Assembly 1.

We started the assembly. First to go on were the tubing for the hydrolastic suspension, the brakes and accumlator cable, steering rack and the subframes.

 We rebuilt the original brake calippers with stainless steel pistons and new quality rubber seals.

Finally we bolted on the fully rebuilt suspension. All new bushes, bearings, seals, ball joints. The setup is mostly standard, with minor refinements like the front negative chamber lower arm or the mix of materials used t the bushings. At some point rubber, at some point hard rubber or poly, as it is best for fastroad/durability. We have sent the wheels for refurbishment.

Paintjob

After the completment of the bodywork, we sent it to the painter to cover the tin statue with a shiny layer. The work took 3 months, but for a good result, we were eager to wait. And voila! Our patience was worth. The quality of the paintjob is very-very high inside and outside, under and over. We are statisfied, and also take extra efforts to work on his beauty carefully.

 

Underside

Finally the body was prepared for the paint job. We sanded and painted the underside of the chassis. First we used a light 1K rust preventive primer at the joining area of the panels. With some effort this paint can get between the overlapping panels and seal it from the rust. As a second step we sealed the panels, oversprayed it with 2k epoxy primer and finally coated it with stone chip protection.
Today afternoon the body was transported to the painter. They will start the work tomorow. All fingers crossed...

Some extra protection at this delicate area.

Engine assembly 4.

I assembled the cylinder head.

New valve springs, that work best with the camshaft.

One point that is prone to oil leaks on a mini engine is the timing cover area. I picked the best from my collection...

And sanded it a bit to get a flat surface.

Look what I found in my loft: a nos cast iron case water pump. It was the original fitment on period mini engines. Long out of production. It is my gift for Easter :-).

Finally a bit of painting here and there.

Engine assembly 3.

Engine.

The Cooper "S" engine was a miracle of its day. The power to weight ratio of the car was more than reasonable. Although 50 years have passed since that time, the engine is still up for its job, although can be improved at some points. The car will be a daily runner, so the most important factor is reliability. Most of the non-original items work in that direction, but we also would like to see a tad more power (as always :-) ), from the engine, if possible.

New cam bearings, hand honed to finish.

Cleaning the crank journals is very important task. Not to be overlooked.

This is the original nitrited EN40B "S" crankshaft. It is in perfect, std/std condition. It was a dilemma whether to use it or replace it with a "mundane" item. But finally the decision was made: it was meant to be used so it will be used :-). 

Some bushings in the gearbox were replaced now.

To be on the safe side, some bearings also.

Checking the end flow here is vital.

Just like using cam lube on the new camshaft.

Isky followers are the best for the task.

Timing in the cam may take a couple of hours. I used offset cam keys to set the timing.

Bodywork

Final touches on the body

There was a rear collusion at some point. Neither the boot lid, nor the laps line up. Need to be treated a bit.

Better, but still not perfect.

New front end fits generally good, but...

...still need some some adjustment here...

...and there.

Panel gaps are 4-4.5mms. As even as it gets.

But some parts still need some finishing.