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Are these moulds to make fiberglass boots? Inner and outher skin?

Fanfaniracing wrote: ↑Sat Jan 11, 2025 7:24 pm Are these moulds to make fiberglass boots? Inner and outher skin?

Yep, they appear to be moulds....But 5 grand???? that is nearly 1million Cdn $$

hi all
why spend that money for a mould that you can make yourself for a fraction of the money makes no sense
cheers roger

They arent moulds...but hey what do I know?
Lay up against their A surface's and you'll get a negative panel.

If they were found near Peel, I assume they are thought to be part of the GRP prototype shell made by Peel Engineering

I am just as confused/intrigued as you lot, so I messaged him on eBay and got this reply:

“Hello, they are probably very special indeed. I’ve seen another item that would match them. Please google any connection with, mini, fibreglass , peel. Thanks“

Found this on TMF:

https://www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/t ... ass-minis/

BMC CAR DIVISION EXPERIMENTAL DEPARTMENT REPORT, 22 NOV 1966, ADO15 GRP FIBREGLASS MINI BODY
TEST RESULTS CARRIED OUT IN 1966 ON A PROPOSED MINI BODY MADE OF GRP FIBREGLASS TO BE MADE OVERSEAS IN COUNTRIES WHERE IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO PRODUCE STEEL PANELS
(The You Tube video about the 1966 BMC report that I linked to in my original TMF thread from 2016 is no longer available but some screen shots from it are re-posted for info below)

"Engineered by Peel in the Isle of Man. BMC made 6 from the Peel moulds. The whole manufacture was done in Chile including the body shell.
Only 2 of these GRP BMC Mini prototypes are known to survive."

More on G.R.P. 'Peel' Minis here:-
viewtopic.php?p=333658#p333658

£5000

That's some serious Class A being ingested right there.

This is a pic of the actual inner skin of the boot lid from one of the GRP prototypes I used to own. Very different to the one shown on ebay.
Sold the car last year to Manx Motor Museum and now on display there.

hi
i recently bought a grp boot lid from arcangels it is beautifuly made and fits the boot perfect and very lightvery pleased with it
cheers roger mcnab

The other remaining prototype in very poor condition. This is its best side.

My friend who is restoring his Peel Viking Sports was telling me about these Peel Minis a while ago. He went to visit the Peel factory in the 60s when he was their importer for The Netherlands.

The area outside the indicators looks oddly shaped - like the poor thing had mumps.

The area outside the indicators looks oddly shaped - like the poor thing had mumps.

It was that shape to aid the release the shell from the moulds

Post by olddave » Tue Jan 14, 2025 6:01 pm

The other remaining prototype in very poor condition. This is its best side.

Time they got that out on display Dave

A recent video of a prototype shell and the complete mini at the Manx Museum

https://youtu.be/-YcUKUFm5P0?si=hHTbDlAa1qjHsQxH

hi tim yes that was interesting as the mini was made of fibreglass in chile not sure why but they did not want theckd ones as that would have cost jobs in a poor country so that was the answeri do not know how many were made and if anyone else used that way also weight was a draw back because of
the extra thickness for strength
what was the life of one is anybodys guess could be some still around
cheers roger

Many years ago I worked on a fishing boat with a Chilean fisherman. We had almost nothing in common, except a love of Minis. He told me that there were a lot of fibreglass Minis in Chile, but that you had to inspect them very carefully because it was common for dodgy backyard mechanics to repair the bodies poorly. He said they had a bad reputation for being cut-and-shut, where the front of one smashed car was grafted to the rear of another. As I understand it, they have a metal skeleton under the fibreglass and you can be sure that was only patched back together with a skin of glass fibre.

Tim