1989 Mini Resoration

[bluesteel]

The Before and After Photos



The car had been sitting in a shed for about 3 years, after the previous restoration attempt was left uncompleted and in a sad state. The best approach was to start again from scratch.

Work started on Wed, and that was pretty much just stripping out the car to become a shell, and running compression and oil pressure tests on the engine.

This is the car as collected.




After being trailered home, the car was rolled in to the workshop and the stripping out begins.













Engine and Subframe dropped on Day 2







Quick Wash..





Dropping the rear subframe..





Some of the parts that were bead blasted and primed. Anything that needed a metal finish, was blasted and then sprayed with laquer.



The rust around the windscreen ground down. It had previously been covered with fillers and not treated, so the primer had just flaked off!



Splitting the rear subframe so that it can be blasted on Monday.



New door step will be fitted



How it sits after a couple of days work!

[daniel garry]

nice project, i really want that garage though!!!

[The Marcos Graveyard]

nice project, i really want that garage though!!!

+1

[jamie forgehilltyres]

hi bluesteel thanyou for the pics this looks like its gonna be a nice build il be following your build closely fairplay.

[knock.mini]

Hi iv a question for you there man how did you get out the clutch and brake cylinder yuno on the engine bay? i couldnt take off mine atall ? please help

[molly the mini]

Did u take out the pins under the dash

[knock.mini]

i seen the pins but couldnt come out i thought there would be an easier way just wondering

[The Marcos Graveyard]

Possibly one of the more awkward jobs on the Mini, once you do get the split pins out and it's best to chuck them and replace them with R clips instead.

It can make things easier to remove the split pins if you first remove the front seats and the gearstick. You still need to be a bit of a contortionist to get at them though.

[knock.mini]

yeah i actually have the interior out its just loaded with parts for the mini and a quad and corolla the garage is a nightmare!

[bluesteel]

With the seats out, its easier to be lie down then, nearly upside down and use a pointy nose pliers and a whole lot of patience!!

[knock.mini]

Haha yeah ill give it another go thanks lads

[bluesteel]

So the car is finished. I have millions of photos to put up!

Its blue with a silver roof, a single silver pinstripe and refurbished silver/polished alloys with W&P colour coded arches, and a bonnet pod.
Underneath it has lime green sub-frames front and rear, hubs, petrol tank and calipers. The 1275 engine is black with some stainless ancillaries. Cupro-nickle brake & petrol pipes all round for that extra shine, and a stainless twin exhaust.
Inside it has new black carpets and mats, black mamba bucket seats, new 3 clock gloss black dash, and stainless/chrome door handles and gearknob.

I'll put up the photos soon!

[bluesteel]

Painted & Lacquered parts



Underneath got a hot wash, and it wasn't too bad at all.



The boot.







Sandblasted subframes.





Lime Green subframes and petrol tank.











Fully stripped shell ready for bodywork.



Mini Garage!

[bluesteel]

The worst area was the boot, that got three new panels fitted.



A new step was fitted to the passenger side, and the drivers side had a repair piece fitted.



The boot looks much better now.



Next we set the car up on our turner:









The underneath was cleaned and treated for rust, although it was in very good condition.



Primed and sprayed with gravitex.



And finally, some blue paint



Engine painted. New seals were fitted all round.



Body being prepped for spraying. The seams around the wings were sealed and Gravitex was put on the front panel.





First of many coats on the doors and the body. The inside was sprayed also.













Arches:

[bluesteel]

Then the rebuilding started!









The bolts had previously broke on the pedal box, so they had to be drilled out.





Lovely warm interior being put together.





Petrol tank in



The engine being dropped in





The black and chrome interior coming together.







Doors being fitted





Engine bay filling up nicely



Subframes built up



On the ground again!











Just a few finishing touches needed at this stage, including the bonnet pod.







Alot of work needed to the pod, the fibreglass was damaged, and it had never been smooth. It also needed a new wiring loom made up for it. IT has angel eye headlights aswell, fitted with blue bulbs to give the blue glow.

[bluesteel]

And finally, these are the photos taken on the day we brought it home to the owner.











These are the original wheels we refurbished, polished and sprayed.



Custom Bot logo for the owner. Bot are his initials.



And the subtle advertising logo!

[kerryminigringo]

Thats Niall Morans old Stobart Mini and Billy owned before Niall.Lovely job getting in back together and looking really nice.The lime green is a nice touch.

[Billy]

That's just plain weird how this Mini keeps reappearing. I owned 89G3855 20 years ago when it was a bog standard 998 Racing Green.

[keith]

nice project, i really want that garage though!!!

+1

+1

[Dylan8660]

A big mention for the Gravitex there, are you an agent for them? is this stuff readily available in Ireland? is it as good as the makers claim? do you use the regular or plus (and why)? can it be brush painted? any additional knowledge/experience?
Sorry for the flood of questions but I have a bit of sill/floor welding to do and am looking to cover it with something good.

[bluesteel]

A big mention for the Gravitex there, are you an agent for them? is this stuff readily available in Ireland? is it as good as the makers claim? do you use the regular or plus (and why)? can it be brush painted? any additional knowledge/experience?
Sorry for the flood of questions but I have a bit of sill/floor welding to do and am looking to cover it with something good.

No no, not an agent at all!! You can get the stuff in most motor factors, and it's sprayed on using a special gun. Gravitex is supposed to stop stone chipping, its just an extra layer of paint. But we had the panels treated for rust and etch primed before it was put on, as it doesn't give a decent water seal. So its not a finish, just a stone chip primer. We just use it under wheel arches and under floors, and the top layer of paint sticks to it very well. Its most effective when applied thickly. Using a brush a dabbing action rather than a brushing action would be closer to the sprayed finish
Metal only rusts when it's exposed to the elements, so the more top layers put down on the clean metal, the better the seal, and the better the protection that the metal has.
We did this blue car so you could look underneath. Its not an everyday car and will probably be garaged a lot! So Waxoyl is best to use under the car when all is done, its dirty but very good.

Hope that helps

[joeyfinneran]

What was the total time from start to finish ? Lime green is different, i like different

[keith]

does the "Hot Wash" underneath remove all the old underseal? or do you have to chip & pull away at it?

[bluesteel]

What was the total time from start to finish ? Lime green is different, i like different

It took about 6 weeks start to finish. Its nice to have the subframes in a different colour!

[bluesteel]

does the "Hot Wash" underneath remove all the old underseal? or do you have to chip & pull away at it?

The hot wash was just to see what was underneath, and it took off some of the waxoyl because we used an industrial degreaser/detergent. We used a Snap-On Crud Removal Air Tool to take off the hard stuff that was left. IT doesn't damage the metal, just takes off what you need.