Long time without an update! Some major life events & changes have diverted my focus away from Minis and the Mini community over the past several months, but I've still been driving and tinkering away in the background, and am now back posting on the forum under this new name/profile.
After a bit of a hiatus since the most notable outing to Goodwood last September, the Mk1 has more recently been seeing a bit more regular use despite the bitter winter weather.
Basically, I've purchased a '92 Cooper Si to use as my long-term daily, but that's currently undergoing an engine rebuild after a piston ring failure just before Christmas. There's a thread on the forum here with a little more on that:
https://www.theminif...mini-cooper-si/
To that end, the trusty Mk1 is valiantly enduring the cold as my current daily driver!
To eliminate some of the water ingress issues I've noticed since being forced to take it out in the rain, I've replaced the door seals with a thicker type from Phoenix Trim which has worked a treat.
If all goes to plan the SPI will be back on the road in the next few weeks, after which the Mk1 can take a well-earned rest. I'm hoping to buy a house with a usable garage in the next 12 months, at which point I'm considering taking the Mk1 out of action for a total strip and rebuild. If it's left much longer than that, I fear that the bodywork will deteriorate to the point of needing substantial welding work & panel replacement, which I'd like to avoid if I can. It's solid at the moment, but the paint is way past its best despite my efforts to treat and paint localised areas where rust has begun to appear. I might also take the opportunity to make some cosmetic changes and treat the car to the DIY resto that it deserves (and give myself a challenge at the same time!).
In the meantime, I hope to enjoy at least this upcoming summer season and get along to a few shows and events before that happens.
On a final note, I came to the realisation a couple of weeks ago that I've now owned this car for 10 years, an anniversary date that also happens to be shared with my own birthday. Naturally I went for a nice drive along some back roads and brought my camera along for the ride, resulting in a few rather nice photos from a pitstop at the top of Portsdown Hill!