subframe swap aussie

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

DROPBEAR - 28 Jul 2003 11:04 GMT

i would like to swap my subframes with rubber cones, all new brakes, engine
gear box etc out of my aussie 78 clubman mini s
and install them into my 1969 mini round nose that has currently got
buggered hydrolastic suspension it it.

if any body has any tips or advice or could enen tell me if it can be done
or not that would be a great help.

basicly the floor and most of the clubman is rusted out but all the
mechanicals are in good running order and the round nose has a perfectly
straight rust free body with no mechanicals to speak of.

cheers steve.

Reply to this Message

ops - 28 Jul 2003 12:32 GMT

> i would like to swap my subframes with rubber cones, all new brakes, engine
> gear box etc out of my aussie 78 clubman mini s
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>
> cheers steve.

Take the units out and put the cones in subframes are the same.

Reply to this Message

Graham - 28 Jul 2003 13:20 GMT

> > i would like to swap my subframes with rubber cones, all new
> > brakes, engine gear box etc out of my aussie 78 clubman mini s
> > and install them into my 1969 mini round nose that has currently
> > got buggered hydrolastic suspension it it.
> > if any body has any tips or advice or could enen tell me if it can
> > be done or not that would be a great help.

Unlike the UK, all Australian subframes use the same mounting points and
can be interchanged. Fitting rubber subframes to a hydro car is easy,
but obviously if you fit hydro to a dry car you will have some plumbing
to do too.

Have you considered just converting the existing hydro subframes in the
69 mini to rubber without removing them from the car?

> Take the units out and put the cones in subframes are the same.

I don't remember if they're identical or not. I know the front hydro
subframes have locating tabs to retain the hydro displacers, and I have
an inkling there was some minor complication which I can't remember from
when I changed a hydro Minimatic front subframe to rubber for my
Mokematic. It's just it's a long time ago and I don't remember WHAT the
complication was!

Reply to this Message

Makka - 29 Jul 2003 00:48 GMT

graham no the subframes are different
makka

> > > i would like to swap my subframes with rubber cones, all new
> > > brakes, engine gear box etc out of my aussie 78 clubman mini s
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> Mokematic. It's just it's a long time ago and I don't remember WHAT the
> complication was!

Reply to this Message

Graham - 29 Jul 2003 03:52 GMT

> > > Take the units out and put the cones in subframes are the same.

> > I don't remember if they're identical or not. I know the front
> > hydro subframes have locating tabs to retain the hydro displacers,
> > and I have an inkling there was some minor complication which I
> > can't remember from when I changed a hydro Minimatic front
> > subframe to rubber for my Mokematic. It's just it's a long time
> > ago and I don't remember WHAT the complication was!

> graham no the subframes are different

I remember that there are a couple of holes for the little tab which
stabilises the hydro displacer, which obviously isn't used in a dry
setup. I know I used a pair of rather crummy hi-lo copies to get the
height I wanted, which with the Moke was rather tall. I have this vague
memory that there was some complication, I think perhaps the space for
the hydro displacers is slightly deeper than for rubber donuts, so that
with no other modifications the suspension sits far too low? I only did
a front subframe, because all Minimatic subframes in Australia are hydro
and all Mokes are rubber suspension. Since I needed a rubber automatic
subframe, I had to fit rubber to a hydro subframe.

Reply to this Message

Drew - 29 Jul 2003 18:31 GMT

>>>>Take the units out and put the cones in subframes are the same.
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> and all Mokes are rubber suspension. Since I needed a rubber automatic
> subframe, I had to fit rubber to a hydro subframe.

I would suggest the reason for it not sitting at the right height was
not that the space for the displacer was deeper, rather that the top
arms and radius arms have the knuckle joint holes in a different place.
It is a common one when people do this conversion. You either need to
use hilos as you did, or swap the top arms and radius arms.

If the two types of arms are placed side by side they are quite markedly
different.

Drew.

Reply to this Message