“Here we go again” 1275GT project NOW FOR SALE

[Dearg1275]

With all the padded dash and front screen out the usual late twentieth century bodges were revealed in all their gory.

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The front scuttle has had nasty repairs and sadly the wings that are obviously replacements and good will have to come off if a good result is to be achieved. I usually start at the back of a car and work forwards but I may just tackle this nasty nest of bodge first.

D

[Dearg1275]

Time to dive in and see what’s what. As said, the wings are replacements and look fine, so worth a go at saving them. They were crudely welded on with messy untrimmed plug welds and tacks. To the scuttle there were just tacks in the joint.

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It’s all very messy in the corner by the scuttle and will take a lot of unpicking and putting right. The wing might go again once cleaned up and repaired in places. Tomorrow I will dig about in the door pillar.

D

[roger mcnab]

hi d
well it looked great on the trailer but has shown its true colors underneath you certainly take on a challenge with your minis
my mini is different to yours as mine has exterior door hinges and also has quarter windows also the rust is about 200mm square all up as no salt on roads here and that was because it was on the shed roof for about 9 months in newcastle about 170 kilometers away with no doors wence the rain built up in the drivers floor corner with salt in the rain as it was close to the coast
once i get it on the spit i can get the rust fixed
happy digging
cheers roger

[Dearg1275]

Well it has been a frenzy of angle grinding and a depressing day. It’s thumbs firmly down for the right hand inner wing.

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Yes I can probably repair things tidily using an M- Machine panel but the quality of the remaining steel is poor and there are rust issues around the damper mount and the air trunking hole. It is just not worth the effort. It looks like a new scuttle may be needed as the top of the bulkhead seems to be perforated in places and the top dash rail needs repairs. I think I need a holiday.

D

[Fanfaniracing]

Das sieht üüüüübel aus...

[roger mcnab]

hi d
what a mess it looks like it has been regularly washed with sea water well it is a big job is there any good bits on it sure looks like a big job as you said you need a holiday
cheers roger

[surfblue63]

But think, without those bodges that car would probably have been scrapped years ago.

[Peter Laidler]

That's a very valid point Surfy..........

But why were the Mk3's so vulnerable at the scuttle ends? I did a tech article about getting up into them some time ago in the 'how I done it' section. Mk3 internal hingers are bad news there........ Did mine from brand new and touch wood...........

[Dearg1275]

Right, with the cobwebs blown away thanks to a couple of days wandering in the Scottish hills, my thoughts on the car have crystallised. The first question pondered was - why is it as it is. It has its original Blaze a layer of mustard yellow and this nasty nappy gold colour as a top layer. That’s not quite the story though. The front panel has yellow and gold but no underlying orange (Blaze). The wings have only gold as does the driver’s door step.

There is a really wide oversill on the driver’s side. More digging required.

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The front inner wing on the passenger side has a grotty repair panel (just yellow this time.

And the front face of the floor cross member driver’s side is like a ploughed field.

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Putting two and ten together this car has had a few shunts. The most recent to the driver’s side somewhere around the A pillar.

Therefore the plan has changed. I have a poorly repaired accident damaged car. The front panel may save but will have to come off anyway. With that out of the way I can get it on the spit. The front subframe will need to be checked out carefully and the shell mounting point also to be sure they have not moved. Not much hope of that! Then build back the floor and sill assemblies to get thing nice and straight before worrying any further about the front end. So, chop out the grout and find what we’ve got.

It looks as if I have another PROPER PROJECT on my hands again.

D

[Old English White]

I've never found such a thing as an "easy project" car. They always need more doing than you expect don't they? We all know that you are more than capable of a great job of this car and I'm sure that is what it'll receive. It's a big mess isn't it, but you'll get there and it'll look fantastic once finished. Those early 1275GTs are rare now and on the up in terms of values and desirability

[Dearg1275]

I couldn’t hang back from finding out a bit more this afternoon. I wanted to see what was hidden under the overfloor in the drivers foot well. I was particularly concerned to see if the tunnel was saveable.

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Peeling all that back has shown up some distortion in the tunnel where it has been pushed back, also the right hand subframe mount points have been pushed rearwards a little. It’s going to take some time to clean back those heavy surface welds but things look a little more rosy.

D

[roger mcnab]

hi d
how was the break away from the car rebuild you have certainly picked up another test of your skills but i feel that it will be another triumph
it sure is a bit of a mess at the moment but in time will be a great car in the meantime it will keep you of the streets
cheers roger mcnab

[Dearg1275]

The engine goes south to Southam Mini Metro Centre. In a mini of course. So is it a mid engined mini, a twinny or just an extreme case of carrying spares?

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D

[Old English White]

OOOh, That is a long drive in a Mini whether loaded or not. I regularly drive to Scotland from Southern England but generally in a comfortable modern car. Did do it in a Renault 4 once (don't ask).... That DID seem a long drive
At least you'll know the job is done well at Southam
Have a good and safe journey.

[Dearg1275]

There is a little jaunt around some Welsh roads with a few other mini nuts planned so things all fit in nicely.

To while away a few hours before going I did a little pipe bending. It seemed a good move to do this before there was shiny paint work on new metal.

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D

[Dearg1275]

The fight has begun. This morning I cut the slam panel away which allowed me to get it on my spit. I won’t be worrying about that front panel for some time. So here is the ugly truth beneath the shiny gold paint.

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It is truly nasty. A rusty old car is so much easier if it hasn’t been patched over the years. But there are over sills over over sills on this horror. The boot floor is held together by superficial patches inside the boot. I think I might just hang on to the tunnel. It is almost tempting to fit a complete floor. Too late to turn back now but it is hard to decide how best to start.

D

[mini_surfari]

Just from doing two halves on the van, I would definitely just cut the lot out next time and put a full floor in as per HOY and Daz's cooper etc!

Less welding, and cutting for a start.

[roger mcnab]

hi d
well i would agree on that point about doing the floor in 1 piece as it would save on welding and you finish up with a nice clean floor what a horror to find after paying and dragging it home
to think it looked like a good one but i know that you can turn a sows ear into a silk purse so good luck and do your usual bit
cheers roger
p s it has rained here that much that our yard looks like a rice paddy and more to come
cheers roger

[Peter Laidler]

Like Roger says regarding the floor and as a whole. You WILL succeed. Just as you did with the other one. And in a year we'll see the silk purse. That's what makes these threads so interesting.

[Andrew1967]

The full floor was so much easier to fit than two halves as I've done previously on other cars.

I would also still fit the Mini Machine fabricated floor assembly rather than the Magnum full floor skin, but that's my preference, others may have different views.