Berlinetta build and restoration

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

I am busy with the wiring and took delivery of some supplies today.

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Amongst it are such things as several multi plugs to connect the dash board. An interior light delay relay, it seemed a good idea to have the light remain on for a short time after the door closes.

There is also a small supplementary fuse box, to allow separate wiring of the side lights, left side and right side. The CBS module is good, but it only has one fuse for all of the lights, which doesn't impress me much!

I have also included various lengths of the correct colour and gauge of wire, for use where the original loom needs to be extended or replaced. When it came to the rear lights I decided that the neatest and easiest way was to use trailer cable. This will run from the under dash area to the boot. I plan to use the standard colour code for trailers, and the redundant earth wire will be used for the reversing light.

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Got the dashboard wired and all working, although I still have the radio to wire up. It's a bit like the proverbial swan, calm on the surface, but behind very busy.

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[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

At last I can move on from the electrics, getting everything connected and working was straightforward, but it looked like a haystack! I spent a huge amount of time trying to tidy it up, I don't think I will ever be happy with it but it's a lot better than it was. I suppose I should be pleased that everything works. Another thing that took a lot of time was making a steering column cowl. Apart from me misplacing the original cowl, it has a hole for the hazzard switch on top which is not needed, so I made one from drain pipe molded to shape on the space heater. I have also sorted out the ducting for the ventilation which was a bit tricky due to lack of space behind the dash.

Here is the dash mounted for good and all switches and gauges working.

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[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Doors. Three of the hinges had seized, a common problem with the Berlinetta.

Here you can see that the pin is moving when it should be fixed.

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I welded both ends of the pins then roasted them with a blow torch. They gradually came free with plenty of oil and lastly some fresh grease in the nipple. I also welded both ends of the good hinge just to be safe. Then the welds were ground down, although not as much as originally to leave a bit more strength. I can live with a slight bump of weld if it means a more robust hinge.

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The next job is to strip the doors down. I want to fit remote interior door release handles using classic Mini parts that I have collected, as per the build manual. Anyone got any tips for that job?

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Remote interior door release. This is covered in the build manual and is pretty straight forward. It was a real struggle doing the final assemble, and in the end I stuck the tapped bars that hold the original interior catches to the doors with sikaflex. I made up a similar arrangement for the exterior handles and also stuck them to the doors.

I removed the winder mechanism and glass.

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This shows how the winder works if you could see through the door.

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Classic Mini door releases.

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Deciding on the position.

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Door catches tapped and an M6 bolt fitted with the head cut off.

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Finished and working.

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[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

The front wing brackets were very rusty, so I made some new stainless ones.

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[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

A step backward today. One of the door latches that I modified jammed. So I split it by grinding the rivets off and I could see that the peg that was drilled and tapped had come loose. It turns out that it is riveted in place and the drilling and tapping had loosened it. I riveted it back on and put it back together using a spot of weld where I had ground the heads off the rivets to hold it together.

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As an aside, I had a look for a new latch but couldn't find one the same. I looked at Car Builder, Europa, Woolies and SVC but none of them had the same latch, anyone know where does have them?

The next job was one that I have been avoiding for fear of disaster, removing the windscreen from the frame. In the end it was straightforward. I cut the sealant with a stanley knife, then using a ratchet strap on the posts of my trailer, I spread the legs of the frame then pulled the glass free in one piece.

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[milliemarlin]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

You could try:

https://www.holden.co.uk/

I think they are most likely. I took a quick look but could not see exactly the same latch but I'm no expert.
Paul

[philcoyle]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Reminiscent of early Land Rover door locks.

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

I spent an hour online searching for the same door latch but didn't find one. Time to move on as I don't actually need one, would have been reassuring to find one though.

[HairyDave]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Try A (Albert or Alfred ) Jagger in Heywood lancs . they do lorry and coachwork fittings.

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

They have latches that could be modified to fit, as do other sites like Europa. However none that I have seen are anti burst with a slot for the striker, which should keep the door closed even if it deforms in a crash.

[scott h]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Seat belt top mount.
I wanted to raise the height of the top mount. The original mount is well below my shoulder, which not only makes it uncomfortable to wear but it would pull down rather than back in an accident. We should remember that at the time that the Berlinetta was designed, seat belt use had only just become law and were still a bit of an afterthought. I made a simple bracket for each side using 25 x 50 mm box. It is welded to the door catch bracket and bolted to the original top mount hole.

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Here it is painted and fitted with new seat belts. The original top mounting hole is just below the level of the window.

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The bracket can be easily removed by grinding off the welds if I change my mind. It will put more leverage on the original bracket, and I considered a rear diagonal tie bar but I decided that it was ok without it.

[Mike]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

Scott

In the (hopefully unlikely) event of an accident your effective body weight thrown against a seat belt is likely to exceed over one tonne, and despite how good your welding is (and it does look very good!), the leverage of your design will not cope with such an impact. A very simple bracket from the top triangulating your mount down to a secure point in the boot will solve the problem easily and effectively.

[stevejgreen]

Re: Berlinetta build and restoration

There was a Berlinetta builder who tried to get it through the IVA a few years back, Terry Scott I think. A forum search might find him.

As I recall the car failed on the Cortina front sub frame, but I am assuming that Terry had worked through the IVA manual and come up with a compliant seatbelt mount.
It would have been interesting to find out, I don't think he is a member now, but I guess that the IVA test was abandoned so we have no idea whether his seatbelt modification would have actually met the IVA criterea.

But I agree with Mike, the presence of a seatbelt might smooth the cars passage through an MOT test, but a poorly attached belt is a panacea to the law and is possibly more dangerous than no seatbelt at all. As I remember, unless the mountings are directly to a structural part of the chassis/frame of the car, it will be non compliant, notwithstanding the height of the shoulder strap.