Practically Classics Forum

I have driven them but for the later ones like this the only way for my arms to fit seemed to be with the windows open (I am 6'4"), the earlier ones with thinner seats and doors were much better. Nowdays they just seem so small, mind you the BMW version is much much bigger and still cramped inside. if you want one get it soon the later ones are still relatively affordable, it won't last.

I fit minis ok being a little bit on the short side
Terry, I don't mind the bodywork side of things, I just wish I had a little more time available to get it all just right cosmetically, but as I'm pushed for a car on the road I'm just aiming for nice and tidy rather than perfect. Hopefully I can continue to improve things once its on the road.

Anyway, front end is now ready to start on the engine fit etc, unfortunately I forgot to shove my sheet of cardboard under the scuttle on my very last pass of paint, which has left a tinge of red on everything I had been trying to avoid in the engine bay, ah well, it isn't bad at a glance though a little more obvious in the pics.





I need the correct tool to fit the windscreen trim fillet, so I'll order one with my next set of purchases. I've done it the hard way in the past just using screwdrivers but it takes an age and the very last time I did that I manage to put a little crack in the top of a windscreen

I have also had a shift around in the garage to give me room to work on the nearside, and tidied out the inside of the car so I am now ready to crack on again.

Well, progressing but not quite as quickly as I would like due to time constraints, but at least I think I only have a little more welding to do before I can begin the spanner work.

This is the door sill step before work, it didn't look too bad at all bar needing a little patching, however it turned out to be thin over most of its length. Again I really should have used a panel but hadn't added them to the few bits I'd acquired so rather than wait I did it the hard way.



This is it now, mostly fresh steel, it will need a little prep to be good cosmetically but it will certainly do the job for a while.



There was an old patch on the rear quarter that wasn't up to scratch



It was welded in behind the hole and there were still a few small holes near it, while the sill on this side was pretty good I thought it wise to have it off ang give everything a seeing too rather than rushing through and regretting it later.

Just as well really..



There wasn't long left for this area despite appearing ok with the sill on, and the lack of any nuts on the bolts that fix the subframe on was enough reason for me to be happy I went in there.

Much plating later and we have captive nuts and strength all hidden behind some more strengthening.



We now have a clean and strong inner sill along with a little rough looking welding (but strong I promise) repair of the jacking point which had started to tear away from its mounting. It won't normally be used for jacking but it is handy to have in place should I undertake any trips where I want the extra luggage space afforded by not having to put a trolley jack in the boot.



New narrow sill as cut from a cover sill in the manner of the drivers side one



And the rear quarter repaired



That's the nearside ready for cosmetic prep, then just a little (I hope) to do in the boot providing I don't find any more lurking nasties.

Oh, and the clutch plate and bearing were changed on the engine ready for engine fitting, I do hope this engine does turn out to be ok at least for now.

Old plate and bearing, neither of which had very many miles left in them.



Thats it for now, hopefully I'll be out to the garage for more later.

Good work. Again. I have a permanent scar across the back of my head that was caused by a mini clutch swapping session. A Verto one of course.

It never fails to amaze me that so many "repairers"( ) are happy to take people's cash for fitting long sills without addressing any of the rust beneath the area that they'll cover, in equally many cases, these cowboys simply ignore the safety critical heelboard repairs that are almost always required and if I had a pound for every mini I've seen where the inside of one of these damnable long oversills was visible through the area where the floor section of the companion bin should have been, then I'd be able to afford a very nice MK1 by now. And a whole year's worth of petrol to make it go.

I can't understand a newish Mini having had cover sills fitted, but it wasn't uncommon in the sixties and early seventies. My Hornet needed new sills not long after I bought it (in 1971) and I was told to pop rivet sills over the originals as it wasn't an MOT issue! Move on four years or so and try to sell the car with riveted sills - all I got was laughs and the local scrappy's phone number!

Yep, this brings back horrible memories. Beware of the boot - the Hornet's gave me a shock! I was given a young pig when working for a poor farmer (he WAS poor - in more senses than one!). I put it in a sack (tied at the neck) and had to put it on the back seat - it would have dug its way out of the boot! As it happened, it got out of the bag on the way through town (Penrith) - and stood with front feet on the back parcel shelf, looking out of the back window!

arceye I may a skipped over it, but what happened to the old auto box? (or have I got my threads mixed up again )

John, I wish I had a quid for every buckled floor due to people trying to jack up via the little pad in each floor corner, coupled to the cover sills we'd be quite well to do

Pig transportation. in a mini, through Penrith, having worked around that area I'd expect nothing less

I suppose whilst a newer mini, it was registered in 1986, so is now going on for 27 years old which has given plenty of time for the need of replacement sills to arise. Unfortunately the wide oversills still seem to be a pretty common "fix", but are at least frowned on sufficiently now for people to know better than to fit them. Not that it stops them...

Mitsu, the original auto box is still sat with the old engine, now in the back of my garage. my plan is to keep the auto parts so that if someone in the future wanted to put it back to standard that would be possible. The original box had trouble selecting gears and was dripping oil rapidly when the engine was running so the easy option was to go manual. Almost a shame as the original engine was sweet but can't really be converted over to the manual box.

Nearside has some paint and door back on, side window in, and I got bored so popped the back seat in..........



now off to start on the boot

You're going strong - MOT next week? It's a pity you'll lose a week or two on tax though!!

I'm hoping for an early to mid November finish all going well, lots of little jobs to do and then the bits and pieces that turn out to be missing need buying and doing, so that will slow me down a bit..... as will deciding finally just how I'm going to attach the front end.

I have accumulated some parts and have others such as new front shocks, brake flexis, brake pads etc on order but I still need a carpet set and various other bits and bobs. I need to sort the wheels which are currently each a different shade of blue apart from the forlorn looking one with no paint on at all, and probably a couple of tyres also so it leaves plenty yet to do.

On the up side I repaired a hand sized hole in the corner of the boot today, but that's all I found so hope to have the back end and roof of the car in paint tomorrow.

IF I'm lucky that should be pretty much it for welding, its all I can find, but no doubt when I go back under the car to do the last stonechip, brake lines etc, I'll probably see something I can't resist poking at that I have missed up to now.

Fingers crossed I'll be largely on the spanners and fitting after tomorrow