mk1-forum.net

Well am a bit late in the day to be posting this, but last year I was given a 1976 1098 mini clubman saloon, was never there biggest fan when I was first into mini's however I seem to have taken a shine to them in recent years. The car itself is a one lady owner who purchased it in 1976, drove it until she roasted the engine in '88 then stuck it in a shed in her garden. 24 years later a customer/friend acquired it as he has taken the notion for minis, however his real passion is vintage tractors, having gone and bought a 1947 Massey Ferguson he needed space in his garage, and gifted me the car. So I decided that I would restore it and do something a little different, but something I could use more often than my mk1. My camera had done a disappearing act so I only have images of it going back together. I stripped it to the bare metal as the whole car was covered in surface rust, then completed all the sheet metal work which included, boot floor, rear seat pan, inner wings, sills, two small holes on both floor pan's, rebuilt passenger door etc etc. Also decided in a change of colour as I am fed up doing red cars, it was originally damask red, but went for a white and black theme.
The engine and box were both rebuilt, and fitted a 3.1 final drive for nice motorway cruising. I picked up late model "leather" cooper seats which are now in, but the original interior is kept and in fantastic condition, the car only covered 33000 miles, the black leather is more practical colour for me jumping in and out. I also made the carpet and then did the boot tidy. Sourced quite a few things second hand like the wheels and refurbished them, but that allowed me to do spend money on things that I felt were more important, disc front brake assembly for eg. Ok I will just let the pic's do the talking......











One with its stable m8, I love this pic, one of those quick snaps that just seems to work out well. Mot'd the car yesterday and taxing it today.

nice...real nice in fact

Like the trimming job in the boot as well

nick@dunsdale wrote:nice...real nice in fact

Like the trimming job in the boot as well

Agree , also nice to see a original door mirror instead of those horrible "Giraffe" looking TEX thingies.

I like, I like a lot.
The end product looks just right. Works for me.

Want!

I agree Dave, that last pic is stunning! Can we have a colour pic of the S, please

Thanks folks for all the nice comments, took a bit of doing to get it where it is, I initially thought it was almost to far gone when I first saw it, however am not one for giving up to easily. I don't do flash hence its more subtle appearance, so am glad its both worked out well and liked. Taxed it this morning an off out while the suns out !

Color pic's of the mk1 certainly...its not an S btw it started life as just a Cooper




Cheers D

that black mk1 looks great - shame the plate wasn't 'kgb'

Cheers Guru, when I first got it MOT'd the tester actually put it down as KGB, am sure there is a name for that when your brain fills in the gaps or jumps to assumptions lol

I know a wee boy who took quite a shine to it at Doune a couple of years ago....

Stunning car! Great stance too.

guru_1071 wrote: shame the plate wasn't 'kgb'

Sweden also have 3 letters & 3 numbers, and one of the car mags once had a pic with a KGB registred car.

Best part was that it was a old Lada

gpmini wrote:Stunning car! Great stance too.

Dave,, do you really drive it that low?

Have you cut the rear arches?

Must bottom out surely???

Thanks again folks, haha Graham yes I drive it that low, and nope its don't rub, nor have I chopped any of the body to accommodate, only issue I have ever had is on a recent country road where the track had dipped and left a lump in the center of the road, scuffed the exhaust clamp! Its not set particularly hard either so has quite a pleasant ride on the road tbh, its really intended for track use, needless to say it handles like my old go-karts.