Competition Automatic Gearboxes

[Dormouse]

The quality of Leyland shells was diabolical.
Your fiery escapade reminds me of a particularly cocky individual who bought a very well prepared Cooper S replica - right down to Magnesium Alloys. He was strongly advised and banned at Scrutineering against carrying a steel petrol can in his boot. However, he sneaked it back in before we started a Night Navigation Rally and, lo and behold, he rolled it into a field. All was well until he rolled it back on it's wheels. Yes, you guessed it, up it went. When the Firey's arrived they went to extinguish the flames only to find the wheels sparking away like crazy. So water was out of the question. They had to throw sand over the wheels to bury them before they could fully extinguish the flames. "Cocky" was not a popular chappie!. The wheels were left for 12 hours before anyone was allowed to try and recover the car - what was left of it.

[white exec]

Not only were Leyland body shells sold ready-rusted, special measures were in place to ensure the tin-worm was given every nourishment.

I was shocked to find, when rustproofing the Morris 1300, that the rear part of the hollow sill section was actually stuffed with plastic foam (bathroom sponge quality), which extended up well into the rear wheel arch!

Presumably this was done to kill resonance/drumming, but WTF!! I yanked a good half-metre of it out, and injected (filled) the hollow section with closed-cell expanding polyurethane foam.

[xantia_v6]

On the subject of 1959 minis, this video is interesting and a little entertaining:


The chugging engine that you can hear in the background near the beginning of the video is actually a factory prototype 425 CC twin cylinder A-series engine which was originally intended to power the mini. Ivan has done a series of videos on the restoration of that engine, stating with just the bare block and head.

On the subject of automatic transmssions, I remember reading (in the 1970s) of one of the professional rally drivers who drove a mini cooper S (but I think not a works driver) who described and experiment where they fitted a full spec rally mini with an automatic transmission, but with a normal clutch instead of a torque convertor. The idea being that the clutch was only used from standing starts and the transmission would look after itself when changing gears. It apparently worked OK, but ended up being no faster than a normal manual transmission.

[NewcastleFalcon]

On the subject of 1959 minis, this video is interesting and a little entertaining:

Very entertaining! Its worth it for Ivan's commentary alone never mind the drive. Just when you think the tear round the bumpy country roads is over he turns up the farm road and says "We'll go like nutters now" (his words) and "through the gate doing 98!". "you wouldn't be able to do that in a normal car!"

Quality stuff!

Regards Neil

[white exec]

Well, what a find, Mike!
Confirms mine was a '59 - it had the little square pressings on the front slam panel, and no rear drain-holes in the roof gutter.
Biggest surprise was seeing that red colour - the very same.

Did know that the early cars had the classic chunky blade fan, which I never saw, as mine came without engine.
Changing the fanbelt was a fiddle, I remember. Some folk cut back/removed the rectangular inner-wing cowl, to allow the engine, complete with radiator, to lift out as one.
Ivan referred to how easy it was to add a second (and identical) carb.

He really needs to sort that clonking (steering rack slop), and likely some new shockers as well.
Ours could take roads like that without even a rattle; the Moulton rubber suspension was just silent.

£800 for a wash bottle... By 'eck!

A real treat, watching that.

[GiveMeABreak]

What a Psycho!

[Dormouse]

On the subject of 1959 minis, this video is interesting and a little entertaining:


The chugging engine that you can hear in the background near the beginning of the video is actually a factory prototype 425 CC twin cylinder A-series engine which was originally intended to power the mini. Ivan has done a series of videos on the restoration of that engine, stating with just the bare block and head.

On the subject of automatic transmssions, I remember reading (in the 1970s) of one of the professional rally drivers who drove a mini cooper S (but I think not a works driver) who described and experiment where they fitted a full spec rally mini with an automatic transmission, but with a normal clutch instead of a torque convertor. The idea being that the clutch was only used from standing starts and the transmission would look after itself when changing gears. It apparently worked OK, but ended up being no faster than a normal manual transmission.

Entirely correct. The performance was not enhanced using standard gearing but the gearing was all concentric so the total power transmissible had the potential to be way higher than a layshaft box could take

[Dormouse]

Just to add to the CVT thread, did you know 2 Daf 55s competed in and finished the 1968 London to Sydney marathon. Not only that they were successful in racing and rallying. There were Formula cars using Daf running gear and very popular they were. Here are some snippets from the Daf Owners Blog pages.

[Dormouse]

Because the forward and reverse gearbox was between the standard engine and the transmission you could in theory go as fast backwards as forwards. Scary or what!

[Dormouse]

https://www.autocar.co.uk/slideshow/18- ... x-types#15
Autocar claims there are 18 kinds of gearbox. I would qualify this as modern transmissions. There are historically many more inventive transmissions

[Dormouse]

If anyone is wondering why you don't just overbore Auto A Series blocks for a Mini it is because many are not thick walled castings from the foundry. Many of the blocks for 1275 gt and Cooper blocks (and some 1300 blocks) were selected/cast with thicker/better walls to avoid porosity. Torque convertors, while heavier, suited certain types of loose surface auto racing. Lightened manual clutch versions of auto box conversions suited other types of racing surfaces.

[Dormouse]

On the subject of 1959 minis, this video is interesting and a little entertaining:


The chugging engine that you can hear in the background near the beginning of the video is actually a factory prototype 425 CC twin cylinder A-series engine which was originally intended to power the mini. Ivan has done a series of videos on the restoration of that engine, stating with just the bare block and head.

On the subject of automatic transmssions, I remember reading (in the 1970s) of one of the professional rally drivers who drove a mini cooper S (but I think not a works driver) who described and experiment where they fitted a full spec rally mini with an automatic transmission, but with a normal clutch instead of a torque convertor. The idea being that the clutch was only used from standing starts and the transmission would look after itself when changing gears. It apparently worked OK, but ended up being no faster than a normal manual transmission.

the reason the Mini ended up with an 850 cc version of the A series and not the larger versions currently then available was because it would have been too damn fast!
PS this guy was behaving himself in the Mini. he could easily have gone a lot faster
PPS filling the speedo to the fuel guage is an indicated 100 mph - I had a works van 850 that did it and gave wheelspin in the dry in 2nd gear. Oh the bliss of a quick Mini.

[mickthemaverick]

I have just watched the video of the Mini and it certainly brought back some memories for me. I had an Austin Seven Mini reg 659 DON which I remember to be very similar to Ivan's one. I remember the floor mounted dipswitch but it also had a floor mounted starter button just behind the hand brake!! I used to drive it much like Ivan I do confess, although I was chased everywhere by a plume of blue smoke, but it was its handling that led me into the world of rallying so I'm not complaining!!

[Hell Razor5543]

I have just watched the video of the Mini and it certainly brought back some memories for me. I had an Austin Seven Mini reg 659 DON which I remember to be very similar to Ivan's one. I remember the floor mounted dipswitch but it also had a floor mounted starter button just behind the hand brake!! I used to drive it much like Ivan I do confess, although I was chased everywhere by a plume of blue smoke, but it was its handling that led me into the world of rallying so I'm not complaining!!

So long as it was just a plume of blue smoke and not a posse of blue lights!

[mickthemaverick]

They couldn't keep up on their Velocettes James, no fear of being caught