My first true love, and my second car, way back in 1998... (Long story... sorry)
After months of driving happily around in a 79’ Mk2 escort, my beloved mountain bike, which i had spent my entire weekly wage on for the previous year, was kindly removed from my possession, and in it’s place an insurance pay-out that hardly covered the cost of it’s wheels... My tired Escort needed money spending on it for an MOT certificate, so redirecting my focus and the £800.00 I had been handed, i searched the local papers for a new car, something with a bit of street credibility, something different, something that didn’t resemble my escort (Which i scrapped needing only a water pump)...
A found her in Stratford, after a more than generous lift from my Dad which included many knowing tales of problematic mini’s and lectures on wasting money.. I fell head over heels in love... Running a 1100cc engine with plenty of punch i immediately (much to my dad’s disgust) paid the kind sir circa £680.00 and left following my dad in the loudest, lowest mini i had ever seen...
Many months of happy, problem free, driving past... And my mini was everything to me. (So much so that when i fancied swapping for 2 wheels instead of 4, i part exchanged her against a TZR125 RR. Fate kicked in, a mere 3 weeks later I blew the 125 apart, and the warranty led me back to buying back the mini for half what it had originally cost me) With that in mind i decided the mini would stay with me forever... And embarked on a rolling restoration.
Big wide wheels, Arches, a meaty engine (I blew the 1100 to bits, and replaced with a 998cc temporarily) Bucket seats, colorful paint work, smooth curves, bright chrome... Plans coming out of my ears...
I commissioned a 1380 build with juicy cam with a few bells and whistles, resulting in many arguments, a couple of engine swaps, a huge dent in the side of Mini and “Stan� (my stand in mini) loosing 2 wheels at 50mph... (had i not been so young i’d have sued the backside off the guy that was doing all the work)
With dents and bruises from being left outside the workshop for 12 months i sadly lost interest and still no engine, a friend of mine mentioned a guy in essex that would de-seam my mini over the summer... (If anybody knows of my mini, or a guy that worked on it please let me know, i don’t even have a name, but would love to thank him again for the work he did) ...which meant the mini would be out of site and out of mind.
On her return from her visit to Essex, motivation sparked and i hunted down somebody that would rebuild Mini for me (Forgot to mention i am far far far than able to work on anything mechanical) A local guy and distant friend offered to take on the project. More money was being thrown at it month by month and over time the finishing touches where allowing the car to develop into what i had sketched out nearly 3 years prior. But still no completion...
I turned 21 and realised i wanted to explore the world so sold everything i owned (except my mini) and embarked on a trip to Australia. 12 months past and on my return at 22 moved away from Rugby and settled in London for a few years. The mini had become a nuisance no-one had committed to finishing her, I was busy working and living away from home, and the mini was being passed from storage site to storage site...
In 2004 I finally pulled her out of the garage and offered it to my friend, who agreed to spend a month rebuilding and fitting out Mini... And he did what he promised... I was buying parts from everywhere and delivering them to him daily keeping up the momentum.. And on 14th April 2004 i drove my mini for the first time in 5 years... Yay!!
Not me in the pic...
Still needing a second re-spray, due to poor storage and a few scrapes fitting windscreens etc she was awesome, quick, loud, brash, very much everything i wanted when i was 17... Problem was i was 25... Lived in a townhouse with no off street parking and i had already got a car for daily use... She soon got left behind again... Parked up round the corner of my office, starting to rot away... I started the her every now and again, but life took over and she sat....
In 2006 I moved to Thatcham, my office still in Warwick, meant long commutes... I had plenty of space for the mini to sit at my new house, so after widening the drive and making a nice little area for her i put her back to bed, promising that soon i would embark on a new rebuild... 2 little girls came in quick succession, and now over 10 years since i first drove her down my mum and dads road and nearly 5 years since i last drove her... A little niggle inside says SORT IT OUT!!!
So here i am here... Deciding what to do... Above pics taken today, after a quick wash.. My motivation?
Well my ex business partner and close friend has just set the new world record for the Bini cooper S quarter mile, sub 14 seconds (I know it’s not supersonic but he is still running the standard mini engine with supercharger) I also drive an Elise R which too does a standing quarter just over 13 seconds... So speed really is key
Can i get enough power out of a 1380 to stick with what i’ve got???
The initial plan is to definitely strip her back to a shell once more, get her sprayed and refit the custom roll cage, interior lining etc. the windows have been a pain to cut and fit, so they will stay in glass / perspex..
Figure I have around 15 years before my daughters get their hands on her, so can think about rebuild number 4 when they are old enough to help, so do i strip her out and run about with the bare essentials for a while..
I have a contact that thinks he can produce some significant figures using the block I've got, although it has been sat for a very long time, so do i risk it? (He’s the guy that built the Bini engine)
Do i revert to 10’s keeping her very low to the floor or do i stick with my 7 x 13’s?
Low and fat? Skinny and subtle?
Loads of inspiration here so thanks again to all the eager project builders
Planning permission is in for my garage build... 10 weeks and i should have a warm home for her...
General comments and advice will be well received...
The last of the photos are how she sits right now... Any other photo’s i upload during the project will be added to my website and linked form here...
Thanks for reading. And i’ll keep you updated as i progress...
Matt
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Edited by hhp802n, 18 July 2009 - 11:16 AM.
