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Project Les - 1992 Mini Mayfair


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#1 elliot341

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Posted 01 September 2016 - 12:29 PM

Thought it was about time I set up a project thread for my Mini, seeing as I've made some progress now. 

 

Car was bought in Dec 2012, below shows a photo of the mini when i bought it (to be continued!)

 

 

mini%201_zps4faax7gn.jpg


Edited by elliot341, 02 September 2016 - 12:25 PM.


#2 Scousemouse

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Posted 01 September 2016 - 01:17 PM

usual rust spots ...A panels and those front seams under h/light-- over flashers?? mines a 91. only scabbie surface rust on sill so far.

I've have to get the wire brush out and clean em up.Then Kure Rust + stonechip spray.



#3 elliot341

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Posted 01 September 2016 - 02:32 PM

Hi Scousemouse, this is just the start of my build thread, ive got 3/4 years of slow progress and the start of a restoration to document. Unfortunately all i managed to do this lunch was what you see above! (Was having a fight with photobucket!). Watch this space!



#4 GT Jimmy

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Posted 01 September 2016 - 05:52 PM

Hi Scousemouse, this is just the start of my build thread, ive got 3/4 years of slow progress and the start of a restoration to document. Unfortunately all i managed to do this lunch was what you see above! (Was having a fight with photobucket!). Watch this space!

I still struggle uploading pics on photobucket. Not sure if it's me or the laptop, but probably me being a thicko

#5 elliot341

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Posted 02 September 2016 - 11:55 AM

Ok more pictures and details! More photos of car as I bought it in Dec 2012. The car was fairly solid (as it had had a fair amount of welding in areas) but was a bit scabby (and boggy) around the front end. 

 

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The centre console didnt come with the car and Ive sold the Fiesta XR2 seats that came with the car.

 

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Mini getting picked up and delivered to my house (non runner and no mot)

 

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car tucked in at home 

 

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close up of rear end rusty areas

 

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Standard rust under headlights which was full of filler (shocker)

 

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#6 elliot341

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Posted 02 September 2016 - 11:56 AM

 

Hi Scousemouse, this is just the start of my build thread, ive got 3/4 years of slow progress and the start of a restoration to document. Unfortunately all i managed to do this lunch was what you see above! (Was having a fight with photobucket!). Watch this space!

I still struggle uploading pics on photobucket. Not sure if it's me or the laptop, but probably me being a thicko

 

for some reason i have to copy the image link but then delete the "~original" text out of the image text to make it show up.



#7 elliot341

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Posted 02 September 2016 - 12:24 PM

Most of 2013 not an awful lot got done to the mini. I got a wheel bearing changed and a front sub frame mount replaced by a garage in Bolton. I also had a mobile engine tuner come out who set up a new dizzy on the car and got it running. The big work started in 2014 when I realised (as u can see in the first pics) that the cones had completely collapsed and it was running on the bump stops. 

 

The photos below show my new (to me) 13in Superstars, and I think is before I replaced the cones. 

 

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Replacing the cones was a complete ball ache! I dont  have any pictures to hand but its mostly involved both me and my dad swearing at nuts you couldnt access, or loosen, I had to cut the trumpets to get them out (the thread on the cones wouldnt connect with the cone compressor) though i was replacing with hi-los. Its a good job im not too far from mini sport so I could get all the various spindle replacements, cones, hi los etc! Anyway although i had to replace one of the upper arms which had rusted the spindle in the arm eventually got it done!

 

A variety of other bits also got sorted such as replacing the headlamps for quadoptics, replacement pressed aluminum number plates, rear screen chrome strip, and a few bulbs here and there! So off for the mot we go!

 

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Unfortunately it failed (another shocker!), seats werent attached at back (oops!), mixture too rich, headlights not set, and biggest issue with rear brakes needing new cylinder and shoes and setting up. Nowadays (as you'll see) i'd probs try and sort it all myself with the help of my local mini club, but I just wanted it on the road so stumped up the cash (not too bad) and i had a mot!

 

First trip bouncing around back lanes with my 6 months pregnant wife! 

 

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Trip out with Northern Monkeys Mini Club (Bolton) to the Blackpool Illuminations and then the mini got taken off the road for the winter.

 

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#8 elliot341

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Posted 09 September 2016 - 12:34 PM

In late 2014 this little man appeared (shown in picture at my nana/grandad's awesome 4/5 car garage where mini was stored while i got a new kitchen installed)

 

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As could be expected with little children time allowed for mini time was restricted. I had however made a decision to do a small to medium restoration on the mini and had been collecting panels. Generally the idea was to replace the front end, tidy up other panels and also replace the whole of the rear panel (from mid c pillar).

 

My thoughts on this were following looking towards the flitch/scuttle close outs, mmm crusty!

 

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In summer 2015 with the help of my dad I started stripping down the mini 

 

Front sports pack arch off - note no reinforcing lip and plenty of rust

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Headlights stripped down, removed, wires disconnected and rest of front end stripped

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Action shot! Grinding time, please note i have since got a full face mask and always wear thick welding gloves when grinding for safety!

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Soon the front end of the car looked like this

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Drivers side inner wing and scuttle / flitch area

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Passenger side inner wing and scuttle / flitch area

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Safe to say, new wings, front panel, repairs to inner wings, flitches, scuttle ends and scuttle closers required!

 

Front panel removed!

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Drivers side flitch area tubes removed and grinder applied to see what I was dealing with 

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Same for passenger side, bit worse this side with addititional rubbish patches and more underseal.

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Scuttle area (as shown later) this is full of bog and will require significant repair!

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#9 elliot341

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Posted 12 September 2016 - 12:30 PM

Started by cutting off oversills on drivers side. Unfortunately the previous owner who "repaired" the mini appears to made me some lovely rust sandwiches. From what I can see theres oversill, "extra" inner sill made up of sheet steel, inner sill and then rubbishy over the cross member inner sill. This will have to be cut out, piece by piece and put back as it should be. This will be done in a while tho.

 

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#10 minimissions

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Posted 12 September 2016 - 01:13 PM

Looks like a great project and your cracking on well with it.



#11 elliot341

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Posted 13 September 2016 - 12:14 PM

In Jan - Mar this year I competed an evening class at Bolton College called Classic Car Restoration which was really good, allowed me to learn how to weld and also gave me some initial advice on other bodywork issues. Was a good laugh as there was 5 of us from the Mini Club I'm a part of there as well (Mini Club is Northern Monkeys Mini Club based nr Bolton).

 

Anyway once I'd "learnt" how to weld it was time to set up my Clarke 135 welder, get sum gas and start welding!

 

Hobyweld gas

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Drivers side flitch first bit to tackle. Use of spot weld drill and grinder helped to remove the flitch and expose lots of lovely rust between the panels. As my car is a 92, its not fantastically painted but thankfully not as bad as others I've seen! Generally I'm going to be able to replace panels and patch this car, I'm not going to need to cut whole sections out and risk it twisting etc. Anyway mmmm rust!

 

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After a fair bit more cutting and grinding we got to this stage. Thankfully the A post is solid enough and wont need replacing. All areas that will have panels replaced on top of them (a post etc) have had Deox gel applied to them and then SAS zinc primer applied to provide some protection to the panels. The eagle eyed may have spotted that the floor is made up of more than one layer (floor pan, 2nd floor pan, oversill, random bit of steel). This is something I wasnt originally going to repair but I'm now taking a bit longer with the project and to the best of my ability i will be removing the floor panels and replacing how it should be.

 

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Also at this point I hadnt cut too much off the flitch panel, but more of that later.

 

I didnt take any photos of inside the a post, but instead moved onto attaching the replacement flitch panel onto the car. On the A post the plug welds arent too bad but on the rest of the panel I struggled putting the holes in right place and also blew a lot of holes here and there. Moral of the story is to have as many clamps as possible of different sizes, and use cleco or skin pins and this will help line things and up and keep things tight. 

 

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Welds linished back and additional plug welds added, in terms of my welding ability now, my welds have come on a lot even from here.

 

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At this point i decided that i needed to do more practice with my welder (essentially i sort of knew how to weld but needed to learn how to weld with my welder and with the correct gauge of metal). So i had a spare door skin lying about which i couldnt use as it was missing the stiffening panel. I cut many many slits in the panel and practiced my butt welding until i could happily butt weld on the mini,

 

Door skin cleaned up and slits cut

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lots of practice later and Im starting to get the hang of it

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Back on the mini, (please ignore the horrendous melty welds at the top, I soon learnt that more heat doesnt solve anything!). This photo does however show the problem i made for myself, I cut too much of the old flitch off (before the new panel was secure in place) and it left me with a very large gap much too large to weld across, doh! Note to self dont cut too much off!

 

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To solve this problem I cut a very thin strip of metal and put it in the gap, butt welding down both sides of the metal. My inexperience and the need to weld twice is why the welding below looks a bit messy, but i wasnt blowing loads of holes so its not too bad!

 

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As my car is just going to be a summer/weekend play thing Im not using the fresh air vents, hence you can see I've cut out the section of the replacement panel below. 

 

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First patch panels card templated, cut out and held in place with magnets while I tacked. 

 

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Patches welded in 

 

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#12 James_eaton_thewholething

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Posted 14 September 2016 - 01:47 AM

All this seems very familiar to me haha. Looking good though

#13 GT Jimmy

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Posted 14 September 2016 - 06:18 AM

Hiya mate, was looking at that course at Bolton college, was it worth doing? Just at the point where I'm putting metal back in but a bit nervous, my welding is crap ha ha



#14 elliot341

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Posted 14 September 2016 - 07:49 AM

Hiya mate, was looking at that course at Bolton college, was it worth doing? Just at the point where I'm putting metal back in but a bit nervous, my welding is crap ha ha

Yeah was really good, theres a 10 week syllabus to follow if u want (and the guy in charge runs through things) or you can focus on specific things if thats what you want to do. I did 3 weeks solid on welding to make sure I got my basics sorted. The only issue is cost, I booked mine sept 15 for a jan 16 start and it was £96 ish, but since then they tried to increase it to more like £170 odd which starts getting quite expensive. Hopefully theyve learnt their lesson and reduced the price again! It was quite a good laugh as well 7-9pm on a thurs.



#15 GT Jimmy

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Posted 14 September 2016 - 07:56 AM

 

Hiya mate, was looking at that course at Bolton college, was it worth doing? Just at the point where I'm putting metal back in but a bit nervous, my welding is crap ha ha

Yeah was really good, theres a 10 week syllabus to follow if u want (and the guy in charge runs through things) or you can focus on specific things if thats what you want to do. I did 3 weeks solid on welding to make sure I got my basics sorted. The only issue is cost, I booked mine sept 15 for a jan 16 start and it was £96 ish, but since then they tried to increase it to more like £170 odd which starts getting quite expensive. Hopefully theyve learnt their lesson and reduced the price again! It was quite a good laugh as well 7-9pm on a thurs.

 

Thanks for the reply. I might give them a call. My welding is getting better but that may be more luck than judgement






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