51 replies to this topic

[strettman]

hi all, i just spent about an hour typing out a thread with info about my mini and such and then google chrome crashed and i lost all my work so i'm going to keep it short and simple this time.

i'm starting this thread so i can basically keep track of myself and try and focus more on the mini with abit more motivation, haha

basically i started looking at minis around a year and half ago, after finishing school, but i couldn't find any close enough. i found one on ebay but it was involved in an accident at the front end and written off, seaming as it would be my first car i didn't want to buy it just incase of the dissapointment i would have in finding it actually needs alot more than it looked like it needed. so i kept looking and then one day when i was cycling through my village to work (i work as an apprentice in a garage), i peeked over into the village garage (good friends of my dad and me) to see a burgundy mini sat out side it with a huge for sale sign in the window. when i got home that night i told my dad i saw it and he arranged us too view it. when we saw it, it was obvious it needed a good amount of work but i was commited too it. there was no interior that came with it which i liked because it ment i could get one built up how i want it. here's some pics of just after i bought (back in last october):

























obviously since then i have done a reasonable amount but not absolutely loads, sadly no welding has been done yet but i'm hoping everything on my mini will start to come together in the next 3-5 months. i have decided it is going to get a respray with flame red body and diamond white roof and mirrors. i have bought the wheels and arches, pics of the wheels are below, i took the pics when i fitted the tyres at work. i have chosen to use Huddersfield spares wood and picket wheel arches.







while i was buying things for my mini i had a few problems trying to find a steering lock cowling, because my mini is an early mk3 it was made up of weird parts. here's a pic too show what it is like:



i decided to take the steering lock apart too find that the actual ignition switch itself had absolutely had it and i was surprised it still worked. after this problem, not being able to get a cowling and all the rust on the column i just thought sod it i'll get another steering column with a lock on it. so i got a nice mk4 one with a cowling! will put a pick up of the new column in one of my updates.

that's about it for now until i get the camera out and take pics of what i have done on the mini for the last 10 months (hopefully maybe tonight). thanks for reading so far and i hope to keep updating this thread even once the car is finished. feel free to leave any questions or comments. i'm sorry if some of the things i have wrote don't make sense, please let me know and i'll do my best

thanks!

Edited by strettman, 29 August 2011 - 05:23 PM.

[olds_kool_lews]

nice to see another mk3! you not tempted to keep it more original looking? but subtle modifications? i just got my hands on a very original 1973 auto mini in harvest gold, subtley modifyin it etc will keep an eye on ur build, see how it turns out! whats the body work like?

[strettman]

hi, thanks for the reply. apart of me has always loved the mini cooper red with white roof, as it's my first mini it's what i really want

the body work is not too bad, odd dent and spot of rust here and there but nothing major. so far I have found a total of at least 7 places needing welding, inside each wheel arch needs just a small bit of patching. the boot, rear seat right hand corner and this pannel. i imagine when i take the shock absorbers off i will find some more places needing welding.

surprisingly at the garage we got it from they welded in a whole new floor pan about a year and a half ago, shame they never put any red oxide or any thing down xD.

at the moment the mini is all stripped out there about, i think it's just got the doors to take off and petrol tank.

thanks

[olds_kool_lews]

there seems to be a fair few mk3 minis crawling out the wood work lately, does look like a good base for a project! and for what it needs welding, it doesnt sound to bad! its good to start with something like this, as you can see whats what, and no need to strip it all out to start with and find lots of hidden horrors lol when i lefted the front carpet of my new mk3, i was abit shocked, mainly built of patches n plates, so next weekend ill crack my welder out and put some new ones in to freshen it up.

how long do you think it'll take you to get it on the road? and time scale or will it be an as and when project?

[strettman]

haha, i'll get reading through your project thread now if i can find it. the rear seat panel i'm going to be replacing was found after grinding rust of the rear seat. i hit a massive lump of filler when i was grinding the back seat, took me about 5 mins to get it all of with the grinder and made a right mess too. after grinding it off it revealed a pretty decent size rust hole.

i'm hoping to have it on the road hopefully in 3-5 months time maybe abit longer, but with my dad being in charge of getting tools when they are needed i'd imagine it will probably take longer, haha.

as i can see at the moment it just needs welding then it is ready for paint prep and then painting, then after that it just needs rebuilding.

i forgot to mention above that i have replaced the whole wiring loom as the one that was in the mini was a home made jobby and was absolutely awful for finding what went where. i've also done something some mini owners won't approve of haha i have converted my mini from a center clock to a 3 clock set up in front of the driver using minisports conversion.

thanks

Edited by strettman, 29 August 2011 - 05:45 PM.

[olds_kool_lews]

i wouldnt worry mate about what other people think, its your car, your ideas, your money, ive got a few mk3 steering column cowels if u needed one, but as you gone for mk4 no worries minis and filler seem to go hand in hand, especially filler over 1cm thick lol

sounds like a do-able deadline, 3-5 months is easily achievable, last one i build (valerie, the clubvan) took me 4 months of weekends to build, so really it was month solid worth of work if i added it all together. check out that build if u want, plenty of pictures! lol

i aint really made a massive start on my thread yet, just a few pics of how i got it, and how it looks after fitting some hi-lo's on the rear, the biggest updates will come next weekend when i put some new front floors in it and tidy up a few bits and bobs

[strettman]

quick update:

here are the pics i promised, showing the work i have done. in the pics you can see, the new wiring loom (a bit messy), some of the areas of rust, my red oxiding, my speedo conversion from a centre binnacle speedo to a side binnacle speedo and my new steering column. i also thought i'd take a picture of the amount of mini stuff i have dominating my room :S the nice cobra recliner seats make up for the loss of space though!!!!! haha





































not sure how long it will be until the next update, probably about a week or 2

thanks

Edited by strettman, 31 August 2011 - 05:52 PM.

[olds_kool_lews]

you still got the mk3 column mate? the steering lock on mine is abit naff, and the key is pretty stiff, so could do with replacing it if you still have it (with keys?) would you be willing to sell it?

[strettman]

you still got the mk3 column mate? the steering lock on mine is abit naff, and the key is pretty stiff, so could do with replacing it if you still have it (with keys?) would you be willing to sell it?

i'm sorry mate but i scrapped it, the ignition barrel on mine was pretty stiff, the column was all rusty, it snapped all the plastic bushes, i wish i kept it now though if it would have helped you ;(

also in the 3rd from bottom photo you can see my steering wheel. i do not think i will be using it anymore, it looks way too boy racer-ish, i'm thinking of going for a nice wood rim steering wheel. if anyone wants the steering wheel drop me a PM. it comes with a boss that i bought from huddersfield spares. unsure on what price i'd be after though.

thanks

[olds_kool_lews]

ah no worries mate, will have to source one from stanford next weekend

im not a massive fan of them sporty boy racer steering wheels, someone will love it though, maybe put up some better pics in the for sale section, with offers, you might get lucky and get about £80-100 for it its if a quality one mate

[strettman]

haha i've got a thread here with it on:http://www.theminifo...howtopic=201548

i'm after a nice mountney wooden rim one or something similar i think.

thanks

[strettman]

small update:

i saw a mini perfect for spares/engine on ebay advertised very locally, arranged to go see it and offered the guy 135 quid for it and he took it, it's missing the rear subframe but the engine starts and sounds good with no knocks, chuffed to bits with the deal. i'm going to pick it up with my dad this saturday hopefully so pics will be then

i had thought about whether or not i was going to take the engine out on my mini too give the engine and engine bay a clean, but after that buy i decided i am, so when i got back in from work today i got the engine ready for coming out and it's pretty much ready. i'm getting excited now haha

i will be doing a front drum brake to disc brake conversion soon too

thanks

[strettman]

it has been a while now since i have updated i have been getting caught up with helping my dad with work :/

since i last updated, i have got my second mini (the spares one) ready for the engine to come out.

i have also bought a clubman estate (i couldn't help myself, i have been wanting one since i bought my first mini) for restoration off ebay, it came with an absolute ton of stuff and i don't think from where i have inspected it looks to bad at all plus it comes with a 1300 possible metro turbo engine, sadly it is seized at the moment. i must complete my mini first though (of course) before i can start on the clubby so i geuss that kind of pushes me to get this mini done.

so, work on the first mini (i'll have to start to think of a name for him, i already have one for the clubby from the previous owner ) hasn't been too speedy, at the moment i have ordered paints and bits. POR 15, lots of red and black hammerite. went down to halfrauds today too and got some red engine paint, some paint brushes a wire brush and some hammerite underseal, i was expecting to get more money off too with my trade card .

i have also just about got all the bits needed to do a front drum to disc conversion, i'm just waiting on one hub and driveshaft. so soon i shall be able to paint the engine and some other bits and peices.

thanks

[strettman]

well i don't think i will reach my deadline work on the mini recently has been slow because i have been helping my dad loads trying to finish our loft conversion so we can start work to extend our garage (the council won't let us have 2 jobs on at once) i still don't think the loft conversion shall be finished this year

but for the good news, i have been a busy boy today, i have taken the engine, petrol tank, and front subframe out today and have gotten the subframe ready to wire brush it and then paint it with por-15. i'm hoping on tuesday (i have the day off work) i will either work on the front subframe or get the engine out of my donor mini and maybe paint it the same day

i was having so much fun i forgot to take photos!

[strettman]

tomorrow i'm hoping to:

wire wheel the front subframe down and paint it with por 15 and then coat it with a coat of black or red hammerite (i haven't decided yet)

wire wheel and sand the engine bay and either spray it with galvanizing spray or paint it with por15 and then coat it in tie coat primer (primer for por 15) so i can paint over the por15

maybe clean the boot out and chop the peice where i will be doing a repair and possibly paint it with por15 too

if i have any more time spare i will probably be stripping down the donor mini and maybe if i work quick enough and it's not chucking it down, get the engine out of it.

and hopefully whilst doing all of this i might remember to take photos, haha

i do hope i manage to get alot done tomorrow and don't get held up by anything