Scrapheap Dave’s Mini Challenges.

     With the sudden ‘enthusiasm’ to get the trailer finished I set myself the task of getting it roadworthy for Mini 45 at Silverstone and to this end some significant effort was put in to making it happen.

     This involved loads more filling and sanding and eventually called it a day ready for painting. Shawn had kindly offered to spray it IF I could take the trailer to his paint shop. Therefore I finished the trailer as much as I could, fitted the towbar and lid, wired up the towbar socket and found the indicators didn’t flash properly despite having a Halfords indicator relay-relayer fitted which would require another couple of relays to drive the trailer indicator bulbs correctly without adding too much load to the Mini flasher unit, this was a shame as I was under the impression the Halfords unit should do this but it didn’t, still, live and learn.

     With the trailer a nice shade of primer grey I connected up to the car and was pleased to see it was sitting somewhere near level, although some height adjustment was possible with the coil over suspension it was un-necessary. It was time for the first test run. This was very successful and the trailer towed like a dream, didn’t know it was there, reversing was a different matter altogether with the trailer turning extreemely sharply due to the short tow bar length making reversing a tricky procedure but not impossible.

     It was only when I got home that I noticed the tow bar seemed springy and had broken around the welding and was hanging on by a thread. I re-welded it then hit it with a hammer just to be sure this time, it broke clean in half again, something not quite right here. The scaffold pole it would turn out had a high carbon content making it go very brittle, the tube was ditched. My brother Michael had a solid metal tube bent to shape and this was fitted after painting the day before Mini 45.

     Painting went very well and the trailer begins to look smart, just some nice wheels required to finish it off now. Two pack laquer giving a very shiny tough exterior should last for many years to come.

     The trailer’s first true outing was Mini 45 and it became immediately apparent all was not well with the new tow bar with on closer inspection was flexing all over the place making the trailer swing from side to side when towed so the run there and back was a tough one but arrived and got home safely which is the main thing. It attracted a lot of attention at Mini 45 and the ‘gaffa taped’ hole when the petrol tank filler neck should be (needs to go) got a lot of ‘finger poking’ throughtout the day.

     All in all a long day but a good result in the end. Would I do it again ? ..... definately not !!!!