21 replies to this topic

[Realminiman]

I've had several mpi and they all seem to rust away in the typical areas.. I just wondered if anyone's experienced an mpi that didn't rust away? Was there a year /period where the bodywork was better? Or is it just potluck?

I think I may look at spi next.. I believe on the whole they faired better rust wise..

Thanks to anyone who can offer their experience..

Marco

[mab01uk]

THE BEST COMES LAST. CLASSIC MINIS 2000.

Quote:- Finale:
"The classic Mini was never more beautiful and more coveted than in the grand finale. Designers at BMW had long since realised the treasure that had been entrusted to their stewardship. And this is why the Mini was developed further. Side-impact protection, airbag in the steering wheel, comprehensive corrosion protection with a 6-year guarantee."  https://www.bmwgroup...ition-2000.html

Not sure many long term MPi owners/restorers would agree with the "comprehensive corrosion protection"......

Edited by mab01uk, 02 September 2020 - 09:37 AM.

[Ben_O]

Having stripped quite a few mpi mini's for restoration, I can say with confidence that they rusted faster simply because they weren't sealed and painted properly.

the amount of completely bare metal areas I have come across is crazy. 

The biggest "ahhh, that's why! " moments were when removing the door and boot hinges to find bare metal behind.

same goes for under the wings, scuttle and the top of the bulkhead.

Another favourite is when you remove the windscreen from an mpi that's been dry for weeks and as you pull the rubber off the body, a ton of water runs out from behind. That's thanks to the wide seal/bare unprotected metal combination.

 

I doubt very much that there is an mpi that didn't suffer unless it's been garaged all it's life and barely used.

 

Side note, I'm finding it funny that my phone autocorrect keeps changing mpi to lol...

[l_jonez]

When I broke mine it was 9 years old and the rust was incredible. The underside was only painted in primer

[Bobbins]

There's less rust on my '98 than was already on my '75 Mini when I bought it in 1981! The last Minis weren't great but they're definitely no worse than they were in the '70s.

[Realminiman]

Are spi's better?

[bluedragon]

If you take the hinges off the boot lid of a MPi Mini, you may well find that there is no paint or primer under those hinges. Just bare metal, hopefully not corroded through. They apparently assembled the lid then primed and painted, rather than prep the pieces separately.

 

With this type of prep, it's no wonder these things rusted. I don't know if older Minis were painted and protected better in this respect. Maybe they were painted with the hinges on, too...

 

 

Dave

[some1158]

I guess the question has to be: were corners really cut in manufacturing processes and/or materials, or is it just that surviving MPIs are now of an age to need major work? 10 years ago, would we have been asking 'were 80s Minis worse built than 70s in terms of rust?'

 

It would be interesting to hear from someone who worked on the production line in the mid-90s and can say whether the assembly process changed.

[pete l]

In 1984 i bought a 1971 mini (13 years old) that had worse rust than my 23 year old MPI that I am restoring.

[Ben_O]

I guess the question has to be: were corners really cut in manufacturing processes and/or materials, or is it just that surviving MPIs are now of an age to need major work? 10 years ago, would we have been asking 'were 80s Minis worse built than 70s in terms of rust?'

 

It would be interesting to hear from someone who worked on the production line in the mid-90s and can say whether the assembly process changed.

 

I guess the question has to be: were corners really cut in manufacturing processes and/or materials, or is it just that surviving MPIs are now of an age to need major work? 10 years ago, would we have been asking 'were 80s Minis worse built than 70s in terms of rust?'

 

It would be interesting to hear from someone who worked on the production line in the mid-90s and can say whether the assembly process changed.

It's probably a bit of both.

They are certainly old enough now to warrant having rust but there are undoubtedly very few mpi cars that haven't been restored or had significant welding done most of which would have been done fairly early on in the cars life.

 

There is however no doubt that corners were cut to reduce loss and this is very evident if you start pulling one apart.

 

I have recently restored a 97 mpi that had just over 4000 miles from new and has been garaged all it's life.

there was very very little evidence of corrosion throughout the car but lots of areas that were bare metal or at the most, a very thin coat of primer.

once I removed the doors and boot lid, there was rust behind the hinges on the body and the panels themselves where they had been assembled in bare metal and then painted as an assembled shell.

 

Keep a car outside in British climate with those vulnerable areas unprotected and before you know It, the rust will have spread and start taking out the surrounding panels and structures.

[Bobbins]

I'm not sure whether it's just my perception but I'm convinced late model cars in metallic paint rot far worse than in solid colours.

[rich_959]

You beat me to it Ben, I was going to mention the pale blue MPI that you restored - that has to be the best 'original/unrestored' MPI car I've seen. Also the brown 70's car you did, that had injection holes inside the door shuts and seemed to have been rust protected from new. The condition was amazing.

 

When restoring properly, with paint applied everywhere, seams sealed properly, and then wax/protection applied to all cavities etc, it would be interesting to see how long a lightly used summer car which is garaged throughout the year would last before showing any signs of rust. Something many of us are undoubtedly paranoid about after our restorations!!

 

I've just bought a new motorhome, based on a Fiat Ducato and I'm spraying Bilt Hamber all over the thing, trying to make it last. Damn the tin worm!!! 

[Ben_O]

You beat me to it Ben, I was going to mention the pale blue MPI that you restored - that has to be the best 'original/unrestored' MPI car I've seen. Also the brown 70's car you did, that had injection holes inside the door shuts and seemed to have been rust protected from new. The condition was amazing.

 

When restoring properly, with paint applied everywhere, seams sealed properly, and then wax/protection applied to all cavities etc, it would be interesting to see how long a lightly used summer car which is garaged throughout the year would last before showing any signs of rust. Something many of us are undoubtedly paranoid about after our restorations!!

 

I've just bought a new motorhome, based on a Fiat Ducato and I'm spraying Bilt Hamber all over the thing, trying to make it last. Damn the tin worm!!! 

Yes, the russet brown GT I did was amazing and that will be down to the rust protection it received early on.

keeping the car clean and the rust protection topped up is very important too.

 

The blaze GT that I restored is testament to quality sealing and underbody protection.

I completely replaced the underside more than 4 years ago making sure at the time that everything was throughly sealed and protected.

seeing the car again recently after more than 30,000 miles shows thatvthere is no sign or any rust whatsoever anywhere and that car lives outside.

[Revd]

My '87 Advantage has led a sheltered life (6000 miles from new when I bought it in March) - there is thick wax on the underside that could well have been original and I've yet to find any rust on it anywhere. I do remember when buying a new Metro in '84 that 'rustproofing' was an option offered by the franchised dealer - Regent Garage in leamington Spa -  I think I paid £75 for wax protection. How well this was applied (if at all) could go someway to explain the wide variation 

[some1158]

Certainly dealers in the 60s-80s would have offered rustproofing as an extra. My aunt bought new Minis in 1973 and 1976 and both were treated with Cadulac by the dealer for a small charge. Maybe this is one key difference, in addition to the way the MPIs were built: how many new owners in the 1990s would have got out the rustproofing products on their brand new cars? Perhaps those who had previously had a Mini, but how many others?