Mini Spares Centre News

For some reason, discs (brake rotors for the foreigners amongst us!) for the 'S'/early GT have become more and more difficult to come by. Well, actually, that is not totally accurate. I guess that statement should read "decent quality discs". I know there is a supply of, erm, EEC country manufactured discs purporting to be high quality, but they are extortionately expensive, and are only totally (?) effective when used in conjunction with that same company's pads (that wear out faster than standard road pads!) I have heard some hog-wash in my time!

Anyway, to solve this problem we have decided to produce our own brake discs, to specifications arrived at by full diagnostic inspection of quality items, and advice from specialists in the field. Much like we do everything really. The discs will be produced in premium quality casting iron (can't give you exact grade - otherwise "others" may take advantage), to a specified high BS standard, utilising a method employed by a VERY big specialist brakes manufacturer in England. Two versions will be available - Standard, and Race use. The only difference being four slots in the race one. No, four is more than ample, we have been well advised. Suffice to say the slots have nothing whatsoever to do with cooling, and too many slots reduce frictional area (therefore braking efficiency). These should be available from the last week of October 1993.

Front wheel drive cars with small diameter wheels have always suffered from wheel spin, and the Mini is no exception. Originally launched in 1959 with an 850cc engine developing around 30bhp, the standard differential assembly was adequate to deal with the power developed by this engine. With the advent of the Cooper and S derivatives of Britain's most successful small car this situation changed and the planet gear/differential cross pin life decreased to as little as 500 miles on the Cooper S cars, when driven hard with more than a little enthusiasm. The only real changes made by the factory to the planet gear assembly during its production life has been the fitment of fibre thrust washers for cheapness of manufacture, a backward step in quality. and the addition of tags to the planet gear thrust washers in a positive attempt to stop the original planet gear thrusts wearing the housings away.

Tran-X have designed two different planet carrier assemblies for those drivers who want increased reliability for road and competition use.

The road going version is competitively priced and is sold as a conversion kit consisting of a new billet steel planet carrier complete with two cross pins and four star wheels with all other parts necessary to assemble to the costomers own crown wheel and diff output gear shafts which essentially must be in good condition. Price for Road is under £85.00.

The above diff unit is also available with new diff gear output shafts at extra cost.

The competition unit is fitted with a bevel gear assembly using fou~ new planet wheels designed by Tran -X and capable of withstanding the most aggressive usage handed out by the new generation of 16V and crossflow engines. Indeed the bevel gear design should exceed the capability of the other transmission components currently available. This unit will feature output shafts to suit Hardy Spicer couplings rubber doughnuts or pot joints the customer ordering the specification required. Price for Race approximately £130.00.

Customer requirement dictates what products we change, instigate. drop or offer alternatives of the same item. A recent swing in market requirements has demanded that we now supply two variations of the tooth belt cam drive kit.

Originally adjustable by clamping screws, a cry for vernier (or dowel) adjustment for some years saw Mini Spares change their kit accordingly. Now there is sufficient demand for both types, so I have done a redesign of the original screw-clamp adjustable kit. The new kit has all the same component layout of the old kit with the exception of the cam gear. This has been made so fitment is easier (you can now get a standard socket on the cam nut) and clamping force of the screws is increased (to reduce possible "creeping" of the cam timing). The kits now have separate numbers.

C-AJJ3326 Screw adj cam drive kit - £92.83
C-AJJ3328 Vernier dowel adj cam drive kit - £88.13

Following persistent and growing requests, we have produced a set of steel main caps to fit the 1275GT/Austin 1300/A+ 1275 engine blocks. This is in addition to our 4 bolt centre main cap. Supplied as a set of three, they need to be line bored, and thrust washer faces finished off. These caps are far strorlger than the standard items, and help stiffen the block to greatly reduce block distortion at sustained high rpm, especially on long stroke engines. They also minimise "Cap shuffle" experienced in race engines. Needless to say, crank and bearing life are greatly extended. They can be supplied as a set with the four bolt centre main cap.

C-AGA620 Steel main cap set - £99.88
C-AGA621 Steel main cap set with 4 bolt centre main - £119.17

Many Mini owners driving their cars regularly on the roads have seen our toothed belt drive ancillaries drive systems, and desired the same - but do not require the super lightness of the alloy water pump drive pulley, yet require it to be longer lasting. To this end we can now supply the system with a steel water pump drive pulley to greatly extend its life. Obviously on race units, the weight reduction (therefore power absorbtion reduction) is the main criteria, not its super extended wear rate. The price is the same for both kits.

C-AEA536 Alloy water pump tooth belt drive - £48.00
C-AEA546 Steel water pump tooth belt drive - £48.00
C-AEA536A Toothed alternator drive. pre 1984 - £38.78
C-AEA5368 Toothed alternator drive, 1984 on (for later type alternator with no key way) - £38.78