Shell restoration

[kwjcoopermk2]

Hi

I have realised that i dont have the time and skills to make bodywork myself.

I am therefore started to think of alternatives.

One of my ideas is to send the car to UK for restoration.

The car needs bootfloor, rear valance, front and rear floors, valance, a panels, wings, innerwings and front end.

I have almost all the panels for it and it is herigae quality.

Are there someone in here who nows a good bodyshop and have an idea of what it would cost to get the shell restored.

Best Regards Kristian

[Dean]

i take it you have a BIG wallet.

i could not weld before i started mine,but now i am confident with it,
it cost a bit to get a good welder and gas, welding clamps, etc but far cheaper than someone else doing it,

give it a go as i bet it will be around £4000+ to panel and paint plus your transport

there are a few companys that will do it, i have not had any work done by them or heard any reports,

but

mini speed
mini sport
m-machine
M L motorsport
and many many more big and small companys

[kwjcoopermk2]

Hi Dean

Thanks for your reply and thanks for the con rods. I forgot to send you an email. I received them 2 weeks ago and they look great.

I have thought about m-machine but i think it would be expensive.

I was hoping to find a private person who someone could recomend as a honest and reliable person and who knows how to do the job.

Best Regards Kristian

[Dean]

glad you got them, i though you may of as i never heard you had not,

there maybe a few people on here that work or own garages, that can help, and maybe closer to home, which will save on cost

[Pete]

but

mini speed
mini sport
m-machine
M L motorsport
and many many more big and small companys

Mini Machine don't do bodyshells anymore unless it's for a treasured customer (cos there was no money in it) (unless you know different) and a primed bodyshell was £5K from them ten years+ ago ! The last car I saw come out of Minisport had a decent enough paint job but had totally different outer sills on each side !

Professional bodywork is an absolute minefield and seldom do I here of a 'pro' job that didn't go VERY VERY wrong , especially paint !! Be very careful and make sure you've seen an example of their work close up.

Dave (Mk1 Rally) had a really nice job done recently up at RACE in Chorley on his Tweed grey rally car.

[IAIN]

If you want to send it to Scotland, I would be willing to discuss your restoration. I have just finished a similar sized rebuild and will be in a position to start another in early 2012.
If you are serious in your plans don't expect it to be cheap.

[ricardo]

In my opinion, you should have it repaired the closest to you, you can get! And always keep a close eye on it. I had my shell repaired very far from me and by a supposed expert who did himself my sills in one piece - now I have them wrong. Since then I had to specify EVERY single bit of welding he should do on the car. Still, I got the spare wheel nut and the right hand tank floor bracket welded in the wrong position and as I decided to fit a right hand tank to the car (was originally single tank), he decided to weld a lot of tags everywhere to hold the vent pipes. These little details were then fixed when I got the shell back, but still got the sills wrong. I've seen other cars with poor jobs, some of them by local reputed Mini experts. If you really want it well done, do it yourself or very very close to you so you can check everything as it progresses. Don't forget to print pictures and explain the very best you can how you want things done - align expectations so you don't be disappointed at the end. Same thing with the paint job - don't go with other peoples opinion on how good a paint job is, those people may have different standards - ask to see in person (not photos) some jobs made before by the shop you choose and then decide if it's good enough or not.

[scott6058]

Ricardo
Your advice is honest and precise.
Following your efforts is always a pleasure to learn detail.
You probably should write your own mini bible.
Best always Scott

[pdaykin]

I can highly recommend Somerford Minis.

I wouldn't expect any change from £7k for the 'shell alone.

They did one of mine about 7 years ago. Very impressed with it. There are a few details which are not quite right - but given what they started with you couldnt help but be impressed. It really is a different standard to a lot of other "restorations" that I have seen. It was worth waiting the 12 months or so on their waiting list.

However, the point about using someone local is worth thinking about.

It is always nice to see progress and have a chance to correct things that you do not like along the way.

[swifty]

just bear in mind that a few companys out there have got a good reputation purely by the poeple that havnt got the ability to carry the work out themselves

[scott6058]

I have to do it myself because I can't afford to pay someone.

[ronie]

My two pence.

I would agree with Ricardo. Bodywork is not something you can trust anyone with. It is the cars whole structure and, if done badly, extremely difficult and expensive to put right.

I would suggest you find someone local or at least somewhere not too far that you can visit once a week. As I can see from you location, you are not very far from Copenhagen. If you have a friend with restoration experience, take him with you.

Forums like this one are a fantastic source for advice and tips. Members have done hundreds of restorations in total. Don't be afraid to ask.

At the end you might not be 100% satisfied with the result, most of us aren't, but you will have avoided most of the pitfalls.