Minitim's Clubby - Blaze

[Jared Mk3]

That motor came out a treat Tim. Nice.

[minitim]

Now many have gone through this process, and of course myself included. Brake upgrade!

Originally having drums in the front, and having now upgraded the performance of the motor, better brakes were a non-negotiable.
I purchased a complete set of 8.4" brakes, which was all in pieces and possibly not even from the same car, but all was there. Not a cheap exercise at all to start off with, but I just had to take them while I could get.

A drill and wire brush can do wonders to cleaning away years of dirt and grim (just be warned that those metal pieces do hurt when they fly off the brush! Always wear googles!)








Some damage where the ball joints seat needed some attention before refitment



Newly built up and painted hubs with Timken taper roller bearings and seals


The calipers were also split and cleaned up.



These pistons were not going to make the grade



New stainless steel pistons


All assembled and ready for duty

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Progressing steadily the steering rack and front subframe got installed



Brakes in place

[DomMINIque]

Tim you put in some serious effort to every little bit. Makes the difference your car looks outstanding.

[Vinay-RS]

I think gold calipers are the way to go. Jared maybe you should consider gold instead of silver on your next build?

Tim, I thought you had 10" rostyles on your mini? Wouldn't they need 7.5" discs? I really can't tell the difference in the appearance of the 8.4s vs. the 7.5s.

[minitim]

Thanks guys.

This project I was doing for myself and no one else.
Many don't understand why one spends hours cleaning and painting areas that no one will ever see.
I guess it's also about the satisfaction one gets when you see the transformation and you give yourself a thumbs up.

Vinay. I'm in the process of sharing the journey. These are the highlights as the original build thread was lost on the old forum.
You are right, those are 8.4" brakes, the 7.5" comes in a few chapters down the line ;-)

[Enzio]

I see your replacement stainless steel caliper pistons do not have the step in them like the originals. And this is similar to others I have seen.

When I had mine made, I used an original steel one as a sample and had the step cut in - this was also advised by Kollie to be done since I borrowed the sample from him.

I can only imagine that the cut-out was added to change the pressure applied over the back of the brake pad, perhaps they had issues with the stock pad material degrading on the outer edge of the pad. Not really sure as I haven't investigated it any more, but it would be in line with the modern designs on multi piston calipers where the pressure over the pad is controlled via the piston size.

[Dion]

Great restoration Tim.

[Richie Rich]

Awesome build, love the detail. One can not simply do a build, and leave 1 part untouched or unpainted. I had the same problem with Leone, and my current project. Keep posting the updates, interesting reading.

[minitim]

Have not done much on the Clubby in a while. Took it on the annual MOCSA Jacaranda Run yesterday around Pretoria. Was good fun with 20 other Mini's joining.

[Vinay-RS]

Seriously love your GT Tim. Definitely the nicest clubman in the country.