370 replies to this topic

[SAL 821X]

Awesome.

That is all.

[Miniowner123]

will be following the project closely, i've had an idea of a rwd mazda mini in my head for a couple of months now, that and a rx7 fd as a nice donor sitting on the drive, one project at a time though, so gives me plenty of time to sit back watch this project and get some ideas of how to go about it

[digler]

finally got my new project into my garage yesterday, and boy have i got some work to do!!! plenty of measuring going on to start with before i start cutting anything!!
not got a lot of room to do it all in though, didn't realise how much bigger an estate was over a standard mini.

[digler]

I think after my session with a tape measure last night i think i'm gonna have to change my plan a little!!.
i still want to get the front end of the mx5 chassis into the mini, meaning the inner wings and bulkhead, this is because i what to use all the mx5 steering, braking and heating set up. i'll use the gearbox tunnel too, and just go from there.
i want to lower the body over the floor, if i can get the seam on the sill to be the bottom of the body, rather than the bottom of the sills, much like a proper space framed mini would be.
bit like this

[digler]

got started with cutting some of the rot out, there's a good bit more than it first looked like, but that always the case, but it had a lot of bodge repairs in the past!! using fibreglass!!!
anyway i got the front end off.

[Tupers]

I think after my session with a tape measure last night i think i'm gonna have to change my plan a little!!.
i still want to get the front end of the mx5 chassis into the mini, meaning the inner wings and bulkhead, this is because i what to use all the mx5 steering, braking and heating set up. i'll use the gearbox tunnel too, and just go from there.
i want to lower the body over the floor, if i can get the seam on the sill to be the bottom of the body, rather than the bottom of the sills, much like a proper space framed mini would be.

Could you not take the body panels off the MX5 so it's basically a rolling floor pan + bulkhead then take 132MM (difference in WB according to Wiki) out of the wheels base and fit the floorless estate on top? I know I've made that sound overly simple.

What the width like between the inner sills on each car?

[digler]

thats more or less what i want to do, but i don't want to change the mx5 floor size, i can lose the extra length in wheel base inside the estate!! just seams like a lot of work for what would be little gain, anyway the mx5 is quite edgy as it is, and making it shorter wont help. it will be running on 15" wheels when its done so i don't think you'll notice the extra length

[Artful Dodger]

I think after my session with a tape measure last night i think i'm gonna have to change my plan a little!!.
i still want to get the front end of the mx5 chassis into the mini, meaning the inner wings and bulkhead, this is because i what to use all the mx5 steering, braking and heating set up. i'll use the gearbox tunnel too, and just go from there.
i want to lower the body over the floor, if i can get the seam on the sill to be the bottom of the body, rather than the bottom of the sills, much like a proper space framed mini would be.
bit like this

cool project 8) but there is something about the look of that clubman ^^ that makes it look horrific... i think its that back end.. something not right there..

[digler]

I think after my session with a tape measure last night i think i'm gonna have to change my plan a little!!.
i still want to get the front end of the mx5 chassis into the mini, meaning the inner wings and bulkhead, this is because i what to use all the mx5 steering, braking and heating set up. i'll use the gearbox tunnel too, and just go from there.
i want to lower the body over the floor, if i can get the seam on the sill to be the bottom of the body, rather than the bottom of the sills, much like a proper space framed mini would be.
bit like this

cool project 8) but there is something about the look of that clubman ^^ that makes it look horrific... i think its that back end.. something not right there..

i know what your saying, don't like the arches myself, but its the stance i love, mine won't leave the garage till it look right though, i don't want to do all this work for it to look like its been cobbled together!!

[Artful Dodger]

yeah, arches are a bit... odd... that will look awsome when its done, looking forward to updates :)

i know what it is, that front screen is HUGE!

[digler]

got a bit more cutting done, after i got the car i did feel a bit guilty about cut the floor out, because it didn't look too bad, but after having a better look underneath i dont feel so bad!!!!

there are a few pictures missing




ive welded some box section into the sills, to brace the shell and to give me something better to weld the new floor too.

[mini_in_progress]

owwwwwwwwwwwww

cant wait to see this evolve :)

[leadly]

Just awesome. Keep it up!

[grahama]

Love your projects, speedy just doesn't sum it up!! Great work.

Graham

[mini danny]

have you still got the old boot Floor ?????