1966 Austin Mini delux

[microwaveman]

I have recently aquired a very rusty 66 mini which requires extensive restoration. I would appreciate comments regarding the best place to buy the complete floor assembly from, I have found Mini Sport and M-Machine but are either better than the other? I intend to replace the door steps first to give me a reference to weld the floor to unless anyone has a better idea from experience? I am in the process of bracing the shell and am awaiting deleivery of a turn-over jig to make life easier. Thanks

[Peter Laidler]

If I was you, and I might well be in the next few months, over the next few evenings, I'd put the kids to bed and get a nice large glass of Scotch. Look into this part of the forum, about 14 lines down. It's the full restoration of a total basket case called HOY 500 D. There's a bout 50 pages worth of good solid reading about the in-depth restoration of a mini body shell.

There are others too. Look out for maestro DAZ for example he's another that's gone through JUST what you are going to start.

As I said, nice big glass of Scotch or three, close the door, keep a little note pad handy and start reading. EVERY question that you are likely to ask - and more - will be answered. All the highs and lows and...... and......

Don't forget, lots of photos to help you in the future assembly and to help the rest of us in the future

All the best.

[mk1]

Peter's suggestions are a very good start.

Spend a LOT of time reading before you do anything. The restoration of HOY is a great place to start.

https://mk1-forum.net/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=19379

This covers all of the issues you are likely to come across.

As far as your questions re panels. there are only really 2 suppliers of full floors, M-Machine & Magnum Panels. These two products are retailed by many different suppliers, the one you choose is your choice.

The main difference between the two is that one (M-Machine) is made from parts & can be supplied as a complete assembly ready to weld in, the other (Magnum) is a one piece floor panel, but it needs ALL the other parts buying & fitting by you. Both have advantages & disadvantages.

When you do get going, post a restoration thread on here like Andy did with HOY, you will find it a great source of info that you will inevitably forget & you will be amazed by how much help & encouragement you receive via the forum.

Hope this helps.

M

[whistler]

I'm reassembling my 66 SDL after an extensive body panel replacement and respray.
M-Machine do a mk1 floor but make sure you tell them where the seat belts are bolted in. I didn't and they supplied a floor with the captive nuts fitted for the later belt stalks. That's the only problem I had which I should have seen earlier. They can supply a correct boot floor (retro converted heritage later version).
I also had inner wings retro converted by them to be correct. they can also supply a retro converted front panel (they modify a Magnum front panel).
The scuttle ends were from Magnum.
Front wings Heritage as were the rear arches and lower rear panel.
Door skins were Magnum.

[microwaveman]

Many thanks for your suggestions, I have spent some time looking at the HOY restoration this evening. It's going to be a very useful reference and I will post progress as it comes along. Whislt the shell is bad, it's certainly not as bad as HOY, it's only been laid up since 1985! Looks like I need to get the boot floor and floor assembly on order ASAP.

[Andrew1967]

Looks a great project and a nice colour .

I’ll post more later but first thing I’d say is maybe raise the brace so it will clear the door pockets. That way you can fit the doors with the brace still in place to line up the A panels etc.

Personally I’d go for the MiniMachine fully assembled floor again over the Magnum skin panel. I guess the Magnum is better fact it being one piece BUT the jigged and welded full assembly from MiniMachine made it so easy, especially with no proper bed to bolt the floor to to line up the crossmembers etc and build up from. As Whistler says, make sure you have the correct seal belt anchors although I think a 66 will have the more common single bolt style. The lead time for a floor was 12 weeks last year , not sure what it is now.

It certainly doesn’t look as bad as HOY so you have a good start straight away

[whistler]

Many thanks for your suggestions, I have spent some time looking at the HOY restoration this evening. It's going to be a very useful reference and I will post progress as it comes along. Whislt the shell is bad, it's certainly not as bad as HOY, it's only been laid up since 1985! Looks like I need to get the boot floor and floor assembly on order ASAP.

Yes you need to order well in advance for the main and boot floor. Take note of my comments about the seat belt mounts.

[Peter Laidler]

To make life easier while doing my shell, I made a couple of doors from shuttering-ply to reinforce the door apertures. No window openings of course bit cut big holes for easy access. Held them 'closed' with a couple of 10mm threaded rods through from door to door. Didn't half make life easy.

When it got to the 'wheelbarrow' stage....... anyway, that was a couple of years later!

[Craig]

Regarding full floors , contact rich at minispares and ask him about the magnum full floors.
I have sold around a dozen and one is about to go into my traveller.
They are the best I’ve seen to date !!!

Check out Pete’s Cooper on miniman.ca. It got a new full magnum floor.
They are just the pressing with nothing attached but….

Craig

[Craig]

Magnum full floor panel ,

http://magnumclassicminipanels.co.uk/mi ... floor.html


Craig

[microwaveman]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. I have now purchased a Heritage boot floor, and M Machine Floor Assembly, both from Mini Sport who had them ex-stock. I tried my local supplier, Somerford Mini, who said they have had M Machine floors on order for months with no delivery date so consider myself lucky to get one. I left the bracing as I had shown for maximum strength, I can move the side bars when I get around to doing the A panels.
The shell is on a turn-over jig. So far nothing is welded in place but I have fitted the boot floor using the rear subframe brackets inside the boot as reference points.

I have positioned the floor assembly and bolted the rear subframe to the boot floor and heel panel so that should be aligned ok.

The front subframe bolt holes in the floor assembly align ok with the holes in the toe board.

I have a few issues for which I could do with some advice. The rear subframe is fouling slightly on the spare wheel well, just a tad, but it needs sorting. Since everything else is aligned I'm not sure why this should be other than the original boot floor had strengthening plates on the underside where the rear subframe fixings go which might have been sufficient to provide the required clearance. Was this standard on Mk1s? It looked like they were original and not repairs. The rear subframe appears to be a genuine replacement item and in useable condition.

The floor assembly tunnel doesn't fit over the toe board and I think I will have do some fettling, however, I can get the sides of the floor at the correct height without any difficulty.

I was surprised to find the front of the floor assembly is about 10mm too narrow on both sides, anyone else found this problem? I can bend the inner sills to fit, the outer sills are a bit more of a problem.

[mk1]

You are now at the scariest part!

Take some consolation from the fact that never again will it ever loo as bad as it does now.

Keep plugging away & you will be amazed at the progress you make with those big panels. They all take a bit of jiggling about, the tolerances on the cars were never that good in the first place. Anyone who went to the factory to see them being made always go on about the big rubber hammer that was used to make things fit.

I'll leave it for someone with more experience than I to comment on the specific issues you currently have.

[Peter Laidler]

Ooooooooooh......... Like Mk1 says above AND what some of the others might be thinking...... Personally, having been there but to a far lesser 'cutting out...' extent, I think that you might have gone too far with taking metal away from the shell.

Sometimes, especially in a monocoque shell/body the slowly - slowly, bit at a time approach. Working from front to back, left to right..... you know what I mean, leaving what strength and alignment remained within the rotten remains of the other side/end for linear support.

I hope that I'm wrong and the real pro's come on with good ideas and encouragement. awhere are you Daz, Andy and Surfari.......

[mk1]

I Didn't say that at all!

[Peter Laidler]

What I meant was your phrase....... 'Take some consolation from the fact that never again will it ever look as bad as it does now'. Indicating that it looks pretty bad, that's all. I also said, and I reiterate, that I hope that I'm wrong