34 replies to this topic

[lootuning1]

Oh, sorry lol. I had my first mini when i was 17 but i crashed it and it went to heaven :'( lol im now 25 going on 26 so im having to learn who is who all over again lol ill check out that keiths site, and see what he does. Cheers for that

I sold the roof for £50 on fleabay. I was MINT

The whole entire car was deeseamed when i got it. I was panicing a bit wen i starting cutting the shell for the rear lights as there was a lot of dust from filler - i was thinking "oh my god, my cars made of filler" lol but then i thought "oh yea, its where they deseamed it" DOH lol

Yeah, ill have to follow with smooth lines as thats how the rest of the car is. No lines!!! But i want to do it proerly as i cant be having the shell cracking with filla after my paint job - ill be gutted > So ill be going over what the previous owner did, just to makesure everything is sound and it was done properly. They had some other work done on the car and i swear my little sister would have done better, pissed up

[TOMMO0302]

Aw, darn it....i would have had that roof, mine is 8/9 years old i think and is also mint, but a Polo Mint with holes everywhere!!

Anyway, best of luck and keep us updated. Have you a project time frame in mind? This summer?

[lootuning1]

lol sorry went a few weeks ago now. A guy from down south!

Yeah, fingers crossed and im really going to push for this summer. My problem isnt time though - its money lol

The guy who is doing all the strengthening is keeping it a while, so while he has it, i can save for all the bits i need. That way, i only have a few tweeks to do to it and then it can go the bodyshop. Whilst its there, i can start re-building metro turbo engine along with front and rear subframes. So i have plenty to whilst its gone.
Thanks for reading my post. Ill hopefully have some more pics by the weekend

[1380roadmini]

Do you have major plans for the metro turbo engine or will u be rebuilding to standard spec. i can just imagine the fae as you started cutting for the rear lights and started to see that dreaded filler in the air. lol. :'(

[lootuning1]

lol yeah, my face was a picture. I looked like i was gonna cry lol

Naaa, no major plans for the tubby engine, not really. Might uprate a few things but i dont want to go silly power due to unreliability and i dont want to keep rebuilding it every few thousand miles. Plus, as i have taken most of the strength out of the chasis, i dont want to put the shell through to much strain. Im going to strengthen it up as much as i possibley can but it still dont replace the fact that i have taken out the main structure, you know?

I just want a really smart looking mini. Something relatively reliable, which will hopefully hold value. Just a summer toy and hopefully a bit of a show car

[1380roadmini]

sounds like it will be more than just a toy for the summer, should look great when its finished.

[lootuning1]

OK, so started cutting the outer skins off me doors today. Got the BIG grinder out hehehehe My favourite tool EVER!!!!

So ive sorted the drivers door, its all marked up. Just got to do the passenger one. Hopefully get me some money next week and i need to go buy some sheets of steel and an argon bottle for the welder so i can start tacing it all in place. Hes coming on nicely. I love it when you can see everything coming together

Anyone any ideas where i can get a good priced argon bottle? I am asking for the right thing arnt i lol ?

Edited by lootuning1, 04 January 2007 - 05:12 PM.

[lootuning1]

hokey kokey. Did a bit more cutting with the welder today. Just had to flat some pieces back. You prob cant tell much of a dif but its been hard work today, plus, cause i cant see any progress, little niggley things will do my head in cause you cant see em - you know?

Anyways, after ive finished cutting the doors tomorrow were going to start on the metal flip front

Thought wed prat about with the camera as my arms were aching from holding the grinder too long lol heres jimmy finishing off the hinges



Heres me testing out were i need to cut the doors so to makesure its not going to be lower than me knee. Trust me, i like to think i scrub up a bit better than this lmao

[Bungle]

so whats next ?

[lootuning1]

gotta cut the doors, then sort the flip front out.

Then its off to have the shell done so im gonna loose him for a bit :'(

In the meantime, ill be building a rear subframe etc so any handy tips on the best bushes and suspension and anything else
i should uprate, will be cool

[lootuning1]

IM gutted Did some more work on the mini today. I finished the basic shape of both doors and leveled the light sout on the back. Then i though id start on my flip front. The mini was "deseamed" before i got it, so in order for me to find the lines to go by, i had to flat the paint back, so i off i went with me sander!

First the paint came away, then i got a little bit of filler and then i hit fibreglass > i though maybe they just used it to skim over the weld which they should have put in there but nooooooooooooooo. Believe it or not, they had literally just bridged the gap with filler. The thing that bugs me the most is that they have taken the rear seems off the car too - SO now ive been put back on my schedule and im going to have to sand all 4 corners back, dig the filler out and weld them up properly > Why didnt they do it properly eh? would saved me soooo much time :'( oh well, im kinda glad i found it now, if the shell was finished and it was all sprayed up niceley and then it started to crack, then it would have been a complete waste of a project so i suppose im a lucky lol if you can call it that.

Anyway, heres a pic of the pass side seem after i had dug all the filler out. Look at that for a gap lol

Edited by lootuning1, 07 January 2007 - 05:18 PM.

[miniboo]

they must have welded the join at the a panel though no??

[lootuning1]

nope, nothing there but fibre glass and filla. Theres nothing. Goes all the way round to the door.

I literally knocked the filler out to the floor with a hammer and chisle

[miniboo]

got anymore pics?

[lootuning1]

not yet, been holding the grinder too long and i was pi***d about the filler. Plus, ive not got a mask so i feeling a bit sick lol

Gonna go and have a look at the otherside tomorrow and do a bit more, see what other C**p i can find lol it could be worse i suppose.

Were trying to think of a way of doing a slightly different flip front, Jimmy reckons that a removable one will be better as we can keep a bit more strength in it!