149 replies to this topic

[WiredbyWilson]

i understand your point, but from a point of view that i have - my family have been involved with salvage for 15 years and it is a reputable business most of the time.

FCB are the guys I have recommended to oli and they are an insurance approved repairer. my uncles has cat c cars repaired there and the local VOSA office have made comments along the line of "cannot see it has been repaired".

worst case scenario the ends of the floor need to be replaced, would that make it any more safe or dangerous then people on here welding in their own floor plans?

just trying to shed light on things, all are entitled to opinions i just don't want this hot little mini being fed to the worms

[oli8925]

thanks for your concern benjamini. the safety aspects of this have gone through my head many times but i think it should be fine. the mini was never a precision built car anyway and i think often a repaired bit of the car, if repaired properly, will be stronger than the standard bit. if it comes down to it and the floorpans cant be saved, new pans will be welded in. and i will not be cutting any corners with this rebuild so everything should be as good as new by the end. thats why ive scheduled this to take a few years rather than a few months. the shell will also be dipped to find any rust and welded where needed. so hopefully ill end up with a very good rust free shell.

FCB are the guys i will be going to. i dont have any experience with any garages and as theyre highly recommended by you and i know your mini, ill be going with them without hesitation. my spirits are still high for this rebuild and i cant wait to get stuck in more. stripped the rest of the interior today and took the front arches off to bend the bodywork so the wheel can turn more or less freely now. ill start a project thread soon

what needs doing next? is this the 'take the engine out ready for the jig' stage cant wait! still havent heard anything from the insurance peoples. may chase them up tomorrow if i get time.

by the way david, you said your uncle, if i remember rightly, buys lots of written off cars and repairs them to sell on, he wouldnt have any 1-1.3l polo's, 106's, 206's, corsa's etc hes wanting to sell would he?

[oli8925]

a 'small' accident? 'small'? it was bloody huge! world went spinning

yeah well ive wanted a big project for a long time. this is less than ideal but its forced me into a project so i might as well grap the opportunity, so im very much looking forward to it. and with all the help and support ive had i cant help being enthusiastic. also all the family and the gf's family saying im stupid to keep hold of it and its not worth it, just make me all the more determined to pull through and smile as i splatter their cars from my exhaust on a cold morning

[blacktulip]

also all the family and the gf's family saying im stupid to keep hold of it and its not worth it, just make me all the more determined to pull through and smile as i splatter their cars from my exhaust on a cold morning

sentimental value is worth more than opinions IMO! good on you and good luck sorting it mate!

[Ru55boy]

what needs doing next? is this the 'take the engine out ready for the jig' stage cant wait!

If you can get the car under cover then start ripping off those wings and front valance! Hugely satisfying and when they're off you'll be amazed at how much access you have to the engine.

[WiredbyWilson]

not sure what my uncle has at the moment, he did have a 1.4 16v corsa though - might be too high on insurance thoug

if i find anything i will give you a shout.

good work with the stripping out too - and shout if you need me and russ with the engine removal side of things (russ looks like a big strong lad )

[Ru55boy]

good work with the stripping out too - and shout if you need me and russ with the engine removal side of things (russ looks like a big strong lad )

I lift motorbikes too!

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[Ru55boy]

And people!

 Misc004.jpg   79.14K   1 downloads  Old_Paulines003.jpg   105.9K   1 downloads

[oli8925]

david, i think you inflated his ego a bit too much

thats great guys thanks. ill definietly ask you to come help me with hauling the engine out as theres no way ill be able to do it. also need to think about where im going to put the car at the end of the month so i can reclaim tax. dont really want to put it on my driveway as its a bit steep for pushing it up and down.

1.4 16v corsa might be quite fun but insurance will be far too much. ive decided on my no.1 car to be a polo mk2 or 3 for some tuning and dub potential. always liked the look of dubbed polos. if im lucky i might get a saloon version

[WiredbyWilson]

bit of sunshine type news oli.....

visited FCB yesterday and had a chat with the guy that helped rebuild my front end, he has just repaired an italian job mini with similar damage to yours - in that it had damaged the floor by moving the subframe.
he managed to pull it out and save the wings and front panel - i was amazed!!

but i explained the situation with the floor of your car and his reply was "you could probably get that out with a hammer and dolly" which bascically equates to beating it back into shape!!

just thought i'd update you as I thought it was an uplifting insight

[oli8925]

good good thanks for that david. just had another 'theres no way you can repair that' conversation with my dad so it was very needed, and hasnt been the best of weekends anyway. but at least he's leant me a spot weld drill bit. still need to get his wire brush and grinder though. giving insurance a call tomorrow.

[WiredbyWilson]

i have a grinder and 0.8mm cutting discs which are very handy in cutting bits off

let me know if you'd like to borrow them or i can pop up with them.

chin up mate, the old folks don't seem to understand the passion us younger types have for our cars - they re not just an A to B machine

[oli8925]

ive heard from my insurance company at last theyve done something.

it reads:

We have now recieved the engineer's report and your vehicle is considered beyond economical repair.

Your vehicle has been declared a total loss, We are prepared to offer £850 less the excess of £350.

Pleas note this is subject to the vehicle documents:

Please forward blah blah blah, purchace receipt and servicing documents.

As you are retaining the vehicle, copies of the above are acceptable.

In this instance, we are prepared to allow you to reain the vehicle.

The salvage value has been assessed at £50 and this amount will be deducted from the final settlement.

so basically i get £450 and they leave me and my car alone, is that right? because thats better than i was thinking it would be

also with the purchase reciept and servicing docs, what servicing docs do they want? if they mean an actual' go into garage to get it serviced' then thats not possible because ive done everything myself. and im not sure i exactly have a purchase reciept. i got her from ebay so not sure how much ive really got in terms of official purchase documentation. ive got a bit of paper scribbled on for the reciept of my deposit and how much there is left to pay.

also have a print out of the ebay item screen showing my winning bid.

Edited by oli8925, 25 September 2008 - 06:42 PM.

[Joshmini]

Just get new front end and that get vosa inspecter out to check it's been done properly and vala! no r.i.p!