1985 City Slicker

Back in the mini scene!!!

Sold my second mini back in April as i needed a bigger car with a reasonable boot for work.

I have since left that job as im starting Uni at Oxford Brookes (Motorsport Engineering ) and have therefore decided, now would be the most inappropriate time to buy a project seeming as i'll have little to no money, but as usual, heart rules over head, so i picked up this 1985 city 1000 from southampton on tuesday for £850

My last project was 'hurried' in time for me to pass my test 18 months or so ago, and therefore was compromised, and not what i really wanted

This one is more of a long term project, stretched over, well, as long as it takes, until it's right

At the moment it has 11 months MOT and 5 months tax, so im going to temporarily insure it and blast around in it until i disappear off to Uni in a few weeks

I won't go much into the finished spec, as im not 100% sure on that myself, but it will be a Fully stripped out road racer, but most likely with the 998 engine (albeit it with some generous modifications) for insurance, and the fact that this engine has only done 24000 miles

Anyways here are a couple of pictures of the beast, and hopefully in a couple of weeks, there will be some pictures of it stripped down to the shell

I never even knew you got rid of the old one!

You should come on MSN more .

(I'm the one local to you, though you wont recognise me due to username change )

Good luck man, its not much older than mine is!

Jono.

Bit of a thread revival this one

For some unknown reason i started this thread back in september when i had no plans to strip it down until christmas (i must of been excited)

Anyway, i finally got my arse in gear and started the stripdown this last week

Got the whole interior stripped out, all of the exterior trim and majority of the engine bay, just need to take the rad out and exhaust off, then i can lift the engine out

I've also drawn up a template for my dash, which is going to be simple and effective. A sheet of aluminium, with an acewell digi dash in the middle. Saves all the hassle of multiple gauges, and looks a lot cleaner

Ive now got a list of bits to do before it can be painted:

- finish stripping and remove subframes from the car
- cut front end off and mock up the flipfront (yet to purchase)
- mock up roll cage (yet to buy)
- fab and weld a load of tabs, brackets and other various fixings for various things
- sort out a few dents in the roof
- weld up a couple of tiny holes in the floor pan
- mock up miglia arches
- trim down rear bumper lip, to accept rubber trim instead of bumper

Then it will be a case of prepping it for paint. Im planning to rub it down, fill it, sand it and primer it myself, and then send it off to my local bodyshop to be sprayed OEW with a black roof and black arches

I'll try and keep this up to date now, however im back at Uni next week so may be a gap bewteen updates

Haha!

Hello!

Wierd eh, im still the only one to comment, forgot i even had ..

Best of luck with this one

Another long overdue update

Only managed to start working on the mini again today as im back for easter from Uni

Got a good start on the removable front today, as the weather held out

to start with:



Then after a couple of cutting discs and a quick grind and chisel :



Then i started fettling around with the front, just to get an idea:





Can't go any further until i get a new step drill, to ream out the holes in the brace bars to allow my bonnet pins to fit through, then i can start adjusting the panel gaps, and welding some tabs for the dzeus fasteners on the side.

Also got an F/G mk1 bonnet and smooth boot coming from Dave at TDK soon, so got plenty to keep me busy

Also made up a little box for the hazard switch (yeah i know it's the brake light switch ) out of the rear ashtray, will also have an auxilliary switch in:





Hopefully, should have another update this week, now that i can get cracking on it

Looking good mate , i like what you have done with the hazard switch, keep up the good work

Shame you don`t have this with you while your at uni in Oxford

As there is a set of helping hands here....

Plus transport in Aug to SMD......

Shame you don`t have this with you while your at uni in Oxford

As there is a set of helping hands here....

Plus transport in Aug to SMD......

AAhh, you go to brookes?

Hopefully in a year or so i'll be able to bring it up

Shame you don`t have this with you while your at uni in Oxford

As there is a set of helping hands here....

Plus transport in Aug to SMD......

AAhh, you go to brookes?

Hopefully in a year or so i'll be able to bring it up

Nope, but i live close enough and on occasions i pretend to be an engineer at work...

Do you still have this?

He updated the thread with progress like 3 days ago.. im guessing hes still got it?

Do you still have this?

Yup still here lol

will have another update for you all by the end of the week

Surprise Surprise, another long overdue update

But back from Uni for summer now so can get cracking properly

Have tidied up the front end, welded all the tabs and brackets on, aswell as repositioned the washer bottle











Got all the dzus fasteners on aswell and all secured down, and have started lining up the bonnet which will be held on with locking bonnet pins

This will look pretty good when its done .

Took advantage of the decent weather today and finished off the front end

Bonded some 'pegs' onto the front of the bonnet that fit into rubber fuel hose on the front end for a clean vibration free fit at the front, and the back is held on with lockable bonnet pins which are neat and tidy.

So the front end just needs the odd tidy up here and there and then its finito, next job will be to sort the fibreglass boot lid, got some hinges on the way and another pair of lockable bonnet pins