1983 Austin Minivan Resto begins.
Discussion
Pixel-Snapper said:
Thanks guys I now you love it really!
6 months to go till D-Day and my 30th so need all the encouragement I can get at the moment.
Really need a big push this winter and get the damn thing ship shape.
I have been meaning to comment via a computer for sometime but I have just not had the time.6 months to go till D-Day and my 30th so need all the encouragement I can get at the moment.
Really need a big push this winter and get the damn thing ship shape.
The reason being I think we find our selves in a similar boat.. ( a leaky rusting mini shaped boat!)
I will be putting a topic up with many pictures and words as an account of my mini story sometime soon but as I am not very teccie it might be Christmas before I get round to it.
However, a short amount of our shared difficulties.
when I was 28; 2.5 years ago I bought a 1970 850 Super Delux, everything was "in" the car in one way or another, but it all needed a refresh. So I stripped the shell, uprated the parts as my wallet would allow, and started to put it back together... It was a vampire on my time and every time I thought I had ordered the last set of parts another gasket or bolt or sender unit would crop up. However in the last 2 weeks I finished the wiring with some help, and drove the car 35miles home to the MOT station and it passed; with no interior trim, no blanking plate over the remote gear housing, no wing mirrors, dash/lining/headlining any sort of sound deadening etc etc.
I then stripped the car again and sent it off to paint, where it currently is baking. I've got about 8-15 hours of making him pretty and it will all be done. That first drive was utterly amazing though, stressful, uncomfortable, noisy, and generally scary! You need to crack on with it as much as you can, winter months are s
tty to work in and my garage is the same as yours in size, making access and laying on the floor utterly miserable. You can do it in time for your 30th just don't be scared to get help if something is holding you back; it can be a massive time drain without realising it! make sure you tidy the garage every time you leave too, it makes for much better progress when you have a couple of hours just to "pop" in. Head down, crack on.
Picture dump over the last few weeks
Subby went in at last. Checked the subby mount was in the right place then had to take it out again to weld it in.
Hopefully it wont crab!
Tacked in drivers side.
Tacked in load bed.
Plug welding inside load bed.
Then seam welded the subby mount on. No waters getting in behind there now!
full view.
Then made some yorkshire with bangers and mash.
Next up the over sill.
Eye eye crusty pie.
Starting to look interesting around the toe board / inner sill.
Almost surgical with the grinder now.
This patch needs investigating.
Well well what do you know it's a sill sandwich.
And where I got to last night.
Tonight I'm going to start cutting the rot out from the back.
My rear quarter floor arrived yesterday so going to do that the inner sill and new cross member by Saturday afternoon hopefully.
Subby went in at last. Checked the subby mount was in the right place then had to take it out again to weld it in.
Hopefully it wont crab!
Tacked in drivers side.
Tacked in load bed.
Plug welding inside load bed.
Then seam welded the subby mount on. No waters getting in behind there now!
full view.
Then made some yorkshire with bangers and mash.
Next up the over sill.
Eye eye crusty pie.
Starting to look interesting around the toe board / inner sill.
Almost surgical with the grinder now.
This patch needs investigating.
Well well what do you know it's a sill sandwich.
And where I got to last night.
Tonight I'm going to start cutting the rot out from the back.
My rear quarter floor arrived yesterday so going to do that the inner sill and new cross member by Saturday afternoon hopefully.
Bit more chopping last night. Not as much as I'd hoped though as the rear of the sill was a right mare to get off.
that's as far as I got. I'll have to finish chopping it out on Saturday morning before the football.
I'd like to aim to get the floor finished and painted by the end of the month, which would then mean I can get the subframes back in and the shell rolling by Christmas.
Hopefully then some paint in the new year!!!!
that's as far as I got. I'll have to finish chopping it out on Saturday morning before the football.
I'd like to aim to get the floor finished and painted by the end of the month, which would then mean I can get the subframes back in and the shell rolling by Christmas.
Hopefully then some paint in the new year!!!!
Keep going. Brilliant recovery so far on this van!Gassing Station | Classic Minis | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff