44 replies to this topic

[Woody]

I have made up small sections for body kits using that squirty foam in a spray tin , squirt it on (you may need a cardboard former), wait for it to harden , carve to shape , cover over with fiber glass matting and resin , wait to cure, sand down, cover with small skim of body filler .
of corse this is a simplified description of doing it .
I saw in a mag a while ago a bloke made a "one off" kit for a van , he used polystyrene blocks carved to shape and glued to the surface and then fiber glassed over , he did one side , made formers to the profile and recreated it on the other side . some of the "profesionaly" made body kits that i have fitted are not very symetrical but no-one seems to notice , you can only see one side at once !

[YoungUn]

lol. im 14 going on 20 :tongue:

but im not a Boi racer, wanting to go around macdonalds car parks.

[Darren]

but im not a Boi racer, wanting to go around macdonalds car parks.

Yeah, thats why you want 18" wheels Mini Saloon Van with a bodykit!

Sorry, we're all meant to get along on this forum!

[YoungUn]

hehe. well actually i was thinking about the physics of 18" wheels, the circumfrence is larger therefore travveling more distance in the same revolutions of the axle. And you can get nicer designs in that size.
ok maybe i want a modified car, but i will do it with style and class...

at least i dnt want to drive a nova - i want a mini, and i love minis for their heritage aswell as their go kart drivability

[Alex1380]

right yes bigger wheels travel ferther in 1 rotation but remmber acceleration and handling, minis handel best on 10inch wheels and accelerat the fastes. put it on 13inch wheels and the handling is down and the acceleration is slow but the top end speed is about the same. this is because the bigger wheels are harder to turn and the airo dynamics of the car won't alow it to go much faster. If you put in a 998cc engine i dout it would even turn a 18". only mini i have seen with 18" wheels had a honda Vtec in it. i would start but going on to 13" first.
this is my mini with 13" wheels. i get about 110mph - 120mph top end but i have a very well shorted 1380 putting out about 100bhp. your not going to get a mini to go much quicker.

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[YoungUn]

will 13"s sit correctly in fortech arches?

i have a fear that they wil be too small.

does anyone know any good sites that sell different styles of 13" alloys ?

[Woody]

NoNo NO! someone somewhere has started this urban myth and got two things mixed up, now take note ,the best RIDE QUALITY you can get from a mini with standard suspension is on 10s
note to ALL , RIDE QUALITY is not the same as HANDLING
handling is dependant on many things , weight distribution , suspension (design ,type, angles), tyres(construction , compound, tread patern) and other things , to make the blanket statement :
"Minis handle best on 10s " is just an insult to the inteligence of the person reading it , many things could be said about 10s
minis look cute on 10s ,... (this is an opinion )
minis look more origional on 10s (not the ones from the eighties , ninties and even late 70s)

[YoungUn]

but with alot of suspension time and mods, setting up to correct angles and position etc... will a mini handle well on 14"s or higher? as i think smaller than 13"s are too small.

[YoungUn]

using that squirty foam in a spray tin , squirt it on (you may need a cardboard former), wait for it to harden , carve to shape , cover over with fiber glass matting and resin , wait to cure, sand down, cover with small skim of body filler .

I saw in a mag a while ago a bloke made a "one off" kit for a van

Would i also be able to use this same technique to create a nice custom Dashboard?

Also ... what magazine and van was it that used a custom kit?

[Darren]

as i think smaller than 13"s are too small.

What exactly is to small about them? Afterall, a Mini is a small car, and it's nothing trying to compare it's wheel to all these other boys with their Corsas and Novas riding on 18", if thats what your getting at..

[Woody]

I have been reading car mags since the early 1970s , i dont remember :sad:
i think it was an escort MK11van with port holes and jacked up 11inches at the back and a jaguar back axle
and huge box arches , side skirts and stuff

[YoungUn]

13"s bein small ... as not looking right in proportion. not to compare with other nova drivers... but with a big kit on, it will look weird, baring in mind this is my Ultimate mini..... for my lovable mini i will have 13"s or smaller, i just want a kit on because i think some of the edges of bodywork, like the seams etc... are a bit crude and i like smooth, so i might just deseam and debumper my lovable mini

[Zeemax]

18s on a mini, you having a laugh? That would look soso wrong , Unless you have some serious cash a custom made bodykit is out of the question. Best thing to do is to take bits on the market and modify them on your own.

Surly for the kits avalible:

Zeemax
Majic
ERA
Radcor
Autofashion

you could come up with something a little different.

At least wheels are easier to to sort out, you can make a custom 3 peice spilt rim for around £900....

[YoungUn]

is there a website for these wheels?

and the front of the bodykit (the bumper) is gunna be VERY custom

[Zeemax]

compoivte or super lite will make custom rims.

Whats your budget for this build?