1981 Minion Jackal Roadster rebuild.

[Badgrizzly]

Hi guys.

Just thought I spend a few mo's to let you know about my little project.

Ol Peggy is a 1981 Minion Jackal roadster softop. It has been in the distant past a minion display stand car. It is based on thee 1930's Riley.

You will see some pics of it in the Picture Gallery, mine is the little maroon and black one. It did have a 1600 Toyota engine and 5 speed box in it. I have now taken this oput and sold it. I am going to fully strip it down and rebuild it with all new bushes, bearings, refurb chassis and convert suspension to coilovers. Install new paower in the form of a Rover V8 with Holley carb and 4 branch manifolds. New Rad, New interior, full body refurb and respray. Update Braking etc. And the list goes on.

I'll stick some pics on when I work how to get them to fit. Cheers Gary

[Badgrizzly]

http://s1342.photobucket.com/albums/...view=slideshow

[garyh]

Another interesting build, let us know when you have done some more... did you have to do much to your Rover engine?

[peterux]

Originally Posted by Badgrizzly

http://s1342.photobucket.com/albums/...view=slideshow

Wow, what a great project.
I'm green with envy of your shot blasted chassis

keep us posted....

[Badgrizzly]

Hi Gary H. No did not have do too much to engine as it was already mine, It has a kent cam, got vittesse heads and tubul;ars with a 4 barrell carb. Engine has only done 52000 miles from new. Got some more pics to put on shortly as done more work. Hope to have all done for Detling show in April.

Also Cheers Peter, nice car yourself cant work out what engine that is looks like a straight 6 poss Triumph? Gary

[seanick]

Big wow. Great job,and what a lovely garage you have, WITH A PIT!!!!
I dream of a garage with a pit.......
Have to say though, I do prefer the Minilites over the spoked alloys,
otherwise 10/10.

[Badgrizzly]

Hi Nick. Cheers. I do prefer the ministers as well but getting the size I wanted impossible. These alloys do look better when done black, honest.

Gary

[Badgrizzly]

Now to get stuck into the interior and wait for the weather to get better to spray the wings then fit them with all the lights etc. Be ready for detling.

Cant wait been a hard 5 months or so to date.

Also just been offered a 4.2 with 45000 on it, tempting mmmm I'll need to think abojut about.

Cheers Gary

[Badgrizzly]

Here we go. Cheers G

http://s1342.photobucket.com/albums/...view=slideshow

[Badgrizzly]

Yep all MOT'd, need to put the latest pics up later.

Then within 2 days big oil leak from engine, had it checked and the bock was cracked , arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh so now engine and box back out, got another engine stripped it down had block tested and in middle of reguild using the new cam from the broken engine and the uprated oil pump, so should be back on road in next 2 weeks.

So wanted to get to the Crystal Palace kitcar show and hill climb over the weekend still have to go in day to day car.

The fun of building kit cars.

[Badgrizzly]

Well engine is now in and all I've got to do is connect it all up, make sure oil pump is primed, fill with oil and go ( I hope).

Managed to use a later block from a defender with better crankshaft seals and conrods. Swapped over all my parts to it 10.5-1 pistons, uprated cam, Vittesse heads, 4 Barrel carb, uprated oil pump. etc etc. almost a full rebuild.

Bit of ali paint and alls done.

Will let you know how she goes this time.

Now just get a bit of decent weather and get the last bit of paint on body and all is done, bar the final fit of the interior.

Here's a link to some more pics.

http://s1342.photobucket.com/albums/...view=slideshow

[Badgrizzly]

Yep new engine a performer. no leaks, oil pressure all good, adjusted the coil-overs to a slightly higher rebound rate as a bit soft, brakes excellent but still need to move bias to fronts a bit will have to put the bias adjuster on and play with it. Might get an expansion tank for rad as although not overheating I like to make sure of plenty of water to keep cool. Now lets hope the weather is kind over next 2 days and I will spray the 2 grey bits.

Going to the classic/custom/kit car show at Bodiam on Sussex/Kent border on Sunday, great day out nice pub at entrance and the Kent and Sussex steam railway just a short walk away.

If you going look me up.

interesting reading, i,ve got an imperial jackal 1987 and was gonna stick a V8 rover in at the start but i had a couple of RS 2000 pinto,s available so one of them was installed and it,s still running well, just done a full summer of shows and it still draws the interest, i think it,s a lovely style ,how it never sold more i don,t know,
incidentally i,ve got nearly the full list of all jackals made and that number on yours does not come up from anwhere, have you any idea where it came from and i might be able to give you more details,
neil

[Badgrizzly]

Hi Neil

Cheers fella, got any pics of yours. Mine is an original Minion Jackal one of only 6 of the convertibles made by minion. It was originally built by an ex AA man and had a toyota engine. It was used as a motor show display stand car back in 1982. I have all the old receipts and Minion catalogues etc and a letter from the original company MD Peter Fairhurst given it a value back in 1985 of £4500 to 5000 (lot of poppy back then). So far this year done about 2500 miles and counting (goes like stink as well). My chassis is MJC409 not sure what the numbering method was but I was told this was the 4th chassis made not sure what the 09 bit stands for, though it was thought meant to show 4 of 9 even only 6 bodies made, the MJC stood for Minion Jackal Convertible.

Is yours a hard top?

I I've got a soft top but making a hardtop from ali over the winter.

Be good to find out how many Jackal are still out there, I know there is a blue one out there and a silver one currently on Ebay, there is a yellow one in Germany. Maybe get them all to show somewhere.

Going to Le mans classic next year be good to get a few together.

You should have gone for the V8 it was made for it.

mine is an imperial specialist vehicle jackal saloon hardtop, chassis 7800121, ordered and built by myself in 1987 and delivered personally by peter fairhurst just as the company went into receivership , i was one of the lucky (or not ) ones as i got a body and chassis whilst other people paid and got nothing,i paid for all the seats and upholstery panels but were not included in my delivery so i got in touch with the original upholsterer and paid again ,
no instructions either so i worked blind but that was half the fun of it,
mine is on vauxhall magnum suspension with the 2.3 brakes,custom made springs ,gas spax adjustables,
engine is a tuned RS2000 with a kent cam and twin 40 webers thro a sierra 5 speed box, it has been used most summers since 1987 and has 15,000mls on it,in all that time it let me down once ,the inline fuse for the electric fan corroded a bit and it did not cut in, it was soon sorted,
i,ve seen that one on e bay ,last i seen it was up to £5600,it is also on another site for £11995,
apart from the demonstrator i tried out at the factory in susans road i,ve only seen one other and that was at the peterborough show in 1983 and that belonged to roy hindley from reading, he originally tried to format an owners register ,
we kept in touch for a while but he eventually sold his and he has regretted it ever since,
i think the man that formatted the register that i have was terry scott, from where i don,t know ,
i would love to send pics but don,t know how to do it, can you take me through the process,
my colour is silver over charcoal, and is still the gel coat ,never been painted yet,red upholstery and an old wardrobe door in walnut veneer adapted to fit for the dash,
got 7x15 wheels with 195x15 yokohamas, i,ve also got a full set of 6x13 k and n diamonds for it with 205 60 13 firestone firehawks but i think it runs too low with them on, although i can put a set of spacers under the rear spring seats to alter the ride height,
exhaust is a custom fit by myself in stainless with a small box after the janspeed manifold then a tail box by custom chrome, a diver i think they call it

if your,s was originally red, the only one on my list that,s red was no.7,
original no.????AFG, from bexhill,
i,ve actually got 4 minion open tops and 3 imperial open tops,
as a lot of customers were conned out of their cash, that,s probably why there are not too many still on the road,
when peter fairhurst delivered mine on a trailer from eastbourne he seemed so apologetic that a lot of parts were missing and said he would do what he could to rectify it but his hands were tied by the money man behind it , a peter gowland a main skoda dealer (i think)from eastbourne ,who set up imperial specialist vehicles with peter fairhurst,
i had all the bills of sale and original brochures for the jackal but loaned them to ken wheatley (another shyster) who set up the MK2 versions but after repeated requests to return them he has sank back into his snake pit!

[Badgrizzly]

Hi Neil

Yes def originally red over black its in the gel coat. Mine is as explained. It was an original from Minion Cars as stated it was used as a exhibition car as stated from Peter Fairhurst in a letter requesting the use of it back in 83. I have loads of original bills and bits from this time. Terry who used to run the site could not find it either but then a lot of the records were allegedly lost.

I am going to put some more upto date pics on board soon before it comes back off the road for a Jag irs axle fitment, rebuilding the axle now. Will add pics of install as I go along. Much better ratio than Vauxhall axle and is a powerlock LSD with nice big discs to help with stopping her.

Love to see pic of yours.

I see the one on Ebay is back again he does keep trying though.

Cheers Gary

gary,
thought you,d dropped off the planet !
just put mine on axle stands for the winter but still start it once a month till the fan cuts in, also use the gears as i,ve had the flywheel stick before,
i don,t know how to put pics on the website but i might be able to send them to your e mail,although i,m still not too sure about that,
as you can gather i,m not too PC literate but am learning all the time,
send me an e maill address and i,ll try it ,
neil

[Badgrizzly]

Hi Yeah have been off a bit as having to deal with a family funeral, so been on much.

I loaded my pics to photobucket, cant remember how I did it but it was simple as the site does most of the work for you, give it a try.

My Mail is southee@hotmail.co.uk just insert pics and send.

I will still be using mine for a couple more months while I fiddle with axle as I go to a couple of hotrod meets near home. Never get gold in the old girl with the V8 lurking in the engine bay.

Good idea to start and yours though helps with keeping all oiled etc.

I 've got to stick some more pics on off current rear end with new exhaust on before I strip back axle out, so will have fun with photbucket as well soon.

Must get it all done before March so I can run it up, before arranging my Le Mans trip.

Gary

[Badgrizzly]

Well stripped all down, shot blasted, new bearings, seals in and just painting it up. Converted rear hubs to accept ford 4 stud. Now to start assembly and then work out frame to solid mount at top. Going to use Hotrod style mounting method, i.e. solid to a crossmember and diagonal ties bars to stop diff twist. Have to decide about radius rods as I know some Cobras don't use them but will think on that a bit. Will stick pics up soon.

Any views on radius rods welcome.

Cheers Gary