5 replies to this topic

[stretch tech]

hi all, after looking through all the projects i started thinking.....when my front end starts to rust bad (as they all do) i was thinking about fitting a fibre glass/carbon fibre front end to my mini. now, the conventional method is to cut back the inner wings and fit support braces down to the front of the subby but i want the car to still seem standard so i was thinking about getting a two pieces front and some how fitting it as you would a normal front and therefore leaving the inner wings in place. i know i would need to still run supports to the front subby but maybe i could pot rivet the inner wings to the arches along the seam and fit the bonnet normally ?

just a thought

Cheers

Rhys

[donjarr]

I did that but was told via several not so helpful people to cut the inner wings down, which was rubbish. You can just remove the front end leaving the inner wings intact and just bolt in brace bars, and the wings and front will fit up against these. So using a two piece front I added front lower bolt hole mounts to my carbon front, so I could bolt it up tight to the original mounting points then attached it via those and cap screws up near the back along the bonnet gutter lip and interlocking fixings inside the wheel arch behind the A panels out of sight. To take the front off I have to fiddle around with the fixing behind the a panels, then undo the four bolts and it slides off. As for my bonnet I used bonnet pins at the back and turn locks at the front, so the bonnet just lifts off.

I attached a couple of pictures to give you a better idea.

My only gripe was the poor quality of the carbon front end, which I spent a good two weeks reinforcing with proper epoxy based carbon fibre, as stock for the money it was really quite thin and flexible, and in places more gel coat than carbon cloth.

Attached Files

•  flip-1.jpg   45.23K   22 downloads
•  flip-2.jpg   49.78K   16 downloads

Edited by donjarr, 28 July 2012 - 07:46 PM.

[Cooperman]

With the classic Mini now increasing in value so quickly, a GRP front end will really kill the value.
Of course, that may not be important to an owner, but it will be in years to come.

[stretch tech]

donjar - cheers for that matey, atleast i know some one has done it and it is possible my idea is so that the front end isn't removable, hence pot riviting it to the inner wings so essentially it would be a normal functioning front end but won't rust

cooperman - i really want to keep the value of the car but would like to do away with as much rust as possible, that's where this idea came from if i made it so that the front is permanently fixed and has a normally opening bonnet, it should still hold the majority of its value ? as it would still function and look standard

Rhys

[Bungle]

keeping the inner wings does keep you out of the IVA test

[Cooperman]

The increase in future value will be for original cars with all-steel bodies. But it's up to you really.
I know that I would never buy any Mini with a GRP front as I would have to re-fit the steel to make it original again and that could cost more than fitting a GRP front in the first place.
I'm never really comfortable with GRP front ends as I'm concerned that the necessary stress analysis has not been done and that in a frontal impact and especially a 3/4 front impact the GRP and its supporting structure may not be adequate.
A properly done steel as-original front, suitably rust-proofed is, IMHO, the very best way to go for all reasons.