Tinkerbelle - was: [Our '84 Convertible Pile of Rust]

[marcexec]

Hi,

I'd like to present our Mini:

- it's a 1l engined '84, around 47k Miles
- the mechanics seem sound
- after fighting the rust we want a respray in BRG
- the bodykit is for sale, we would like to give it a classic look

We are from Germany and recently moved to Kildare Town, so any advice how/where to get things is very much appreciated.
In general I think I can handle everything except welding and real good resprays.
I plan to remove all the surface rust and apply some Hammerite in the interior and boot area.

Of course we will come to Mondello, it would be nice meeting some of you there!


I would appreciate tips on who would be a good welder / panel beater in the area, or where i can get a quality respray.

some pics

[StevenR]

Willkommen,
Looks like you have a nice project on your hands there. I'm sure you'll be able to get plenty of advise of people on Sunday with regards the body work. Keep us all updated with the progress.

[The Marcos Graveyard]

Hi Marc and welcome to the forum, you'll find most of us will be in Mondello at the weekend and you will get a chance to chat to other Club members from Co. Kildare, commonly known as the M.I.C.K's,( Mini's In County Kildare ), have a look at their cars and find out where they got them sprayed.

Ian from Mini Quip will be there also , he carries a lot of spares and panels and is based in the North but he makes it down to a good few shows throughout the year.

Other than that many people just order stuff in from England from the likes of Somerford who seem to be very quick and helpful.

See you Sunday,
TMG

[joe f murray]

hi you have a nice we car there. i have some body panels if you are interested. i have 2 front wings / full front panel / and a bonnet all new i bought them for a project and then changed my mind. so if you are interested in them you can pm me or give me a call on 087 7517831.
joe

[just_st3v3n]

welcome to the forum..
thats a nice job ya have ahead of ya there i have pretty much done all what you are about to do here check it out http://irishminis.ie/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2480
if ya want a hand wit the welding let me know...

steven

[marcexec]

Thanks,
(und Dankeschön für das "Willkommen" )

We are really looking forward to Mondello.

Any suggestions on what has to be done / is the most sensible thing to do with the shell? Should we replace panels or can they be saved with a little welding.

For Rust Proofing I am looking at http://www.rustaway.ie/catalog/product_ ... ucts_id=29
Any experience with that?

@Steven: I would appreciate your offer, but aren't you a little far away? Isn't Cavan 130kms to the north of Kildare Town? That's what Google says, anyway

And since we are only 20kms from Mondello: If someone has a longer way to travel, I think I could convince my wife that we can offer B&B for fellow Mini enthusiasts on Saturday to Sunday morning.
Give me a call for that: 086/8951758 / Marc

[just_st3v3n]

ah im not working so it only seems like a short spin up the road...
the drive to dublin would be more or less the same which i do quite often...

i my opinion i would say to get a whole new front end it looks pretty bad from the pics, the cost of the panels isnt oh so much and you might even consider a fibreglass flip front..
the footwell can be patched up i reckon, the cracking is just the rubber floor insulation give the rust a rub with a wire brush and you might find its just surface rust...
a patch can be made up for the rear arch if its just that hole but if the lip/around it is rusty a replacement panel can be bought..
also expect to buy some new inner/outer sills..

im going to mondello on saturday so prolly be talking to ya there

steven

[marcexec]

Yeah, I already gathered that from your present thread.

How will I recognize you guys, anyway?

[The Marcos Graveyard]

Steven will be easy to spot, he'll have a hi-vis jacket on.

[just_st3v3n]

good point marc...

Steven will be easy to spot, he'll have a hi-vis jacket on.

how did you know that neill!!!!?????????

il start a thread on this cuz i still dont have a clue on peoples names faces etc...

[marcexec]

To clear up 2 things:

1.)


That's me.

2.)
the offer of B&B Saturday to Sunday still stands (wife says OK). Price: one educated look at CPoR and a whole lot of advice.
We actually have a 4 bedroom house for just 2 people and a dog. There's place for 5 and for another Mini on the driveway

[marcexec]

This evening I found some time and good weather to hammer and wire-brush away some rust and much much more filler. What was left of the roof had been completely "restyled". No wonder if you look at all the dents.

I have made some pics so that you can give advice on which panels to keep and which to buy new. If possible we would like to buy them at Mondello.

Most importantly would you remove what's left of the roof? Are there panels available? You can see some holes an there is surface rust on the inside. The sills are OK. The front probably isn't worth restoring, is it?

[marcexec]

My wife just complained that I do not like "her" Mini (because of CPoR) and that it will be BRG. Also she says that it is more lovely than those "evil" photos show (probably she thinks ther may be good parts, too).

[just_st3v3n]

that looks like a lot of work... <---- dont be put of by that comment though

whole front end and bonnet here cheap enough, he going to mondello too
http://irishminis.ie/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3292

[kenno]

looks great. Welll done!!

[marcexec]

looks great. Welll done!!

Thanks, we've only just begun.

BTW are you on some kind of nightshift? 4:30 AM!

[joe f murray]

Hi, just in case you think I did a runner with your money, Steven hasn't contacted me about collecting the parts yet. They're ready and waiting.

[marcexec]

Thx, Joe, worked out nicely.

I'll update this thread tomorrow.

[Jozi]

Thx, Joe, worked out nicely.

I'll update this thread tomorrow.

Where's the update

I know you've been working Steven pretty hard the past few days, poor lad

[marcexec]

I know you've been working Steven pretty hard the past few days, poor lad

Us too!

I tried to send pics to work, now I've got them:



We basically did some cleaning and applied the 2-component rust proofing (Epoxy Mastic, rustaway.ie) which ist quite thrifty: ~50ml for the hat-rack and edges, 125ml for the rest.
I think it's quite cool, it is not as soft as stone chip, btw.

[marcexec]

more pics


the parts chaos


rear subframe still in


front removed partially


our great help & welder Steven (D_3m0_n), though he's not familiar with German electric drills (insider)


front out, the new one is aready partially in, but we didn't make any pictures yet (they will come, I promise!)

when we removed the rear subframe, the pipe around a shock broke (rusted away) so I ordered 4 new ones and new bushes as well from OLD SKOOL MINI PARTS through eBay. Nice guy, called him afterwards to add a gasket that wasn't in his shop. His offer was cheap on shipping, have to see about the rest.

[marcexec]

just shopped for some tools, found those a good offer and ordered:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tap-Wrench-set-M5 ... 7C294%3A30


and

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0307552711

just thought it might interest someone

[marcexec]

Structural Integrity
(yes, I know, too much StarTrek)

This evening the guy who'll probably do the paint job went by and said that this yoke/half-cage thing is not enough for a convertible Mini shell.
He said the body will twist when stressed. The cracks on the bodykit might have been an indication...

What do you guys think?

Some pics of the present state and the work Steven had done on Tuesday. The offside part of the front has to be re-done because it did not line up perfectly. You can also see where the yoke is attached.

[marcexec]

Suggestion:
would it make sense to add some 3 by 3 or 4 by 4 cm steel pipe in those places?

[macker]

i would tend to agree!

from past experience of cutting a roof off a mini without any strengthening bars in place when you open both doors at the same time and step in, thats it! body folds in two!

you need a lot more strengthening in a mini convertable!