My Classic Mini 1000
Discussion
I keep posting that I will start a thread about my Mini, so here it is 
I'm coming up to my 17th birthday next year, and after previously being set on having an Aygo/C1/107 for my first car, I was getting insurance quotes of over £3k
I then hastily suggested to my dad about having a Classic Mini, and at first he was very reluctant, which I suppose is understandable! But then he came round to the idea when I told him that I could potentially get insured for sub-£2k, and he also owned a 998 and then a 1275GT in his earlier years so he knew his way around them.
We started hunting, initially for Coopers, before I found out that it would cost me £1500 more for insurance on a 1275cc compared to a 998! It was then that I stumbled across this blue 1000: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330640998436?ssPageName=...
Admittedly, it was older than I was really looking for being a 1977 car, but it had been owned by the same family since new and had only done 40,000 miles. It had a brand new front end and A-panels, as well as a newer (less brown) interior and front brake discs in 2007, and rust-wise there was hardly anything to report. On the test drive it ran brilliantly and after looking at three other cars, this one was definitely the best and the one I really wanted.
Here is a pic from the advert:
We drove the 75-mile journey home and the car never missed a beat, although we thought that, even though the engine only originally had 40bhp, by cleaning it and freshening everything up it could feel a bit more sprightly. There was no doubt that it was in brilliant condition for its age, but we knew that there was more room for improvement.
The first thing we did was have all the wheels off and rustproofed under the wheelarches and in the sills, before painting it all black.
Before:
After:
We also detailed the wheels (I'm going to get some new centre caps for these as well)
The underneath of the car was also rustproofed whilst the exhaust was re-painted:
After this, we set to work on the interior. We removed the seats and carpets (and underfelt!) which revealed a reassuringly solid shell. This was then cleaned and any surface rust was treated and painted with Hammerite. We then removed the dashboard and soundproofing and new soundproofing has been installed (not shown on this photo).
The interior has been left like that for the time being until I get a new radio and all the speaker wires must go under the floor, so then it was time to tackle the engine bay. It was probably the weak point of the car because it was very grubby and needed a thorough clean, so we decided to remove the engine.
The engine as it was before removal:
Hung on the hoist!
The engine was then placed in front of the car so that we could begin grinding off surface rust and dirt. The results were very surprising - even before painting, it was looking quite shiny!
The block was then painted black, with the rest including the cylinder head silver. I plan to get a blue rocker cover which should be added in the next week or two. Here is the engine now:
Meanwhile, the gaping hole in the engine bay meant that we could re-paint the bulkhead and all exposed metal the original blue it once was. Surface rust was removed and then it was sprayed with grey primer before the blue was added on top. We also painted the subframe with black Hammerite.
Here is a collection of bits that were taken off the engine before removal which have also been cleaned where necessary and sprayed black/silver:
That is the stage that we are currently at. There are only a few more jobs to do before the new year when the engine and interior will be going back in. I will keep this thread updated as things progress.
Thanks for looking
I'm coming up to my 17th birthday next year, and after previously being set on having an Aygo/C1/107 for my first car, I was getting insurance quotes of over £3k
I then hastily suggested to my dad about having a Classic Mini, and at first he was very reluctant, which I suppose is understandable! But then he came round to the idea when I told him that I could potentially get insured for sub-£2k, and he also owned a 998 and then a 1275GT in his earlier years so he knew his way around them.We started hunting, initially for Coopers, before I found out that it would cost me £1500 more for insurance on a 1275cc compared to a 998! It was then that I stumbled across this blue 1000: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/330640998436?ssPageName=...
Admittedly, it was older than I was really looking for being a 1977 car, but it had been owned by the same family since new and had only done 40,000 miles. It had a brand new front end and A-panels, as well as a newer (less brown) interior and front brake discs in 2007, and rust-wise there was hardly anything to report. On the test drive it ran brilliantly and after looking at three other cars, this one was definitely the best and the one I really wanted.
Here is a pic from the advert:
We drove the 75-mile journey home and the car never missed a beat, although we thought that, even though the engine only originally had 40bhp, by cleaning it and freshening everything up it could feel a bit more sprightly. There was no doubt that it was in brilliant condition for its age, but we knew that there was more room for improvement.
The first thing we did was have all the wheels off and rustproofed under the wheelarches and in the sills, before painting it all black.
Before:
After:
We also detailed the wheels (I'm going to get some new centre caps for these as well)
The underneath of the car was also rustproofed whilst the exhaust was re-painted:
After this, we set to work on the interior. We removed the seats and carpets (and underfelt!) which revealed a reassuringly solid shell. This was then cleaned and any surface rust was treated and painted with Hammerite. We then removed the dashboard and soundproofing and new soundproofing has been installed (not shown on this photo).
The interior has been left like that for the time being until I get a new radio and all the speaker wires must go under the floor, so then it was time to tackle the engine bay. It was probably the weak point of the car because it was very grubby and needed a thorough clean, so we decided to remove the engine.
The engine as it was before removal:
Hung on the hoist!
The engine was then placed in front of the car so that we could begin grinding off surface rust and dirt. The results were very surprising - even before painting, it was looking quite shiny!
The block was then painted black, with the rest including the cylinder head silver. I plan to get a blue rocker cover which should be added in the next week or two. Here is the engine now:
Meanwhile, the gaping hole in the engine bay meant that we could re-paint the bulkhead and all exposed metal the original blue it once was. Surface rust was removed and then it was sprayed with grey primer before the blue was added on top. We also painted the subframe with black Hammerite.
Here is a collection of bits that were taken off the engine before removal which have also been cleaned where necessary and sprayed black/silver:
That is the stage that we are currently at. There are only a few more jobs to do before the new year when the engine and interior will be going back in. I will keep this thread updated as things progress.
Thanks for looking
Edited by chriscoates on Thursday 22 December 21:33
Thanks for the kind comments guys! Been to Mini Spares today to get some bits - blue rocker cover, rev-counter, new brake drums to name a few. Engine is going back in on the first Saturday of 2012 so I will put some pics of that up when the time comes.
And no, I didn't pay £4k for it, the high starting price was probably why it had no bids, because the car itself looked tidy.
And no, I didn't pay £4k for it, the high starting price was probably why it had no bids, because the car itself looked tidy.
An update:
Got a lot of things done on the car this weekend.
First thing was to get the engine back in and running. We knew that getting the driveshafts back in would be the most difficult part, although actually it was less trouble than we expected.
Straight after the hoist was removed:
We then added the blue rocker cover which set the engine bay off nicely:
It took a bit of cranking which we expected, but once a tight throttle cable had been sorted, it was running brilliantly.
All the grilles were then put back on - I got a new grille surround kit from Mini Spares which we fitted and then the front was done.
Meanwhile, after posting this topic on the Mini Forum, I was alerted to the bolts holding the spacers onto the rear drums, which are prone to shearing - not good! I bought some new, updated brake drums with built-in spacers which are much safer, so they were fitted.
Other things that I haven't got pictures of:
New front-right wheel-arch trim fitted (old one had cracked)
Front and rear mudflaps fitted
Rear bench, windows and door bins back in
Also, a quick catch up of things that were done last week:
The headlining had orange patches all over it and looked like something had been stuck to it at one time, so we used some white primer and sprayed it, which avoided the big task of fitting a new headlining.
The rear speakers were installed in the parcel shelf - I didn't realise they were so small when I bought them but they had good reviews and it's only a small car so they should be adequate. The radio should be in and working next weekend.
Next weekend the interior should be fully back together, and that leaves the paintwork, which as you can imagine after all the work is in a pretty poor state at the moment - it's like sandpaper!
Thanks for looking
Got a lot of things done on the car this weekend.
First thing was to get the engine back in and running. We knew that getting the driveshafts back in would be the most difficult part, although actually it was less trouble than we expected.
Straight after the hoist was removed:
We then added the blue rocker cover which set the engine bay off nicely:
It took a bit of cranking which we expected, but once a tight throttle cable had been sorted, it was running brilliantly.
All the grilles were then put back on - I got a new grille surround kit from Mini Spares which we fitted and then the front was done.
Meanwhile, after posting this topic on the Mini Forum, I was alerted to the bolts holding the spacers onto the rear drums, which are prone to shearing - not good! I bought some new, updated brake drums with built-in spacers which are much safer, so they were fitted.
Other things that I haven't got pictures of:
New front-right wheel-arch trim fitted (old one had cracked)
Front and rear mudflaps fitted
Rear bench, windows and door bins back in
Also, a quick catch up of things that were done last week:
The headlining had orange patches all over it and looked like something had been stuck to it at one time, so we used some white primer and sprayed it, which avoided the big task of fitting a new headlining.
The rear speakers were installed in the parcel shelf - I didn't realise they were so small when I bought them but they had good reviews and it's only a small car so they should be adequate. The radio should be in and working next weekend.
Next weekend the interior should be fully back together, and that leaves the paintwork, which as you can imagine after all the work is in a pretty poor state at the moment - it's like sandpaper!
Thanks for looking
Edited by chriscoates on Sunday 8th January 20:02
Another update!
Everything is now finished on the car - all that is left to do now is to properly clay and polish the paintwork which has obviously suffered from the past two months.
All the interior has now been completed, and we have added a new dash liner, rev-counter and steering wheel adjuster, as well as the radio which is now fully installed.
I also wanted a boot liner, but I wasn't prepared to pay the ridiculous prices at Mini Spares, so we made one instead by cutting some wood and sticking my old bedroom carpet on it
I was very happy with the result.
Before:
After (apologies for the quality):
Mudflaps are also now on the back, as well as a subtle piece of chrome trim I got from Halfrauds to cover up the sharp edge which runs along the front and rear valance. Chrome exhaust trim is yet to be attached :P
We're going to the Mini Fair next week where I'm sure I will see some bits and pieces to add to it - I already want some chrome door handles and window winders and some new centre caps for the wheels!
Other than the paintwork, all that is left to do is get out and start driving it
Everything is now finished on the car - all that is left to do now is to properly clay and polish the paintwork which has obviously suffered from the past two months.
All the interior has now been completed, and we have added a new dash liner, rev-counter and steering wheel adjuster, as well as the radio which is now fully installed.
I also wanted a boot liner, but I wasn't prepared to pay the ridiculous prices at Mini Spares, so we made one instead by cutting some wood and sticking my old bedroom carpet on it
I was very happy with the result.Before:
After (apologies for the quality):
Mudflaps are also now on the back, as well as a subtle piece of chrome trim I got from Halfrauds to cover up the sharp edge which runs along the front and rear valance. Chrome exhaust trim is yet to be attached :P
We're going to the Mini Fair next week where I'm sure I will see some bits and pieces to add to it - I already want some chrome door handles and window winders and some new centre caps for the wheels!
Other than the paintwork, all that is left to do is get out and start driving it
Edited by chriscoates on Sunday 22 January 10:55
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