Prior to this trip I acquired a complete replacement front wiring loom as I decided to change it in an attempt to sort out my on-going electrical problems. So the first job I tackled was the removal of the existing front loom. However, once the loom was out and I was preparing to start fitting the replacement I noticed that some of the connectors were different. On closer inspection it turned out that there were lots of differences between my old loom and the replacement, making it impossible to use. Back to square one on the electrics then. Not happy.

I then decided to takle a few small jobs that needed doing anyway but had been neglected in favour of the larger ones.

The first one was to swap the positions of the rear fog light and reversing light. I hadn't realised when I fitted them that there was legislation dictating which side each needed to be fitted to. Unfortunately I got it wrong. Legislation dictates that a single rear fog light must be fitted on the drivers side and a single reversing light must be fitted on the passenger side.

Job number two was to route and secure the fuel tank vent hose, which had just been coiled up and left hanging loose when the tank was fitted. While underneath the car doing this I noticed that the rear of the tank was a bit lower than the front so I dismounted it at the rear and spaced it so that it sat level.

Job number three was to cut two holes in the bulkhead for the heater water hose connectors and fit the connectors in the holes. I also cut two short rubber pipes to connect the heater water pipes inside the car. While under the bonnet I also fitted the second tailgate strut to act as a bonnet raiser/stay. The bonnet stays

Job number four was to make a centre panel below the dashboard to house the CD/MP3 player and also to act as a support for the front of the Mini heater. The panel was cut to shape from plywood and covered with dark grey carpet to match the dashboard. A standard sized slot was cut in the panel to house the CD/MP3 player. Two holes were drilled through the panel and the front of the Mini heater so that the panel could bolt straight to the heater, supporting it. There is plenty of space in the panel to fit more instruments later, if I choose.

The final job was to make a new panel for the rear of the cab, again in plywood. I didn't have time to cover it but this is one of the jobs for next time.