Mk1 restoration...what have I let myself in for!
Turbo Mini Forums

Well as recent threads have proved, there is no such thing as a shell which is beyond repair. Not that there is much of the original shell left!

Great job your doing, ive posted some pics of the car a few years ago, on the front page of the site for you! Steve.

Thanks for the comments! Ive made some more progress with the bootfloor. Im getting picky now, and wanted it to look like the original...out came the grinder again. My neighbours love me!













ive measured the original fuel hose hole, and its a 16mm flared hole. Im not sure whether to try and replicate it or drill it bigger and fit a rubber grommet?



This is how badly the heel board was patched.

Edited by matty on 4th Oct, 2010.

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

M Machine turn a heritage floor into a Mk1/2 one for a lot of money but I suppose that makes it worth doing yourself.

I've started reading your thread on the Mk1 forum, it's interesting to know it's a 66 Cooper shell. I did notice that bracket but it didn't click that it was a Cooper. I'm assuming you are going to rebuild it as an 850 though as the floor you have doesn't have the remote gearchange hole. Also, getting hold of all the Cooper bits would not be cheap.

What are you using to remove the paint ready to weld the panels in? I find it such a tedious and time consuming job, I wish heritage panels came in weld through primer.

You're making great progress, you'll be finished before me at this rate.

Nice details Matty, the bits that make a good car into a great car.

Paul

I seriously doubt it!

Flame - I had no idea of its origins when I started the build tbh, and ive always liked the idea of an 850 with magic wand.

Like you say, trying to source cooper parts for it would not be cheap, and it wouldn't be worth it as the shell is near enough all being replaced. lol

Im just using one of them flapper discs to remove the paint. It seems to come off quite easy.

Cheers Paul, I was a bit worried how it would turn out, but I know it would annoy me if I hadn't changed it.

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

About 15 hours of grinding, 1 broken angle grinder, and lots of frustration it now looks like this...not much different! lol

Only a few hours work now, and the boot floor can be welded in, along with the wheel arches. The rear panel was 5mm to low so I cut the tacks off and rewelded it back on in the right place.

Unfortunately the rear bulkhead it is never going to be perfect, and as that panel is longer available it'll have to be left with a few historic battle scars.





The floor is near enough in now. The only set back is that the arms on my welder are about 2" to short to weld it to the heel board. :(

Amazingly everything lined up ok, I measureed to make sure and it was spot on!





Tank stand in.



Im guessing the seat panel should be inline with the crease on the boot floor?

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

wow there slow down there matey your putting the rest of us to shame lol. great work mate

1972 998 TURBO SLEEPER

That seat back should not line up with the crease, where it is is about right. On my Mk2 it has a bracket which joins all 3 panels around there but I don't think a Mk1 should have that. Is your car going to be hydrolastic or dry? You may need to add some sort of bump stop reinforcement if it's hydro but I'm not sure what a Mk1 would have.

Are you going to fit the rear boot board brackets as you may need to spot weld them depending on the year of the car so now would be the time to do it. I can probably get the measurments off my car if you need to know where to put them.

Great progress again though, I wish I was getting mine done this fast.

Edited by Flame Red on 15th Oct, 2010.

Great progress. How do you find the time with a job and a new born??

Impressive stuff mate!!

Are you seriously going to put in on the road in standard trim with an 850 engine?

full weld in cage and maybe a vtec gets my vote!

Flame - It has the boot board brackets on the bulkhead, are you on about the ones on the rear panel? I'll more than likely fit them, have you got any pics?

Andy - I usually get up early get my job done at work, then get an hour or so in whilst the little one is having a nap. lol If im 'allowed' to spend a day on it on a weekend I usually make the most of it and do a 12hour day on it.

Minimole - My other mini is the one to do stupid engine mods to and make as impractical and unsafe to drive on the roads. This one is hopefully going to be a good excuse to visit the shows to far away for the 16v mini.

Im hoping to get it back on all 4 wheels in the next couple of weeks. Then progress will be on hold until whilst the manifolds are being made.

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

I can't find any decent pictures of my car with the boot board removed and it's not very easy to get to at the moment but I've found this picture of someone elses car

I have looked into it and found that the rear backets should be rivited on until 67 after which they are spot welded. Those brackets are available in standard or raised height depending on which spare wheel you have.

As far as I can find out the reinforcement which is fitted between the seat back, arch and boot floor wasn't fitted until 67 either. That means the only bump stop reinforcement is the small square plate fitted under the boot floor in the same place. You'll need to fit these if you're using hydrolastic suspension, they were fitted until the end of production but I can't see any reason for that as they serve no purpose on a dry car.

I hope this helps a bit, I'm no expert so you might want to look on the Cooper register if you need more information.

Matt

Some great inspiring work here!! i would have been overwhelmed with all that work!! cant wait to see it finished

Previous Engine: 1040cc Morespeed engine, 1275 turbo head T2 Turbo Mirage Manifolds Megajolt
Previous engine: STD metro turbo, megajolt
Drives: 399bananahp (flywheel) Honda Civic Vtec b18c4 T28 Turbo 1968 Mini

Megajolt maps to download: http://www.jamesfawcett.co.uk/cms/index.ph...&gid=3&Itemid=3

Sorry to keep posting, I hope I'm not making things too confusing. Anyway, I've looked in John Parnell's book and he says that the reinforcing brackets should be fitted to all hydrolastic cars so around september 64 onwards. BMH list them as being fitted from 67 onwards but I'd be a lot more confident that 64 is correct. I have looked in BMC Body Service Parts List AKD3510 but the copy I have is from late 63 and doesn't list those brackets at all.

Cheers for the info. TBH im thinking of not fitting them, somerfords don't list them at all for the mk1? Im going for the dry suspension setup (mainly down to cost, symplicity ease of maintenance). Im going to get some of them boot board brackets, but I think i'll spot them in. Not sure I like the idea of riviting them in?

Were there any minis that didn't have the interior quarter card retaining strip fitted?

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

Yes, 59 and 60 didnt have them Matty

I seriously doubt it!

Some pics of where im at.

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

As you can see from the pic above ^^^ the panel doesn't fit at the top edge where it meets the window.

The only 2 ways I can solve this seem to be either push the arch down or bend the panel out to give more of a curve. Has anyone had a similar problem before.

Edited by matty on 19th Oct, 2010.

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

It doesnt look to me like the curve of the quarter panel matches the rear panel, it looks a bit flat

I seriously doubt it!

Paul - they do look very flat compared to the originals!

Ive had another fettle with it and it seems a bit better. Its under a fair amount of tension mind!

Here's the arch location



Here's the panel alignment now...its a bit better, still not perfect though. I don't like to position wher they join..its right on the corner of the swage line.

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

I understand what you mean about the quarter panel now, I think you'll have to adapt it to fit. Does the lower swage line line up with the rear panel? If it does then at least it shouldn't be too difficult.

If you are using dry suspension I can see no reason to fit the reinforcing brackets other than for historical accuracy. Both Somerford and BMH list them as being fitted from 67 but I have seen pictures of Mk1s with them. As they are related to the hydrolastic suspension I would go with September 64 but it's really up to you whether you want to fit them or not.

The rivits used for the boot board brackets had quite a large head, you can just about see them in the picture I posted. On a 66 Cooper they would have been rivited but as an 850 wouldn't have a boot board I can't see it really matters how you attach them.

Is that a genuine or a pattern quarter panel? I've got that pleasure in the near future...