Bumble The '79 Mini 1000 - Ten Years In The Making
#1
Posted 22 October 2016 - 07:55 PM
A bit of backstory, I first acquired my mini back in 2006, when I was only 16 and just leaving school, it was from a friend of a friend of my stepdads.
He had bought the mini and stored it in his council rented garage, which he later realised had no power and was too far from his house for an extension lead to be a viable option.
I don't think he asked for any money, he was just glad to not have to pay to store it any longer, I did give him £30 for a set of 10" alloy wheels though.
Here is a picture from the day we went to look at it and decided it was coming home with us :)
#2
Posted 22 October 2016 - 08:33 PM
Unfortunately, we ended up picking up the mini in September, giving me no time to fix it before college.
Here it is sat in the barn
Without the body kit
Long story short it sat in the barn relatively untouched for the past ten years!
#4
Posted 22 October 2016 - 09:32 PM
To fit the floor pan that came with the car I first had to remove the inner sill repair panel that was tacked over the old metal which left me with this (blurry picture sorry)
I then cut out some of the rust
And a bit more
Cut the repair panel to shape
Then started to weld it in
Edited by mini_matt_106, 03 August 2017 - 07:08 PM.
#5
Posted 22 October 2016 - 09:40 PM
Sitting in a barn for so long and having parents who are hoarders took its toll on the poor mini and it ended up in a corner surrounded until last weekend I decided it had been far too long!
So this
Went to this
#6
Posted 22 October 2016 - 09:52 PM
I enlisted my glamorous assistant Jack to help me remove what was left of the inner sill repair panel
Revealing a perfectly good inner sill beneath it!?
We cleaned up what was left of the tack welds
Then set to see what was lurking under the oversills
A few hours with a grinder and hammer and chisel revealed what lurks behind all oversills....
....the original sill and plenty of RUST!!
Good riddance
#7
Posted 23 October 2016 - 10:26 AM
Good to see that work is recommencing, If your are thinking of a new floor panel, look on M-Machine's website as they do the correct pressing for your year of shell as the Heritage ones only do the later injection pressings. You could go for a half floor with outer sill and jacking point already on, they are a fiddle to fit if you are replacing the area under the companion box / heal board but the end result is worth it giving a factory finish. Good luck.
#8
Posted 23 October 2016 - 06:14 PM
I've also been looking at drum to disk conversion, I've never driven on drums but I hear it's quite an experience :/
#9
Posted 24 October 2016 - 08:01 AM
#10
Posted 24 October 2016 - 08:24 AM
#12
Posted 28 October 2016 - 12:16 PM
What are your plans for this? I love a late 70's mini
Elliott
#13
Posted 28 October 2016 - 04:42 PM
#14
Posted 28 October 2016 - 04:43 PM
#15
Posted 28 October 2016 - 07:40 PM
My plans have changed a lot over the years, I have a flip front and fg bonnet I bought years ago but don't think I want to use it now.
Basically want it on the road as is to start enjoying it, hi lows wound down low over 10" wheels. Looking at disk conversion while I'm at it :)
I'm not sure if the body kit is period correct but I kinda like it and think it would be something different.
Engine wise I'm going hif38 k&n filter and possibly 12g940 big valve head which I have already, would love to turbo it further down the line :)
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