9 replies to this topic

[cml24]

I was previosuly a somewhat active member of the mini forum, but over the last few years I've not visited at all as other priorities have come before the mini. I have been working abroad for a number of years and the mini has been in storage during that period. However the time has come to get started on a full rebuild that I had planned to carry out nearly ten years ago!

 

I bought the mini for £750 in 2005, and used it as my first and only car. Its done approximately 160,000 miles (engine/gearbox are on about 140,000 miles), and has travelled abroad, lived in Shetland (doing 60 miles a day throughout the winters), written off (and been hit several more times in my ownership) and used to transport all manner of furniture and other items on its roof. Its been worked hard!

 

I've now stripped it down completely, and boxed up everything usable that's come off (which is a surprisingly large amount!). I plan to cut out the rust and my previous patches and weld in the following...

 

Lower rear, boot floor, heel board, offside rear three quarter, full floor panel, outer sills, door steps, full windscreen surround (including scuttle), wings, front panel, a-panels. There will be some repairs required to other panels as well. I have been in two minds about sourcing a better condition body, but really want to keep the original one, even if it has had quite a large number of panels replaced.

 

Body complete, it will be sprayed in original cornflour blue. Engine will be a replaced with a 1275 I have - yet to confirm the specs of that.

 

Anyway, some photos of it now. Next step is to dismantle the front subframe/engine to give me more space in the garage. Buy a new welder (Oxford mig maker 200 I think...) and weld in some bracing before I start cutting.

 

 

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[Bens mini 66]

cool project. Good work.

[cml24]

Moving as slow as predicted. Moved house and job since the last post.

Over the last couple of weeks I've found a few spare hours and taken the engine out of the subframe. Stripped everything else off and dismantled the engine/gearbox. I've tidied it all away so I have just enough room to start on the body in my even smaller garage.

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[cml24]

I've made a wooden frame with castors from some left overs so I can move the shell around the garage. I'm still contemplating a rollover jig of some description, but this will help for now.

 

I took the front off as well, only half an hours work, but a big visual impact which helps with the motivation.

 

I'm trying to work out which order to attack it. At present I think I'll repair the door hinge areas first, then scuttle, doorsteps, bits at the rear like boot floor, full floor, then back on with outer sills, a-panels, wings, front panel.

 

Sounds easy.

 

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[cml24]

I moved house again, and have had to spend more time on the house DIY unfortunately. But I've set a new target of two years to finish the mini, so i've started working on it again.

 

I've cut a fair amount out around the front, but then decided to start at the back so removed the boot floor, rear valance etc. It took quite a while to get the whole the right size for the new floor, and then the new floor has required some tweaking (such as making a new flange on the seat base) to get it to fit.

 

Its pretty close now. I think next I'll make some small repair patches for the corners of the seat back, and weld them in. Then I'll offer up a new rear valance, and the subframe to try and confirm everything is roughly in the right place, prior to putting in a few tacks and taking the rear panel off.

 

 

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[johnR]

Sounds as though this little car deserves it's re-build - then it will be ready for another 160k! 

[Viktor]

Also doing my boot floor now. I will be following

 

Victor.

[cml24]

I got the boot floor to fit, and filled in the holes in it.

 

Next I patched up the to bottom corners of the seat back. The patches are just tacked in for now until everything is a bit more assembled.

 

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I think started cutting the back panel off completely. I've done the majority of it, just some bits to finish grinding off on the left hand side, and then I'll trial fit the new rear panel.

 

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[cml24]

Also doing my boot floor now. I will be following

 

Victor.

 

How's your boot floor replacement going? Made more progress than me I hope!

[Viktor]

Boot floor done a few months ago. I'm now with the wheel arch and quarter panels...

 

https://www.theminif...stripey/page-33

 

Cheers.

 

Victor