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Did Minis Have A Real Spray Both In The 90S


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#1 harrythehat

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Posted 11 October 2019 - 05:59 AM

just doing a resto on a Paul Smith 

coming to the painting stages.

looking deeply trying to find if this old gal has been painted

can't find no marks nowhere only leads me to presume minis were sprayed in someones back garden shed.

as there are bits here hairs there and the odd run, looked pretty good till close inspection 

 

Leaving this question on my lips

 

Did minis have a real spray booth



#2 Spider

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Posted 11 October 2019 - 06:20 AM

I think the Painters had bad back by then !



#3 Algordo1100

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Posted 11 October 2019 - 08:43 AM

I've been told the MPI era minis are particularly susceptible to tin worm as they are not as well coated as earlier cars.

Don't know how true that is.

#4 Steve220

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Posted 11 October 2019 - 09:41 AM

I've been told the MPI era minis are particularly susceptible to tin worm as they are not as well coated as earlier cars.

Don't know how true that is.


Amongst other reasons such as poor steel, build quality, no paint in some areas and no/minimal protective waxing in areas.

#5 Algordo1100

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Posted 11 October 2019 - 01:07 PM

I've been told the MPI era minis are particularly susceptible to tin worm as they are not as well coated as earlier cars.

Don't know how true that is.

Amongst other reasons such as poor steel, build quality, no paint in some areas and no/minimal protective waxing in areas.

My 64 is more solid than my 96.
Neither are rusty. The 64 just seems more robust.
If you push down on the wing of the 64 (to test suspension or whatever) it doesn't give. I dare not on the 96. It feels like it's gonna dent!

Imagination? Perhaps not.

#6 beardylondon

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Posted 11 October 2019 - 06:35 PM

I second that, the bonnet on my 66 is solid, I was very surprised that on the 1990 that it was so light and flexible!



#7 Bobbins

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Posted 11 October 2019 - 09:48 PM

My '98 (JDM Cooper) has a fraction of the rust on it now that my '75 Mini had back in 1980 when it was only 5 years old. Some views of older Minis are definitely a case of rose tinted spectacles.

#8 CityEPete

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Posted 11 October 2019 - 10:09 PM

If you had driven a JDM cooper everyday for five years in the UK including the winters it would be rotten as a pear.

#9 Bobbins

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Posted 12 October 2019 - 07:40 AM

If you had driven a JDM cooper everyday for five years in the UK including the winters it would be rotten as a pear.

It's been in the UK for 10 years and used as a daily car, always outside, still much less rot than my '75 850 had after 5 years. Yes it now needs new a-panels and there's plenty of other minor rusty bits that have had attention, but it's in a different league to my '75 car that after 5 years needed new a-panels, rear subframe, major work on the doors, major rust on the wing/front panel joins, rotten rear valence ... where does the list stop! 1970's Mini were basically rot-boxes, we had a '79 and it wasn't any better. Be careful not to tar all late Minis with the same brush.

I do have a (unsupported) theory that late cars in metallic colours seemed to have suffered really badly, certainly looking at some of the project cars the Mpi's in metallics appear seriously rotten compared to equivalent cars I've seen in solid colours, it could be an incorrect perception though but it'd be interesting to hear other thoughts on this?

Edited by Bobbins, 12 October 2019 - 07:41 AM.


#10 mk1leg

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Posted 12 October 2019 - 11:19 AM

I've been told the MPI era minis are particularly susceptible to tin worm as they are not as well coated as earlier cars.

Don't know how true that is.

minis from 1994 were made from Chinese steel which was cheap quality steel which has rust patches in it already saw it for myself when did the longbridge  tour in 1995



#11 wingnut

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Posted 13 October 2019 - 07:29 PM

I bought a brand-new sporttpack in 2000 and the amount of paint underneath was shocking.There wasn't any!It had to go to a bodyshop to have it rectified, but all they did was spray Schultz everywhere.If only they had painted them better, then there would be more left



#12 beardylondon

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Posted 14 October 2019 - 09:58 AM

Maybe it is because by 2000 they were owned by BMW and didn't care, as they had a replacement in the works! 



#13 Dusky

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Posted 14 October 2019 - 10:17 AM

Maybe it is because by 2000 they were owned by BMW and didn't care, as they had a replacement in the works!

BMW owned them far longer

#14 mab01uk

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Posted 14 October 2019 - 03:50 PM

 

Maybe it is because by 2000 they were owned by BMW and didn't care, as they had a replacement in the works!

BMW owned them far longer

 

 

Despite Rover's original plan to end Mini production in 1997 due to new European safety and emissions legislation, BMW who took over in 1994 instead invested several million pounds in the Mini on the MPi update and with John Cooper's insistence finally got the MPI into production in 1996, extending the Mini's life by 4 more years until the launch of the New MINI in 2001. I don't think there was any cash left to improve rust proofing on the 1950's design as the labour intensive 'hand built' production of the classic Mini without using modern robots had already made the falling sales/production numbers uneconomic without a significant price rise from 1996. BMW did not want a 5 year gap in Mini production up to the R50 MINI launch in 2001 and so wanted to keep the Mini brand alive and on sale/in the public eye with a continuous production run.

 

Interesting website below on the last classic Minis......

The Last Classic Mini - The MPi :-

https://www.roblight...-mpi-minis.html


Edited by mab01uk, 14 October 2019 - 03:59 PM.





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