36 replies to this topic

[BudgieCake]

 

 

Wow that is some seriously quick and good work on your mini it looks ace! and I do really like that colour.

 

Such a shame for your friends GT that bought a tear to my eye seeing that

 

Cheers buddy, pretty unusual colour, dont see much of it about. Landrover colour I think? 

And yeh man I know, hes getting another I though, would make a pretty unique rat looking mini if it was lacoured? 

 

Yeah it does look like a Land Rover colour come to think of it, it looks well on the mini..

That would defo make a good rat look mini, glad he is getting another, still such a shame though.

 

 

Not getting one anymore, I dont really blame him, pretty heartbreaking stuff. Its bangtidy in the dusk aswell, hope to show it off at a show soon, now ive got a bigger eng.. the same engine in it I feel more comfortable going on the motorway 

[minimissions]

Thats a shame about him not getting one now but to be honest I cant blame him either.

 

Sounds like you have more plans then, look forward to more updates...

[BudgieCake]

Its been a while, lots has happened, many adventures, new faces, friends and hours labouring over the nightmare, Fastp.

 

Left of many moons ago and a lot has changed so lets do the run down! I tried my hand at fake hinges and they went okay, I might do a bigger build topic on how I did them because I know a lot of build want that old look without forking out cash and hours on their motors, heres some photos I got of them. I wasnt happy in the end and now theyre sat in a toolbox somewhere in the garage 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole look of the car was bothering me, side on it wasnt, back end was alright but if I looked down at the front corner there was something there and I couldnt put my finger on it? Anyway I has a quarter life crisis and bought a set of them 10" steel reps when the first dropped onto the market, lush quality but being the ultra special mong I am I didnt realise what I actually wanted was reverse rims, but this had set course for my life now, I am currently a 10" rimmer.. ? So I fitted the brake conversion and the rims and it was making me blush, still, something not right here bar the cut arches for the previous 12" rims, yuck 

 

 

Ah yes, I know what I need... spacers! 

 

 

What I didnt need was stone chips so I needed arches but its all been done, and not saying im a attention ******* but im defiantly a ******* for the attention, so I tried my hand at something different..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BudgieCake]

And somewhere along the way I added bumper mounts, a rollcage and a new engine.. My last engine blew the head gasket and I needed to pick a bird up a couple of days later, I didnt realise it was only the head gasket because i made a spectacular clatter when it came to its demise so withing 42 hours I had got a 1275 engine off my local specialist RJM minis at a whopper deal, top fella, cannot recommend him enough. and had it fitted in a engine after work! In the end she bailed so the rush was for nothing but I felt the power, and now ive got a itch... - besides that there was still something missing, I couldnt think what but then I saw my hero. Ross knight was selling his reverse rims so I jumped on the deal and drove out to him to pick them up.

 

 

I was now a little more complete. I had the tyres off the next day and sent to a powder coaters, £20 a rim, shot blasted and coated in german battle ship grey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went out in the snow so at that point I knew Id have to replace all the panels for rot come summer... Im telling you lads, she was sweet as a nut, looked right and I was well happy, but I continued to venture deeper into my savings, bonnet and splitter went on 

 

 

 

 

While I was at it trying to find my pot of paint I found two bucket seats I forgot about, both manky but score I did, patched up the tears with some cognito fabric, youd never know it was done!

 

 

also while I was in the interior I was really tired of a steering wheel that had nothing wrong with it so I pre ordered the Sparco 350 targa, one of their newest releases and I got first batch, cool? And a life line quick release that looks cool, serves no purpose and welded that on soon as I got it, lots of column modification for that 

 

 

Photo of a little maintenance

 

 

[BudgieCake]

Treated her to a old school oil cooler and a sticky numberplate, got pulled in the dark for it and told the officer that it was a mk3 and its a custom plate that said FAST but with a lisp FASTTP (F455TTP) and got off the hook after a bollocking..

And around this time I started going to MIDWEEKMINIS meet and met a local lad, Nick, thats now a good pal of mine and the group is now the weekly thing I look forward to, great guys and gals down there, if youre down the South, should defiantly go!

 

 

 

Fixed my exhaust, was getting battered being fairly low and trying to be a rally driver all the time, its a hard life being a yobbo I tell you.. Luckily work ordered a FAIT 500 exhaust we couldnt send back.. couldnt send back? sounds time mini part fodder if you ask me! (it sat outside and got a bit rusty but I assure you its brand new, only fit the best) 

 

 

I have to put this in bold because its exciting and im shouting in my quiet voice. I special package got delivered to be, I ran home from work like a child to open it, theyre the thing of happiness, theyre dead rare and were all a little soft for them. SSR FLII rims. bask in the glory! Theyre a bit wider than the last rims and have fatter tyres on which I think made them look better but I ruin everything and put slicks on so people are deceived to think my car is fast! I gave them a wash first and then realised that I needed longer studs. inch longer then the long ones and more spacers, lots of spacer, many of them stacked for clearance, they werent as bad as the reverses on the rear coil overs but the fitment was shocking > 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BudgieCake]

So I had done a fair bit of cosmetics, but I was bored again, so naturally I thought I would rebuild the perfectly good engine. So I ordered a KENT 276 cam and 3.1 final drive and the bearing, oil pump, twin chain.. the usual..

 

 

 

 

 

After that, Miniday 2019 rolled around and this woudlve been the first show she has gone too, went with my racing team-mate Nicholas, picked up a few goodies too! (dont worry im not fitting the Austin mini badge to the purists out there...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got some mint spotlights that im defiantly not going to wire up, but Ill mount them for the photos of course B) 

 

 

 

Then players rolled around so here we are, players with the spots

 

 

 

 

 

[BudgieCake]

And now you join me, present month. So basically I was bored so the engine was coming back out, my fuel pump diaphragm burst and im scared of the wear with the petrol in the oil, so apart she comes, again...

But I also want a removable front end just incase I want to k swap it in the future but heres the project list.

 

• rebuild engine


• rebuild brake system


• rework washer/wiper system


• rework cooling (over heating issues) 


• rebuild and renew subframe and suspension components 


• strip interior 


• remake dash with new guages


• rewire the car


• renew handbrake componants


• internal shifter


• seat repositioning


• modify the collumn again to take slop out of it


• rebuild steering rack


• weld cage feet in


• pit stands/sill stands


• new scuttle


• new wings


• new front 


• new bonnet


• skin doors


• mk1 hinges


• mk1 lights


• repair steps


• repair inner arches


• repair boot floor


• install actual 2nd tank


• new fuel and brake lines


• diffuser


• tuck exhaust


• new front arches


• mudflaps


• newglass


• tidy back seat area


• removable front end


• refit the splitter propper


• add air ventilation to the engine and correct flow onto brakes and carb


• van grill


• over riders


• new mirrors


• wire spotlights 


• soundproofing


• make a new rear beam


• wheel bearing


• clean driveshafts 


• smooth bulkhead


• remake front shock top area

Got 3 months to do it, should be easy but everynight since ive taken it apart im not happy and stressed, lets put it like this. I couldve bought a running mk2 escort by now and been happy with where im at with life, but its the mini life for me.. ? Doesnt help when a scrote is trying to call you out for have the same colour engine, jokers in the scene, ha ha ha.

 

heres some photos (if you havent had enough) of what I got so far

 

 

 

And thats a wrapped. Im pretty upset at the moment, I have some real tight gaps and if it was going to be welded front end it wouldve been sweet but ive had to pull it away from the metal a bit so I can add a rubber to avoid not scratching the paint when its done and now nothing lines up and if it does its a right work out to get it to, so who knows what will happen in the next couple of days, you may see a mini project for a sale or another post with it on and the gaps laughable.

 

 Thanks for reading, or looking at photos, or both! have a good evening fellas and fellettes x

[wreckitralph]

fair play i laughed reading this mate your a howler  and great work 

[BudgieCake]

fair play i laughed reading this mate your a howler and great work

Thanks buddy i appreciate it big time, who knows what will happen tonight, going to make some aligning pins, might work

[wreckitralph]

so the hinges are they going to be functional  as your fitting  the strengtheners  behind the a panels  i like the cut away inner wings at the x member  to doing similaire work myself just trying to work out wether i want it deseamed or no

[BudgieCake]

I think the seams are very characteristic, I'm not running inner wings and instead will opt for using some old massey 2wd front mudsheilds. Yes fella the hinges are functional, I'm not running internal hinges anymore, I strengthened it up because how heavy the winder mechanism adds to the door itself, I did try and use the propper inner supports that mk1s have but they weren't cutting the mustard

[alex-95]

Why are you copying me with mk1 lights and a van grille, you can’t do that!?

Looked sick at Beaulieu. Top work bud. You’ll get the front end sorted.

The midweek minis isn’t far enough south for me ??.

[BudgieCake]

We will have no JB beef roll round here Alex    I didnt want to go too extreme with the mk1 styling but it just looks good dont it I wont disrespect everyone by putting a cooper badge on!

 

Thanks buddy, means a lot, was great seeing you and your motor, so clean, probably one of the best in the seen for sure 

next time we go to beaulieu you'll have to come stay the night before and come down with us all 

Why are you copying me with mk1 lights and a van grille, you can’t do that!

Looked sick at Beaulieu. Top work bud. You’ll get the front end sorted.

The midweek minis isn’t far enough south for me .

[BudgieCake]

Ah yes, a update to my fan, all two of you.
Its been productive before and during the covid, not great news for the nation but ill build this mini, or die trying. The rona is making it hard to work because im short of breath, no matter though because it just means more time to sit down and watch everyone else working, actually, I do that at work? Im a ashentual worker 

 

So I got her inside, made my own sill corners out of 3mm metal for the rollcage to tie into and also to reinforce my sill stands. I dont look too hard because they're   r e a l l y   good

 

 

lads, from the size of my garage and the room I have, youd be thinking "He must produce some excellent work out of a workshop thats so nice to work in" . Youd be wrong, nothing class here. I was going to flat floor it to put a big ole diffuser on, but then I realise how much of a clown I am, so bought another boot floor and because I know better I didn't weld any bracing in. I was past the point of caring about my car way before you lot, I got bored about... end of page one? here we go 

 

 

 

Then I tested my old boot, lovely it was! So I bought a new non gen boot, its all it deserved at the time and you guessed it, fit like a non gen boot in a badly repaired back section. To be fair, it was bent, dented, creased and the holes werent even in the right places, since got another send out by seller, top lad and that one fits a treat 

 

]

 

Here this will get you sex spec 90s lovers palms sweaty, most expensive rocker cover ill be buying

 

 

Blasted, free, my kind of price

 

 

Dont zoom in on the pictures, take it at face value, I dont want to hear it, I know its appalling 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also modified the rear beam to fit, Im sure ill update it again one day, depends on how desperate I am to stay occupied 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alex-95]

Good work, Nice rocker cover.