25 replies to this topic

[stolichnaya]

Hello all and thanks for taking a read.... well, the Mini Sidewalk i found in som bushed failed MOT! Its been stood for 2 years and looked in good/ok nick so i took a chance and bought it. all it took to start it was a new battery! started 1st turn of the key too. no smoke or trouble at all. but then at 76000 miles i should think not!

so onto MOT, failed! i thought it would but its what needs doing i need help with please... Maor things are 2 new sills andthe boot floor replaing, one sill is rotten so i suppose he other will be too. the boot floor is... well.... no there!!! these are the major bits. other silly stuff it failed on is listed below..

fog light needed
2 x steering rack gaitors
1 x front lower ball joint
brake discs pited (this will be due to non use. once cleaned/wire brushed will be OK)
1 x tire

That all listed on the fail sheet. problem i have is i am both on a budget (the car was bought as a 2nd run about) and i have no welding tools or experience. This means i may get rid or imay take on depending on cost of the work?

so he help please is on sourcing 2 sills etc? unless somone wants to buy the car and do it up, it too nice to scrap reall? Details of the car below

1996 Mini Sidewalk 1.3i. 76000 miles. tons of service history from new to 2005 when its been stood. last receipt shows its done about 500 yards in 2 years!!. sunroof! funky alloys in great condition. its Turquoise Blue (only500 made) Blue & tartan interior. upgraded headlights (not sure of the term but not std units or glass) clear rear lenses.


Offers ££ or help?

thanks for reading.... Stolichnaya (hic)

[ANON]

whatever you do dont scrap it, break it up and stick the bits on fleabay, or just stick it on with an mot fail

[the.stroker]

if the sills have got tin worm in them,chances are when they are removed the inner sill will be shot,and the tin worm will probably have spread to other areas,as for the rest no big things,for the price of brake discs and pads ( peanuts ),and while they are removed to sort out the gaitors/ball joints you may as well replace the lot,with some very basic know how and a haynes manual you can do most things yourself ( other than welding),get an angle grinder,cut the sills off and clean up the area of tin worm,then you can see how bad things really are,if you look in the forum im sure there will be someone local to you willing to help out,try and find a local mini club,again a good source of advise and/or help can be found here.if your on a budget then self help is a must,plus you will get to learn how things work and go together in no time.

[stormintrooper]

at the risk of sounding like an idiot, what's tin worm?

[monkey]

tin worm = rust

wood worm is woods worst enemy - tin worm (rust) is metal worst enemy

[stormintrooper]

ah ok, you actualy had me thinking that theyre might be a worm that causes rust or something like that, night having a bright day today i think

my excuse is that i don't drink coffee

[the.stroker]

lay of the weed man..............................lol

[stormintrooper]

haha........was waiting for a comment like that

[1987_ParkLane]

whatever you do dont scrap it, break it up and stick the bits on fleabay, or just stick it on with an mot fail

This, or just have it as a project.

[stolichnaya]

any assistance from anyone near Huntingdon, Cambs would be welcome. I dont want to scrap the Mini but dont have the tekkie knowledge so have to think carefully re the car !

if anyone is near, has the time or knowledge.....

i can do some things and am very good at tea and bacon or sausage butties!!!

[stolichnaya]

whatever you do dont scrap it, break it up and stick the bits on fleabay, or just stick it on with an mot fail

This, or just have it as a project.

it is a project but i dont have any skills re the sills. its turned out very quickly to be more of a project han i can do!

[feybrand]

buy a welder and get some scrap metal and learn to weld its not as hard as people think so long as you prepare right and clean everything up before you weld and welders arent that expensive

[not so mini]

Replacing a sill was covered as a step by step guide in Mini Magazine about 2 months ago. If you want I will scan it 4 you.

If you own a Mini you need to know how to weld. This was also covered in MM over about 6 issues i think.

[stolichnaya]

buy a welder and get some scrap metal and learn to weld its not as hard as people think so long as you prepare right and clean everything up before you weld and welders arent that expensive

while i am OK at twisting spanners and gettng oily, if i were to weld i would end up with a mini mini mini! there would be nothing left but the steering wheel!

i may break it up and sell whats good!

[feybrand]

thats why you get some scrap ,metal first and practice it really is quite easy once you get over the fear factor alternativly you could sell it on someone will buy it i wouldnt advise breaking and scraping it though theres fewer and fewer minis as it is