Hello everyone,
My name is Jeroen, i'm 42 years old and live in the Netherlands (Holland). I work in the ICT sector and like most technical things :)
I've been a member of this forum for a couple of years now but don't think i ever posted before but i've been watching you guys and enjoyed it!
I'm currently restoring my 4th Mini, which hopefully will be the first one that does get finished.
Mini #1
When I was 17 I was gifted a Austin Mini 1000 from 1976 with no MOT I think you call it here? I was VERY (to) ambitious. My goal was to rebuild the MK3 body with all the MK1 features.
Including the (lower) doors with sliding windows and the smaller back window. Needless to say the project stranded and the Mini got scrapped when I ran out of funds.
Mini #2
At 17 I had several friends who had Mini's so I had a blast with them and going to meetings. The Mini, being my first car at that age left a big impression.
Years later I got the itch again (this was in 2011) and I bought an Austin Mini 1000 from 1986. Again, no MOT. I was going to fix it so it would pass MOT and drive it for a few years before doing a restoration.
I started treating the rust and taking it apart until i found a note on the Mini. I was remembered that the garage beneath my apartment was a parking space, not a workshop.
This meant i could not fix him up myself. So i contacted a body shop and had them asses the Mini and make an invoice.
It turned out just the body panels and labor would roughly cost me 4-5 times the amount i bought it for. I didn't have those kind of funds...
So i took the Mini completely apart (with consent) so i could buy a better shell.
Mini #3
I found a very hard replacement shell with no nose, an Austin Mini 1000 from 1977. A car in Holland from before 01-01-1978 is allowed to use the old blue license plates, way cooler!
It also needed welding and a new nose so it went to the body shop. When i told them some plans i had: plastic sliding windows, external hinges...
They asked me: 'Wouldn't you prefer a real older model?'
To which i replied: 'Sure! But where do you find one of those?!'
I turned out they knew of an Austin Mini MK2 850 Basic, which i then bought instead. They liked my shell from 1977 too so i traded it in.
Mini #4
The MK2 was very incomplete. No engine, doors, nose, interior, sub frames, lights, boot lid or wheels. You get the idea.
It's been stripped, sandblasted and all the welding is done. It's currently being prepped for paint!
Because of my ICT background and love for Mini's i build my own website dedicated to my Mini's. I'm also take care of the server and it's hosting.
It's in Dutch and all the MK2 pictures are in this topic too now, but my previous Mini's are show only there:
Looking forward to your feedback here!
Regards,
Jeroen aka Tefflar
Edited by Tefflar, 14 July 2015 - 06:08 PM.