18 replies to this topic

[Johnmar]

Hi,

I'm in the process of restoring/rebuilding Mindy, our '93 Mini Tahiti 1.3i (SPI).
This mini was bought new by Brenda in 1993 after having flipped over her new Mini Tropic (that car was written off and was bought back by the Rover dealer that made a cabrio out of it and sold it on).

In 1997 we got married in 1997 and our wedding car was the Mindy mini. We made a trailer out of a mini back end and had went to IMM in Ireland in 1997 with "Mork and Mindy". Life was good. I bought an mini Estate in the UK with plans to restore it, fit a 1.3i in it, but space was an issue..
I've stayed busy in the mini scene in The Netherlands until 2001 when a house move (with a garage) and live took over (starting for my own in 2006 didn't help either on the mini front) . Other cars came as our driving vehicles (among a 1980 mini van with MG Metro engine running on LPG, and a metro on LPG), but at some stage I was fed up working on a mini or metro every weekend in order to get to my work on Monday.. But Mindy was never sold and Brenda drive her until occasionally until 2012. Then she (Mindy, de mini) was parked in the garden behind the house (A bad decision as the hedge she was parked next to prevented wind and in now appears she started to rust fast and blisters appeared on the front wings and all other rust prone areas suddenly became visible). Sadly mini's don't seem made to last, so the tin worm has set in.

 

Last year I decided to restore/rebuild Mindy, a mini with no previous welding on it what so ever.

Sadly health did not allow me to continue with the plan but I'm getting better (energy wise) and I'm getting back at it, doing things when my body allows and my mind is on it. So this will not be a fast progressing project.

My plans for this car where/are:

 

Shell:

1) Full strip down
2) Replace al obviuos rusted areas (either new panels or patches is a new panel is overkill)
3) Fit New nose

4) Sandblast and Epoxy prime the shell

5) Repair any new found rusted area's (and epoxy prime them)
6) Refit everything to the shell (engine, wiring, body part) to check if alterations are needed prior to painting

7) tear down everything

 

Paint

9) Prepare for paint

10) Send off body for paint: Underside, engine bay, sills, inside, bootfloor

11) Bolt subframes back on the shell

12) Build up mini (engine, wiring loom) essentially everything except the interior trim, seats, doors and glass)

13) Send off body for paint: Paint the outside

 

Engine (that was running fine):
14) De-rust the block and paint it (DONE)
15) replace all seals and bolt on stuff (like water pump etc) (DONE)
16) cleanup all the aluminium (like clutch housing, gear box, diff housing etc) to original state (DONE)
17) Bolting everything back to the engine (DONE)

 

Currently I'm at 2: replacing/reconstructing the rusted areas.

Possible/planned "modifications":
M1) Fitting a hand operated folding roof  (like the webasto from the britisch open, but in this case from a Twingo_. Sliding roof = bought

M2) Fitting a '95 wiring loom with in cabin fuses (and relocating all relays from the engine compartment to the cabin).  Wiring loom = bought
M3) Fitting Innocenti quarter lights in the doors, Getting two sets of doors: one orginal, and one with the quarter lights. Innocenti doors/quarter lights = bought

M4) Strengthening the sills: ditching the sling brackets, welding a square bar from front to back to tjhe innersill (being covered by the doorstep and outer sill)

M5) Remove the rear parcel shelve and make the back seat fold able (like in a mini traveller)

M6) Back panel conversion, allowing for
 A: one hatchback door,

 B: two opening doors (like de auto BMC conversion),
 C: a split hatch back top with lower boot lit in original function

M7) M6 may lead to a modified fuel tank (where the spare wheel is), a relocated battery (to the side companion bin), a relocated windowasher bottle (to the side companion bin

 

Although these modifications are a step from the original, I want to keep the appearance of the car as original as possible, maintaining the Mini Tahiti interior trim (and special seat and door card fabric), keeping the saloon silhouette as closely as possible. Furthermore I want to try to keeping things reversable to the original if possible.

For this project report, I'll backtrack and will post progress and photo's below this project start item.

 

-

Johnmar

Edited by Johnmar, 03 October 2020 - 05:44 PM.

[Johnmar]

Engine:
14) De-rust the block and paint it (DONE)
15) replace all seals and bolt on stuff (like water pump etc) (DONE)
16) cleanup all the aluminium (like clutch housing, gear box, diff housing etc) to original state (DONE)
17) Bolting everything back to the engine (DONE)
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The engine was running when we parked Mindy so it what a runner.
But as time takes its toll the engine is looking very sad and could use some TLC.

So first it was pulled from the engine bay:



After a good cleaning of the block and gearbox with de greaser, I spend countless hours trying to get the aluminium back to a presentable state as it was not only dirty but also corroded. In the end the result was a much nicer view:
 
    
 
After much more TLC (as in days),various scotch brite padds and elbow grease, the results where what I aimed for: clean aluminium. I spray painted the engine block Volvo Penta red, and applied a clear coat onto the aluminium with shiny results:

 

 
Next was to take care of the head,
So the valves where removed and the head put into the dishwasher for a good degrease (yes my girlfriend is very understanding)
After two cycles it was much better. After some carefull spraying with Penta Volvo Red, and a regrind of the valves and a reinstall the valves (with new valvestem seals) it was time to bolt it back onto the engine:
 
 
    

 

      

 

 
Can't complain on the result..
Hmm, would it look nice if I installed a MG Metro valve cover?  I'd made a valve cover plate (using  some aluminium plate, some laser printable T-shirt iron on transfer paper and a laminator (normally used to laiminate paper). In this picture I still need to trim the valve cover plate, but the overall idea is clear:


The starter motor and the coil were "restored" at an earlier stage:
 
     

I lost myself a bit and also gave the brake servo the same treatment, but ii is hard to find a good replacement for the color of chromated metal (the non shining somewhat translucent yellow/brass color). I ended up using brass color, but if someone has a better matching color, please let me know:
 
 

Edited by Johnmar, 04 October 2020 - 10:07 AM.

[johnR]

Good work - the rear seat and parcel shelf provide quite a lot of the strength to the rear of the car - how would you compensate for the loss?

Edited by johnR, 02 October 2020 - 02:15 PM.

[Johnmar]

Good work - the rear seat and parcel shelf provide quite a lot of the strength to the rear of the car - how would you compensate for the loss?

Multi level approach:

1) Side panels: I'll adopt the "mini travellar" way: slice up the backseat vertical where the companion bins are and fold these brackets as a stifner (to be honest, a van/travellar have not much reinforcement at this specific point. It does prevent flexing the body side panels.

2) C-pilar/back side: I'm planning on making a real pilar of the back panel by closing the current panel/c-pillar to the side panels, making it a boxed structure. This will strengthen the back.

3) Roof: Then I'm planning of bracing the backside of the roof by using flat iron, following the contour of the roof/headlining. This will be welded from side to side located between roof and headlining.

4) Floor: As I'll be installing a fold able back seat, I'm also planning to brace the bootfloor where the back seat will hinge, securing both sides to each other at the floor level.

I've tried to highlight these areas on the following modified photo (that not has all this bracing) as a guideline:

 

 

Like normal sills (consisting of the doorstep/outer sill/inner sill) I'll form a panel like the inner sill on the inside of the backpanel up to the sideseams, closing the c-pillar curvature and making it a boxed section rather than a curved vertical panel.

I do hope my description of boxing up the C-pillar box is a bit more clear now.

 

 

Johnmar

Edited by Johnmar, 02 October 2020 - 05:38 PM.

[johnR]

Great idea - has it been done before? It will certainly make the mini more useable. Watching with interest! (I see there have been some done - personally I prefer the ones that look standard at first glance like the green one KMG...B)

Edited by johnR, 03 October 2020 - 10:52 AM.

[some1158]

Intrigued by the hatchback conversion. I assume you've already had a look at the 1990s Minki - the split tailgate might be worth considering: http://www.austinmem...-29/index.html 

[Johnmar]

Great idea - has it been done before? It will certainly make the mini more useable. Watching with interest! (I see there have been some done - personally I prefer the ones that look standard at first glance like the green one KMG...B)

What car do you mean with KMG....B? I do know of two Britich Racing Green  mini's with a rear door conversion:

 

I really like their appearance.  But if possible I want constuct panel in such a way that I'll be able to switch between this and a "saloon with van doors"-style as was built by Automobile BMC (France)

 

 

I was in contact in them (Francois)  trying to buy their kit, but they were not available, as new stamping/pressing dyes for the back panel had to be made.

That was two/three years ago. I've tried reach out to Francois since for more information on the availability, but as he does not respond telephone or to WhatsApp I had to give up and now I'm building it from scratch. Never done this before, but if you not try you never win (or loose). Side note: I have no history in panelshaping so this will be challenging.

Edited by Johnmar, 03 October 2020 - 01:25 PM.

[Johnmar]

Intrigued by the hatchback conversion. I assume you've already had a look at the 1990s Minki - the split tailgate might be worth considering: http://www.austinmem...-29/index.html 

Yes I know of Minki (but thank you for the link).

There was even another conversion that was made for Rover that was found recently:

 

   
 

 

Not my cup of tea though..

Edited by Johnmar, 03 October 2020 - 01:23 PM.

[johnR]

 

Great idea - has it been done before? It will certainly make the mini more useable. Watching with interest! (I see there have been some done - personally I prefer the ones that look standard at first glance like the green one KMG...B)

What car do you mean with KMG....B? I do know of two Britich Racing Green  mini's with a rear door conversion:

 

I really like their appearance.  But if possible I want constuct panel in such a way that I'll be able to switch between this and a "saloon with van doors"-style as was built by Automobile BMC (France)

 

 

I was in contact in them (Francois)  trying to buy their kit, but they were not available, as new stamping/pressing dyes for the back panel had to be made.

That was two/three years ago. I've tried reach out to Francois since for more information on the availability, but as he does not respond telephone or to WhatsApp I had to give up and now I'm building it from scratch. Never done this before, but if you not try you never win (or loose). Side note: I have no history in panelshaping so this will be challenging.

 

I googled hatchback minis and a picture came up of a MK1? looking one with that reg. 

[johnR]

I've no experience in panel forming but logically I would think the route would be to weld a boot skin into the existing bodywork then cut the door/s out so that you maintain the original shape?  

[Johnmar]

I've no experience in panel forming but logically I would think the route would be to weld a boot skin into the existing bodywork then cut the door/s out so that you maintain the original shape?  

Ho JohnR,

 

This is a short side track (unrelated to the restoration and I hope the others bear with me), But to form a curved panel (and what mini panels except the sills and floor is flat?) you need the stretch (raise) and shrink (lower) metal. See metal as modeling clay. Panel shaping is moving metal from one place to another (very simplified).
As I see it, the best way is to use an Wheeling Machine (or outside the UK known as an English wheel). I Did a course in Cornwall in 2019 so I have some experience:

 

Here you see me shaping some aluminium sheet into a part of the nose of a Jaguar E-type on an old cast iron Edwards. This was part of a course by Geoff Moss who learned this as an apprentice at Aston Martin 40 years ago. He makes bespoke car bodies etc (see the hand build Austin behind the second picture below where you see me crowning a flat circle of aluminium. this Austin was only a rolling frame. The whole body was made of aluminium and that is what you see: aluminium rolled on the wheeling machine. All seams are gas welded (yes, you can gas weld aluminium using flux).

Just look foor I had the fortune to spend a week at his workshop and he guided me. So I do know some basics, but like everything it now a matter of making hours to learn a skill.

For instance: Make a single curvature (like a hubcap) out of some aluminium:

 

 
Cutting a circle out of flat sheet

 

Use the wheeling machine to raise the middle

 

 

Shrink the edge to draw this in, by tucking the edge

 

 

Than use the wheeling machine to stretch the middle part and to flatten the edged.

 

It looks simple doens't it? Well, looks can deceive..

 

Or make a compount curve (like the swoop in the bonnet of an E-type:

   

Left: Geoffs sample, right my flat plate to start with..

 

But the most difficult thing is to get exact the right amount of curve at every spot:

Here you see Geoff placing his part over mine to check how close they match. It was getting there.
Still at the edges it needed extra stretching and hand maneuvering/persuasion.

 

I have a cheap English wheel at home that I beefed up. It will not deliver the above quality, but it will do. Together with a bead roller (for which I need some tipping wheels) I hope to be able to shape what I have in my mind. It won't be easy, but that is part of the fun (he says at this moment).

If you want to see more on this topic, just look at the following 5 youtube video's where Geoff makes a part of a E-type nose:

(general information on english wheel)

 

Making part of the E-type nose:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbnyUbPq6fI

Edited by Johnmar, 03 October 2020 - 05:51 PM.

[johnR]

Great skills to have! Think I need a course there - I'd like to body a Cyclekart Bugatti T35 at some point. So will you make a wooden buck first?

[Johnmar]

So will you make a wooden buck first?

No sure yet, but I'm leaning to it: I have a spare back panel that I'll use as a proof of concept and can use to check curvatures (using it as a buck). Maybe I'll insert a wooden buck into the door opening and continue that way.


Then use the spare panel with inserted buck to shape the rain rails/gutters arround the door,the doorframes and the doors. And only if the results are what I want, I can redo it on the actual body panel, or transplant the POC panel. .

First I have to take care of all normal rust and get the body sandblasted and in epoxy. Then at a later stage, I'll have to make up my mind..

Edited by Johnmar, 04 October 2020 - 12:33 PM.

[Johnmar]

As I want to do a full body restoration (and I'm doing it alone) I opted for constructing a rotisserie. After having looked at some examples on online, I (over)constructed one that is adjustable in height via a cordless drill.

 

In turned out great: the pivot points en relation to the connection points on the shell are spot on. The result: I can rotate the body effortless as the whole is in balance.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Johnmar, 15 October 2020 - 12:10 PM.

[Johnmar]

Fast forward almost one year:

Not much has happened with the Mindy due to health related issues at my side. But I'm back on my feet again and can now start the bodywork. It will be a slow restoration, but I'll try to document the progress of it here.

Will have to learn some new skills in the process (for instance: spraying 2K epoxy primer on the sides of panels unreachable after welding. I have never done any paint spraying ) 

I'm parking the planned rear door conversion for now as my first focus is on the replacing all current rust there is or might be lurking on the body. For that part it was good I did not continue with the bodywork as in the last year I picked up quite some good information and insights from following restoration projects here on the forum (many of them being done from a garage on the island of Wright). Hopefully this will help me to track down "unseen" rsut and stop it in its way of spreading or (re)appearing later when all is sprayed and finished. So i'll try to do these things now the (W)right way.

Thank you all for your contributions on this forum. It has helped me through a very dark time and made me not give up on Mindy.