152 replies to this topic

[rodandtom]

Hi All,

 

I've been doing this mini now for about 3 years and it's still not finished. I am however making progress so I wanted to try and capture some of it.

 

So, as I've said it's a 1994 Red Sprite with a 1275cc engine that had done 47K when we bought it for £1,500.

 

I knew it needed some work but I didn't realise quite how much - but then how many of us have said that!

 

Here are a few photos of it to start with. I didn't take enough of it on the drive so these are shots of bits of it.

 

So this was June 2011. We started by taking out the seats and carpets and things didn't look too bad. We could see it had oversells fitted and there was a small patch of rust on one inner sill so that would need replacing but that was do-able and the front o/s floor panel would need some attention.

 

The engine was stripped down by myself and Tom, my son. At that point I realised that I don't have the skills to get the engine right so we shipped it off to ML Motorsports in Medway for a full rebuild. I am told most of the work is done on that but I put it in to mothballs while I tried to get the body in to a condition ready to take it.

 

We got it all stripped down, engine out, electrics off, loom out, ready to tackle any rust - and that's what I have been doing for 3 years on weekends and evenings.

 

I have been learning a lot with a lot of help from this forum (without it I couldn't have got this far that's for sure).

 

I will do a few more posts of the interim period to show some of the problems I had and then I will show you where I am as of 5th July 2014 - which is a landmark day in the life of this mini!

 

Cheers,

 

Rod

 

Attached Files

•  rear quarter panel and wheel arch - June2011.JPG   36.06K   42 downloads
•  front view of engine - all intact.JPG   73.47K   30 downloads
•  rear of mini sprite.JPG   63.25K   40 downloads
•  RodAndTom Icon.jpg   45.77K   16 downloads
•  o-s front floorpan - some rust and repair.JPG   66.45K   34 downloads

[rodandtom]

Here are a few shots of the engine during strip down. Sorry if some of them aren't too clear.

 

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•  DCP_0971.JPG   80.9K   7 downloads
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[rodandtom]

So, let show you some of the more obvious rust areas and a few more of the engine that I found. Sorry that this is just a long line of photos of rust but this is what it was.

 

Rod

 

 

 

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•  DCP_0978.JPG   64.46K   24 downloads
•  DCP_0979.JPG   57.64K   9 downloads
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[rodandtom]

So lets do a few repairs that I have done so far. This is the front valence plus a few patches over some of the holes for holes I showed you in an earlier post.

 

 

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•  DCP_1035.JPG   42.88K   18 downloads
•  DCP_1036.JPG   44.26K   4 downloads
•  DCP_1037.JPG   32.56K   12 downloads
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[rodandtom]

I wanted to try and get a list of most of the bits I've bought or things I've replaced and work I've done.

 

I won't include the bits in the engine as that is being done by someone else.

 

n/s sill -  coversill taken off, inner and outer sills replaced.

o/s sill - coversill taken off, inner and outer sills replaced.

Boot floor - fully replaced the panel right through to, and including, the rear seat.

Boot brackets to wheel arches - both sides

Rear Valence

Valence Closers - with additional supports

Both rear companion bins

Wings - new bought but not on the car yet.

 

Patches applied to: -

front valence,

rear floor,

o/s flitch panel - bottom around floor and where air vent is,

n/s flitch panel the same,

n/s door step - patch inserted,

windscreen corner panel closers on both sides

Rear boot section containing hinge holes

Patch to o/s rear wheel arch - both points where arch meets 'floor' and above shock absorber mount.

Patch to n/s rear wheel arch - both points where arch meets 'floor'

Patch to n/s crossmember end where the shock absorber arm sits

Added a strengthening piece right across the footwell

 

I bought a new rear subframe - that is stripped, etched, primed, painted in black hammerite and then covered in EastWood's Rubberised spray.

The front subframe was very good. so I stripped it and treated it like the rear BUT I painted it in yellow hammerite and then did a two tone strip for rubberised spray. - hopefully I can attach a photo of that.

 

Mechanical parts  - 99% of which come from MiniSpares: -

Converted from 8.4 disks to 7.5 disks - so that's new hubs, disks, balljoints

New KYB Gas Shocks. Didn't go adjustable but did go uprated for a better ride

New outer CV joints

New inner Pot joints

re-furb'ed my drive shafts

New Upper suspension Arms

New adjustable lower suspension arms

New adjustable tie bars

New steering rack

New track rod ends - went for the longer ones to give more adjustment

New top shock absorber mounts

New Cones front and rear

New Hi-Los on the front

New knuckles all round

re-furbed radius arms - used ones I had

New adjustable camber brackets on rear subframe

New (assembled) drum back plates

New drums with built in spacers

New rear hubs

new Timken bearings front and rear

New brake pipes

Servo re-furb kit

Cleaned servo brackets and rubberised them

New Master Brake Cylinder

New clutch master cylinder

New brake regulator

New Wheel studs

Dunlop D1 Alloys

 

 

About a million new nuts and bolts of various sizes.

 

I think that covers the main points

 

Rod

 

 

[rodandtom]

Up to Date

 

Today the mini moved on its own wheels for the first time in 3 years. Ok so I pushed it but I don't care. It's a big day for me.

 

You will see that I have removed the o/s A panel and had the drivers door off as it needs re-alignment. I will be looking at that over the next few days to see if there has been any movement but thanks to NordicMin from this forum for giving me a hand to get my stuck door open and diagnose the problems.

 

Cheers,

 

Rod

Attached Files

•  First time on wheels n:s 5Jul14.jpg   63.19K   39 downloads
•  First time on wheels o:s 5Jul14.jpg   67.35K   30 downloads
•  First time on wheels Front 5Jul14.jpg   68.22K   12 downloads
•  n:s passenger door 5Jul14.jpg   60.14K   6 downloads
•  First time on wheels interior 5Jul14.jpg   33.68K   5 downloads
•  n:s passenger door 5Jul14.jpg   60.14K   5 downloads
•  o:s passenger door 5Jul14.jpg   64.17K   8 downloads
•  door step cut out 5Jul14.jpg   53.56K   16 downloads
•  Lower quarter panel 5Jul14.jpg   41.97K   15 downloads
•  o:s door gap too large 5Jul14.jpg   41.83K   7 downloads
•  o:s door front gap 5Jul14.jpg   44.9K   5 downloads
•  o:s door drop can be seen 5Jul14.jpg   31.09K   7 downloads
•  o:s door and A Panel removed 5Jul14.jpg   51.87K   12 downloads

[big-jay]

Some good work going on here, bet it felt great to get it on wheels again !

[rodandtom]

Thanks,

 

I was beginning to think I would never see it. I wouldn't be surprised to have turned around one day and found I had ground the entire car in to a pile of dust.

 

Rod

[rodandtom]

Only managed to trim some of the doorstep out and part of the lower rear quarter panel. I also cleaned up the bottom of the driver side door and treated one little patch of surface rust. 

 

Rod

[rodandtom]

Hi,

 

Today I did two things mainly.

 

Firstly I stripped off all the furniture from the boot lid, ready to tap out a dent/ crease and prep it for painting.

 

Then, I cut out the sections of the lower o/s quarter panel and the rest of the doorstep.

 

I had bought a panel that did both the quarter panel and doorstep but i didn't realise it was a Magnum panel. It won't fit without quite a bit of playing around. I've cut along the curves of the edges so that I can make the curves match the panels that are already there - see photo. The last step on the replacement panel wasn't deep enough either so I flattened that right out and tried to introduce a new step.

 

In the end I split it in to two sections then cleaned all the old metal and the new edges up, etch primed them and drilled loads of holes to do plug welds.

 

I've got a bit more to do on the doorstep and I think I will redo some of the tacks on the quarter panel. I'm not happy with them.

 

Lots of tidying up to do and some filling in of areas to make it tidy.

 

Rod

Attached Files

•  o:s door step - partly still in situ 7Jul14.jpg   51.87K   7 downloads
•  o:s door hinges 7Jul14.jpg   54.18K   6 downloads
•  Inside lip of A Panel before treatment 7Jul14.jpg   34.71K   6 downloads
•  cuts along curves at front end of doorstep 7Jul14.jpg   45.41K   5 downloads
•  cuts along curves at rear of doorstep 7Jul14.jpg   48.36K   10 downloads
•  Quarter panel cut off original quarter and doorstep panel 7Jul14.jpg   42.11K   6 downloads
•  Inside A Panel.jpg   50.83K   9 downloads
•  Doorstep plug welded in place 7Jul14.jpg   61.28K   13 downloads
•  Quarter panel section in place 7Jul14.jpg   37.8K   15 downloads

[rodandtom]

Hi,

 

More work on the quarter panel and door step again today.

 

Ground down the welds and did some tidying. In the pictures you can see that the quarter panel is now attached at the top. I need to adjust the sill and then I can plug weld that.

 

On the quarter panel you can see I've tidied up the plug welds I did yesterday. I think they are ready for a skim of filler and I've bought a big drum of U Pol Fantastic filler for that.

 

On the ends I had to make cuts along the curves to try and get the panel to fit. I've done one pass of welding and dressing back on the rear of the panel and just done some some filler welds on top - that will need dressing back tomorrow. I will need to cut along the lower curve as well and match that slope to the existing one. Lots of fills to do there but if I take is slowly I should be able to build it up. Once that's done I can then join the two panels together but only once I've joined the quarter panel to the sill. That should act as a good base.

 

If anyone can see a better way of doing this then do let me know. This is slow going but I think it will work.

 

Cheers,

 

Rod

 

Attached Files

•  o:s door step - back section 8Jul14.jpg   35.04K   4 downloads
•  o:s door step - front section 8Jul14.jpg   34.05K   6 downloads
•  o:s quarter panel - top attached 8Jul14.jpg   41.57K   10 downloads

[rodandtom]

Today I did more on the door step. I filled in the final sections to the curves in the doorstep with welds, tidied up the welds with the grinder, etch primed them and then slapped the first load of filler in.

 

Incidentally, I tried U Pol Fantastic filler after reading a recommendation on here from Sonikk and I must say, what an easy filler it is to work with. It goes on so smoothly and if it sands half as well then I am going to do a bang up job.

 

Also, I prepped and did a first fill on a crease in the boot lid.

 

Once that dries and my sanding disks arrive I will attack it with the DA and then hopefully I can finish this off to a good standard.

 

More photos, of course.

 

Rod

Attached Files

•  o:s quater panel and door step - all welds in 9Jul14.jpg   31.71K   16 downloads
•  o:s quater panel and door step - first fill done 9Jul14.jpg   32.66K   12 downloads
•  o:s rear of door step - rough filler in 9Jul14.jpg   58.17K   3 downloads
•  o:s front of door step - rough fill on 9Jul14.jpg   50.06K   4 downloads

Edited by rodandtom, 09 July 2014 - 07:14 PM.

[rodandtom]

I've been rubbing down the door step and quarter panel and I've re-filled it, ready for another rub. I am also getting ready to do a trial fit of the A Panel and door to try and sort out the gaps tomorrow.

 

Rod

[rodandtom]

Hi All,

 

Today I worked out what shims the driver side door needed. I then clamped in the A Panel and the front wing to see what the full door gap will be. 

 

As you can see, the shims adjust the door gap so the lock is right, the top gap is good but the gap to the A Panel is pretty wide at the bottom.

 

I am considering how to close it. I could weld metal on to it or I could not fold the flap right over and then plug weld within the panel rather than along the folded over part.

 

Anyone got any thoughts?

 

Rod

 

Attached Files

•  Door side gaps 14Jul14.jpg   36.77K   4 downloads
•  Door gap to A Panel once all clamped in 14Jul14.jpg   50.44K   12 downloads
•  Top o:s door gap 2 14Jul14.jpg   48.99K   5 downloads

[rodandtom]

Hi,

 

Big Day for the Red Wonder!

 

I was (badly) fitting the off side A Panel when Alan (NordicMini) came round and showed me the proper way to get it done. Lots of advice on here says the best way to fit an A Panel using a block of wood and vice grips to fold the lip over. Alan showed me another way that works really well. Pre-fold the lip over so that you have to slide it on to the flitch panel. It grips the flitch panel and makes it easier to hold it steady while lining it up.  Once that's done you can then squeeze the lip tight around the flitch panel using grips and something to shield the A Panel, and then you can weld the lip to the flitch panel.

 

I had got the door lined up already so this just meant that I needed to get the gap right. Alan also spotted that the panel had been pulled in and so was catching the door edge. That was adjusted. 

 

Next we put on the wings and bonnet to check the gaps. All told, the front of the wings, the edge to the A Panel and along the wing seat were fine. It's the gap to the scuttle that was the problem. After much clamping and thumping of the panel we reached a point that it was as good as it was going to get. 

 

I've now welded in the A Panel, and both front wings. I do need to tidy up all the welds and I also need to tidy up where I blew a hole in the front panel but that will come out in the wash.

 

So, a great day I feel for Mini RodAndTom! It actually looks like a proper car again 

 

Rod

Attached Files

•  OS A Panel and Wing 2 15Jul14.jpg   59.75K   19 downloads
•  Wings on from Front 2 15Jul14.jpg   55.89K   19 downloads