853 replies to this topic

[Mini 360]

Spent the day in the garage today. Needed cleared out and organised badly! Had just taken parts off and left them lying around.....not the best idea! So we took the car out of the garage a bit to get cleared up.

So now everything's organised/bagged/tagged/photographed in prep for the rebuild. Parts have been set aside for blasting and powdercoating and others just for me to redo myself. Just a waiting game until it goes to Bunkry a week on Tuesday.

Also marked out the rear arches for tubbing to get this thing shlammed!!! Using a home made tool as a guide (bit of cut wood and a marker....like the one here http://www.turbomini...p=vt&tid=121011) Should give me a good inch extra clearance which was badly needed before the rebuild....


04/09/2011 by Andrew Forbes Photography, on Flickr


04/09/2011 by Andrew Forbes Photography, on Flickr

Took out the fuel tank too. Had a good 10 litres in it which is probably worth more than the tank itself these days......... But its stale and filled with crap so its headed to the dump...pipes gave up a fight so just cut them in the end when we got fed up. All the lines are getting replaced front to back anyway. Got a spare tank from my other scrap mini so from the two I can make one, internal filler necked tank


04/09/2011 by Andrew Forbes Photography, on Flickr

rear brake lines from the subframe are badly corroded so again they are getting replaced front to back.


04/09/2011 by Andrew Forbes Photography, on Flickr

Tore out the headlining too. Its getting replaced with something a lot more special and luxurious than 20 year old grey vinyl


04/09/2011 by Andrew Forbes Photography, on Flickr

As you can see subframes are ready to go. Front is in way better condition than the rear but both are getting done for uniformity and piece of mind.


04/09/2011 by Andrew Forbes Photography, on Flickr

Then left the garage as is....

This is organised. Honestly.....


04/09/2011 by Andrew Forbes Photography, on Flickr

Parts everywhere, two engines, drawers filled to the brim with bits. Minis, for being so small, have far too many parts.

[Mini 360]

Made up a very quick list of everything Im needing to get. This is just a rough list with more to add later when i remember other stuff......most will be new parts for lines, brakes etc but other stuff will be looking for second hand

[Zeemax Adventure]

Wow you have gone to town with this one. Just read from start to finish. Do the led bolts for the no. plate mean u can ditch the big chunky light above it? I dont want the light on mine, and im fitting a zeemax kit and dont want to cut into the bumper for a new no. plate light!!! i shall be following your progress

Oh and i stripped the bitumen sound proofing off my rover cooper today, got a blister now but its come up really well. Im sure it didnt need to be so thick in places. Just gonna go overe it with wire wool and degreaser tomoz as i want a nice smooth surface ready to apply a stonechip to before paint. May apply some soundproofing to stop vibrations from the floor, but hey its a mini, its supposed to be noisy

[MiniLandy]

Precisely one big bag of doritos, to read from start to this point.

Interesting. Not my cuppa tea on the style, but I can certainly appreciate the amount of work going into it. Shocking amount of filler and fibreglass (previous owner syndrome) but good to see it's being welded properly, and saved from the scrappy.

What's it going to be used for when it's done, daily driver or weekend toy?

[bcjames]

Just read all of this, great work! Good you're getting all that nasty filler out and putting some good metal back in The parts you are painting up look really great too, the servo etc. Is that just normal hammerite silver?

[Risky]

Looking great so far. One tip though: you should mount the stainless bolts using copper grease or they will still cease due to corrosion between 2 different materials.

[Mini 360]

Wow you have gone to town with this one. Just read from start to finish. Do the led bolts for the no. plate mean u can ditch the big chunky light above it? I dont want the light on mine, and im fitting a zeemax kit and dont want to cut into the bumper for a new no. plate light!!! i shall be following your progress

Oh and i stripped the bitumen sound proofing off my rover cooper today, got a blister now but its come up really well. Im sure it didnt need to be so thick in places. Just gonna go overe it with wire wool and degreaser tomoz as i want a nice smooth surface ready to apply a stonechip to before paint. May apply some soundproofing to stop vibrations from the floor, but hey its a mini, its supposed to be noisy

Yeh LED bolts are for mounting the plate so no light housing. Its getting a fully smoothed off boot (no hinges/lock/plate recess/plate light etc) and the plate mounted below the bumper between the twin exit supersport zorst

As its going to be noisy im going to DynaMat the interior and roof to reduce interior noise as much as I can.

Precisely one big bag of doritos, to read from start to this point.

Interesting. Not my cuppa tea on the style, but I can certainly appreciate the amount of work going into it. Shocking amount of filler and fibreglass (previous owner syndrome) but good to see it's being welded properly, and saved from the scrappy.

What's it going to be used for when it's done, daily driver or weekend toy?

At the Doritos!

Can appreciate it wont be everyones cup of tea but this is what Ive wanted to do since Ive been 13 so its going to happen. Always say folk to modify a car as they want it. So like to practice what I preach

Some of that filler was me....but as a quick fix when I was poorer at school getting paid £4/hr for 4 hours a week

Once its back its for weekend toy and show use only. Got a 2001 Polo 6N2 for daily driving. Its boring and slow so it will make me appreciate this much more

Just read all of this, great work! Good you're getting all that nasty filler out and putting some good metal back in The parts you are painting up look really great too, the servo etc. Is that just normal hammerite silver?

Cheers! Yeh just normal hammerite silver. Want it to last as long as possible. Although engine will be getting replaced at some point so I can envisage me getting a lot of stuff powdercoated too......

Looking great so far. One tip though: you should mount the stainless bolts using copper grease or they will still cease due to corrosion between 2 different materials.

Aye thats the plan. At the mo its all just placed in so theres not parts lying everywhere. Got a massive tub of copper grease from my dads customising days in the 70s. Still as good today as it was back then




So yeh its a labour of love and eats my monthly wage but at least Im not getting Mumm and Daddy to buy me an 11 plate boring car.....as that would mean not only a boring car but them paying for my car, which is wrong in my opinion!

[Risky]

So yeh its a labour of love and eats my monthly wage but at least Im not getting Mumm and Daddy to buy me an 11 plate boring car.....as that would mean not only a boring car but them paying for my car, which is wrong in my opinion!

Can't argue with that

[skaterava]

Nice project, it's good to see another student restoring their car. At least you've got more time than me to sort it out, i'm so busy these days i've had to get a contact of mine to do the mechanical work...

[MiniLandy]

At the Doritos!

Can appreciate it wont be everyones cup of tea but this is what Ive wanted to do since Ive been 13 so its going to happen. Always say folk to modify a car as they want it. So like to practice what I preach

Some of that filler was me....but as a quick fix when I was poorer at school getting paid £4/hr for 4 hours a week

Once its back its for weekend toy and show use only. Got a 2001 Polo 6N2 for daily driving. Its boring and slow so it will make me appreciate this much more

Good lad, make it yours.

Yeeaah we've all been there, I stuck a lot of filler in various panels to get my mini through an MOT, knowing i'd eventually have money to buy a decent welder and new body panels.

If it's going to be a weekend toy, you might be alright without sound deadening. Mine just has carpets (had to scrape off most of the sound deadening to do some welding) and it's bearable as a daily driver, with a properly sealed single box RC40.

So yeh its a labour of love and eats my monthly wage but at least Im not getting Mummy and Daddy to buy me an 11 plate boring car.....as that would mean not only a boring car but them paying for my car, which is wrong in my opinion!

DAMN. STRAIGHT.

[skaterava]

So yeh its a labour of love and eats my monthly wage but at least Im not getting Mummy and Daddy to buy me an 11 plate boring car.....as that would mean not only a boring car but them paying for my car, which is wrong in my opinion!

DAMN. STRAIGHT.

Hear hear, i got fed up of the boys in 6th form turning up in Fiestas and Corsas mummy and daddy bought for them for their birthdays...and having insurance paid for by them. Every young person should be made to work for their first car.

[analogue_radio]

Looks good! I haven't seen this project thread yet, will have a proper read later!

[Zeemax Adventure]

i ditched the 2nd year of 6th form so i could go out and earn some money for a car. Never looked back. OK so my first car was a 1997 Escort with Rs kit and a cherrybomb but we gotta start somewhere lol. Now ive gone up in the world (literally) driving a mercedes sprinter as my everyday vehicle (im self employed), hence i need my mini finished ASAP. My uncles bought his 2 daughters a car each, almost brand new, pays their insurance and fuel. Totally wrong, how will they ever learn the value of money!!!! Rant over

[DaveJH]

So yeh its a labour of love and eats my monthly wage but at least Im not getting Mummy and Daddy to buy me an 11 plate boring car.....as that would mean not only a boring car but them paying for my car, which is wrong in my opinion!

DAMN. STRAIGHT.

Hear hear, i got fed up of the boys in 6th form turning up in Fiestas and Corsas mummy and daddy bought for them for their birthdays...and having insurance paid for by them. Every young person should be made to work for their first car.

+1. It means more when you do everything off your own back, you appreciate it so much more.

Nice work mate, this is going to be like new when you're done with it! I'd like to think I would be that thorough if we had a garage!

[Mini 360]

Nice project, it's good to see another student restoring their car. At least you've got more time than me to sort it out, i'm so busy these days i've had to get a contact of mine to do the mechanical work...

Aye at the moment Im working full tiem hours at work seeing as its summer 'holidays' Once Im back it will slow down again though both on the time and money front

Good lad, make it yours.

Yeeaah we've all been there, I stuck a lot of filler in various panels to get my mini through an MOT, knowing i'd eventually have money to buy a decent welder and new body panels.

If it's going to be a weekend toy, you might be alright without sound deadening. Mine just has carpets (had to scrape off most of the sound deadening to do some welding) and it's bearable as a daily driver, with a properly sealed single box RC40.

Weekend toy but it will be getting taken to IMMs and L2B etc etc so long motorway drives. needs to be a reasonably comfortable interior to cope with that.

Hear hear, i got fed up of the boys in 6th form turning up in Fiestas and Corsas mummy and daddy bought for them for their birthdays...and having insurance paid for by them. Every young person should be made to work for their first car.

True! Lad in 6th year had a brand new Fiesta bought for him. not a 1.2 slow thing but a full blow Zetec S, lowered on afermarket speedlines and a mountune tune kit. Oh and fuel and insurance all paid for. Wrote it off in under a month

Looks good! I haven't seen this project thread yet, will have a proper read later!

Cheers! Only went up last night so understandable

i ditched the 2nd year of 6th form so i could go out and earn some money for a car. Never looked back. OK so my first car was a 1997 Escort with Rs kit and a cherrybomb but we gotta start somewhere lol. Now ive gone up in the world (literally) driving a mercedes sprinter as my everyday vehicle (im self employed), hence i need my mini finished ASAP. My uncles bought his 2 daughters a car each, almost brand new, pays their insurance and fuel. Totally wrong, how will they ever learn the value of money!!!! Rant over

true true true true true! I know the value of a pound and know it well.....

+1. It means more when you do everything off your own back, you appreciate it so much more.

Nice work mate, this is going to be like new when you're done with it! I'd like to think I would be that thorough if we had a garage!

Thats the plan! Cant see me ever selling it so needs to be as good as physically possible helps living at home with a garage though.....