Today we started to brace up the shell ready for the panels, that should eventually come. To repair the large amounts of rust and dodgy patching By the previous owner. The car was previously fitted with a 1275 and set up for rod rally’s here’s a pic we stripped the shell properly about 6 months ago and put it on a spit. But only started bracing it today
Any pictures of the rust repair areas and dodgy patching? I have a 1990 Cooper lookalike(!) that I have stripped to the shell too. There are a few areas for repair so will be hopefully watching your progress to see if you have the same damage as mine and how you tackle them.
It’s having two new half floors, new boot, new front panel, new lower boot inner and outer and a few other bits and pieces where other people have done terrible patches, however can’t do anything until our panels arrive but who knows when that will be.
Had a burgundy coloured 1275 with wolfrace wheels, so much fun back then. Be watching this! Frank, you are depleting the planet of full stops
It’s not supposed to have a 1275, it’s supposed to have a 998, which we’ve already got and had rebuilt, however we’ve had it rebuilt and tubes by a company called John speed it’s also now got a straight cut gear box. I’ll have to see if I can find the spec sheet
Good job, are you going to repair the bodged hole in the tunnel and reinstate the magic wand? If its a genuine Mk1 cooper seems nuts to mangle it . Big bits look not too bad, steel was a lot better in the early shells!
Takes me back.. I bought an early shell when they made them of thinner metal and were a bit lighter (40lbs?) than the normal production ones. This was after I had rebuilt my bro's Mk I 997 Cooper with a new bare shell after a whoopsie. I then fitted a 998 destroked 1100 unit with several mods that gave way more performance than a normal 998. Anyway, this was in '68, so the early shell didn't need such surgery for rot. Your's doesn't, in the pics, look too bad, but I expect you are looking for a really good resto. Back then, I was interested in light weight, so no trim, perspex windows and GRP boot and bonnet. Did another 998 unit with mods and it was quicker than my bro's (later) Downton 1275. Cors, one trades a bit of comfort for agility..... Have fun with it..
No we’re sticking with the tunnel and going to use this mini, so it’s going to be a fun and useable one, so it’s going to be sort of how my dad use to have them back in the day. our next mini (mini pickup) is going to be our mint one.
We just want a really solid and good shell , after that then we’re going to have a bit of fun with it them maybe down the line we might put it back to standard but we quite like the simple customised bits like period correct bucket seats, mini lites that sort of stuff
Yes already going to put an intercom in, we want one in of our other cars so we will use the headsets out of that and just put another intercom in the mini, who’s dream isn’t to have a straight cut gearbox though, at least once.
Please use as many heritage panels you can get hold of and replace whole panels and not repair panels. Some M Machine panels are OK but things like the door step profiles are wrong and need a lot of work to make right. For the rear 1/4's I use a heritage one and cut it to fit the mk1/2 shells. If you have any questions or need pics let me know as I restore classic Mini's for a job.
In about 1970, I was offered a 1293 ex rally Cooper S, it had the straight cut box, twin tanks, but the shell was knackered, it had a twist in. The front was square to the road, but one rear corner was higher than the other. It was offered to me for silly money, I can’t recall how much but I think it was about £125. I looked into it, went into the insurance broker & asked how much. “You could insure an E type Jag cheaper” I thought I’d rather have the E type, with the result I’ve had neither. Either of them were worth not a lot then, but a small fortune today, but hey ho, such is life.
Thanks for the offer, will probably take you up on that at some point, We’ve ordered a fair amount of m machine panels, I think just because we’re on a budget and wanted to make sure we got all the panels we wanted, we are doing mostly full panels, like the front panel and the boot floor, we’re doing two full half floors.
We have also stripped and started to clean the front subframe As you can see it’s got a slight bend that needs straightening
that mini is a absolute cracker , enjoy , I certainly will enjoy the thread , only going slightest shade of green, honest
