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[HiHo]

Just a few lines to introduce myself. I found the forum a couple of weeks ago but had trouble registering and hence couldn't post, but as I've finally done that - here goes.

I was a massive fan of minis in the late 70's and early 80's but my brother wrote off my (last) lovingly restored MK2 in '86 (and very nearly himself and his wife). The only serviceable part after his accident was the oil pressure gauge (yes the ONLY part). This kinda got me thinking that a Mini maybe wasn't the safest way to travel 20-30 thousand miles a year which I was doing and so I moved on to other cars.

But I've now hit that time of life where the boy just can't be kept inside anymore and so have got myself a 1983 95L Van. It was an unfinished project with quite a bit done (some of it quite well, some not so) and lots of unknowns. The rolling shell was together enough to roll it, with the engine fitted, but pretty much anything that could be unbolted was either missing or spread throughout various containers with no sense of order.

I've just repaired the drivers door (new inner-bottom-section and skin) using non heritage parts (challenging) and now have to finish off the passenger door before tidying up the rest of the body and painting.

I have been taking pics which I will post shortly and will be tackling the mechanical rebuild as soon as I have the body in a reasonable state. I'm doing this as a project to get the Mini back on the road, not as a show car, but want it to be safe and reliable.

As this is much younger than my previous Minis (I owned them a lifetime ago) there are quite a few things I'm not familiar with and will definitely have questions for the forum (if that is not too presumptuous?). What I have seen so far makes it clear that there are lots of experts with really useful experience that are willing to share - just for the love of Minis!

I hope that I too may be able to give something back in due course!

Cheers - Hal
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