31 replies to this topic

[Stevie Tease]

Hi All,

I have just started a full over haul on the wifes 69' GT and thought it would be good to run a post as I progress though it.

This is the 13th mini we have had and has been sat on the drive for over 10years after I bought her it as her first car way back in 2002.

Bought for £800 and with 6months MOT on her, she got parked up due to failing (extremely badly) her next MOT with rotten subframes, floors, sills etc and myself working away and no time to sort her.

As she is one of the first 1275's to be made it would have been a shame to sell (or worse still scrap!) so there she sat until Monday morning when i started 'Project Robin'

 

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Monday morning, just about to start.

 

 

[Carlos W]

You did the right thing not scrapping it! 

 

It will live again

[Stevie Tease]

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Close of play Tuesday, Looking very sorry for herself with everything stripped, sat skewered on the drive.

 

[Stevie Tease]

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A tiny bit of rot!

 

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A day and a half of cutting and welding later

[Stevie Tease]

Bad weather stopped play yesturday but it gave me chance to strip the old rotten subframes and refurb the front and rear arms.

Decided to have a day off welding today so this morning was spent sat in the sun on the grass (albeit fake!) building the rear beam axle :)

 

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[Carlos W]

Making good progress

[domdee]

Gunna follow this one!

[Covert]

Following!

[Stevie Tease]

Slow progress over the weekend (mainly due to waiting for panels and spicy rum    )

but i did manage to save the steering rack and with a quick strip down, grease up, new boots and ends and a lick of paint - its back to new.

 

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Also tidied up the front hubs and gave the Lockheed calipers a few coats of liquid alluminium paint so that they complement the rear minifins. And refurbed the drive shafts. Just the front subframe to go and thats the running gear sorted.

Suspension wise i am going for a coil over set up but haven't made up my mind which version yet.

 

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Fingers crossed the weather will be good tomorrow and i can get on with welding the rear end.

 

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A new rear valance, battery box and boot hinge panel on the way and the rest of the floor (due to it being in bad condition past where the rear boot repair panel would fit, plus the horrendous price of a whole boot floor panel) i am going to fabricate myself. With the intention of hopefully putting it down in one piece. On the plus side due to the rear beam axle i am not going to need the rear subframe boot floor mounts. So they can go if i find that they too are rotten and beyond saving.

 

[Stevie Tease]

Another decent day on the shell with all the rotten boot floor cut out and the boot hinge panel and battery box in. I slightly underestimated how much sheet steel I had left so rather than put the boot floor back in using 2 pieces, I opted to wait till I can get a new sheet to put it in a oner. The rear valance is fitted temporarily as I will remove it to put the floor in first.

 

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Drivers side step and sill also went on with no dramas

 

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At some time it has had a drivers door hinge panel which to be honest wasn't the best repair job, but a bit of reshapeing, grinding and welding later, I managed to save it but the front riser is also going to need a bit of attention!

 

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Next job (along with fabricating the boot floor) is to find how bad the drivers arch actually is and cut it back to good steel

 

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[Stevie Tease]

Slow progress over the past few days due to other commitments however i did manage to get the front subframe totally disassembled and all the various arms and tie bars blasted and painted.

The top arms have been modified to fit the brackets required for the front coilovers, which arrived yesturday. (I eventually went for the full Gaz set) and the subby itself has gone to the powder coaters to be coated black.

 

No pics as yet due to a bit of a mobile malfunction 

 

Just waiting for parts and sheet steel to arrive now then - weather depending- its back to the welding and grinding at the weekend.

 

[Ben_O]

Great progress so far!

 

will be following this.

 

Ben

[Dylanscar]

Looking good and horribly quick progress. Lol!! Wish I could get a fraction done in a day that you can.

 

Cant wait for photos and progress 

[rooney123]

looking like a nice project nice job.........................andy

[Stevie Tease]

Decent day grinding and welding today with the rear end now pretty much finished inc a bit of extra plating under the lights due to rot and a few plates on each of the rear arches. The one peice boot floor sheet panel went out the window in the end due to the fact that it was easier (and to be fair a better job) by putting it in, in 2 peices.

 

 

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Just the petrol tank rear strap mounting to go in then the plan is to paint the full floor on completion with brushable seam sealer before underbody sealer and finally waxoyl, something i have done quite a few times before and campervans and seams to go quite well.

Hopefully if the weather is good again tomorrow ill be all over the inner wing and inner cill, then she can come off the A-frame, fit the rear beam axle, coilovers and be back on her wheels.