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In the first episode of Project Binky, we take a rotten old Austin Mini and strip it down to a bare shell. We then take an angle grinder to it and cut it to pieces. It's only then that the customised rebuilding process starts. We're trying to create one of the fastest Minis on the planet. We're going to rebuild it with the engine and running gear from a Toyota Celica ST185 GT4. Or at least that's the plan. Whether it comes off or not is another matter. We're filming this as it happens so what you see is only a few weeks behind where we're actually at so we're not sure yet whether we can do it. That's kind of the fun though. Stick with us through the highs and the lows of the project. Hopefully it'll be worth the agony and cash. Feel free to share it far and wide!
Nik Blackhurst
60
1440 min
We're trying to create one of the fastest Minis on the planet. We're going to rebuild it with the engine and running gear from a Toyota Celica ST185 GT4. Or at least that's the plan. Whether it comes off or not is another matter. We're filming this as it happens so what you see is only a few weeks behind where we're actually at so we're not sure yet whether we can do it. That's kind of the fun though.
Aug 17, 2013
In the 2nd episode of Project Binky, we start to get down to the nitty gritty of the build. We strip out the front bulkhead, make all new suspension mounting points and drink a lot of tea. We also travel to Goodwood for a cheeky track day. The project to fit all of the running gear from a Toyota Celica ST185 GT-Four into a Mini 1000 without widening or lengthening it, really starts to take shape. There'll be more by Christmas 2013 we hope, so please subscribe to our channel to get all the updates. Thanks for watching, we hope you enjoy our escapades. Feel free to share it far and wide!
Oct 18, 2013
Project Binky: A Toyota Celica GT-Four engine, gearbox and running gear is being shoe-horned into a 1980 Mini 1000. In episode 3, the turbo-charged 3SGTE engine gets put aside as we concentrate on getting the rear suspension and sub-frame mounted in the back of the Mini. Silliness abounds in this monster project. We very much hope you enjoy watching. Please subscribe to our channel to receive regular updates! Thanks for watching!
Dec 24, 2013
Project Binky: A Toyota Celica GT-Four engine, gearbox and running gear is being shoe-horned into a 1980 Mini 1000. In episode 4, the Mini finally gets an engine. All the running gear gets installed and there's a miracle prop-shaft situation. It finally dawns on us that it just might be possible to get the 3SGTE engine in the car and the project might just work! Please share far and wide. Thanks for watching!
Feb 19, 2014
In episode 5 of Bad Obsession Motorsport's Project Binky, we finally manage to get the front bulkhead finished and make a start on making good the rear end. The quest to build one of the world's fastest Austin Minis continues.
Apr 19, 2014
Bad Obsession Motorsport's mental project to shoehorn the entire running gear from a Toyota Celica GT-Four into a Mini without lengthening or widening it continues in episode 6. The shell fabrication is nearly complete.
Jun 13, 2014
In episode 7 of Project Binky, the Mini gets most of the chassis fabrication completed, the radiator gets sorted and the car gets electric windows and central locking. Oh, and Nik has a birthday party. The quest to build one of the world's fastest Mini's continues....
Sep 26, 2014
The quest to build one of the world's fastest Mini's continues.... In Episode 8, we get a pair of nice doors, Nik gets annoyed with the boot lid and we both flip out over the front end panel work. Really hope you enjoy it. Please share! Thanks for watching.
Dec 24, 2014
Yes it's taken a long time, but episode 9 is finally here. The shell is complete along with a few extra flourishes. We start on the interior and the BOM family grows by two. Oh, and Nik gets a haircut. Follow the madness of the project trying to build one of the world's fastest Mini's.
Apr 17, 2015
The quest to build one of the world's fastest Mini's continues... In episode 10 of Project Binky, we mainly concentrate on getting the controls sorted. There's pedal box and steering action along with a fight with some major bump steer.
Jul 31, 2015
The quest to build one of the world's fastest Mini's continues... In episode 11 of Project Binky, we grapple with bumpsteer and Ackermann angles, we wrestle with the gear-shift mechanism, sort out the passenger seat and fit the handbrake. And we drink tea of course.
Dec 4, 2015
In episode 12 of Project Binky, we get to grips with the exhaust after finishing off a lot of the bits left earlier on in the build. The quest to build one of the world's fastest Minis continues...
Apr 8, 2016
In episode 13 of Project Binky, the Mini gets a new fuel tank, we finish off the parcel shelf, complete the firewall and take a look at the wheel situation. There's homemade contraptions, MIG welding, TIG welding and a shed load of grinding action! And tea, lots of tea.
Jul 22, 2016
In episode 14 of Project Binky, we crack on with figuring out the arches, not helped by a faulty part. We come up with a new technology - LRP - and we start to plumb the fuel lines in. There's most of the usual stuff including tea obviously! Thanks for watching, we hope you enjoy it!
Nov 25, 2016
In episode 15 of Project Binky, we wrestle with brake lines and fuel lines, make a couple of reasonably nice braces for under the car, argue over P clips and drink a bunch of tea. There's also a biscuit dunking incident. Hope you enjoy it!
May 17, 2017
In this installment of our seemingly never ending quest to build one of the world's fastest Mini's, we wrestle with the power steering, make a minor adjustment to the flip front mechanism and think about how to get some heating in the car.
Oct 13, 2017
In episode 17 of Project Binky, we get down and dirty with finishing off the custom HVAC unit for the Mini. It's a long and involved process that took far more time than we possibly imagined, but now it's done we move on to fix some other drawbacks of the mini in modern day motoring.
Oct 14, 2017
In episode 18 of Project Binky, we wrestle with the wiper system, add another superfluous modification, tackle some trigonometry and sort of start on the electrical system. It's all systems go in the continuing effort to build one of the world's fastest Mini's.
Aug 1, 2018
In episode 19 of Project Binky, we make a start on the vehicle's electrical system, make a few brackets and drink plenty of tea. It's all systems go in the continuing effort to build one of the world's fastest Mini's.
Oct 1, 2018
In episode 20 of Project Binky, we continue working on the mini's electrical system and solve (we hope) the ancillary drive conundrum. There's an unbelievable amount of work in this one, far too much to show in one 30 minute episode without killing it dead, so there'll be an additional machining video out in a couple of weeks for anyone who'd like to see more of the detail in the latter part of this episode. It's all systems go in the continuing effort to build one of the world's fastest Mini's.
Nov 1, 2018
In episode 21 of Project Binky, we work on the interior of the car building a centre console and some door cards among other bits and bobs. This is all just so we can crack on with the rest of the wiring. Honest...
Dec 31, 2018
In episode 22 of Project Binky we fit some nice speakers, a custom stereo, an ECU and we wire up everything in the boot including the fuel pump. The countdown to complete strip down for paint has started...
Feb 1, 2019
In episode 23 of Project Binky we fix a hole in the sump, modify a radiator, finish a lot of the wiring and make a bracket with brackets for the interior light and dashcam. We test the electrical circuits, and there's some shenanigans in our Subaru for good measure.
Mar 1, 2019
In episode 24 of Project Binky we take a close look at the radiator pack and somehow squeeze a quart into a pint pot with a multitude of heat-exchangers. We also make a start on the ECU and engine wiring.
May 12, 2019
In episode 25, we get to making brackets for some sensors, do some more wiring, sort a jump post, fix the clutch master cylinder and make a little washer bottle and horn mounts. It's all go with the build of one of the world's fastest Minis.
Jun 30, 2019
In episode 26, we continue with the myriad little jobs needing sorting. There's brackets, tea, an exhaust manifold, an uber linkage and some filtration. It's all go with the build of one of the world's fastest Minis.
Sep 29, 2019
In episode 27, we continue with the myriad little jobs needing sorting. We're so close to stripping it down for paint, but there's still a bunch of stuff that needs sorting, so we crack on like a pair of lunatics...
Dec 8, 2019
In episode 28 we work on the panel gaps, finish off a few little jobs and actually, finally, totally strip the car down for paint!
Dec 24, 2019
In episode 29 we have an absolute tonne of stuff to re-furbish and make good. There's powdercoating, painting, stripping, blasting, plating and many more ings besides.
Feb 9, 2020
In episode 30 of Project Binky we take a look at the power under the bonnet: the engine. It needs a cambelt, and oil change and nothing else... Honestly...
Mar 1, 2020
We break out the TIG welder again for some more fab work as there's a turbo that needs fitting! Things get cleaned and more superflous parts get ordered off the interweb.
May 2, 2020
In episode 32 of Project Binky we finish off the engine build with more brackets, sensors, wiring and a shed load of fab work. A lot to pack into this one, hope you can appreciate the amount of work involved.
Jun 20, 2020
In episode 33 of Project Binky we finally get some colour on the Mini! As usual, nothing is straightforward and the paint job takes on a life of its own.
Jan 29, 2021
In episode 34 of Project Binky we start the reassembly. But before it gets too exciting, we need some sound deadening, heat management and rust proofing. The painted shell begins to take shape as a car and not just a selection of parts.
Apr 24, 2021
In episode 35 of Project Binky we really make some progress on getting the mini started for the first time. Lots of stuff gets bolted to the car, the wiring loom gets finished off, we have some nice machining done and we try not to scratch the paint as the engine gets bolted up.
Aug 7, 2021
In episode 36 of Project Binky we carry on where we left off at the cliffhanger ending of episode 35. There's a lot more stuff to put on the car before we can attempt to start it, but will it go?
Aug 15, 2021
In episode 37 of Project Binky we add more parts, run the engine up to temp, go to a show, break things, fix things and generally get annoyed.
Dec 17, 2021
In episode 38 of Project Binky we continue the final assembly, but on the way there's still time and opportunity to fab up some more bits, and the sumptuous new interior is fitted.
Apr 30, 2023
In episode 39 of Project Binky - the one that nearly killed us - we encounter some problems with the quick and easy way of fitting a suitable dashboard. We therefore had to take matters into our own hands and learn a whole new set of skills while developing a novel way to make printed circuit boards.
Oct 27, 2024
In episode 40 of Project Binky we "complete" the installation of the dashboard clocks and gauges. Not everything went to plan, in fact almost nothing went to plan but we battled through and are now on the home stretch! Thanks for watching, apologies for another long delay!
Apr 30, 2025
In episode 41 of Project Binky we aimed to finish the interior of the car starting with completing the dashboard area. As usual, it didn't go exactly to plan. Look out for the next episode where we'll be driving the car out of the shed!
Aug 1, 2025
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