PICKING UP A MYSTERY MACHINE AND FIXING IT... Things Broke On The Way Too...

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

To address incoming comments. This car was nothing to do with the cars they do up. It was matts project car, and sold as a running on the go project to do. He disclosed he didn't know of the internal condition of the engine. Plus there's not many people who drive minis for such long journeys. You drive one of these. Something is gunna go break every once in a while. with this one as you can see, its not serious problems, just things are breaking here and there on the engine, likely due to it being sat for 20 or so years. its all been fixable! i class it a win still :D and also! fan belt was completely my fault when i fitted a new alternator.

[@MrMoon1ight]

я думал что это ящик для инструментов и запчастей для починки мини 🤷‍♂️😆☝️👍 а это всего лишь релейный шкаф как оказалось 🤔👍☝️😆

[@mattploij2673]

at leasst you can fix it, my wifes 2019 audi has jumped a chain, good luck

[@-TheRealChris]

Don't forget to re-torque that head with the copper gasket every 300km till you hit 1200km ( don't just check torque undo each one half a turn and bring it back up to torque, I'm sure you know to do this but just thought I'd throw it here just in case)

[@X22GJP]

@@MrMoon1ight I can also use Google Translate: I thought it was a box for tools and spare parts for mini repairs 🤷‍♂😆☝👍 but it's just a relay cabinet as it turned out 🤔👍☝😆

[@cmdrredhawk]

Absolutely amazing you had a spare v-belt with you. Never change.

[@riedlerhotzenplotz4819]

When you're driving a Mini, you should always tow a complete Mini for spares.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

That's basically what is in the bag 😂 well not a complete mini but you sorta do haha

[@luther99flame]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER we fitted an electric fan under the bonnet on my mates 1976 mini so we could turn it on when sat in traffic. Eventually fitted a temperature switch so it did it automatically.

[@KuntalGhosh]

That engine is simpler than my honda lawnmower engine. Unreliable but easy to work on.

[@cumhachd]

​@@luther99flamelol, did same on my 1978 back in the 80s!

[@aserta]

Wise words!

[@matthewseymour8972]

Me: "Oh no, I've forgotten to top up the screenwash before I set off" Sam: "Oh no, I've forgotten to change the headgasket before I set off"

[@_Junkers]

Surprised he didn't do it on the side of the road

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

@@_JunkersI would have but didn't have no gasket and I don't wanna fancy my chances with a card board cutout 😂. I have got a head gasket in my spares bag now. So if it happens again. I can do it road side (albeit that wont be very fun lol)

[@nicholaslittle2312]

Can't do that on a Forester. 😢.

[@volvogamer]

As a fellow forester owner i concur, Thankfully my JDM sti has been very good and never let me or Sam down on the occasions he has borrowed it to collect big stuff 😄@@nicholaslittle2312

[@jos_t_band3912]

But you use the car for work. That is the main difference.

[@PostingCringeOnMain]

oh man, the international audience who'll never truly appreciate the sheer grit of driving a mini from london to exeter and back, including a quick stop to change the head gasket... mad respect to sam

[@samlongman1831]

Sam is the definition of resilience. What a legend.

[@ZeugmaP]

I love how you casually changed a head gasket and fixed a 1960's telephone exchange in this video. You're like a magician to me ! The museum is probably one of the first things I'd like to visit if I go to the UK one day.

[@user2C47]

Same. When I was young and my parents blew a head gasket, they considered the vehicle totaled.

[@iaial0]

Man's got golden hands

[@daniellee1402]

I love that you blew a head gasket, and that still didn't stop you going to pick it up. That definitely would've been the end of my day haha.

[@quintessenceSL]

Ya, the easy of just changing out a head gasket when that would have meant a day or two gone and crying in the corner for me.

[@iaial0]

"yeah sorry for being late I blew a head gasket midway, had to go back home and change it"

[@shortattentionspa.....]

This just shows how brillinat Sam is, most folk would have just given up and gone to a garage and cried. Sam diagnoses, fixes and STLL gets the pickup done! nice one!!!

[@pauledwdz]

I think the roadtrip episodes are my favourites

[@idj20]

You're like the modern version of Commander Scotty of the USS Enterprise. Somehow managing to save the day with fixing engines using your expertise & wits and still find enough time to repair all the other systems in the ship. You are a miracle worker.

[@Colin_Ames]

Another fun video. I love the way that nothing stops you. Blown head gasket? No problem, just throw another one in and then head to Exeter. Nice piece of kit you brought back with you.

[@jaapverhoeven422]

Replacing a head gasket on a mini engine (a 1000E for me): sweet memories! No expensive workshop, just do it on the street. The Haynes manual is your bible. 'Old' mini engines are quite sturdy btw.

[@jaapverhoeven422]

In fact I used the 'Vraagbaak Austin Mini' by P.H. Olving, but if your Dutch is not that well The Haynes manual is a very excellent alternative :)

[@FreejackVesa]

I think we have really lost something as vehicles/engines become more and more computer controlled. They are often not fixable without expensive specialized equipment and skills. If an apocalypse happens (pick one: zombies, supervirus, solar flare, other) it's going to be the minis/older that inherit the earth.

[@tedfort1698]

My record is 32 minutes from pulling into the garage to pulling back out again.

[@TheRealWulfderay]

Nice job diagnosing the head gasket problem! Also, I love seeing that wooden screwdriver that ThisOldTony made you creeping into your videos now and then!

[@Oliver-l1c]

Amazing. There can't be many people who can change a mini head gasket (one handed, holding a camera in the other hand!) and resurrect a telephone exchange. Also, I could listen to that exchange working all day, such a satisfying noise.

[@voneschenbachmusic]

I love the telephone exchange - it's great to see this technology preserved and made interactive!

[@alexholden]

As soon as I heard the rattle I knew exactly what it was. I once limped about ten miles home in that state; barely made it up a steep hill in first gear with my foot to the floor. I carry a new gasket in the spares crate but didn't want to stop and change it at the side of the road.

[@dfxmonkeyhead]

In my early 20's I worked as a 1A2 telephone system installer in the Los Angeles area. This was right after the ATT/PacBell breakup. After a few years of pulling and punching down 25-pair cable in some truly seedy places, the industry started moving to electronic key systems, and I was a phone man until my mid-30's. I'm really glad I worked with the big-wire systems, however, as I learned some valuable troubleshooting skills that continued to serve me well throughout my career. At the same time, I was recording and playing with synthesizers in my off hours. I got into computers running DOS, got into Cakewalk when it was just a DOS package doing MIDI sequencing, way before digital audio recording was a thing. All this is to say I really appreciate the videos you create here. I love your various forms of geekery and the odd interfaces with phone systems, tide clocks and synthesizers. Keep up the good work!

[@muppetpaster]

10:50 My grandfather had a setup "like" that in the basement but not for telephone....What he had was a trafficcontroller for 4 giant intersections in his neighbourhood in The Hague...Filled nearly his complete basement. And yes it was interconnected with the modern setup to mimic the 4 intersections, better said, it all worked. If he overruled a switch, the intersection it was related to changed status....Those were the days...You could never "get away"with that nowadays....

[@simonabunker]

That mini looks like a maintenance nightmare - and we all know that's exactly why you bought it!

[@djentlover]

It's like a big puzzle toy that you drive around

[@TheMarcQ]

maintenance itself doesn't seem too hard, it just looks like it is frequent

[@octopaul]

@@TheMarcQ it's not even frequent once a few bits get replaced, the main issue any old car might have is not being used for a long time. Once they're back in action and perishable stuff is replaced then they're just as reliable as anything more modern and easier to work on

[@Kragatar]

I'm always amazed by people who have exactly the spare parts and tools they need when the car breaks down. With my luck, I could keep a whole spare engine in the car and still not have the part I need.

[@KeritechElectronics]

Real deal internal discombobulation engine! Simple enough to fix :). Lovely valves. But the box? That's a thing of beauty. Damn nice PAX. Calling Sarah Autumn...

[@Vladimir_Kv]

I like how field-serviceable old cars can be =)

[@thomasamsterdam]

2:00 "because it is a little bit nerdy and I'm gonna warn you now." Thanks for warning me. I would not have expected from you to pick up anything nerdy.

[@davidyates748]

Classic cars eh 😁 fixing them is part of the experience. As a former GEC / Marconi employee I'm endlessly fascinated with old telecommunications gear so I love these videos!

[@RHCole]

Dude, that car is mental, and I mean that in the kindest possible way.

[@richardbanks2669]

Another great video :) brief shot of you inside the loo, reading instructions - I assume this is not being used, if it is, please move the skeleton and his box from the wheelchair transfer area - some of us need to "park" next to the loo and slide across sideways, and that can't happen if there's something there. Hope to come down and visit sometime soon - my transport is as reliable as yours, but sadly i dont have your skillset!

[@decree72]

Seeing and hearing the old telephone tech, switches and relais makes me happy, i learned early 90s 3,5 years at Deutsche Telekom, and it was during going slowly digital we still had whole telephone exchange central office(Vermittlugnsstelle) full Hebdrehwähler which worked in IVW impulswahlverfahren, strowger switches in english i think with pulse dialing, learned on them, cleaned and maintained, it was music in my ears in these central offices all the click sounds...but i forgot most sadly because after the telekom i worked 12 years with radiosin the army repairing/installing, still communication but wireless.

[@eolle43]

I think there will be a metal detector faux-theremon in the future. Use different metals and distance for tones. It would be totally metal! :)

[@swedishpsychopath8795]

I think he should make a giant search coil and attach it to his mini car. Then ask a local farmer if he can test it on the fields after they are done harvesting before winter sets in? There are some yt videos about people that have made large coils, especially meteor hunters makes them.

[@davidlong2691]

The dial tone and ring mechanical oscillators are fantastically cool. Thanks for showing.

[@Dubmayer]

Love to witness how Sam is transitioning to the lawn mower community!

[@4methyst]

The life of a BMC vehicle owner. Always exciting, forever throws you new experiences.

[@VincentGroenewold]

The car may have been a bit tricky, but I love you can just fix it like that, try that with any modern variant.

[@davidb9682]

OMG, what a hero you are. All that pain with the mini, and you just keep going......still videoing. You're an inspiration. Plus, it really took me back to the two original mini's I had back in the 80s...little steering wheel, wide wheels and extended arches.........the whole lot........and it was always breaking down, with the battery finally falling through a hole in the boot. Anway.......you're a motivation.

[@LongPeter]

Trust Sam to just casually do a head gasket replacement on the way to an appointment. Reminds me of growing up in a family full of vintage Land Rovers. Especially carrying spear parts. And that washer stalk 😅

[@stuartm8335]

The first 7 minutes would be a three part series for some channels but not here. Top work all round.

[@himselfe]

The indicator lights gave me an idea, you could use this for a very convoluted binary input (think Altair 8800).

[@msinclair8261]

OMG. You fixed a mechanical thing, an electrical thing... The only thing you didn't fix was a steam engine. You're a genius.

[@letMeSayThatInIrish]

love the outro music!

[@hobnob192able]

My 998 mini did the exact same thing last sunday 20th! Lost cylinders 1 and 2 so I was running on about 1 1-1/2! Got to take the head off this weekend, already got my gasket. I would advise getting a composite one and not cooper, cooper is great if you've skimmed both the block and head and fully cleaned both, other you're asking for it to go again. Great video!

[@digitaIgorilla]

That noise made me cry. Scary being in such a small car on the hard shoulder 😱 Glad it wasn't anything more serious.

[@jasoncaldwell0613]

‘Tinker town’ 😂 that should be the name of your reality show where you drive around picking up things for your museum and always end up tinkering and fixing bits.

[@madAlric]

i love the telephone exchange content, for the record. it’s a departure from the music content, but it’s interesting and fun in its own right.

[@raymitchell9736]

All that mechanical work on a car brings back memories... I knew it was a head gasket lacking the compression... but luckily you didn't have a water or oil jacket leak... I had that on a Olds '76 Starfire V6 and it had the distributor and all that stuff. Good Solution to make it interactive... I really like that you're keeping the old tech alive and doing things with it... Very cool.

[@gerardvila4685]

I've been hearing about these things all my working life - I worked for Alcatel, now merged with Nokia - but never saw one work before! Kudos to Sam. IIRC Alcatel became successful by making the next generation of telephone exchanges, now just as obsolete. Old technology is fascinating, but it was a lot more expensive to make calls back then, especially international ones. Technical progress is liberating.

[@bjmorley]

I think having a phone wired up to hear the mechanism make the ring would be good. I always like hearing old phones ring... thats why I like to work at a railway with a whole BT Network (through fibre optic, as we take a major cable that connects the whole country for them and telephone exchanges. Always love dialling using just the buttons on the top, not via the dial. Usually get it right.

[@narkoid]

I love how you just did a quick head gasket swap like it's no big deal. Can't do that on a modern car. I can't even change the oil on my alpha

[@Reman1975]

The difference between what people think of as a relatively modern "Reliable car" and what they think of as an "Old banger" is that when the reliable car breaks down on the side of the road, it's going home on a tow truck. The boggo basic banger can often be fettled into getting you home again. I remember the end cap popping off the radiator of my old Fiat 127 when I was about 100ish miles away from home. As the end caps were brass, I limped the car to a near by DIY store (B&Q), and bought a roll of solder, a wire brush, and a blow torch. I then popped the radiator out in the carpark, cleaned up the joint, soldered the end cap back on, put it back together, and sweet talked the manager into letting me pull the car into the garden centre bit so I could fill the radiator back up from their plant watering hose pipe. That was a quick and dirty "Get me home" type repair, but it never broke again, so I never got around to redoing it. :D Try doing something like this on a "Reliable" modern car, with their plastic radiator end caps and electronically controled EVERYTHING !!!. :D

[@althejazzman]

I came for vintage synth content, and was entertained with classic mini problems and telephone exchanges.

[@EchoCian]

That Mini terrifies me every time it's in a video. Nothing should be scarier than my father's vehicles, and yet. The relay has some mighty nice clicks, though.

[@fredriklinge]

Brilliant that you managed to go roadtripping, diagnose the fault and change the head gasket (which for most is about two days of researching, prepairing and working) only six minutes into the video Sam. I thought this was going to be a fixing-a-mini-episode, but no, only 20%. And it is all interesting, motivating and fairly educational(!) - thanks for your brilliance!

[@delta250a]

Our Vauxhall blew it's head gasket last month. Just over 50,000 miles as well, it was old but thought it would have a bit longer in it! Luckily a simple job but not fun driving on 2 cylinders.

[@rayceeya8659]

Head Gasket, called it. Gotta love how easy it is to fix it on a little four banger.

[@ukuleletyke]

Thanks Sam. I did so many A series head gaskets driving an old Minor for years, it’s all horribly familiar! Personal best time was 1 1/2 hours start to finish- by then I did know the tightening sequence by heart. (And the torque settings- and the valve clearances..) And it was always between two cylinders. Like you, I used the car all the time, so it just had to be done, and quickly..

[@sjdcknsn]

Amazing perseverance - fixing a head-gasket and fan belt 'en route'. Most folks would have given up on the day. Good on ya!

[@HangryGiant]

M8 metal detecting and phone exchanges is why I'm subbed to this channel, I love the nerdy stuff, keep it up!

[@WolfStahl-n9v]

You are using "Kontakt 60" to clean the contacts. This may not be a good idea, because the spray helps at first, but after a short time it destroys the contact materials and especially all plastics of the switching element. Here is a little tip from an old radio technician: Use Teslanol T6-OSZILLIN contact and tuner spray. It is the only spray that cleans, lubricates and protects the contacts and does not attack the plastics. Usually, contacts and switching elements do not fail for the next 20 years after being treated with it. Try it, you will be surprised! Many greetings from the radio workshop, Wolf

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Cheers . 20 years is a long one. Ofcourse after logevity as it's been around long enough. I should probably clean what I have done. What should I use to do so.

[@WolfStahl-n9v]

I looked it up, Kontakt Chemie says you should rinse everything thoroughly with Kontakt WL so that no residue remains. Maybe a good idea... and then spray Teslanol over it and it should work for a very long time! BTW: You do great things with old stuff, I'm always surprised and amazed! Keep up the good work, if I were in England I would have to come to your museum again and again.😄@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER

[@SeanHodgins]

I hate when I blow a head gasket on the way to pick something cool up. Such an inconvenience. 😂

[@suzu9404]

Truly the classic British motoring experience

[@AnalogDude_]

The dash makes it appear almost like a Bentley, complete with infotainment, don't forget to wax it so now and then. Buy some ECU kit to make it mono point injection and some Bosch fuel pump (A100), handy if the cam is not inside the head. Cool, these old phone ring sounds

[@leon545b]

Not your usual "Look mum.." video! 😂Oh for the days when you could service a car so simply... Brilliant work!

[@johnnyboy2459]

Your problem for the headgasket is the lack of cooling to the radiator... or blocked up cores in the rad or system between 3/4 always gets hot and you should fix it asap to avoid warping block face or head face

[@jestermgee]

Love this,, you can do as much as you like on old phone tech, will watch! Awesome to see car repairs out on the road too, legend!

[@profpep]

You need to find yourself a copy of 'Atkinson's Telephony', a two volume book that has details of many exchange systems, and massive info on the systems in general. I once cadged an exhange for a theatre, a 'Relay exchange model 1A'. Very quiet. Using the info in my copy of 'Atkinson's' I was able to get it running and installed. Sadly I stupidly lent my copy out, and never got it back. The relay exchanges were installed in places where the noise from Strowger selectors or Uniselectors would have been obtrusive.

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Hey cheers! Yeah I have read volume 2 back to front a couple of times! If you go back to a vid from November last year I build a couple of circuits from it :) it's cool ent it!

[@CaffeinatedHiFi]

Technology from the 60's was seriously just the worlds craziest series of Rube Goldberg machines.

[@TRIPPLEJAY00]

Who doesn't love a 3 in 1 show, 2 car repairs, and electricals. Yeah boi, nice one Sam.

[@stinchjack]

This would make a good Top Gear challenge car. "You will pick up the most number of interesting slightly-obsolete-technological items from E Bay. Points will be deducted for each breakdown, and awarded for each correct roadside diagnosis of problem"

[@TheDistur]

"and buy a reliable car" lmao. The old phone stuff is pretty cool!

[@petegreenwood2793]

Bloody superb - Perfect blend of car fixing, engineering & comedy! Keep up the great work Sam :-)

[@j__r0d]

Sam joining the Detectorists is something I'd love to watch!

[@3dmaxuser]

Love this old electrical manical type stuff, and great that you got it up running 😊

[@AdrianGunning]

Absolutely brilliant. Just love these videos. So interesting and amazing with it. You are a great guy.

[@ram_stick_samurai]

Ok, Gold Wantabe replicas, hope they are good quality, Custom radio and wheel. Interior which is sick. I didn't know he was a car guy. Epic AF.

[@christron2336]

......usually the gasket goes between 2 and 3 ... but glad you got it sorted... maybe a 1275 upgrade..... nothing silly.. just standard and reliable? Great video... not really thought about telephone exchanges... very interesting...

[@josephgray3738]

Fixing a Mini head gasket on the fly, and then sending it feels so Unapologetically British! I friggen LOVE it! Keep up the great content! EDIT: Got so distracted by the awesomeness of fixing the engine, I didn't really get a chance to comment on how impressive it is to see you troubleshoot & resolve issues on electro mechanic selectors. My background is in EET & Network Engineering, and seeing what you do on a constant is nothing but genius. Legend.

[@rush1991]

I always love seeing the This Old Tony screwdriver still kicking around.

[@sitjar]

Had I known you were going to be in Devon, i'd have offered you another mystery box....a very entertaining box at that

[@amandahugankiss4110]

Love your troubleshooting. Methodical and thoughtful.

[@imjensen]

if my car breaks i usually figure that's the universe telling me to stay home and play with my synthesizer - you are my hardware hacking hero.

[@Pyromad86]

Ok, i could have sworn i seen this car on the roads of Exeter, and now i know why! I work in Exeter so was a bit of a shock seeing the car and not realizing who was driving it.

[@ianbrown3304]

Yeh it was a transfer of a project car. Pay attention people. No-ones fault. So lay off. Sit back and enjoy a master at work.

[@McTroyd]

Slightly jealous of your inline 4. The only head gasket I've ever done was a V6... and it's, uh, technically still in progress. 😅

[@richy486]

Love these road trip videos

[@annother3350]

Sam -- Before you start metal detecting could I suggest a video showing polyphonic modular?!

[@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER]

Polyphonic modular on the way. Got a pcb of a synth voice coming. Will get to it. Got an aim to get it done before London show. I work to deadlines welll haha helps focus

[@annother3350]

@@LOOKMUMNOCOMPUTER sounds good man

[@skipbreakfast]

I frickin' love this frickin' channel.

[@radweld]

This is why love old cars, you took the head off, changed the head gasket and rebuilt it in an afternoon, only with basic tools. If the head gasket blows on a modern car, it's pretty much throw away the car.

[@thermidorthelobster4645]

Respect that you just changed the head gasket in a few minutes and carried on.

[@T3sl4]

Ah, at 4:33 Chekov treated us to an exquisite whining fan belt.

[@timothyhall7606]

300 miles! You are very brave!

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

8:00 “HE’S GOT THE BOX!”

[@johnwarr7552]

If you REALLY trust your partner, two people can change a Mini clutch in under 45 minutes. They really are a joy to work on - my brother & I had four or five between us at one time.

[@curtishoffmann6956]

11:30 Final selectors. Pikachu, I select you! Finally...

[@NicStage]

I feel lucky as a viewer. Because I'm sure there are things you could pivot to for content where I'd think "that's not as interesting to me", but so far you haven't hit any of them. Synths, phones, cars, metal detecting, it's all fun to me.

[@luther99flame]

Do you remember the old phones that had a padlock on stopping you from dialling out? And the way around that was to tap the button to disconnect you from the line quickly and count the number you wanted to dial. Was taught how to do this in case i needed to dial 999, but we all ended up using it to make free calls in certain places. Was wondering if this trick works on the exchanges you have at the museum??

[@antivanti]

Those physical oscillators creating the dial tone... perhaps you should build a synth module based on something like that? =P

[@knifeinthetoaster]

These relays make such unique sounds! You should do a sample pack of this unit for the Patreon or something

[@Henriflame]

That’s great. Thanks for sharing

[@eliotmansfield]

Just need to learn ham radio if you want to go full anorak - you’ve mastered the requisite adenoidal drone already - which is an instant pass 😂

[@Legotruck82]

man that metal tab jutting out on your roll cage behind your head makes me uncomfortable. Things like that can end you even in a low speed crash, stay safe

[@Darkassassin09]

This was a neat video; I'd really like to see the 'executive line' function demonstrated and/or integrated into the display somehow.

[@_zzpza]

This is fantastic, well done on all the fixes! :)