Installing the Subframes

Update by Tim Suddard to the Austin Mini Cooper S project car
Feb 25, 2015

Carefully we lower the body and inspect our clearances.

With the subframes in pace we almost instantly start to have a complete car.

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As we mentioned in our last update, we tried to work in an orderly fashion. With the British Wiring harness and lights installed, we were ready to plumb the chassis.

Only after the brake and suspension lines and negative battery cable were installed, could we mount the fully assembled subframes back onto the body. These lines and cable go between the body and the subframe, and must be installed first.

The steering rack also needed to be fitted at this point since it sits behind the subframe. This rack simply bolts to the body with four small bolts. This mounting system seems a little sketchy at first, but considering the cars light weight and narrow wheels and tires, the rack mounting system is strong enough.

Installing the subframes was surprisingly easy. We had each subframe sitting on a carpeted and wheeled cart. We then positioned the subframe under the body, which was on our lift. We then lowered the body, first onto the front and then the rear subframes. We lined the proper bolts up and voila, we almost instantly had a car with four corners, engine and drivetrain all installed.

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