83 replies to this topic

[DanielBDavies]

Hey everyone, i've been part for the miniforum for a while now so i thought it was about time i started a project thread.

I bought my mini smack on a year ago to the day off another member of the miniforum. I had been looking for a mini for about a year till i finally found the one i bought. Its was a pretty standard Rover MPI when i bought it apart from the bullet mirrors, W&P style arches and a boot liner kit.



The car had only done 28,000 miles when i bought it and was very solid and ran great. I had the biggest smile on my face all the way on the drive home to South Wales.

I always had the intention to modify the mini in some way, but the question was in what style. Initially i liked the wide sportspack arches and 13" deep dish Superlights but after being in the mini scene for a couple of months and flicking through mini magazines and searching through threads on here, i fell in love with the old classic/retro/rally style, Mk1 grille and mustache, 10" wheels.......!

The fist thing that needed changing was the exhaust. So after looking through parts catalogues and shopping around on the internet i decided on getting a Maniflow 2" twin DTM centre exit exhaust with Maniflow LCB (i know its not really classic/retro but i really like the center exit exhaust and i thought this was the nicest one).





By now i had written a list with all the things style wise that i wanted to do:

Mk1 Grille and mustache
2x Lucas front spots
Mk1 or 2 rear lights
Lucas rear spot lamp
10" Minilites
Group 2 arches with the chrome strips
Bonnet straps
Mk1 Boot lid with fold down number plate
Overriders and corner bars
Classic stickers (Castrol, Speedwell, Lucas...)

The first thing off the list was the 10" wheels, so during the Bingly Hall show i got speaking to one of the MiniSport guys about changing my brakes to accommodate 10's and they recommended me the 7.5" or the 7.9" 4Pot conversion kit. After a bit of thinking i went for the 7.9" vented dics kit with red 4Pots thinking the bigger the better (plus they were on offer at the time), I also order a set of 10"x6" Minilites with Yoko tyres. But this is where i had a slight problem! Me and my girl friends dad fitted new ball joints, bearings, breaded hoses and the new brakes which look great.



So now all excited we fitted the Minilites to find that they didn't fit . I wasn't to amused!



Oops...!



After about a month of talking and sending photos back and for to MiniSport we found out that Minilite had changed the design of their wheels slightly so they wouldn't fit with the 7.9" kit. MiniSport which were very good through this problem then said i could either change to the 7.5" kit or change the wheels to Minator ones. I ended up going for the Minators, but now looking back i wish i had gone for the 7.5" kit because now i am kind of limited to which 10's i can go for in the future. But anyway this is how they look!









They ended up fitting perfect, just sticking out passed the arches but not enough to see any tread.

Next on the list was the Mk2 rear lights which i bought from one of the white van traders at Bristol Mini Day. I also bought some amber front indicators, chrome rings to go around the side repeaters, Chrome reverse light and fog light, Chrome interior handles and an Aston fuel cap.
During this time i also won a Lucas rear spot on ebay, yay!

So after fitting these the mini looks like this.







....and at Minis in the Bay...





So slowly the mini was getting closer to where i wanted it to be, well the rear half was getting there anyway!

The mini and me went everywhere together as it was my daily driver, one day a couple of months ago i went over a friends house to watch tv and things as usual (i'm there about 3 - 4 times a week) but to leave and find a great big foot size dent in the side of my car > .





I was so ****** off, if only i had seen them! I think it was defiantly a kick because there are no scratches or anything just a big dent.

So now comes the end of the story of my Mini so far. The dent is still there at the moment, it is due in for repair next week along with new sills, door steps, an a panel and a bonnet with no lip so i can fit my new Mk1 Grille an mustache.



So hopefully i'll be able give an update soon with my mini all fixed.

[leaky]

Looks great. I'll be watching this thread. Gotta love retro. Im going for a retro racer for my car when I get some money. What are the brakes like? Better or worse then standerd disks? Im on drums all round at the moment so they can't be worse then those.

Keep up the good work.

Jon.

[mini_mad69]

I knew I recognised your car!! Where abouts in south wales are you?! I was driving up for a thrash across the black mountains in the summer and saw a car identical to yours. I think I saw it at mini in the bay aswell. Looking at the picture, you were pretty much opposite me. Your car realy does look superb, I love it, excactly what I would want If I had the money.

Such a shame about that dent, hope the work on it goes well.

[paul6266]

shame about the dent but the car is looking great keep us posted with pictures

[Danny_California]

Bout time you posted up here dan, really gorgeous car! I will never forget when it arrived at singleton park under a blanket of smoke though lol

[leaky]

Also do you mind me asking how much your lucas spot light on the boot cost? Im after one just like that.

[DanielBDavies]

Thanks everyone!
Mini-jon the brakes a lot better I think they make a really good difference and they don't look half bad either. Also I think I paid about £30 for the rear spot and its in really good working condition.
I live in Tycroes, Carmarthenshire. I think I remember you being at a few shows too. Blue mini with white arches isn't it?
Danny, yeah that was quite funny looking back at it now, was a bit worried at the time thou. Ha...!

[leaky]

Ok well I think I'll get a set of them after xmas. I'm gonna keep an eye out for one of those lights as well.

Cheers.

[jameslb101]

I've got a very similar car, same model (non-cooper), same year ('98 & S), same colour and same interior!

After seeing what you did to yours I really want those wheels on mine now!

[mini.rich]

That is a very nice MPi!! so much better than the '10 to a penny' Coopers like mine, however mine is slightly different Very subtle changes make all the difference Shame about the dent, there are some real bum holes about

[DanielBDavies]

I've got a very similar car, same model (non-cooper), same year ('98 & S), same colour and same interior!

After seeing what you did to yours I really want those wheels on mine now!

Nice! When i first started looking i wanted an Old English White Mini but when i came across this one i fell in love with it, lol!

That is a very nice MPi!! so much better than the '10 to a penny' Coopers like mine, however mine is slightly different Very subtle changes make all the difference Shame about the dent, there are some real bum holes about

Thanks, yeah subtle changes and attention to detail do make the difference i think!


A little update:

I took all the carpets out this morning, getting ready for the panel and welding work that will hopefully be done soon!

[leaky]

Hi mate. I showed this topic to a mate who has a mpi and wants to fit 10's. He does have a few questions. Your car seems quite high in those pictures. Is that your choice or is that because the engine is lower in MPI's so it has to be that high? I don't really know anything about MPI's this is just what he said to me. So any help of yours will be gratefully received.

[Danny_California]

Never heard anything about the engine in the mpi being higher up Doubt it's true...

[leaky]

Never heard anything about the engine in the mpi being higher up Doubt it's true...

Hi. No what I ment was a MPI engine is mounted lower down. Meaning the car has to be higher to stop it scraping. Are club mechanic who has been working on mini for a long long time says they are. Im not saying he's right. I don't know my self but their isnt really much about minis he doesn't know. I might start a topic on here later to see if anyone else knows about it.

Thanks.

[Danny_California]

Sorry, I meant to say lower, I just hadnt heard that. Since the engine mounts seem to be the same, and so are the front subframes, I dont see how or why the engine mounting would be any different.