Keep the mini or start again with a mk1?
Turbo Mini Forums

Right, seeing Paul H's thread with his mk1 mini in has got me thinking.

I bought it hastily when I was 17 at the beginning of 2006 after the first one got written off, It was pretty tidy and didn't really need a full restoration, but rather then keep patching it I stripped it to a bare shell in 2007 and restored it, adding a few performance bits along the way. Well a standard 1.3 kept me happy for about a week and in 2008 I rebuilt a better engine for it, and also added a rollcage and gave it a light stripping out. in 2009 it came apart for an even more stringent diet and a more comprehensive rollcage.

The fact is that I am now facing a turning point with it, in the sense that any advance forwards in weight reduction is going to come at a price. The plan apart from a 1380 engine is that it will get the front chopped off and possibly the roof when I make my mind up and replaced with fiber glass. Once all thats been done it will require a full respray. However the project having already got out of control (desire for speed) I feel maybie it would be better to start again with what I really want.

I have been considering stripping it to a shell with doors, bonnet and bootlid, and selling the shell as it is mint. At the same time I feel that its silly having done all this work to it only to start again. I seem to get plenty of attention in it, with people saying ooooh, thats nice or similar things.

So I'm not quite sure what to do with it really. carry on and spend a shed load of cash on it as I've come this far, or sell the shell and start with a mk1, because at the end of the day its everything bolted to the shell that costs the money. then again, for the cost of prepping new shell I could have a lot of nice bits for this shell.

What do you lot reckon? As your usually right!

Here is a couple for those of you that don't know what it looks like.



This is just to illustrate what was done to it this year, all the interior has been resprayed now by the way.

Edited by minimole23 on 11th Jan, 2010.

To be honest mate i think your car looks top notch. Really suttle.

I also think the cost to get a mk1 would be alot greater than what you'd be spending on a lick of paint.

A mk1 in the condition your shell is in isnt going to be cheap. And then if you take your parts off the mini you have now and sell the shell it isnt going to be worth a massive amount.

You then also have to think that if you buy a mk1, then will you want to cut it up? Obviously you would be able to put it back to standard, but in the long run, possibly not worth it, especially if you want to retain the value of the car.

Like i said, i think your mini looks great id stick with that.

Just my two pence worth.

By my calulation you're 21. My advice is to keep it, you'll regret selling it in five years time.

Try putting money aside and buy a mk1 when you can sfford it and the right one comes along.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

i did the same thing a while back and regret selling my origional mini to be honest.
however this time around i went and blew a load of cash (read far too much) on a mk1 race car that i am putting back on the road... (car has v5)

Speeding is like masturbating, everyone does it, but not all of us film it and put it on the internet

[quote=fab,8th Oct, 2010]fuck off

I'd keep it and save for a mk1.

Edited by colas on 11th Jan, 2010.

I regret selling my first car.. I'd keep it and save for a mark 1.

http://www.jolyonway.com

If you really want a mk1 get one and restore the shell whilst using this one during 2010. When the mk1 shell is done sell this one as a complete nice looking MOTd car to pay for the parts you need for the mk1. OR have both.

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

That looks really nice, again personally I would keep it and try and find a mk1 needing a restoration, obviously this will require space for the extra car.

I'm due to sell my old daily mini once it's finished and as will says can see myself regretting it in the future :(

how often do you use it?

i have done this several times lol, i think the problem is you change your mnd so many times to as what you want. well i do anyway. youve got a very nice mini there id stick with it.

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

Keep that one mate, you'll regret selling it if you did. You can always save up for a mk1

I say keep it as well,I sold my first proper mini and wished i hadnt ever since.It looks great by the way,really subtle.

same i sold my first mini and kick myself for it all the time!

do a window slider conversion, nudge bars + mk1 grill and your home free

btw mini is looking top notch!

o maybe group 2 arches with chrome trim to8-)

Edited by G13B on 12th Jan, 2010.

internationally known as "big" swede

Thanks for the input. Looking at all your comments I think I will carry on with it. Basically another £400 for some fiberglass panels and paint will see the shell finished as light as it can be, without spending silly money on a t45 cage.

If I start again with an old shell it will probably be rusty, so I have to restore it again. Then I'll have to go through all the hassle of hacking bits out to make way for a rollcage again.

I think I'll just put the money towards parts for the twink turbo engine, and some nice lightweight parts from the likes of John k and Fastcarl


To answer the question about how often I use it, well I use it whenever possible. But not as much as I would have liked in the last 2 years, due to over the summers it being in pieces for me to work on it. I think here lies the main issue. Its all very well wanting to do things, but I think I just need to get the shell done once and for all, painted then get on a drive the damn thing. I've got Lots of track stuff is planned later this year which would be out the window if I started again. I'll just appreciate and enjoy what I've created over the last 3 years.
:)

You should definitely keep it and save for a mk1. Im in a similar situation, continuously having to patch bits up, im hoping to get to the point where the shell is rust free and then I can spend my time on making it faster! Wish I'd done a bareshell build now!

Alot of weight saving can be done on the cheap, you just have to be willing to do alot of fabrication, drilling holes, and being anal with the smallest weight saving mods. Every little helps.

How much does yours weigh?

Edited by matty on 12th Jan, 2010.

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi

Well on a weigh bridge that weighs in 20kg increments it was at 620 kgs, but I have cut a lot out since that, most of the door innards and replaced the glass with plastic, door cards with carbon fiber, parcel shelf with carbon fiber.

I've converted a rear sub frame to a beam, thats taken 10kgs off it

I will be replacing the boot, bonnet, front end and possibly roof with fiberglass. I want to be under the 600kg mark by the time the years out.

Having done so much work already it would seem a pity to start all over again. As you say, you would like to do a few trackdays this year and taking on a MK1 will just postpone these plans. I'd say complete what you already have and start enjoying the fruits of your labours! :)

Suck, squeeze, bang, blow........

id keep it ,and do whast you can to mk1 ize it hinges ,slide windows etc .etc .

Medusa + injection = too much torque for the dyno ..https://youtu.be/qg5o0_tJxYM

I agree with Robert,

If you have a Mk1 it will be a shame to mod it to the same level as you could a later shell.

plus getting decent mk1 panels is going to get harder

You must be under 600kgs now then. Mine was 640kgs before I started stripping it out.

I agree with Robert, Mk1 rear lights, mk1 grill and bonnet, grp 2 arches and a few other mods and it will change the look completely.

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1/4mile in 13.2sec @ 111 terminal on 15psi