11 replies to this topic

[fagouma]

Hello to everyone,

I need your advice on buying most of the panels i am gonna need for my restoration here in Crete,Greece. My brother lives in London and he will send a pallet with personal belongings, so i will send the panels along. 

 

I will buy them from minispares(most probably), it's a budget restoration because the car isn't a rare model and i am a total novice. The goal is to enjoy the car daily or at least daily. Below i have attached some photos of the more obvious problematic areas.

 

Thank you for your time and excuse any mistakes i make. This is my first time posting.

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[mab01uk]

'Mini-Machine' are also good for supply of all panels:-

http://preview.m-machine.co.uk/

 

M-Machine Panel catalogue here:-

https://www.m-machin...s Catalogue.pdf

Edited by mab01uk, 09 June 2025 - 06:45 PM.

[sonscar]

Roof looks like it could be interesting,have fun.Steve..

[stuart bowes]

I like that you're a novice and you want to learn, which is definitely commendable and I don't want to ruin that or put you off trying

 

on the other hand, that car looks like it needs probably a whole new floor, boot floor's probably shot as well, new roof or extensive quite difficult repairs, new front panel, new wings because someone seems to have modified them with a chainsaw, while you're there it's silly not to put on a new scuttle and A panels as well, might need new A pillars, at least the bottom ends of both flitch panels, can't see the rear quarter panels but I wouldn't be surprised if they were rotten at the bottom edges.. list goes on

 

to get that car into a daily or even safe for road use one time, it's going to cost you thousands, probably at least a few years of work, lots of tools, probably a rotisserie, a spot welder, welding skills... mines taken 3 years so far, still nowhere near finished but getting there, I'm about 5 or 6 grand in and haven't even touched the engine yet

 

thing is, for a novice as you say, maybe it's worth considering spending a couple of grand on a better shell, have to do a lot less to get it roadworthy, and actually save yourself time, money, and less likely to lose enthusiasm for it over a long time

 

anything's possible though there's loads of build diaries here, and youtube build channels, welding videos and so on, no reason to say you can't do it if you're determined.

Edited by stuart bowes, 09 June 2025 - 07:25 PM.

[bpirie1000]

I would suggest getting in touch with alocal mini club and utilise some local friendly mini minded folks...

Whatever you see double it and add a extra $1000 for hidden costs. Grinding discs, sand paper all eat budgets...

[fagouma]

I like that you're a novice and you want to learn, which is definitely commendable and I don't want to ruin that or put you off trying

 

on the other hand, that car looks like it needs probably a whole new floor, boot floor's probably shot as well, new roof or extensive quite difficult repairs, new front panel, new wings because someone seems to have modified them with a chainsaw, while you're there it's silly not to put on a new scuttle and A panels as well, might need new A pillars, at least the bottom ends of both flitch panels, can't see the rear quarter panels but I wouldn't be surprised if they were rotten at the bottom edges.. list goes on

 

to get that car into a daily or even safe for road use one time, it's going to cost you thousands, probably at least a few years of work, lots of tools, probably a rotisserie, a spot welder, welding skills... mines taken 3 years so far, still nowhere near finished but getting there, I'm about 5 or 6 grand in and haven't even touched the engine yet

 

thing is, for a novice as you say, maybe it's worth considering spending a couple of grand on a better shell, have to do a lot less to get it roadworthy, and actually save yourself time, money, and less likely to lose enthusiasm for it over a long time

 

anything's possible though there's loads of build diaries here, and youtube build channels, welding videos and so on, no reason to say you can't do it if you're determined.

i understand what you are saying and sometimes i am thinking the same when i look at the car. Especially when i saw the small hole on the roof which is gonna get bigger for sure. But i was searching for these cars for years and finally had the economic comfort to buy one and "play" with it. The car had a very good price(approx. 1700 pounds) compared to others in Greece, 1275 engine and the chassis numbers still pressed on the floor which is rare here. 

 

Rear side of the car isnt like the front. It's in a much better shape. Also, the market for these cars is very limited in Greece and finding a good solid chassis is difficult. 

 

Do you think it's better to start sandblasting/disassembling and ordering afterwards? i was thinking of buying, at least, the wings, front panel, front half floors.

Edited by fagouma, 09 June 2025 - 08:01 PM.

[sonscar]

Whilst replacing everything is attractive and possibly wise in some cases a mini is essentially a simple construction and what is there could with patience and some hand skills be repaired with steel sheet crafted into localised repairs.
Start with flat parts such as the floor,learn to shape parts with hammers chisels wooden formers.Learn to weld.Resist cutting everything to pieces so you do not lose references and enthusiasm.It may not be a show winner but you could repair it to a workmanlike safe standard.Seems like a steep curve but a rewarding one.Steve,

[mab01uk]

You might also find this thread linked below on the Mk1 Forum interesting (you may need to register to view the photos, etc.)

 

Mk1 Mini Bodyshell Restoration:-

https://mk1-forum.ne...pic.php?t=40146

Edited by mab01uk, 09 June 2025 - 10:21 PM.

[68Deluxe]

Buy the best panels you can afford.

 

A cheaper inferior panel will cost you a lot more in the long term, in dollars, time, shop supplies and general frustration. 

 

Trawl the threads in here to see what people are using. Most build threads will have feedback on what they use.

 

You are safest with M-Machine and most heritage panels. All will need varying degrees of rework and modifying.

 

 

You have a lot of work ahead of you, best of luck!

 

Edited by 68Deluxe, 09 June 2025 - 10:43 PM.

[fagouma]

Whilst replacing everything is attractive and possibly wise in some cases a mini is essentially a simple construction and what is there could with patience and some hand skills be repaired with steel sheet crafted into localised repairs.
Start with flat parts such as the floor,learn to shape parts with hammers chisels wooden formers.Learn to weld.Resist cutting everything to pieces so you do not lose references and enthusiasm.It may not be a show winner but you could repair it to a workmanlike safe standard.Seems like a steep curve but a rewarding one.Steve,

So, is your opinion to fix it? I definitely dont plan to win any shows but i do want a nice paintjob at the end to enjoy the car as much as possible.

 

My plan, now that my brother will send here a pallet, was to buy at least the wings, front panel, a panels and the 2 front floors and start from there. As for the rest panels i will need, i will import them at a later stage of the build.  

[stuart bowes]

You should have a discussion with someone about how to brace up the car inside when removing large areas of metal at a time particularly the floor

Unfortunately I'm not the best to advise beyond just pointing out it needs to be done

Edited by stuart bowes, 10 June 2025 - 07:28 PM.

[sonikk4]

A lot of work to be sure and please do not sand blast as this will cause more damage. A softer media would be better.

 

Now looking at what you have posted picture wise, the roof will be your biggest hurdle. Its not totally gone so you will need some roof cuts from a scrap shell.

 

As for the rest from what you have posted will be standard panels, Wings, Front Panel, A panels, Flitch panels. Now with regards to the floor. Once you have stripped off the old outer sills you can make a determination as to whether you need half floors, partial floors etc. You may get away with M Machines inner sill to first flute and then make up some repair sections for the remainder of the floor damage.

 

I mentioned flitch panels. Now this also depends on the extent of the rot in that area. The flitch repair panels make up roughly a 1/4-1/3rd of a inner wing, so any more than that and you may need to consider a whole inner wing. Not cheap. When you are in this area with the wing off you will need to really inspect the scuttle and the closeouts. Whatever you do, if the scuttle is bad (bear in mind they rot from the inside out) the scuttle end sections you see available are only fit for the bin unless you are a skilled tin basher. So budget for a Heritage Scuttle. DO NOT BUY Magnum.

 

Now the bonnet. By the looks of things something was either broken off over time or rusted out. I would recommend if possible a good condition second hand bonnet (not easy for where you are based) if not then go for a Heritage replacement one. The pattern one are shall we say hit or miss.

 

Anyway, what you have is very saveable, just needs some time and effort. Good luck with it. By the way there are plenty of threads with what you need to do on here.

 

This is a Mini Special i did for a work colleague. A lot of what you will need to know will be on there

 

https://www.theminif... +mini +special