16 replies to this topic

[bernard1666]

For the past 21 months I've been restoring a 1275GT.  The car was first registered on 27th October 1980 and had 5 former keepers when I bought it in February 2013.  It was a very late model which came with an A+ engine fitted and it would seem that it was taken off the road in 2001 after suffering some accident damage to the nearside front.  I saw the car advertised on the internet and bought it with the intention of fully restoring the car for road use and showing, but also making it suitable for occasional trackday use.  I am keen to retain as much of the original look of the car as possible and I am retaining the original matching-numbers engine/gearbox and interior so that if in the future someone wishes to convert the car back to standard specification, they can, without spending too much time and effort.

 

Once I’d bought the car, I stripped it to a bare shell, which along with the bonnet, boot lid and doors, was taken to SPL in Dudley for chemical immersion stripping.  The bare metal shell was then collected in mid-June 2013 and delivered to Ian Slark at CCR&R near Bristol who was tasked with removing the rusted and corroded metal and welding in Heritage panels wherever possible.  The shell was in surprisingly good condition and most importantly, straight and unmolested, but a new boot floor/ rear seat pan and associated panels were needed along with driver and front passenger floor panels, outer sills, A-panels and a new steel front end.  Finally, the car was given a fresh coat of its original BLVC248 Champagne Beige colour, using 2-pack polyurethane paint.

 

I built up the front and rear brakes and suspension on new subframes, keeping a careful eye on the unsprung weight and then my attention turned to the inside of the rolling shell.  Dynamat Extreme was fitted throughout along with a Safety Devices 6-point bolt-in cage.  Cobra Monaco seats are being fitted, along with a Moto Lita steering wheel and full Newton Commercial interior, including headlining.

 

Another A+ engine was sourced via eBay and this has been built by Slark Racing Engines as an all-steel 1330cc fitted with a MiniSpares 8-port head running throttle bodies and DTA engine management.  The transmission features S/C drop gears and 4-speed gear cluster and a Quaife ATB differential.  I'm hoping to achieve around 135bhp power and >100ft/lbs torque, but with good flexibility and road manners to make it suitable for everyday use.  The engine has been fitted and the plumbing and wiring is about to start with a view to having the car finished and ready for Easter 2015.  However, we'll see how things go and I'll try to keep you informed of progress !!

 

 

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[cal844]

looking good, the engine should be very strong having come from slark engineering

[ibby4585]

Great build. How much modification is needed to the engine bay and bonnet?

[bernard1666]

Thanks for the very positive feedback.

So far, there has been no modification to the engine bay or bonnet and I'm hoping that I can keep things that way !  Compared to a round-nosed Mini, a Clubman has quite a bit more space between the block and grille to accommodate the throttle bodies fitted to a cross-flow head - even the very long bodies supplied by MiniSpares - and so there shouldn't be any fouling issues, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed !

Slark Racing have a sound reputation for their engine builds and with the exception of the cylinder head and injection/management kit, the engine and gearbox parts have all been sourced from MED or Swiftune, so unless I do something extremely careless (which always remains a possibility) I'm hoping for good reliability.  Slarks are only 40 miles from where I live and in addition to having a rolling road, they also offer suspension geometry checking.  So, I'm hopeful of getting the engine to run properly and the car travelling in the right direction !

[mk1leg]

WOW thats gourgous a lot of hard work gone into that........oh and welcome to TMF and enjoy your GT............

[ibby4585]

I'm interested in the dynamat , where else have you put it? Are going to be putting in a carpet aswell?


Kris

[bernard1666]

Kris

I've put Dynamat Extreme panels on the inside of the door skins and the inside of the rear side panels either side of the rear seat pan.  The cut pieces of Dynamat cover only around 2/3 of the total areas of these panels, but it's supposed to be enough to reduce the drumming that would otherwise arise.  Then, I've covered the floor panels with Dynamat from the heel board right through to the underside of the dashboard. And finally, there's Dynamat on the inner front wheel arches and also the bulkhead panel extending right up to behind the top dash rail.  I haven't covered the cabin cross member.  I'm putting Newton Commercial moulded carpet throughout the cabin along with their pre-cut sound deadening felt panels that fit behind the heater and behind the dashboard trim.  I'm hoping that this will go a long way to reducing the noise in the cabin on longer journeys.  However, the price for all this is extra weight, because Dynamat is quite dense.  So, to counteract this, I'm planning to lose 2 stones in weight before the car goes on the road. Ha ha ha !  Dynamat is expensive, but I bought a kit of 10 sheets, each 18" x 32" from Car Audio Direct and then the price per sheet worked out lower than anywhere else on the internet at the time.  It's easy to apply - particularly on a warm day or in a warm garage - and it makes your Mini doors close with a very satisfying "clunk".   One useful tip I found was to use an old, soft tennis ball as a tool to press the Dynamat into the floor contours.

Good luck !!

Bernard

[ibby4585]

Brilliant, thanks Bernard. I know there is a Dynamat equivalent (slightly cheaper)the name escapes me though.

I think i will go down this route, and I also could do with a diet.

[bernard1666]

Kris

 

Yes, there are alternatives and the following link might be helpful:

 

http://www.deadening.co.uk/

 

I chose Dynamat only because of its proven reputation, but with more research, I'm sure that suitable alternatives could be found

 

Kind regards

 

Bernard

[ibby4585]

Hi Bernard.

I've finally gone for Second Coat sound deadening, but I just wondered if you had any pics of how you soundproofed the doors?. Haverage you retained the interior door panels?

I'm worried that the thickness of the soundproofing is going to interested with the door card fitment.

Thanks
Kris

Edited by ibby4585, 05 December 2014 - 11:03 AM.

[bernard1666]

Kris

 

All I've done is to fit a rectangular piece of Dynamat to the inside of the outer door skins.  Each piece of Dynamat was approximately 2/3 of the door skins' width and height and once fitted, I proceeded with the build of the door handles / locks / window regulators etc.  Finally, I taped over the open apertures in the inside door skin with gaffer tape.  Standard door cards from Newton Commercial will be fitted along with standard door levers and window winders to complete the "standard" look. 

 

Good luck

 

Bernard

[1293gt]

That is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gadgets]

Looks great!

[Wupding]

Hi Bernard

I am going to start the same procedure as with the full restoration of a GT.

Can I ask if you could advise on the cost of dipping the frame etc. And the cost of that beautiful 8 ported engine of yours.

II am out sourcing all the works to the mini apart from the final assembly. Is there anything during your build you would do differently now that you know what you have experienced

Kind Regards

Wez

[Wupding]

P.s

It look STUNNING