Now the fun stuff starts! Last time we looked into Hagerty’s latest Redline Rebuild, on a 1965 Mini Cooper S, its A-series engine had just enjoyed a skim, rebore and a coat of dark green paint.
This time around, all the parts are back in Hagerty’s workshop and ready to go together. Well, mostly, but the important thing is that a collection of parts will, over the next few videos, turn back into a functioning engine.
To recap, Hagerty’s Mini had a bit of a smoking problem, and one that couldn’t be solved by taxes, warning labels and education. When Redline Rebuild host Davin pulled the A-series apart, he discovered the cause – some deep gouges in the block where combustion had been doing a Shawshank Redemption between the cylinder walls and headgasket.
Thankfully, the local machine shop made light work of the damaged parts, and after a coat of paint to finish it off, all the biggest components were looking a great deal healthier.
In this episode, Davin begins the rebuild process, though with a few incorrect components on the bench, we’ll have to wait a little longer to see the reciprocating parts come together. A well-built A-series is a fine thing however, so we can’t wait to see it back in the car.
If you want to catch the previous episodes, you can find them in our Redline Rebuild section of the website, or subscribe to Hagerty’s YouTube channel to find those videos and more.
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