Hi all, A couple of people suggested I started my own thread instead of posting crap in the 'What do you drive' section, so here I go. I'll start by replying in a mo, posting about the project, and what I've done so far.. and then I'll try and keep it up to date as I go. -a
The car is a rough little 1275 which I've just purchased from a chap who has owned it since it was just 3 years old. The general plan is to make it a nice to drive car for our family to use. This is the first mini I've had which we can put Lucy's car seat in, so I'm going to keep it that way, and just try to improve it with a bit more power, better paint, and make it nicer to use. Here are some photos as the car was when I got it. This one shows off how bad the paint is on the fibreglass front end (the boot lid is the same)
I have also got a complete Metro Turbo engine, and loads of parts needed for a turbo conversion sat in the garage. I still need a few more parts before I can stick it in the mini, but it's a good start. Most of the parts actually came from the chap I got the car from - What luck!
So, a few posts will now get you guys up to speed with where I am now. Firstly, I whipped the fibreglass front end off, and cut out the inner wings for better access. I'm not sure why the previous owner left them in place, but without them it means it takes only an hour or so to do the clutch, for example. The black is Waxoyl, not rot.
I then decided I should learn how to weld, bought a welder, and cracked on. I first made a little bracket to hold the washer fluid bottle to the front brace bar (the bottle was previously attached to the inner wing). The bracket that holds the bottle itself is going to change, but I'm pretty happy with the mount, considering it was my first ever 'useful' weld, and my 2nd time of welding ever. You can see the bottle in place here: Then, a friend came over for the day and we set about doing the clutch - It wasn't a hard job with the new access, but we managed to mince about and it took all day - I think we were both just enjoying playing around with a mini for the first time in about 5 years. Turned out to be slipping because the crank oil seal had lost it's sealing ability. Easy to change at the same time as the clutch, and no problems since.
I then had a couple of jobs to do - firstly, replace the engine-steady bushes as they were shot. Then, I won a fibreglass bonnet on eBay from a local chap, and started to paint it ready to fit. The existing bonnet was rough and rusty, and I hate hinges on a mini - they never open far enough and I always scratch the bonnet and/or car when removing the bonnet to do work on the car, so I'll re-fit the new one with bonnet pins. This was after the first layer of paint.
Then, I was back on eBay and forums whilst bored, and some new bits got ordered, and arrived for the project. Intercooler + DV Wheels Bonnet pins Brake fluid and pads And I've got a set of Cooper S brakes on the way.
Earlier I spent some time around the F1 on telly, finishing the paint on the bonnet, and fitting it. I had to weld in little plates to hold the base of the bonnet pins, and cut holes in the newly painted bonnet to fit. Scary. Ignore my bad welding - I haven't welded anything since the bracket earlier on in the thread, so this is my 3rd weld ever, and 2nd on the car. Again, it's not pretty, but it worked just as well as I hoped. I'll take some more photos tomorrow as I'm going to give it a proper lick of paint in the new rough areas and hopefully it should look pretty tidy. There's also a bit of rot starting to set in around the underside of the scuttle pannel where it meets the top of the A-panels, so I'm going to work out a way to sort that at some point soon. Edit to add: Yes, the paint on the bonnet doesn't match the front.. that's because the paint on the frontend doesn't match the car! The bonnet is a good match for the rest of the car, so I'll be re-doing the frontend in that colour.
Looking good. Are you welding with or without gas? The bonnet brackets look reasonable, if gasless, but maybe not penetrated the chassis well enough for something more structural. Another thing is to make sure you grind absolutely everything clean before you start. If you want some practice I'd recommend popping down to your local metal merch and picking up as many random bits as possible, then weld them all into some grotesque monster.
Hey mate, I was using my mig (130 turbo) with gas, so I've probably got a setting wrong. I've pulled and pushed the things about to bend them a bit to make everything fit, and it didn't show any sign of breaking away, so I think it's OK for now. As you say, I'd not want to rely on it for anything structural, but the bonnet weighs feck all, so I'm not too worried. I'm still yet to find a local metal place, but it's on my to-do list -a
Finished the bonnet fitting today. I painted the brackets in the engine bay, fitted the bonnet pins, and then finished it all up. It's a bit wonky, but it'll do for now! Few pics: Brackets: http://dorkish.com/albums/Cars/Red Mini/2012-09-23/IMG_5162.jpg http://dorkish.com/albums/Cars/Red Mini/2012-09-23/IMG_5163.jpg Pins fitted: http://dorkish.com/albums/Cars/Red Mini/2012-09-23/IMG_5169.jpg http://dorkish.com/albums/Cars/Red Mini/2012-09-23/IMG_5172.jpg Trial fitted bonnet: Done, with chrome lip thing: Can't believe how much effort that was just to fit a flippin' bonnet.
Loving this thread. Classic Minis are great and that one is a cutie. I'd love to have a classic, but my 2008 BMW Cooper will have to do for now. Guess I'm old enough that I don't relish the thought of greasing up my manicure. That, and my knees won't bend that far any more!
Looks good so far can't beat a classic. Where abouts you based in the country? what sort of scrap you after ?
We're based in Hampshire, near Basingstoke. A nice box of parts arrived today from a guy on TurboMinis. It's a Cooper S setup, so 7.5" discs to fit under my 10" wheels. Hopefully I'll get a chance to paint the calipers and stick them on the car this weekend.
Wahey, couldnt wait in the end, and whilst I didn't paint the calipers (looked too fiddly with all the bolts and what-not, and I'd probably ruin them!) they are now fitted. Amazing how rusty and nasty the whole underside looks isn't it? I assure you it's all in fine condition, just a well used example! Ha ha.
Of course, looking at the photos now, I have spotted that I have put the calipers on the wrong sides. Doh! I will be swapping them over tomorrow then... sigh.
Haha, I hadn't spotted that at first glance, but it's obvious now! It does look a bit sketchy, but it's all surface rust by the looks of it. As long as it works well, that's all that matters!
Just been out and swapped the calipers over (whilst swearing at myself). All sorted now with a rock hard pedal. Just waiting for my new wheel-nuts to arrive then I can pop on the 10s!