Bnicho's 1971 Morris Mini Moke.

[bnicho]

Wow, has it really been two years since I updated this thread!?!

The autobox finally went kaput a year ago. I fitted a manual MG Metro engine and box I had kicking around. Before I fitted it I changed the final drive ratio to 3.94:1 to suit the bigger wheels. The 3.94 was hard to find. I searched all over the world only to find a Mini specialist 40km away had three NOS sets in that ratio on the shelf!

Unfortunately the MG Metro engine just about generates 10 psi of oil pressure at hot idle, and the gearbox has decided it likes to jump out of second gear. So it will need removal again next year for a rebuild.

I had the exhaust changed to move the muffler over to the left and up high out of harm's way. Then I added a second stainless steel fuel tank in the rear subframe to double my fuel capacity. I'm pretty happy with the result although I may rework the number plate flap.







I want to house the extra fuel gauge better but this little pod will do for now.



The switch to change tanks. It controls solenoids on the line form each tank that open when 12v are applied. A y-piece connects the two lines before the fuel pump.



Cheers,

[Ian]

We've just sold a little Moke, these things look great fun, fancied this myself but someone has snapped it up now

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 1077416670

[bnicho]

I saw that Moke in your thread.

I don't think I could ever let my Moke go. It's so much fun. I thoroughly recommend them.

Ideally one day I'd like to have a bush trips Moke (this one) and an ex-Aussie Army Moke restored to original military specs.

[jimmymoke]

Hey Bnicho, I saw you moke and it looks way too cool. I just got an old moke frame and I want to build it up. I live on a small island in the Indian Ocean and I can't find some of the parts I need to repair my moke. I was excited especially to see you have an automatic transmission one. I'll like to have one as well. Do you think we can correspond on email and see if you could help me get some spare parts (engine, accessories, etc..). I'm not sure how much things cost in Australia, but if you can help me get all the parts I need, and the shipping is quite reasonable, I wouldn't mind purchasing all I need from over there, only if you can help with the spare parts of help connect me directly with a company that deals with moke. I appreciate you help with this so much. I think your ride is so cool and I would love to work on mine and get it to a decent functioning little vehicle. Thanks so much. Jimmy

[bnicho]

Hi JimmyMoke,

It's always great to hear from another Moke fan. I'd love to see some pics of your Moke.

There are a couple of dedicated Moke forums you might want to join. One is UK based, the other is Australian, although anyone is welcome!

Aus: http://www.mokesinc.org/index.php

UK: http://www.mokeclub.org/forum/

What year Moke do you have and where was it made? The reason I ask is that Cagiva Mokes with 12 inch wheels and "little wheeler" early English Mokes use all Mini mechanical parts. So they are relatively easy to restore mechanically.

Australian Mokes from late 1968-1982 have different rear trailing arms for the larger diameter tyres, different rear body work and different final drive ratios. There are also detail differences to the subframes to allow for the bumper mounts and add strength. Some of the Australian specific parts are now hard to find.

Generally the cheapest place to buy parts is in the UK. There are multiple Mini specialists that can provide the mechanical bits. M-parts.co.uk can provide most body parts you might need. Most of the Australian suppliers get their new stock from the UK anyway.

As for second-hand bits, the forums and eBay are your best chance. If you are not fussed about originality you can always make bits like bumpers and roll bars.

To convert a Moke to Automatic you need a Mini or Metro (or other BMC/Leyland FWD product) Automatic engine with gearbox, a Mini Automatic front subframe, the kick-down linkage and the gear shift mechanism and cable. There were 850cc, 998cc, 1098cc and 1275cc Automatic engines made. The later they are, the better, with the late A+ 1275 versions being the best. Autos don't like neglect and if oil changes are skipped they tend to die early. Hence why Autos are quite rare now. Unfortunately the Auto engines have different oil galleries so a Manual engine won't work on an Auto gearbox. The opposite is also true, an Auto engine does not work on a manual gearbox.

The front subframe on an Automatic is wider across the engine mounts and has more space at the front to allow the automatic gearbox to fit. Although in theory you could modify a manual subframe.

The Automatic in my Moke actually died 18 months ago so I have reverted to manual. However, I have kept the Automatic parts for a future project.

Cheers,

[bnicho]

It's been a while. But over Easter there was finally some progress. I've pulled the engine out of the Moke and torn it down for the rebuild.



What did I find?

Every gasket drowned in blue silastic.
A completely worn out oil pump which had been reused in the past. There were scrape marks on the back from where a gasket had been removed.
All the bearings were well worn, but the crank actually looks good.
There is a good sized lip in every bore.
The cam is standard late A+, not MG Metro. But it is okay.
Some of the followers were pitted.
The pistons were the standard A+, not MG Metro.
The bearings and thrusts were standard size.

The head is the big valve MG Metro type. So it appears what I actually have is an MG head/intake and carb on a standard late A+ 1275 block. As everything in the bottom end is completely standard, it seems the last "rebuild" in the UK was simply some new gaskets, a head swap and a paint job!

I've sent the block, crank and cam off to be hot tanked and machined. It's going to need a rebore, but I'm only having it bored as far it needs. While a 1380 might be nice and torquey, I'd rather it had a couple more rebores left so a 1293 or 1310 it will be. The crank may only need a linish.

Meanwhile I'll do the gearbox while the engine is being machined. I've never built a Moke/Mini gearbox before and I'm looking forward to it. There is some damage to the fins on the case. It's a big idler A+ and they are hard to find in Australia so I think I will reuse the case regardless. It's not leaking or cracked. With the sump guard refitted, nobody will see it.



The gearbox has been rebuilt before and all the bearings were like new. But the 1-2 selector for was very worn, hence the jumping out of gear. I guess the last rebuild did not include replacing that.

The gears are the "two line" wide ratio A+ type, which is very pleasing. It did pull away well with the 3.94:1 diff so I will stick with the same gearing.

I ordered all the bits for the gearbox from Mini Spares this morning, including a stronger 4 pin diff. I'm looking forward to receiving the first expensive parcel of goodies next week.

Cheers,
Brett.

[pryantcc]

Great update and great work Brett, keep it coming!

[Luxobarge]

It's been a while.

Yes it has! Good to hear an update from you mate - all the best with that engine, I shall look forward to tracking progress. I reckon that will be superb when it's all re-built properly, I've done a few of these engines, easy when they're out of the car and good fun.

[TerryG]

It is an update worth waiting for. I am a big perv for engine rebuild pics.
From personal experience, a mini with a 1293 goes like stink, there is no need to go silly size or you end up eating engines (that may just be me but 2 1340s in 2 years either suggests that I can't build 1340s but I am OK with 1293s or 1340 is pushing it too far with an a series)
You will have to post some more pics as you put it back together.
Nothing beats the feeling of the first turn of a freshly built engine and it roaring in to life

[bnicho]

It's been a while.

Yes it has! Good to hear an update from you mate - all the best with that engine, I shall look forward to tracking progress. I reckon that will be superb when it's all re-built properly, I've done a few of these engines, easy when they're out of the car and good fun.

Thanks, I'm having a ball with it.I have been very slack about updating here. The last few months have been crazy so there has been little classic input unfortunately.

I've always been scared of Mini gearboxes, but once you get your head around it they are easy to understand. I finished stripping it down this afternoon.

Mini Mania put up some excellent videos on Youtube which helped a lot.

I've built Mini engines before, so no worries there I hope. But since it's nearly winter here and it's a summer-only car I can take my time and get it right. I'm aiming for a nice cruiser with low down torque, so I will probably stick with mostly stock internals.

The Shitbox Rally Mini left yesterday headed to Perth for the next rally. I opted not to go this year so my co-driver is taking his brother. A sponsor was so impressed with our efforts from last year that he rebuilt the engine and gearbox for nothing. The block started life as a 1098cc but it's now +100 thou or about 1200cc with 10:1 compression, balanced bottom end, 12G295 Cooper head, mild cam, 123 ignition, alloy radiator and a 3.2:1 diff. It flies. I just hope it stays reliable!