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HELPFUL HINTS.
Roof Racks
Does your Mini wear a set of roof racks because you need them for work, or your into surfing and the board looks better on your Mini than in your garage? Well you don’t have to have those square industrial looking racks that are so long that you hit your head on when alighting from your Mini just because you didn’t cut them to size, maybe they’re your dad’s.
Would you like a set of Rola Roof Racks, but can’t get them new? Have a look in the Personal Trading Post for a set of Rola Racks to fit a Magna or larger vehicle. These can be cut to size for your aerodynamic Mini.
First remove one plastic end from each bar by lifting out the rubber strip on the top load surface. That will reveal a screw to be removed and in turn allow the end to be wriggled out. Next cut the front bar to 92mm long and the rear bar to 88mm. This is measured along the aluminium section only and does not include the plastic ends. Reassemble the bars and fit to your Mini with the closest point of the plastic ends approximately 75mm from where the upright body seam meets the roof gutter. These positions allow approx’ 30mm roof clearance on the front bar and 15mm on the rear. And yes, they are quite rigid.
Which ways the beach?
Rob Watson.
Engine Mounts
Do you have difficulty in replacing the engine mounting bolts through into the subframe? If so, there is a relatively simple modification that you can make the next time you have the mounts out. Just weld or bronze the nuts onto the mount - taking care to do so very quickly to avoid the rubber burning. Immersing the mount in tin of water but leaving the end exposed during welding will assist. Next time you need to remove and replace the motor the job will be so simple as the bolts can be fitted from the outside.
NOTE: New spring washers should be used under the heads of the bolts to preclude their falling out. The original design with the bolts inside was somewhat fail-safe as it allowed the nuts to fall off while still holding the mount in place!
Brake Adjusters Tech Tip
PROBLEM: Rounded Brake Adjuster Cure
After owning a mini, and adjusting the brakes yourself, do you ever find that the square adjusting bold is getting rounded off?
If this is the case for you, you have probably tried to turn it with a pair of vice grips, which only make it's condition worse.
1. Find a 3/8ths inch nut.
2. Hammer it over the rounded -off adjuster.
3. Mig weld through the nut to secure the nut to the adjuster.
VOILA! You now have an easy-to-turn, hard-to-strip hex headed brake adjuster.
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