34 replies to this topic

[Carvell]

I have been on The Mini Forum for 7 years now and think its about time I started a thread.

 

I have always wanted a mini, I remember a work colleague of my dads owning a sporty silver one when I was growing up. A good few years later my dad purchased a 2001 classic mini cooper sport in tahiti blue with platinum roof and decals.

 

Another few years later my dad donated the mini to me and about a week later it failed its MOT with a list of what seemed like 200 fails.

 

The mini had definitely reached the point were it was MOT'less and therefore undrivable. I was therefore left with three choices, sell, bodge or restore.

 

Sell wasn't an option but without an MOT it couldn't be taken anywhere to get quotes for a restoration so the answer was therefore bodge. When I say bodge it wasn't really bodge it was more like give to a local friend to do everything as cheap as possible to make sure it could be driven for a year. £500 later and the MOT was passed and the journey around many many restoration candidates was well on its way.

 

Given the choice I would have loved to complete the restoration myself and learnt to weld etc but with no garage or time I decided it would be best to let an expert do it but do as much as I can in the background.

 

Anyway so a photo of where the mini was up to at this point.

 

 

After some time at Guessworks having the gearbox rebuilt and an engine refresh I decided it was a time to start a big strip down.

 

However knowing the restoration would probably take a while one last road trip. I spent a good few days planning a two day blast around North Wales best roads.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued...

Edited by Carvell, 25 September 2016 - 08:47 PM.

[Carvell]

On to the strip down, think I only took one photo but its one of my favourite pictures of the mini

 

[MacGyver]

Nice mini you got there! Good luck with this, I'm doing an 1997mpi so will keep an eye on you. 😎

Ps: the last picture looks like you slammed your brakes on and all the bits fell off... 😐

[ryomini]

You seem to have an arty touch with the pictures - nice

[Carvell]

Thanks for the replies and the positive comments. I'm making this thread retrospectively so it should progress pretty fast :)

[Zeemax Adventure]

Great mini you have there.  I have a 2000 Cooper sport also although its awaiting its respray when funds allow.  Im based in North Wales so I shall also be making use of those fantastic roads :)

[Carvell]

Next I started playing with electrolysis, a initial few goes with an old battery charger showed just how effective it was so then I supercharged the process with a more powerful model.

 

 

Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble

 

 

 

Not a bad outcome for no work :)

 

[Carvell]

While the strip down continued, I found this 

 

 

Asked on here but nobody could explain why my Mini would have an upper dash trimmed by this company especially when its original

 

This photo also show the extent of the hidden rust

 

[Carvell]

By this point my outhouse had become more mini than my mini and the to the same extent every hidden bit of dead space inside my house was full to the brim with of new parts.

 

 

And then the day before Christmas off the shell went to The Mini Centre, Stoke on Trent.

 

[Carvell]

I picked The Mini Centre for a number of reasons. I probably visited a good ten companies ranging from local insurance bodyshops, one man bands working out of their residential garages, big known mini restoration centers and everything in between. I eventually decided I wanted someone who could do everything and was local to me. The Mini Centre fitted the bill and was also the only company I could find where nobody had any dirt or horror stories. 

[jamesmpi]

While the strip down continued, I found this 
 

 
Asked on here but nobody could explain why my Mini would have an upper dash trimmed by this company especially when its original
 
This photo also show the extent of the hidden rust
 

They were probably a sub supplier to Rover. So a fully leather wrapped part would be delivered into the factory and fitted on the production line

[Carvell]

I'm going to skip the rusty bits and skip onto the exciting parts.

 

Paint :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The paint was done by L&L bodyworks which is the next unit to The Mini Centre. The finish was top!

 

 

[Carvell]

Next came the task of putting it back together.

 

First the sound deadening...

 

 

 

Then the rest of the bits and bobs..

 

 

 

I really like this photo

 

 

 

Clean

 

 

All coated with Dynax UC

 

 

 

 

Interior going in

 

 

 

Oh and then one of these

 

 

Edited by Carvell, 23 October 2016 - 08:33 PM.

[Carvell]

And finally Martin was back home :)

 

[scrumpix]

great thread, now drive the pants off it !