Tish with Steve and Andy at Steve’s shop Fairlane Rod and Custom
The mini has been transformed, resurrected to it’s former glory and then some by my new friend Steve Larsen, owner of Fairlane Rod and Custom in Grass Valley, California.
Fairlane Rod & Custom
We’re delivering the Mini today, Easter Sunday.
Mini on it's way to get clothed
Here’s the color we’ve decided on: flat Satin KhakiGreen/White, same as my Trek Fuel EX 8™. Give us your thoughts.
Tell us what you think of this color before it’s too late? Flat, matte with a yellow tint at some angles.
Satin KhakiGreen/White Top
Fabrication in full color
Well, a good reason to try to update this story…..
Apologies to all who have stopped by while I have allowed this blog to stagnate. Fact is I’m much more back into Minis than I anticipated, having returned to Mini Mania after a few years away from real hands-on work. I admit that progress on my own car has been kind of minimal, specially from it’s appearance! Under the skin, however, some improvements have been tested to the extent I can get away with in driving a car with no side windows, bonnet (OK hood!), paint, seat belts, pretty much most things we take for granted in our real cars.
Also a chance to send a greeting to my friends Tamer and Yehia in Cairo (yes, Egypt!). These guys are building a VTEC Mini as they are building a new government. Tamer runs a motorcycle import business and has helped Yehia get parts flown in to Cairo. I’m talking sub-frames, wheels and tires, tilt front ends… serious parts. I’ll invite them to comment here a post photos of the project!
So these photos are me forming the bracket that supports my tilt steering column. Interesting view you can never see until it’s a picture. You can see my unusual pistol-grip oxy-acetylene welder. Very versatile!
Let me just add some fun photos of my projects over the years….
The occasional help
The dash tray patched and nice and flat
A little more touch-up and paint and I can begin to install the wiring harness.
Oh, here’s the Dyno readout from the Mini Mania Nevada City adventure a couple of years ago. For an engine this size to hold peak torque and HP numbers like this is remarkable. These are at the wheels real numbers on a 95 degree day when no other streetable non v-tech Mini bettered about 55 BHP. The engine had no miles on it! I’d run it on the test stand at MM, installed it and driven from home on the battery… no electrical system at all other than a few alligator clips to power the fuel pump and ignition. Don thought I was a little crazy to repeatedly run it up to 7000 revs, but I thought it would be spectacular either way!
The Dyno readout of the current engine configuration
I suspect that a little more tuning will actually pull that flat spot up resulting in higher peak numbers. Perhaps having the alternator actually charging so the ignition isn’t running off the battery under such load! Maybe I’ll flog it again this year at Mini Mania’s Nevada City Adventure… I have until June!
