Rebuilding & Refitting Rear Subframe *Budget Restoration* - Classic Mini Workshop Part 26

[@Chillibeard]

There's something particularly relaxing about your narrated time-lapses with classical background music. Watching them makes everything seem so easy!

[@classicminiworkshop]

Glad you like them!

[@LoneStarMini]

You do make it all look straight forward and easy. I don’t comment on all your videos, but they are the BEST. Yes, Mr paul robinson Is a good guy and we’ve been discussing the entire ordeal with the knuckles….

[@classicminiworkshop]

Thanks Randy, all the best mate.

[@mcmotors100]

FYI Classic mini workshop sprout pt. 53 = radius arm recon. You jinxed it by put the welder away - if you’d have left out you wouldn’t have needed it 🤣 Much enjoyed, thank you.

[@stusoldcars4248]

Great job, always a pleasure to watch. 👍

[@andrewnewton5893]

Yay bet ya glad soon be complete and ready to rock be 1 solid mini when finished

[@philtucker1224]

Nice work (as always 😊) Keith! You’re a very clever Man so I hope at sometime in the future we might see you fitting an all-electric kit into an old Mini. Keep up the great work buddy!

[@mk1leg]

great job

[@GPH2474]

Love the content

[@edwardfothergill6156]

Well done that man! I changed the trumpets because I couldn’t get the knuckles out. I have still got them and will use a bigger hammer I guess.

[@classicminiworkshop]

I just put a long extension through from the back and knock them out

[@dale7436]

Just watching you do even the little things, brilliant bit of work. I'm so glad to have found you. Keep the videos coming.

[@classicminiworkshop]

Thanks, will do!

[@paulrobinson3528]

3:00 The word you are looking for Keith is "Hygroscopic" 🤣 Radius Arms must be one of the messy jobs on a Mini. I'd, without cleaning, just spray the the whole arm and everything in black paint and fill the Radius arm with grease, no play and looks new and job done 😆

[@paulrobinson3528]

13:53 Thanks for the mention Keith 👍. I've stripped plenty of cones/trumpets in the last 2 years and only one knuckle, yes one knuckle, had the indentation. It is basically a centre punch mark/hole on the side of the knuckle where it goes into the trumpet. I've ordered plenty of different brands of the last few months and non have the indentations and only SKF and Stark seem to fit. But even those are advertised as 12.7mm when they are only 12.48mm. Not tried a genuine £25 one yet but my new old stock Lockheed with no dents, fits perfectly. Some knuckles are so bad & loose, you can wobble them in the trumpet.

[@rbirdi900]

Keith, another master class. Excellent use of your time. Oustanding progress to get this project over the line.

[@markleatherland3792]

For the sake of five minutes I would have slashed a coat of black (or silver) on the radius arms to make them look nicer and show that I had done the refurb on them (but I know that the unscrupulous just do the coat of paint without doing the rework....!) - I'll look out for you at Bingley Hall!

[@classicminiworkshop]

It's the drying time that causes me the problems. The garage is rarely +10 degrees this time of year so a quick coat of paint takes about 10hrs or so to dry which means a day lost waiting for parts to dry.

[@recreativesigns4571]

The return of the pesky welder having to come out. Still now it should be put away for another project. Getting so close for the painting videos. Great effort Keith.

[@johnwren3976]

Your work on de-rustifying the Mini was brilliant! What a task its been. All downhill now!😉👍

[@classicminiworkshop]

Thanks 👍

[@leemustionhbucket8947]

Looking great now, can't wait to see it finished 😀

[@dnf1903]

Hiya Keith-late viewer for once! The video was brilliant, really enjoying the Bruce build. Just 2 weeks to Bingley now-Bruce is looking amazing. Keep well and thankyou.

[@Alexnse10]

👍

[@franktaylor7617]

😎👍 🇺🇸 I just finished rebuilding the rear brakes. Just replacing what's necessary. Shoes, springs, cable and cleaning everything. I was having trouble getting the hand brake adjusted properly. Without knowing for sure the parts I removed were in fact the correct ones. I just added a bushing at the end of the pull cable. That worked but I was still having issues with the R side brake. Then I noticed a pinched line (hard line). That side isn't working at all. Another set back. I'll try to rework it and see if I can make it usable. I'm sure the wheel cylinder is junk from bring inoperable. They both look fine from the outside. Every time I think I'm about finished with an area and can move on. Something else needs parts that are one or two weeks out. Frustrating and discouraging. Keep up the great work 👍 Cheers.

[@classicminiworkshop]

Minis can be frustrating for sure Frank! I had a few battles with the wiring on this one last week. Hope you get it sorted out OK.

[@franktaylor7617]

@@classicminiworkshop Eventually I will. It's become a running joke I use. When we get on the subject of future, retirement and so on at work. I say "as soon as I get my car done" as if I'll be working on it until I retire.😆 I should just place another order and move on to the front suspension. I've seen a few areas where the wiring looks a bit dodgy. Soon I'll be reworking that too.😒

[@leepolley4376]

Another great video, keep up the good work

[@yrhendy8456]

I had the exact same issue with the minispares subframe. I had 5 nuts on one subframe that completely stripped their threads with hardly and torque applied.

[@classicminiworkshop]

They must have quality issues, one of the other viewers had the same problem too!

[@yrhendy8456]

They sent a replacement but I've got to be honest I've not applied much force to the nts because I'm scared the same will happen again. Great videos by the way 👍

[@paulrobinson3528]

I used to be a welder at one time. Get yourself a nice quality trigger/handle/gun or what ever you want to call it. Basically where it is connected to the welder forwards. The quality of the weld and feel of the gun will be a lot better and won't not stick nowhere near half as much saving you lots of wire!! Glad you can admit your mistakes, we are only human. Other KZbinrs would edit it out. Or...............did you edit it in 😇 😆

[@classicminiworkshop]

I need to splash out on a new MIG sometime. I've had my trusty Clarke 135TE for a long time now, it's pretty worn but it's like an old friend. Time for an upgrade though!

[@allandavies9488]

Hi Keith. I'm not too familiar with Minis although I have serviced a few a good few years ago. Can you tell me why we used to see Minis ''crabbing'' along the road (ie the rear two wheels not in line with the front two)? I have always assumed the rear subframe had been replaced but not aligned properly. Looking at your videos so far, there doesn't seem to be any adjustment. Another possibility is that people welded in new mounting points out of line. I'd like to know! A

[@classicminiworkshop]

The rear track on a Mini is narrower than the front, so it can often look like the car is crabbing when it's not. Kind of an optical illusion. However, some do genuinely crab, and this can be caused by a number of things but typically worn subframe bushes, bad alignment, worn radius arms etc. It's not unusual to find bent radius arms too.

[@paulrobinson3528]

20:20 where do you get the foam pads on top of the subframe from?

[@classicminiworkshop]

They were left over sound deadening pads. 10mm thick closed cell foam

[@paulrobinson3528]

@@classicminiworkshop Wonder if they are on the consumable list 🤣

[@karlgt9989]

The exact same thing happened to me, Minispares Rear subframe and the captive nut broke its weld, gutted. Clearly a fault with these aftermarket subframes

[@classicminiworkshop]

That's interesting to know!

[@paulrobinson3528]

1st like, 1st comment BOOM 🤣

[@classicminiworkshop]

Legend!

[@philtucker1224]

I can hear faint speaking in the background? Can anyone else hear that?

[@classicminiworkshop]

Which part of the video?

[@philtucker1224]

@@classicminiworkshop hi Keith after re-listening I can now understand that the background music was exceptionally loud as was some of your associated speech and I had turned down the volume for that level. However, when you were speaking whilst working on the bench that was very quiet in my earphones, almost a whisper, so I think it was my settings, (not your recording) best regards mate.