#4 Removing the Subframes

My Mini breathes a sigh of relief.

After battling with the subframes over a period of  a few days, I finally managed to remove them. In both cases the bolts had become so rusty that the classic "lubricate, tighten and untighten" strategy was pointless. I had to cut the heads off and generally wrestle with both subframes to finally free them. No doubt, they have never been removed in their 44 years of existence. It was a very satisfying accomplishment to finally get the shell free from the frame. I was then able to power-wash the subframes and take a good look at the shape that they are in.

The front subframe in excellent condition.

As can be seen in the photo, the front subframe is in surprisingly good condition. Fortunately it had been covered in a thick layer of black tar-like undercoating. As nasty as this was to remove, it had done a very good job of protecting the frame from rust. I was pleased to discover that the frame was in near-new condition. Even the hydrolastic suspension was fully intact and working.

The rear subframe  - retired after 44 years of service.

The news was not quite as good when it came to the rear subframe. It is well known that that the rear frame is more prone to rust both because it takes a bigger beating from what is thrown up from the road, as well as the fact that the frame itself is thinner in key places. You can see in the photo that the part of the frame that surrounds the hydrolastic displacers (especially on the right side) has completely disintegrated. As well, the displacer itself has dropped down out of place and begun to leak. So the frame is beyond repair.

This is not a surprising find but still a disappointing (and expensive) one. These frames were originally manufactured to be fairly affordable and easy to replace. However they are heavy and, because I live so far away from anyone who sells these items, the shipping cost will equal the cost of the frame. I must say I envy those who are restoring old Minis in the UK and can look to local dealers for much of what they need. All the same, there are some great suppliers in Canada and the US and I am grateful that I don't have to pay overseas shipping costs for big items at least.

I have been asked whether, since the frame needs to be replaced and the hydrolastic suspension is no longer fully functional, I will be converting the suspension to a dry one. I definitely don't plan to. From what I read there seems to be fewer and fewer Minis on the road with their original wet suspension. I really like the idea of "floating on fluid" and I am going do my best to get the suspension back to its original state. The simplicity and functionality of hydrolastic suspensions is really quite remarkable.