. The problem could simply
be that you have not managed
to extract all of the air from the
front brakes whilst bleeding or it
could be that there is a problem
with the pressure limiter. This
will be located just beneath the
master cylinder on the bulkhead
crossmember on your Mini;
there is only a union on the
subframe on dual-circuit Minis.
Back 2
the mark
I have bought a 1990 Mini which
has been fully restored and is
in excellent condition. The one
thing I do not like about it is that
the previous owner converted
the front to a Mk1 grille. Don’t
get me wrong. I like Mk1 grilles
but feel it does not look right
on my car. I would therefore
like to convert it back. How
do I do this? Presumably I
will have to fi t a Mk3 bonnet
to replace the Mk1 bonnet
that is now on the car.
Steve Wiltshire
Mk1 conversions can look good
but it does rather depend on
what has been done to the rest
of the car, including whether the
rear has been modifi ed similarly.
It is extremely unlikely that
your Mini has been fi ed with
a Mk1 bonnet as the hinges are
di erent. I suspect that what
has happened is that the lip
designed to mount the bonnet
bar of the Mk2-on grille has
been removed. In any case the
simplest way forward for you is
to purchase a bonnet moulding
platform panel. This can be spot
welded, bolted or riveted to the
existing bonnet, which should
mean that you will not have to
carry out any paint repairs to
the bonnet. You will have to
make minor repairs to the body
where the moustache ends have
been fi ed to the front panel.
LITTLE GAINS
When planning a Mini restoration most people
divide the areas of work into engine and
gearbox, bodywork, suspension and running
gear and then interior. This is an obvious thing
to do so that time and money can be allocated
to each major section. What most of us rarely
consider is that there are a great many small
components both inside and outside the area
divisions and, if the restoration is to be the
best possible, they will also need restoring.
These things can take up a lot of time.
Nuts, bolts, seatbelts, various small mounting
brackets and forgo en pieces of trim, such as
the small plastic fi nisher that fi ts along the edge
of the rear seat pan to prevent the seat cushion
being damaged by the relatively sharp metal
edge, can all eat up hours of time. I have certainly
found this to be the case over the years with my
own Minis. Take that rear seat fi nisher for instance.
Mine was le in a box folded up, discoloured and
creased, for many years. Not expecting to be
able to buy a new one I set about restoring it. It
took around an hour and a half plus a few weeks
to completely straighten it out. I used solvent
to clean it initially, wet and dry paper to remove
stubborn stains followed by a heat gun to help
straighten it. I then fi ed it to a spare outer sill
for a period of time to make sure that it was fully
straight and good enough to be refi ed. It is
quite satisfying to bring a small and seemingly
unimportant part of the car back up to standard!
For Minis where this part is missing or
damaged beyond repair I have since found
that it is actually still available from Somerford
Minis, listed as “Finisher - rear seat pan lip -
grey.” The part number is 24A1276 and it costs
just £7.14 from http://www.somerfordmini.co.uk
“Mk1 conversions can look
good but it does rather depend
on what has been done to
the rest of the car...”
RESTORATION CORNER
Small and
seeminglyunimportant parts
of a Mini need
restoration too.The bonnet lip on a Mk2-onwards
bonnet can be replaced or added.