mini-el restoration - ** success at DVLA **

[booboo]

After receiving a large box of nice new shiny bits from Denmark it seemed wrong to just bolt them on to the rusty battery tray.



So I decided that the battery tray really needed to come out ;



Removing the leaf springs,shocks etc was quite straight forward. 13mm socket and spanner were the main tools required. The vehicle was placed on a plank of wood resting on axle stands;



Once the motor was out, the battery tray was easy to unbolt. Biggest hassle was the brake pipes, they weave in and out of the tray at a couple of points, so they had to be disconnected .

[booboo]

Now all I need to do is rub down and paint the battery tray.

I also took advantage of the empty "engine bay" to give it a good clean

[MB]

Good to see an 'El given a bit of TLC.

My G-Wiz had it's annual service today. Talking to the engineer, I almost can't wait for it to get to the end of its warranty period so I can start tinkering with it...

Guess I should start saving up for the Lithium Cobolt batteries now, and I think some nice adjustable SPAX shock absorbers, a brake servo and an empty air-field may be a good idea in order to get the brakes and handling the way I want them.

[aminorjourney]

What a difference!

It's good to know that it's a good vehicle underneath. You should maybe also think about securing the huge loom of cables which pass by on the right hand side of the car - it could make battery installation easier!

[booboo]

What a difference!

..you should maybe also think about securing the huge loom of cables which pass by on the right hand side of the car..

All those wires were tie-wrapped to the battery tray, so I had to carefully cut the tie-wraps in order to remove the tray. You are right,they will need to be re-secured during the rebuild.

The shocks and leaf springs that I removed from the vehicle seemed to be in good shape, but I will still be replacing them with my nice new shiny ones.

Now all I've got to do is remember how it all goes back together...

[aminorjourney]

Have you spoken to Andreas at Twike UK about doing a modification to the springs? He's suggesting (from a friend in Germany) that you actually put two springs on each side. I'll get some better description on how later

I'm really pleased at how good this is looking. Do you have a repair kit for the hood now or do you want bits from mine?

N

[floydster]

My G-Wiz had it's annual service today. Talking to the engineer, I almost can't wait for it to get to the end of its warranty period so I can start tinkering with it...

Just being a bit cheeky but how much is it to service since you don't need to change oil, plugs, filters etc.?

Floydster

[booboo]

Have you spoken to Andreas at Twike UK about doing a modification to the springs? He's suggesting (from a friend in Germany) that you actually put two springs on each side. I'll get some better description on how later

I'm really pleased at how good this is looking. Do you have a repair kit for the hood now or do you want bits from mine?

N

The two springs idea is interesting, I guess I could just bolt the new and old lot together since the existing set look to be in good condition.

Something to consider.

I had forgotten all about the hood ! A couple of the press studs are past their best, plus I have a slight tear around one of the top press studs.
Also, any idea what glue to use to stick the velcro back on to the body tub ? I was going to use araldite, but am open to suggestions.

[booboo]

Some more pictures of the recent progress...just need to bleed the brakes and then tackle the wiring to see if the beastie actually runs !

[booboo]

I even cleaned out some more nooks and crannies ....