43 replies to this topic

[Humbole]

I really dunno where to start...

 

My daughter has just been gifted an Austin 7 Mini, 1961 from my late uncle.

 

It looks pretty rotten and has no engine!

 

Getting it to our house is no problem, but we really dont' know where to start with restoring the little beastie!

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[Artful Dodger]

Your daughter is damn lucky....8).

Restore it back to original! Get some more pictures of it up on here, would be interesting to see how bad she really is!!

[Humbole]

We're gonna try to get it here this week, so plenty of photos to come, and we really want to get it back absolute original.  It's been in the family for over 40 years, so it means a lot.

I sat in it today, but it was difficult to appreciate through the cobwebs & rust!

ANY advice is welcome... do we get an engine first, or concentrate on the body?

what the hell do we get a Haynes Manual from???

[Fast Ivan]

engine is no problem

[Thorpsta]

We're gonna try to get it here this week, so plenty of photos to come, and we really want to get it back absolute original.  It's been in the family for over 40 years, so it means a lot.

I sat in it today, but it was difficult to appreciate through the cobwebs & rust!

ANY advice is welcome... do we get an engine first, or concentrate on the body?

what the hell do we get a Haynes Manual from???

 

I'd concentrate on the body, get it done fully so all the rust is gone, painted and then rolling that way you can move it to one side easily if need be and then sort an engine out, not a good idea having a fully dismantled mini in your garage and some in your house if your like me and then needing to move it all

 

Looks quite solid, daughter is lucky

 

Best of luck

 

 

edit: Manuals come up on ebay alot, especially at auto jumbles, few handy ones are the original handbook, haynes one and the yellow bible

Edited by Thorpsta, 12 May 2013 - 11:41 PM.

[Humbole]

engine is no problem

How much should I expect to pay for engine, gearbox, radiator, subframe, etc???

[Humbole]

 

We're gonna try to get it here this week, so plenty of photos to come, and we really want to get it back absolute original.  It's been in the family for over 40 years, so it means a lot.

I sat in it today, but it was difficult to appreciate through the cobwebs & rust!

ANY advice is welcome... do we get an engine first, or concentrate on the body?

what the hell do we get a Haynes Manual from???

 

I'd concentrate on the body, get it done fully so all the rust is gone, painted and then rolling that way you can move it to one side easily if need be and then sort an engine out, not a good idea having a fully dismantled mini in your garage and some in your house if your like me and then needing to move it all

 

Looks quite solid, daughter is lucky

 

Best of luck

 

I need more than luck!

 

Did I mention I have a tool obsessed husband who is already talking about ramps and mig-welders?

 

I thought this could be just a case of a 2 week fix-up and some flowers in the dash....

[Humbole]

by the way, yes, she is lucky - I had to pay for my own first car, which was an imported, de-seamed 1.1 mini, 1984, and it rocked...

 

Sorry, I was 17 again there for a second...

[Artful Dodger]

Your husband is right:D

To do the job properly, you are going to need a mig welder for sure! Ramps make the work a hell of a lot easier

I'd get that stripped down first to asses the shell. Then just crack on curing out the rust and re panelling it! You will want a period correct engine, a 998 copper will be cool. They do come about, just gotta ba paitient:P

[Artful Dodger]

And unless it's been driven and taxes in the last month, thats not going to take 2 weeks!;).

[Bungle]

turning the car 90 degrees to the right would be a good start

 

 

welcome to TMF

[petehuws]

Just checked my manual box and in there is a yellow Haynes 1959 - 1978 manual in there, PM me if you can't find one.

[Humbole]

Just checked my manual box and in there is a yellow Haynes 1959 - 1978 manual in there, PM me if you can't find one.

Thanks!  I've found one on ebay, but it comes with 6 other Haynes manuals for cars which I'd forgotten existed!  Still, at 99p, I'm not grumbling ;)

 

Would it affect the finished value if we put a Cooper engine in it? The log book says it's an 848cc...

[Humbole]

Well, I've bought an engine! (£120 seemed rude not to!)

 

Having spent my day at work reading these forums (the boss was out), I'm starting to think this project might be too much for us.

 

The guy I bought the engine from has offered to do it up to a road-worthy condition so we can MOT it and take the reg off.

 

Thereafter, I might well sell it (the car, not the reg).

 

Parker's don't give valuations for antiques like this, so I'd like some opinions about how much it might be worth (running), so I know how much of my not-so-hard-earned to throw at it.

 

Ta :)

[Alex_B]

I wouldnt personally sell it without the reg, it would probably loose value (depends how much the plates worth as that may actually be worth a lot on its own) 

and you will get much more satisfaction doing all the work yourself, its not impossible provided you are methodical, get a lot of practice welding and fettling panels and take your time, 

and how much its worth? hard to say, it may be worth more with the original engine but cooper engines can be worth a bit on their own (what one is it, they came in 997cc and 998cc which replaced the 997, the 997 wasnt nearly as good as the 998, but can be worth a bit to the right person (someone restoring a concourse original Cooper) 

you could also restore this to cooper spec using that engine, 7" front disks etc which may pay it may not, but as an 850 in very very good condition upwards of £8k~ I would have thought provided its in original spec