13 replies to this topic

[Poloniumsoup1]

Hi all

 

First time poster. Picked up my 5th mini yesterday a 1991 Cooper. It was cheapish but the rust is mega. Basically every panel and A pillars, Roof and boot are see through. Door hinge plates are gone so doors are loose.

 

Just wanted to ask if anyone has reshelled theirs? and what are the implications for the V5 as obviously this needs to remain a cooper. The existing shell can probably be saved by a professional. I know the panels are cheap but the labour will be massive.

 

Attached a couple of pics there are more but seen one hole seen them all.

 

Anyone know any decent welders in Cheltenham/Gloucester Area?

 

Is it time to roll up my sleeves and start cutting rust out or is the better option to find a better shell if thats even possible and legal?

 

Any help grateful

Attached Files

•  IMG_20220803_085451.jpg   36.6K   8 downloads
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•  IMG_20220803_085512.jpg   18.74K   3 downloads

[johnv]

The only *properly* legal way to reshell it is with a new Heritage shell. By the time you've priced the welding and the hassle to-ing and fro-ing the car from the shot blasters to the welders etc, ity me well be your most cost effective option, and save a lot of hassle and heartache when the welders gets things wrong and take 6 x as long as he said ...

[sonscar]

That looks like a few long weekends work and if you are handy you can fabricate all these areas yourself,A rusty door does not constitute a serious problem,Just my opinion,Steve..

[coopertaz]

if you can't do the work yourself then most cost effective way is a re-shell, so long as using new heritage shell you can change chassis number on v5. you can get correct shell for your year. however at 10K neither option is cheap. you cannot use another 'better' shell legally

[mab01uk]

For a 1991 Cooper I would just buy a new bodyshell, (when you poke at rust like that it just gets worse, never better!).....unless you are a good diy welder and have lots of spare time on your hands to learn and buy the tools, panels required or have access to a local restorer who is reliable, reasonably priced, clued up on Minis and available. Most good ones are expensive and have a long queue of waiting jobs....

 

BMH can provide you the exact correct shell for a 1990's Mini (carb or injection) :-

BMP0343 £10104.00 Bodyshell, Body Complete Assembly Mini MkIV Saloon, 1976-91 (carb, rubber subframe)

or

AAA36002 £10104.00 Bodyshell, Body Complete Assembly Mini MkIV Saloon, 1991-96 (TBi/SPi)

https://www.bmh-ltd....ni-body-shells/

 

If you find a better secondhand shell (unlikely!) bear in mind that the DVLA will want to give it a 'Q' plate which devalues your car.....if you tell them.

DVLA issues ‘Q’ registration numbers to vehicles whose age or identity is in doubt:-

https://www.gov.uk/v...tration-numbers

Edited by mab01uk, 03 August 2022 - 03:55 PM.

[sonscar]

What do you want?£20Kplus of reshelled car which still performs like an old car?Reliable fun car that drives like an old car that may not be showroom finish but still makes you smile?Restoration is not for everyone.Just saying thats all,Steve..

[Ben_O]

Not sure if the new shells have improved but the few I have seen in the past displayed on trade stands at shows are not finished very well so you will need to factor in making good the rough edges 

 

By the time you factor in prep and paint on top of that, you might be spending as much as it would cost you to just pay someone to restore and paint your shell and retain some originality especially as the new shells are injection spec so although will be ok, the new shell will differ to your original for instance the bulkhead and floors.

 

Worth weighing up the options before throwing 10k at a new shell that will probably need work

 

Your photos show typical mini rot and none of it is particually difficult to remedy

 

Cheers

Ben 

[Cooperman]

As Ben says, the 'new' shells are a bit lacking in quality of fit and at over £10k are expensive. When you consider that even after spending that sort of money you are just at the start of the restoration and a full interior and exterior re-paint will cost what, £2500 or more?

Thus the full rebuild, when you include all the other new parts you will need, plus a probable engine rebuild, you are looking at a 1991 Cooper which will have cost you around £20k if you include the original purchase price.

For that sort of money you could buy two restored cars of the same sort of age. I reckon my 1990 Cooper 1275 road-rally car, which is completely rust free, just re-painted with a newly rebuilt engine, new 008 tyres, 10" wheels and a Mk.1 front is worth maybe £10k.

Re-shelling with another used shell is widely done, although we cannot advocate doing it on here. The key here is "Don't tell him, Pike"! 

If you can do the bodywork and your free/hobby time plus the cost of the panels and paint is the only financial outgoing, then it is worthwhile restoring your own shell. For example, I paid £3,000 for my 1990 rally Cooper and it was in poor condition. The total cost of panels (mainly pattern parts) was about £350, engine parts were £150, gearbox rebuild was £300, paint was £250, 10" wheel conversion was £250 and sundries were £300. The work was all done by me during the Covid lockdown and I am retired anyway. I am in profit if my time is ignored, but to pay for the work to be done will not be cheap. I know that if I couldn't do everything myself, classic car ownership would be unaffordable.

Good luck with your project.

[NDT]

Re-shelling with another used shell is widely done, although we cannot advocate doing it on here. The key here is "Don't tell him, Pike"! 

Exactly. DVLA's rules, for the OP's info as I'm sure everyone else probably knows them:

A rebuilt vehicle can keep its original registration number if you can prove you’ve used:

• the original unmodified chassis or bodyshell (car or light van)
• a new chassis or monocoque bodyshell of the same specification as the original (car or light van)

You must also have 2 other major components from the original vehicle from the following lists.

For cars or light vans:

• suspension (front and back)
• steering assembly
• axles (both)
• transmission
• engine

[colinu]

My opinion... too expensive (and/or time consuming) to repair.  In its current state it's title more than a part car.  Either use it as such for your next Mini (i.e. buy one with as rust free a shell as possible), or sell it on as a parts car to help fund your next purchase.

[sonscar]

In the UK those are small repairs,and they really are easily tackled if you have the will and tools.Steve..

[colinu]

To me those pictures show anything but small repairs... remember that surface rot on a Mini is always 10x worse when you start to dig deeper

Yes anything can be repaired, but...

The OP asked if folks new a welder in his area, hence I assume he/she doesn't have any experience in DIY bodywork, panel repair/replacement, and paint.  Getting a professional to do that could easily be double the price of finding a Mini in better shape (although they are getting harder to find for sensible money these days... in the UK or here in the USA) 

 

   - Colin (not having to deal with rot in sunny California... but had my fair share of chopping/repairing/battling it when I lived in Scotland  )

Edited by colinu, 21 August 2022 - 12:28 AM.

[Daz1968]

The cheapest option maybe to sell that on and purchase a better car, if you can’t do much repair work yourself it will end up costing much more, only good thing with resto is if you find a good garage you may be able to pay in stages and spread the cost over a longer period of time. 

[Cooperman]

All the corrosion in the photos is pretty standard stuff for classic Mini restorers.

It would need a lot of stuff stripped off of the car, like windows, trim, doors, headlining, dash and instruments, much of the wiring, seats, carpets, etc., etc, but once access to the rusty areas is gained, the fitting of the repair pieces would not be difficult for a decent welder. 

I do wonder if the front scuttle is rusty across the screen mounting flange area. 

I must say I have seen and worked on worse corrosion, but as I can do it all myself, it is not that expensive. Just panels, making up some sheet metal repair pieces, a lot of welding gas and welding wire, and painting.