Welcome to the Irish Mini Owners Club Forum. Keep an eye out of on coming events!!!!

My first mini

This section is for Mini projects and restorations and also the place to show off your pride and joy.

Moderators: spud1979, The Marcos Graveyard, Moderators

Post Reply
VariaL_
NON Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:56 am
Whats your location?: Tallaght/Clondalkin
Region: Eastern
Contact:

My first mini

Post by VariaL_ »

Hey my names David , I'm 17 :) from tallaght and I bought my first car a few months ago. My brother had me hooked at a very young age and when the opportunity arose I couldn't resist haha. I guess I have the bug.
It's a red 1000cc Mayfair that had been sitting in a garden for a year which I have pictures of.
Drove her back from baltinglass , started up first go no bother to her.
Then it went down hill haha. The bracket that holds the back box of the exhaust snapped.
Then she managed to overheat.. And just when we thought it couldn't get any worse the pin popped out of the cv joint so you couldn't fully lock the steering wheel when cornering but we got the little Mayfair home.
Ordered some parts a few days ago
- chrome rocker cover with tbars
- rocker cover gasket
- NGK sparks
- ht leads
- distributor cap
- new engine bushings

So the little Mayfair is getting a facelift to push her through the nct. I'll try get some pictures up soon :)


User avatar
joeyfinneran
NON Member
Posts: 876
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:13 am
Whats your location?: roscommon
Region: Western
Location: roscommon town
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by joeyfinneran »

Welcome to the maddness :lol:
Have fun with the mini (best ever first car) and learn alot
Any problems wit it besure to ask here we have a huge amount of gurros that will answer and questions you got
VariaL_
NON Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:56 am
Whats your location?: Tallaght/Clondalkin
Region: Eastern
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by VariaL_ »

Thanks joe, just trying to get her back on the road is bad enough I could just imagine how frustrating a full restoration would be haha
VariaL_
NON Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:56 am
Whats your location?: Tallaght/Clondalkin
Region: Eastern
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by VariaL_ »

Image

When I got her ^


Image
minis24se7en
NON Member
Posts: 447
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2005 7:05 pm
Whats your location?: Mayo.
Region: Western
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by minis24se7en »

Welcome David,

Nice 1st mini. It looks well, nice and chunky with the arches and super-lights :)
VariaL_
NON Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:56 am
Whats your location?: Tallaght/Clondalkin
Region: Eastern
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by VariaL_ »

Image

Parts arrived :D let the fun begin
VariaL_
NON Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:56 am
Whats your location?: Tallaght/Clondalkin
Region: Eastern
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by VariaL_ »

It's been along time over due but I thought Id give everyone a update!
It turned out that my mini was actually knackered!
So It got quite the overhaul
- new drive shafts
- choke
- coil
- dizzy
- leads
- wheel bearings
- radiator
- all new gaskets , including getting the head gasket done!
- water pump
- engine steadys
- disks and pads
- subframe bushes
- air box (k and n was making the car run horribly)

After the majority of that we were booked in for the nct and surprise surprise it failed!
The structural integrity of the front of the car was gone! It was a death trap and the guy in the nct Center laughed at me and my brother when we said we'll be back..

So I sent my squeaky mini up to Tony in cooks town minis and classics! I believe he's new there but he knows his stuff indeed! He repaired the front , patched up the little bits including the battery box and installed new stainless steel sills Aswell as undersealing the whole car. All at a decent price , so I'd recommend him.

Sent it back in for the nct and it passed with flying colours! Just so happened that the same guy who laughed at me handed over the nct disk.. I was over the moon!

Bought a few shiny bits but I'll mention em tomorrow followed with some pictures :)

Cheers, dave
User avatar
armo
NON Member
Posts: 428
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:38 am
Whats your location?: dublin
What Minis have you?: austin mini 25 .1984
Modifications: stage 1 kit 12" mini lights ,and a hole heap of new shiney parts
imoc member
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by armo »

Stainless steel sills ??? That's quite a list of thing you've done . It never ends lol
VariaL_
NON Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:56 am
Whats your location?: Tallaght/Clondalkin
Region: Eastern
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by VariaL_ »

That's corrrect! Stainless!! He makes em from stainless sheet metal as far as I know!
Well the car is legit as of yesterday ( bought tax, hasn't been taxed in two and a half years) haha
Nct and insured... Just glad everything is done.
User avatar
woody
IMOC Paid Member
Posts: 2820
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 11:55 pm
Whats your location?: Drogheda
Region: Eastern
What Minis have you?: Traveller
Turbo
Hornet
Equinox
MINI Clubman
Location: LOUTH
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by woody »

Never heard of stainless steel sills before. Can you weld stainless to mild steel?
TECHNICAL MODERATOR
VariaL_
NON Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:56 am
Whats your location?: Tallaght/Clondalkin
Region: Eastern
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by VariaL_ »

As far as I know tig welds work just fine.. But I haven't got a huge knowledge on how you go about it!
User avatar
armo
NON Member
Posts: 428
Joined: Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:38 am
Whats your location?: dublin
What Minis have you?: austin mini 25 .1984
Modifications: stage 1 kit 12" mini lights ,and a hole heap of new shiney parts
imoc member
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by armo »

I'm not sure if tig will work or not but tbh I doubt very much it was done with a tig welder great idea if they are solid and work doh ...
VariaL_
NON Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:56 am
Whats your location?: Tallaght/Clondalkin
Region: Eastern
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by VariaL_ »

Well the car speaks for itself.. It's solid!
User avatar
flynny-8
NON Member
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2011 6:07 pm
Whats your location?: Co.cork
Region: Southern
Location: Co. cork
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by flynny-8 »

Nice looking mini you got yourself, have you been doing the mechanical work on it yourself or what?? Ive got a mini aswell as having a daily car but being a broke college student means its a real love hate relationship haha. I wish I had to knowledge to do a lot more on my own one.
VariaL_
NON Member
Posts: 85
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 5:56 am
Whats your location?: Tallaght/Clondalkin
Region: Eastern
Contact:

Re: My first mini

Post by VariaL_ »

Nah man mechanical work was done by a garage up the road ( bobby doyles autos ) in newlands cross and cooks town minis and classics! Wouldn't know enough to do it myself unfortunately , but I'll learn!
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests