I bought a lovely British Racing Green 1990 Rover mini, nicknamed the hulk, just before Christmas 2012 and was smitten with the mini bug. My mini story begins there but I had walked past a gorgeous blue mini every day (I never stood a chance). It was a dream come true but quickly ran into issues passing the NCT. 3 attempts later it’s still not through. Needless to say it’s become a money pit but I love her all the more for it.
Anyway onto the case in hand my 1980 mini 850.
Primary colour: Rust. A previous owner had poorly attempted a gun-metal grey respray and the original blue is winking through in patches.
I’v decided to call it Joseph, after Joseph and his technicolour coat.
Bought as a total project it’s in very poor condition.
I have decided to totally strip it and hopefully rebuild it from the ground up with minimal garage work. Some areas may call for expert help, eg. Painting, but hopefully I’ll stumble along unaided with the milder levels of work. A couple of friends work in garages, one owns a garage, and another has previously built his own mini up, which was sold to a young lad on this site im pretty sure, so many favours will be called in over the comming months.
If progress seems slow at times im probably just broke or waiting for parts to arrive.
With thanks to a bumpy road, failing rubbers and stormy weather we lost the back window on the journey home.
The brakes were totally shot and the trailer was far from top spec so it was a nervous trip all in all.
I didn't get to take any photos of it before I started stripping it out unfortunately. All that it had extra was rear seats the headliner and the rear view mirror. I also have the chrome trim that's partially missing in the photos and the front lights.
I got replacement sills and passenger side door step with the car.
I’ve done up a list of parts/repairs I think it needs, anything I miss I’m sure I’ll find out later.
Grill surrounds are incomplete/tarnished and need replacement.
Both bumpers need attention.
On a side note here I was thinking about a fiberglass flip front? Too ambitious?
Suspension will need to be upgraded as its never been touched. I have every intention of fitting hi/lo’s but will depend on budget when they get fitted.
Headlights need work.
Front floor pans are rotten on both sides.
Passenger doorstep needs replacement.
Sills need replacing
Boot floor needs replacing
Rear seat panel needs repair. (It was bad but then I butchered it to get at the brake lines)
It could do with rear shelf repair/touch up.
The windows need new rubbers all round. Also a new heated back window is needed.
Both doors need new locks and internals. Door-cards need replacement at some stage. drivers door needs work/replacemnt.
As of yet I’m undecided about interior. The original interior is passable with a bit of work and I’d hate to regret discarding it in months to come, so for now it stays.
Wiring will be necessary but to what extent is still unclear. Most but not all electrical parts function as is.
Brakes. The brake lines were corroded and leaking so need replacing all round.
The drums and other brake parts (pads etc... need repair if not replacement)
The car starts and runs to an acceptable level but I hope to remove the engine and give it a light restoration. It works up and down the gearbox perfectly so that's a bonus.
I’ve seen engine bays left original but I think blue/red parts look best on a clean repainted engine so cleaning and repainting were I can is the general plan.
It needs a full respray. Im planning on returning it to its origional blue. Welding/repair work wil need to be completed first. I have had a few thoughts on either wrapping it or plasti dipping it to protect the paint and i quite like the thoughts of a matte black mini. Again all opinions welcome...
Probably should have listed the working parts as its by far a shorter list.
I'm sure more issues will come to mind.
By far the biggest annoyance so far is the rusty nuts.
Any and every nut, bolt and screw seem to be held in place with 34 years of rust. They seem to be untouched since the car rolled off the showroom floor.
i had to butcher these to remove them.
All help is appreciated but don't get worked up if I totally ignore advice and do my own thing.
