879 replies to this topic

[mini danny]

jesus hats of to you i would have been tempted to go down the reshell route but thats illegal unless a genuine bodyshell so really hes restoring this mini the only way he can with out buying a brand new shell

[xBR4DLEY]

How long did this sit outside , mine sat under a bush for 15 years LOL
Good luck mate , how long you reckon it'll take?

[jagman.2003]

How long did this sit outside , mine sat under a bush for 15 years LOL
Good luck mate , how long you reckon it'll take?

This was in the hedge for at least 10 years. It's interesting that although it is pretty rusty the replacement panel list is virtually the same as most of the serious restorations on here. But I don't have to spend any time deciding whether to replace or not. I'm hoping to have something pretty complete by spring. It all depends on how quick I can get the shell rebuilt.

[jagman.2003]

jesus mate! thats alot less car than i thought it would of been! i would of been tempted to find a better shell, even a later one, and retro fit the roof from this one to retain the drip rails, and retro fit the mk3 front subframe, other than that (as its not a early mk3 which retained the hole in the rear seat like mk1s and 2s) the shells aint much different.

good luck with it though, will be amazing to see it rise like a bluetit from the bushes (instead of a phoenix from the ashes) lol

I did consider reshelling. Or just buying another car. This project is constantly being evaluated. If I can't get some of the initial panels to fit straight then I'll cut my loses. On the positive side the pasenger side of the mini isn't as bad. The sills are virtually complete & rear quarter is almost good enough to reuse. I haven't put any pics of the pasenger side on yet.

[jagman.2003]

Just an update. The boot floor is out, the mini now has no butt..! Next out will be the heel board. Good news is the new heel board is raring to go back into the space left. Don't worry folks there's lots of bracing & loads of measurements taken. I packed the scrap parts into a wheel barrow. Like a rusty DIY mini kit.

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[sonikk4]

I like your bravery but!!! have you worked out just how much you are going to spend on panels?? So far my boy on his project has spent close on £2k on panels alone and that is with me fabricating some as well.

Judging by your pictures you will be lucky if you have any panels that can be truly saved.

All i can say is good luck, you will need it.

[jagman.2003]

I like your bravery but!!! have you worked out just how much you are going to spend on panels?? So far my boy on his project has spent close on £2k on panels alone and that is with me fabricating some as well.

Judging by your pictures you will be lucky if you have any panels that can be truly saved.

All i can say is good luck, you will need it.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I agree that there won't be many original panels left. The passenger side isn't as bad as the drivers side. So good to help maintain some shape & as reference. I worked out the cost of panels. Managed to get some heritage panels from ebay which has kept the costs down. Ultimately ignoring my time & effort it's still alot cheaper than a new shell. I've been enjoying reading your project thread, very informative & inspiring. That squab repair will be studied closely for mine.

[sonikk4]

I like your bravery but!!! have you worked out just how much you are going to spend on panels?? So far my boy on his project has spent close on £2k on panels alone and that is with me fabricating some as well.

Judging by your pictures you will be lucky if you have any panels that can be truly saved.

All i can say is good luck, you will need it.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I agree that there won't be many original panels left. The passenger side isn't as bad as the drivers side. So good to help maintain some shape & as reference. I worked out the cost of panels. Managed to get some heritage panels from ebay which has kept the costs down. Ultimately ignoring my time & effort it's still alot cheaper than a new shell. I've been enjoying reading your project thread, very informative & inspiring. That squab repair will be studied closely for mine.

Fair play to you, whatever you do do not add up how many hours you have spent prepping the shell, we are just starting year two now and hopefully by the end of November i will have finally finished the welding.
Tomorrow after we have looked at a clubbie i will finish the floor so after that will be all of the niff naff stuff and then it will be sealant,filler and sanding ready for paint. That bit i cannot wait for.

Glad to see my fabrication of parts is helping other members.

[newbambeeno]

I just showed this my dad and said "see, mine's not THAT bad".

Hats off to you, I will be following this closely!

[minimk1]

good luck like to see it when its finished hope you find all the parts you need keep up the good work

[jagman.2003]

I just showed this my dad and said "see, mine's not THAT bad".

Hats off to you, I will be following this closely!

Glad my car is of use already!

But thanks folks for the positive encouragement.

I bought virtually all the last panels today. I now have about 90% of a mini shell in my dining room.
Just gotta start patiently welding in the nice new stuff. It's gonna be a big jigsaw puzzle.

[jagman.2003]

Ok folks. weekly update. I've been slowly chiseling, grinding & drilling off the heel board. I've been gentle with it to preserve the position with the floor panel.
A shot of what was left of the rear subframe first & then a shot of the not so bad passenger side.

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[jagman.2003]

Heel board was prepped & screwed in place for now.
Rear subframe temporarliy bolted in place (supported underneath) to get boot floor & bolt holes.
Boot floor prepped.
Boot floor welded in to what was possible.

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[jagman.2003]

Boot floor from behind.

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[mini danny]

Coming along nicely you really are brave doing this mini would love to see it when its finished keep it going