40 replies to this topic

[nicklouse]

I am not allowed to post on the valuations bit

correct if you read the info

Who Can Use This Section?

1. Anyone may view this section and reply to for sale threads.
2. If you have 150 posts or more, or you are a TMF+ Member you will also be allowed to post new topics to sell your items.

 

[JamesMiniMealor]

I dont want to sell my car

[tiger99]

I would seriously suggest that buying a good toolkit (imperial socket set, spanners etc) and good welding equipment, including a proper gas cylinder (which may be rented), and having plenty of practice on offcuts of 0.9mm sheet, will pay for itself maybe 10 times over on the first Mini restoration. Then you will still have the equipment for other things too. You could even throw in the cost of a new garage (assuming you have the space) and still save money.

Unless you have a severe physical disability, please never assume that you can't do something. In many cases you can, and even kids of 10 or 12 have been known to do MIG welding under adult supervision. The MIG welding forum is a good place to find some video tuition, as is YouTube.

If you do give it a go, this forum is always here to help. You will not be alone with an intractable problem.

[SolarB]

I'm with TIger99. None of us could do anything once, we all learned from scratch and are probably a little happier and more confident having mastered some skills.

Have a go, you might really love it and you will certainly get a sense of satisfaction.

[Bungleaio]

I haven't fully added up what I spent on mine last year but I did the following:

 

• Full service
• New braided brake lines
• New discs and pads at the front
• New rear brakes complete
• New red dot cones
• New radiator
• Replacement door cards
• Refurbished wheels and new tyres
• Various other bushes and things replaced

 

And I paid for a specialist to do the following:

• Replace full front end apart from inner wings
• New bonnet
• Replace Scuttle
• Repairs to bulkhead
• Reskin doors
• New inner and outer cills on both sides along with door steps
• Repairs to lower edge of external panels by the rear door bins to both sides
• New rear valance
• Repairs to boot floor panel
• Full respray
• Install Stage one kit (i supplied it)
• Change the carb (i supplied it)
• Eliminate the electrical gremlins
• Full underseal/waxoil type stuff
• MOT

It's truly mint now but I think it cost me between £8k and £9k. It might be a bit more but I've got too many receipts to add up! It took me a long time to save up for it all but I've got a fantastic car which doesn't need anything and hopefully won't want too much doing to it for a reasonable amount of time. 

 

There's no real answer to what your question is until work starts. I thought it was going to cost me about £6k to get it done but the rot was worse than I thought. If your budget is tight then it's worth getting a specialist to look at it before work starts to see what they say.

 

Good luck, it's worth it!

[Minigman]

I recently abandoned a mk1 rebuild which needed a full rebuild with panels costing £3k to give you an idea. It was being done by a professional well regarded mini specialists and I was looking at about £16k for a turn key job.

Unless you learn to weld yourself a mini restored properly will always be done at a loss. If it were a mk1 cooper S or you knew were keeping it for many years then it may be worth it.

[Alice Dooper]

I haven't fully added up what I spent on mine last year but I did the following:
 

• Full service
• New braided brake lines
• New discs and pads at the front
• New rear brakes complete
• New red dot cones
• New radiator
• Replacement door cards
• Refurbished wheels and new tyres
• Various other bushes and things replaced

 
And I paid for a specialist to do the following:

• Replace full front end apart from inner wings
• New bonnet
• Replace Scuttle
• Repairs to bulkhead
• Reskin doors
• New inner and outer cills on both sides along with door steps
• Repairs to lower edge of external panels by the rear door bins to both sides
• New rear valance
• Repairs to boot floor panel
• Full respray
• Install Stage one kit (i supplied it)
• Change the carb (i supplied it)
• Eliminate the electrical gremlins
• Full underseal/waxoil type stuff
• MOT

It's truly mint now but I think it cost me between £8k and £9k. It might be a bit more but I've got too many receipts to add up! It took me a long time to save up for it all but I've got a fantastic car which doesn't need anything and hopefully won't want too much doing to it for a reasonable amount of time. 
 
There's no real answer to what your question is until work starts. I thought it was going to cost me about £6k to get it done but the rot was worse than I thought. If your budget is tight then it's worth getting a specialist to look at it before work starts to see what they say.
 
Good luck, it's worth it!

This was so true of us as well.

We spent just slightly over what we paid for our car in the last 2 years. Started with a fairly normal condition MPI and now have a good running and hopefully rot free car for a few years.

I can’t weld and spraying 2 pack is best left to someone with the right kit or you could kill yourself!! I’m not wildly fit either so had some professional help called in for the oily things.

The value of a Mini seems to be mostly in the body shell and that’s where you’ll spend the most. Though if your looking to add more horsey and torque things it can be really expensive.

It really is a how long is a piece of string question because the more you get into the job the more you will find and want to do.

Well worth it. We’ve stuck a coupl3 of thousand miles on this summer, including an epic trip to IMM in Westport.

[minidaves]

dont expect any change from 10k and budget 20

[greenmini1275]

I'm starting to save for my car to be done. The last job was done shoddily, they fitted over sills even when I told them not to. So I'll be getting a complete floor, complete boot floor/backsea, bulkhead, flitch panels, door steps, A panels, Scuttle, Wings, Front panel and bonnet. All ready priced the parts up at £3k for genuine panels. But to be honest I won't know the true extent of work until I've stripped to bare shell. I have a welder who has said he'll do the work for me at mates rates. Gonna try painting myself, at least doing the undercoat myself. The mechanical stuff, again I'm going to try and do myself. It's just the engine refurb I'm going to get done professionally.

[Cooperman]

It has to be said that classic car ownership and restoration, and that's all classics, not just classic Minis, requires either good mechanical 'hands-on' skills, or a high expendable income/wealth.

Whilst the cost of parts is usually reasonable, although sometimes quality is suspect due to low production volumes, it is the labour charges which prevent many from enjoying the classic car movement. I know that if I couldn't do virtually everything myself I would never had enjoyed owning, running, restoring and rallying in the classic cars I have had. 

As said above, it is the bodywork which is the big expense area, although a full professional engine & gearbox build can cost over £3000 unless you D.I.Y.

[FlyingScot]

I took a slightly different route in the last few years...

I had a 1996 Mini Sidewalk SPi which I ran for a couple of years after buying cheap on eBay, the body work inevitably started to blister and rot at all the usual places and the previous owner had fitted oversills at some point. Now I can do all of the trades needed to repair the car but with little free time I was reluctant to pay to have it restored. I sold it at a good price to someone who had the time and didn't mind doing the work and used the money plus some more to buy an Japanese import.
That was 3 years ago and apart from service items and some cans of bilthamber wax it's cost me nothing else and no rot to worry about. This was far easier and I ended up with a better car for a lot less than paying for the repairs and similiar to if I had done it ( I would have had to pay for the paintwork due to it being metallic).

Cooperman has it right above; in restoration either you learn and develop the skills or you have to pay a skilled person to do it.

FS