time for more work on my 1979 Leyland Mini ...this time the work is getting serious...prolly looking at about 2-3 grand in repairs and resto but i want it done once and done right...so here is the start...which the break down and pics of some of the worse spots\ rear lower bumper/valance driver side door/post passenger side A panel/wing passenger side inner wing/scuttle Driver Side inner wing/scuttle driver side panel(huge rust bubble was cut out) as bad as this rust looks its actually a simple fix... and thus it begins...should be a good round of work!
BTDT on my Jag... Go here if you want to see the gory details! http://www.cardomain.com/ride/505677/1969-jaguar-xke All you can do is keep cutting till you hit good metal, then weld new panels in from there and don't forget to rustproof it well once it's fixed. They make primers now that you can spray the inside of the part and then weld thru. I also used waxoil once I finished mine to make sure it would never rust again. It's been almost 20 years now and no problems! Good luck with your repairs, and please keep posting pics as you progress!
Looks like fun! I am a couple months in to a bare shell resto on my 72. I'll be watching yours for inspiration. Hope to have mine at the Dragon next year! Shawn
The problem to my mind isn't just the replacement of the rusted metal, it's finding out how the water got in there in the first place and eliminating the source, so you don't wind up doing it all over again in a few years. On untreated metal - especially the thin stuff they make replacemnet parts out of now - it can rust thru in only a year or two.....
oh it was discovered...it was the windshield...there were a few parts of the frame that was rusted out so it allowed water to leak...plus this rust was there when i got it and it was there when the original guy who imported it owned it...so this has been there for sometime now...which is why im getting a reset on this and doing this my way...one and done
I have a lot of problems around my fresh air vents too. Might need a full floor and some sill work as well. Ah the joys of Mini ownership and restoration, lots of surprises! Shawn
Yep, that's the problem, you think a panel looks ok when you cut out the one next to it, then you find that one's bad, and the one it attaches to, and the one IT attaches to.....before long you wonder if it wouldn't be easier and cheaper to just buy a whole new shell. But then that begets another whole rash of costs - you can't put an old tired interior into a new shell, and you sure can't put old nasty brakes and suspension on a new shell, and while you have the motor out....... Next thing you know you've undertaken a whole restoration..... That's kinda what happened with my Jag, I pulled the engine to fix an oil leak, found some rust in the floorboards..............four years later....... If you wind up cutting out the floors, be sure to weld some cross bracing in to keep the shell nice and square before you cut out large hunks of metal. Good luck with your project!
just got an update from the shop...the body work is about complete and it should be off to paint this weekend...big props to Dion who owns DJ's Minis in Wesley Chapel FL...he has done some great work with my classic...he can also get his hands on some rare parts plus he has a wealth of contacts in the uk...if i remember he goes on a yearly expedition to england to find classics...i think he has every variant of mini out there ( i really want a roadster he has) oh and as for the floor...way ahead of yea...that was done last year...front and rear floor pans were cut out on both sides as well as the sills and they were replaced and rust proofed...and yes the dynomat did make a noticible difference..plus the heat radiating off the road doesnt cook my feet anymore there was a thread on here not sure if its still around from the initial work done on her but here is a basic rundown... New wheel flares (Mini Rave arches similar to W&P) new front and rear brakes with grooved rotors and ebc pads with stainless lines new struts with HiLo's heavy duty adj suspension(control arms/poly bushings) Autometer guages (tach,oil press,temp,volt) fog lights black bonnet stripes with John Cooper Sig cut out rover pop out rear windows engine refresh mini sport stage 1 kit Hif38 carb rebuilt head engine repaint cleaned up engine bay and resprayed there are a few other things i missed in there...what is being done now is really just the final niggling issues left... GM 90amp altenator dyno tune rust repair Rover seats removable bulb halogen headlights (eventually a HID kit will go in) new gaskets gonna try all LED lights new battery cables pretty much after this shell be good to go for many thousands of motoring miles to come...like i said...dragon X here comes boogie here is what the engine bay looked like after the work and the exterior
update: body work is done! should be coming back from paint in the morning and i should have more pics to show! all is well...on a side note the roofliner couldnt be saved so im going with a black one to match the new seats and floor
Projects like this are so much fun. Looking forward to the new pcis and updates as the assembly begins in earnest.
Nice color for a mini..... Is it a production match from another car manufacturer? It almost reminds me of a color offered on one of the late 60's early 70's Plymouth Roadrunners.
this is the factory British Leyland Applejack Green ....same color as Mr. Beans car...it was a color that appeared for a few yrs in the 70s then went away as the colors became less funky