Even I'd forgotten about some of these - hope you enjoy a step back in time to some our favourite gags and silly moments from the series so far.
Coming up in the next few months:
April - Episode 38 of Project Binky
April/May - Howie Did It - Homemade PCB's
May - Episode 39 of Project Binky
May - Silverstone Classic 2022
May/June - BOM Customs - Toyota C...
2023-03-31 18:34:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Hi everyone,
Well, we failed again. In some way of recompense, I hope you will watch a little something created only for you lot that will become part of the Howie Did It video that will accompany Episode 38. It may go some way to enhance your understanding of the challenges we faced to fix a problem not exclusively of our own making. (Mostly though...)
In addition to this behind th...
2023-03-31 11:47:24 +0000 UTC View Post
We're within touching distance of the conclusion now. Final assembly of the instrument cluster starts today. After a bit of 3D metal printing obvs...
A lot of you have wondered why we just didn't farm it out to a PCB manufacturer and truth be told we kind of wish we had - it's cost us a small fortune. However, that presupposes you know what you want and how to do it. As our understanding ...
2023-02-27 09:14:56 +0000 UTC View PostWe hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year; we might have had one or two too many sherberts during that period... Natch.
But where are we now and what the heck is going on? Well, there's lights at the end of the tunnel, thankfully. We've learnt - and continue to learn - a lot, and it's our wish that over the next couple of videos, those that - like us - knew nothing might ...
2023-01-27 16:04:11 +0000 UTC View Post
2022 hasn't panned out as we'd originally planned. We had booked the rolling road session for February, the car was meant to have been finished by spring and we'd be on our next project by now.
There have been mitigating circumstances but there are no excuses; we've not delivered. We're embarrassed by the lack of output. It wasn't for the lack of trying and had we known then what we...
2022-12-20 13:40:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Another quick update on the continuing madness that is The Shed. Richard makes a power supply out of an old torch and Nik damages the mini for the first time.
We have discarded the original plan for episode 38 and come up with a whole new one that doesn't necessitate the finishing of the instrument cluster insanity. That plan is in progress right now and a new video is in production...
2022-11-30 18:57:23 +0000 UTC View Post
There's significantly more grinding and fabrication coming your way that we'd originally thought. There's a few items on Binky that barely anyone has seen yet, but we'll change that very soon. In the meantime, we thought you might like a swift behind the scenes video showing how Richard takes a new, working perfectly item of equipment and strips it down to modify it. This is standard procedure ...
2022-11-11 16:51:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Greg Graham from the BRSCC offered us the chance to sample their new car and help with some feedback. We didn’t need asking twice and promptly bit his arm off. Dusting off our lenses we made sure to film our exploits including a test day at Donington and the all-important first race at Snetterton for the BRSCC BMW 1 Series SuperCup.
Really hope you enjoy it!
Thanks as always fo...
When the BRSCC invites you to help develop and race their new car, it's hard to say no.
Coming soon.
Well, it was about time; Ben stuck a camera in Richard’s face and asked him all your burning questions about Binky, Escargot and others, but none so important as, what the f*ck’s been going on?
We also asked Nik, but he was completely unaware we’ve been posting the build videos to YouTube. He was also unaware that the internet was even a “thing” and has only just been enqu...
2022-09-30 14:40:59 +0000 UTC View Post
Rather than write my life away, here's another behind the scenes video just for you guys, giving you an update on what is going on.
We start actually filming episode 38 next week. We've got some B roll in the bag already, but we're now good to go on creating the next video. Something will inevitably go disastrously wrong as per usual, but it's coming!
Thanks as always! 2022-09-01 15:59:08 +0000 UTC View Post
You've asked for a quick video update and we thought - why the hell not? So here it is. Hope it goes some way to explaining what's going on. Exclusive to Patrons.
Cheers!
Nik and Richard.
2022-07-28 12:38:46 +0000 UTC View Post
While we toil in the shed trying to make sense of the decisions that have led us down this path of self-destruction, Ben has been out tracking down more hidden automotive stories.
This time we're in the southwest of England with Neil Revington and his love of old Triumphs.
Really hope you enjoy it!
Binky episode 38 is inching closer as we continue to get on top of the iss...
This whole situation can be traced back more than a year. Our friends at Competition Supplies acted on our behalf to get Smiths to produce a matching set of five gauges from their Classic range to include in the mini. As Smiths produced the original clocks, they’d look as good as new. This meant a special boost gauge as they didn’t have one with the sweep to 30psi we needed. So far so good....
2022-05-27 09:47:19 +0000 UTC View Post
It’s not often you get to see the nitty gritty of a re-trimming project, so we thought it might be cool to let you all in behind the scenes at Trimworks while Dean brought Nik’s vision for Binky’s seats to life.
There’s hog rings and listings, stitching and scrim foam and all kinds if terms I’d never come across before. Dean is an artist, so it was fantastic to watch him work hi...
2022-04-29 18:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Timed to coincide with the official launch of the 2022 race next week, we thought you might like to see what happened when we were invited to race our old Citroen C1 at the 12 hour endurance Race of Remembrance last November.
We'd not attended before and it left an indelible mark on all of us. It's an amazing event and we hope that comes through in the video.
New Binky r...
2022-04-13 17:29:20 +0000 UTC View Post
The venerable old Taig mill let the smoke out a few weeks ago and no matter how hard we tried, we couldn't get the damn stuff back in. We depleted our stock of genuine Lucas smoke in the process and eventually had to go for a full rebuild. It's now back and better than ever using a modern power supply and an upgraded control board.
At the same time, we've been working on the switch...
2022-03-23 14:09:02 +0000 UTC View Post
10 Years of Mission Motorsport
As many of you will know, Mission Motorsport is a charity close to our hearts because it does essential work rehabilitating and helping those affected by military operations serving the country. Back in November 2020 we gladly donated our Citroen C1 racing car knowing it would be put to good use.
Mission Motorsport’s CEO James Cameron is someone we g...
2022-03-03 12:35:19 +0000 UTC View Post
In August 2021 we were invited to bring Binky along to the inaugural UK Historic Rally Festival. Of course, we hadn't finished it so we threw some parts at the mini hastily and dragged it along to the show anyway. Dozens of pre-2000 rally cars including some Group B monsters were in attendance and despite typical British summer weather, a good time was had by all.
Hope you enjoy it!
After a very long process of trial and error, adaptations (a rotary 4th axis) to the milling machine, a full rebuild of the lathe and dozens of design iterations, we have finally cracked the recipe for Binky's instrument cluster and switch pack; the last of the big hurdles.
The expensive, matching set of Smiths gauges - including a custom made boost gauge - didn't actually match at all, s...
2022-02-15 10:09:33 +0000 UTC View Post
Happy new year to you all!
We're back with another BOM Classics film today that we hope you enjoy. A salvage job turned into a ten year rebuild for this commited owner. We're glad he stuck with it because the result is fabulous.
Look out for the Weston Park video coming up soon.
Cheers!
Nik, Richard and Ben.
Yes it's been ages and we're not where we aimed to be but here's episode 37. A bumper issue for Christmas...
This isn't the video we had originally planned but hopefully you'll see why it's taken some time to get it published. There were some dark times in the preceding few months; we almost set the damn thing on fire more than once but sheer bloody mindedness and and endless supply...
2021-12-17 19:45:01 +0000 UTC View PostFilming some bonus content for inclusion in tonight's video right now. Wasn't sure we'd be able to, but we're going for it.
Expect video between 6-8pm GMT. (ish)
Cheers,
Nik and Richard.
One problem led to another and lead to another which lead to another. We have been fought at every turn by the mini for months and it's been wearing. More than once a huge fire was considered. However, we decided against the conflagration and got on with it. Annoyed.
Our original plan for episode 37 of Binky has been junked and a new plan has been formulated. We've done our best to ...
2021-11-23 19:24:19 +0000 UTC View PostWe never thought it would be easy...
However we didn't reckon on the mini fighting us at every turn lately. The show we took it to threw up some issues that have been complicated and difficult to fix. The car is significantly less finished than it was two months ago.
The clutch actuation has been particularly problematic, we're now a couple of flat out weeks and five iterations i...
August was quite...challenging.
You may have seen photos and videos of a "completed" Binky floating around the internet. Two years ago, we were asked to come and show off the mini at the very first Historic Rally Festival in the UK. As big rally fans and as it was just down the road from us, we jumped at the chance.
Due to the pandemic, the event got postponed three time...
2021-09-09 14:27:11 +0000 UTC View Post
Originally meant to be included in episode 35, it became apparent during editing that splitting the large amount of footage we shot into two episodes made for a better viewing experience. And we haven't sat on it, here it is nary a week after episode 35.
Really hope you enjoy it. Thanks as always for your amazing support! Hope to see some of you in Telford at the Historic Rally Fest...
2021-08-14 15:25:59 +0000 UTC View Post
We very carefully didn't promise anything because, well, things change, people change, hairstyles change, interest rates fluctuate. A week is a long time in the shed let me tell you.
It became apparent that if we'd edited all the footage we had for episode 35 into one video, it would have been far too long to keep the pace up and for most peoples attention spans. So at the last minu...
2021-08-06 16:01:04 +0000 UTC View PostIt's been a battle. We've encountered a broken leg, brand new parts failing immediately, a bout of Covid, stuff that fitted before inexplicably now not fitting, assembly, disassembly, massaging with hammers, re-assembly, electrical gremlins and all manner of woe trying to get the mini started and episode 35 finished.
Well, despite on occasions seriously considering burning the damn thing to...
It was all going so well...
I mean, it has been a slog of epic proportions but the summit of the Binky rollercoaster hoved into view and we were ready to race down the other side with gay abandon.
Bolts have been plated, re-engineering has been done, wires have been added, terminals have been crimped, looms have been wrapped, decisions have been made, outsourced stuff has been br...