brief history - i bought a 1987 mini advantage from a mate for £10. its was very rusty and was a non runner. all the engine needed was a new rotor arm and the timing and carb needle setting up. its a 1275! he didnt know that though
I completely stripped the car down and boxed everything away, i started chopping out rust and doing some repairs then i gave in it was just too big a job for me. so i flogged the front and rear subframes, the seats (for 99p!), doors, the boot lid and the wiper motor set up (for £30) all on ebay. This is what i did to the shell!!
So i started the hunt for a new rust free shell. i rare find i know. Browsing on minifinity one afternoon i saw an advert for a rust free shell in primer. A few emails later a deal was done and i picked it up from a guy called Kieran, he posts on here under the username "TWICEmonkey" mini's called nobby, great guy.
Some pictures from when i picked it up at Kieran's: -
i first repaired where he had cut the second Xmember to put in standard mini seats, i also put on a new rear valance because the other got a bit knocked about. I finish doing the filler where it had been de-seamed. I deseamed the removeable front end and primered it all with red oxide. i also drill holes for and trial fitted all the fasteners or the front end. I also painted the whole underneath and the inside of the front end with dinitrol 4941, great stuff.
I then set about reconditioning the parts from the advantage i needed. I cleaned and rebuilt the master cylinders, painted lovely hammerite smooth black. With the new shell i got a front subframe freshly painted in more hammerite and a new wiper motor set up (lucky that was!). I got a cut down rear subframe, also freshly painted and unused, and a huddersfield spares 'beam axle' too. I sold the HS beam because it needed repairing and im using the cut down subframe. I also got the ealry type drum brake set-up with rad arms modified for the HS beam. I rebuilt these and painted them in more hammerite smooth black.
I worked my ass off over the summer with a local builders and earned myself enough for the spray job. I have recently got the shell back.
Before the spray job: -
After the spray job: -
You can see my previous build diary here>>> Minifinity
I am now rebuilding the car. I will post up progress and pictures as i go.
right i need a cuppa after all that typing!
J
Got most of the rear end done today.
Built up the rear subframe: -
Got it on the car: -
Got some wheels on: -
Some of you may have read my post in the technical forum about my MiniSpares camber bracket being miles out and me filing them to fit. Well from looking at them at the moment both wheels have toe in, slightly too much i think. The passenger side wheel is vertical and the drivers side has positive camber. But the car isnt sitting level at the moment because the front end is still on a palette so the camber will change slightly once the front wheels are on and the cars sitting on all 4 wheels.
I also put the steering rack on because thats an easy job.
I bought loads of new nuts and bolts from a toolshop in cowley the other day, makes stuff so much nicer and easier to put back together
Ill be ordering my coilovers next week hopefully so should make some more progress soon
J
Edited by 998dave, 19 December 2009 - 10:32 AM.
