Austin '79 Restoration.

[Chalkie]

Hey I'm Stephen (Chalkie).

Going to have a thread on here as well, You lot seem to do body work and inside the Mini's perfect and they look amazing so You lot can give me tips on mine if you don't mind, Right I own a 1979 Mini 1000 But its a 76 Spec shell making it a Late mark 3 I do believe. It's a Horrid yellow colour as you can see from the photo's. I kept the shell at a family members house, now we have fell out over other issues so I have the shell back in a state what I am not impressed at to be honest a lot more work for me to sort out but with advice it should be do able. I Have a list of panels needed and a welder now just need to buy few more bits and brace it all up and should be good to go and get on it. Here's some pictures.

Brought in September 2009 for grand total of £298.34 (found money in there)



Inside


Engine bay


Got it MOT'd and Cleaned up looked nice no mechanical problems or rust issues to state at MOT so I took it home
then we had SNOW and lots of it round here.



This caused all sorts of issues I did have a car cover on it but It got stolen that night alone with the rocker cover on the car as well and they also destroyed my bonnet and boot lock. Also my siblings thought it be a good idea to build a Wall of snow be hide the Mini so this rotted out the rear valence in under 2 weeks (it had surface rust already).

I shall add more photo's of how its coming along later
thanks for reading
Stephen

[Chalkie]

Right more photo's of the rust and other horrid bits on the Mini starting with the rotten rear valence and boxes. Passenger side wasn't even welded on it had been boned with some form of Glue so I was not impressed. The boot floor was original and wasn't (isn't) in the best of states to be honest so I got to work and started cutting it all out, Here's some pictures.

Rear valence & Crappy Jap style plate Removed.


Then cut the boot floor out


To find where the boot floor meets the rear seat bench back it has also rotted out there so It looks like a full boot floor to me what I'm not impressed at as I only work out of a Shanty town as my Dad calls it.

Mini in the Shanty town.


This was few months back it is back on wheels to roll it out.

While waiting on a Mini company to get my order in (Never came) I cut the Sills off all 4 of them.

Top layer 2 welded together.


Then 2nd layer


then Original Sill


This car is just a welding nightmare but It shall get there one day

Thanks for reading
Stephen

[guru_1071]

four sills!!

yikes


the best i ever saw was 11 thicknesses of patches on the front floors of a moke - it was about 1" thick!!!

[Chalkie]

Okay as I've said I had the car stored at a family members house who to be honest was a d**K towards me so I took the car home looking like this, and rest in bags or boxes all mixed up cause he went mental at me for coming and picking my own car up. Idiot. But hey ho Its my car my problem not his, well this it what it looked like when I rolled it out before taking it home.

Out in daylight first time in a while.



Then We left with a transit van full of stuff and a Mini took it home.

Engine went to my Nan's round the corner from me to be rebuilt. Build of engine is on turbo mini's

back to the Mini, It had one very rotten drivers door so I got on Fleabay and found a new one In my town watched it and it never sold so phoned the old boy up and he said yeah he still had it so went and got it for grand total of £20 complete door.

The rot.


New door on for mock fit


The door fitted a treat so I have a good pair ready to go back on when the Mini is done.

Thanks for reading Stephen

[Chalkie]

four sills!!

yikes


the best i ever saw was 11 thicknesses of patches on the front floors of a moke - it was about 1" thick!!!

Yes four and still not cut it all out as need new floor pan both sides, rest of mini not that bad its been looked after just sills wasn't but they do take a beating from all the weathers

and Ouch! bet that took a while to cut through these where bad enough

Thanks
Stephen

[Chalkie]

More info haha, well must be getting boring now but hey good story to read. A friend of mine was talking at her work and her manger said She had loads of mini parts I could have so I went round and brought 3 Mini's worth of parts for £100 as they were trying to give me them for free and I couldn't take the p**s like that said to them treat them selfs to a meal or something. But Got a rear subframe that only done 100 miles then taken off as the mini got smashed into.

My rear subframe was okay but needed patching so that is now stored away for rear beam or a spare if push comes to shove in a bad way.

Front subframe is being reinforced on the Tie rod mounts, under the bottom arm pins (so can be used for a jack piont) and tower seam welded as hopefully be running Springs over rubber cones


Need to start work on this. Shall try find more photo's of it.

This is how my mini is sat at the present time taken week ago (23rd September)


Thanks for reading I shall load pictures of the rot later.
Stephen

[Chalkie]

Morning People more on the Mini as I found more pictures

So Mini in the park & Stanford hall are local to me I went to both shows and spent over £200 not bad for someone who was jobless at the time as well haha but now working so it's all good so here's alot of what I've brought for the mini recently and got alot at good prices too.

Panels brought so far

Half sills both sides
10" repair section for boot.
Closing boxes
Rear Valence
2 bonnets
I need for few more Luckily its not to rotten!


Few pictures of parts I've got




Properly use these badges keeping it standard looking, Street sleeper.

Roof rack for bargin! £13 and going to have it painted in same colour as the car when I finally decide what way to go with it.






Also rebuilt my Heater with few mods, better foam and sealed the unit off properly and repainted also sticker bombed it but this may go unsure as of yet







Like new Astrali Steering wheel

Thanks
Stephen

[Chalkie]

Hey guys

Quick questions

got to replace my floor pans so what be best option? front sections and rear section welded in or buy full front to rear panel and do it in 1 go?

and then do heel board after or before floors ?

Thanks
Stephen

[Chalkie]

Hey guys

Just letting you know, I got another job so now working 2 jobs but both short hours but anything is good at the moment to be fair and also applied for a job that is building, restoring and maintain rally and race cars but not holding my breath on that one to be honest.

Got a list aslong as my arm to get done on mini but me being me I have booked a days tattooing session and also gotta have my eyes checked as I seem to be going blurry in one eye. So ill get an update done when I can hopefully with something decent done.

Thanks
Stephen

[graham in aus]

Keep going Stephen, you look to have made a good start!

Is the car having to 'live' outdoors now?

Good score on the door, looks mint.

You seem to have the age old problem, either time and no money, or two jobs and no time!

A few people on here seem to get great results with the full length floor pans, lots of prep, but big improvements, I think you can buy even them 'pre assembled' with sills from Mini Machine.....

Keep up the good work!

[Chalkie]

Keep going Stephen, you look to have made a good start!

Is the car having to 'live' outdoors now?

Good score on the door, looks mint.

You seem to have the age old problem, either time and no money, or two jobs and no time!

A few people on here seem to get great results with the full length floor pans, lots of prep, but big improvements, I think you can buy even them 'pre assembled' with sills from Mini Machine.....

Keep up the good work!

Yeah writing a List up of stuff to do in my free time and in the nights when I can't sleep.

and Not really out getting wet and stuff its got a wooden shed over it but thats being rebuilt into a big one with a door and lighting soon :]

and I got my sills M-machine ones are a bargin price so just gotta order the floor and heel board then be good to go

and thanks dude ill keep up to date the best I can around work and stuff

Thanks
Stephen

[Ant Hines]

Front subframe is being reinforced on the Tie rod mounts, under the bottom arm pins (so can be used for jacking off)

Please don't post any photos of this.

[Chalkie]

Front subframe is being reinforced on the Tie rod mounts, under the bottom arm pins (so can be used for jacking off)

Please don't post any photos of this.

Whys that?

[618AOG]

jacking off)

A subtle hint.........

[Chalkie]

Are you lot being dirty or serious cause I'm so confused

[Chalkie]

Hey guys

Winter is here and so is the rain :/ My mini lives outside under a home made hut covered with tarpulin and it filled with water, so I dried it out and now have used sheets of plastic and duck tape and taped up the windows and other holes to keep it dryer through the winter months bad times!

also need a Rear seat bulk head panel now so another £125 quid to spend along with new boot floor.

on a brighter note restoring my van bonnet has been easy 2 cracks and repacing front latch, but can I remove this and just use a leather strap and the standard metal catch?

Thanks
Stephen

[Chalkie]

Hey guys

Jobs going well, so been saving for the dreaded floor panels, but found a 998 block and head for £50 so bargin

going to be selling my 2 bonnets as won't be needed now and few other bits soon so Keep an eye out

thanks
Steve

[Chalkie]

Brought 4 steel wheels...

My alloys will be getting sold soon and steels will be getting...

also still saving for dread floor pan!

[JC T ONE]

So are you going for full lenght floor sections ? or ?

I only changed the front ones, and did some minor repairs to the rear ones.

Keep up the good work

[Vegard]

Strengthening the tie bar mounts is not a bad idea....








Thus just happened to me on a road car....