Sept '61 Deluxe

[surf-blue-850]

Bought the Mini in 2006, been left in a field for some time. Looked to be fairly original but rusty, how rusty became very apparent later.

[surf-blue-850]

[surf-blue-850]

Once I got it home I contacted the DVLA as I didn't have a V5. They said I had to use a club for the application.

Anyway sometime later I found out that the registration number had been transferred to a Shogun, but the DVLA wouldn't give details.

Enter MCR, with another application they said the number had indeed been transferred under the cherished number scheme but they couldn't tell me what the number was that was given to the Mini. The club inspected the Mini and sent off the forms and with the dogged determination of the MCR they coughed up the reg number and I was able to get the V5.

Going back in time, I set about it with the plasma cutter. Once I had removed 50% of the car, I had the remains blasted, big mistake! Went to collect the shell and it looked like an elephant had been tap dancing on the roof. Bloke said "ah it was full of filler mate".

[Matt_Tupman]

. Bloke said "ah it was full of filler mate".

I've had that before, what they actually mean is ''ah I don't know what I'm doing and I've blasted your thin metal with too high a pressure"

[surf-blue-850]

Bought a load of panels including inner and outer wings, toe board, front panel, boot floor, A panels, wheel tubs and so on.

Got it home and started welding panels on and realised I needed help sorting the floor panel, I had bought a complete floor from M machine I think. So I got a mate to finish all the welding. Once he'd finished with the doors fitted, it went off to get the roof sorted and the shell painted.

To be fair the bodyshop made a good job of the roof and paint. But the problems were just beginning. They wanted 2 doors to finish the job as the originals needed skins and repairs to the frames, I found 2 doors that were done by the mini door co, left them at the bodyshop to paint. Meanwhile I had the shell back to fit the subframes etc. They wanted the car back to check the doors for fit before painting but never arranged to collect it. So I collected the doors and arranged for another shop to finish the job.

The new shop phoned to say that the doors wouldn't even enter the apertures. It transpired that when the first shop delivered the shell to my house, they had ratchet strapped through the door apertures and distorted the shell, when I complained they didn't even reply to my email.

So, I had the new doors stripped of the skins and the frames altered and re-skinned. Along with a bit of work on the shell it was sprayed again.





Doors fettled and fitted.

[surf-blue-850]

. Bloke said "ah it was full of filler mate".

I've had that before, what they actually mean is ''ah I don't know what I'm doing and I've blasted your thin metal with too high a pressure"

Exactly!

You're not far from me, I'm near Malmesbury.

[Matt_Tupman]

Exactly!

You're not far from me, I'm near Malmesbury.

Your never far from another nutter with a Mini! Your very close to Somerford Minis then.
I work at a vintage restoration garage in South Cerney

[surf-blue-850]

Yes, Somerfords is literally 10 mins away. They seem to have direct access to my bank account too.

I think I know your company, they did some work on an engine for me (not a Mini engine).

[JC T ONE]

Nice Work

[mk1]

What a cracking little Mini. It sounds like you could have chucked the towel in on a number of occasions already. I'm really glad you have stuck with it, as it is looking really super again. I can't wait to see the finished article.

m

[surf-blue-850]

Thanks, certainly been a challenge. Dread to think how much it has cost, but will be worth it in the end. Sadly the chap who i wanted to show it to has passed away.