Hey all,
About a month ago i bought a 1975 Leyland Clubman (i'll post some pics below) and brought it to my house in Ballarat, Victoria. What i want to know is what order i should repair / restore the car in, as is, should i start by fixing the body work and getting it painted, or should i get the engine done first? at what point should i start working on the interior.
I want to know this so i dont get stuck in a position where i have just finished doing the interior for example then find out i have to tear up half the carpet to fix something else.

As far as the mini's current condition...
- It is currently painted with like white house paint which you can see in the pictures, i'm not sure whats under this paint but there are a few rust areas i can see on the seams but there are no actual rust holes. the front right wheel arch is dented and the seam is broken, so i think that need to be replaced.

- the interior is pretty banged up (door cards are falling off, etc) but i want to pretty much make an entirel'y new interior so i'm not too worried abiout that.

- all the windows wind and are in place but the rubber moulding looks pretty "melted"

- all the lights and indicators work.

- the engire started and we could drive the mini onto the trailer when i picked it up, but since then i have tried to start it again and when i turn the key the fans turns and it tries to start but its as if engine never sparks or something.


As far a previous experience goes with cars you could safely say i have zero, I have just finished Uni (Bachelor of IT) and bought my Mini with the idea of learning about repairing, restoring and modifying cars as it always been something i've been interested in and i have a fair few friends who have offered to help me, so yeah, any advice you can offer would be awsome .

Here is a picture of the car..

there are more pictures at this link.
http://members.dodo.com.au/~matboehm/

Thanks
Matt

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1975 Hairy Lime/White Clubby
Build Thread: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=80657

strip the whole car first. Then rebuild any of the mechanicals that need doing, then do body work, paint, refit engine, then start putting it back together, then do interior.

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1974 Moke - 998cc
76 Clubman B16a2 Vtec AWD Turbo 12.9@105mph
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9PW49e1hYs

From experience I would do it this way....

1. Body work / paint
2. Subframes
3. Motor
4. Electrical
5. Get it running
6. Interior
7. Rego

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Website: www.justanothermini.com

This might be a silly question, but what do you mean when you say subframes?

also, is it easier to do the body / paint work with the motor removed? also is there much of a risked involved in working on the engine in a freshly painted car? as far as accidently scratching the paintwork?

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1975 Hairy Lime/White Clubby
Build Thread: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=80657

Recondition, repaint, reduild and replace subframes



Without a doubt....YES!



again.....YES....you will more than likely scratch or chip something just getting the motor in There ain't much room in a Mini engine bay

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Website: www.justanothermini.com

in that case, would it be possible to do it in this order...

1. Stip the interior and pull the motor
2. Body work / primer
3. Subframes
4. Motor
5. Electrical
6. Get it running
7. Paint
8. Interior
9. Rego

or is it easier to paint it before the engine goes back in??

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1975 Hairy Lime/White Clubby
Build Thread: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=80657

The Mini has removable front and rear chassis subframes upon which the engine and suspension components are mounted. It is much easier to work on the body and suspension after puling the engine out and removing front and rear subframes.
I'd agree with the sequence Jam_it has outlined. Do as much as you can with everything seperated, you'll find yourself working on several things at the same time as you wait for parts to arrive or work to be done by machine shops and such.
Experience suggests that bodywork takes the most time and it's best to start there. You'll get frustrated, dirty, pissed off and fed up, but you'll learn a lot and be very proud of your achievements. Go for it

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Curly
'64 Cooper 'S' (Group Nb spec)
'67 Mini Marcos GT www.mm7056.wordpress.com

I'd assess and note everything to be done on the car. Get it up on car ramps or whatever and have a good look underneath for rust in the inner and outer sills. Have a mechanic come round and listen to the motor. Have a check of the major systems (fuel lines, electrics, brakes) and note any work to be done.

Then have a good think about how long it will all take, how much you can do yourself and what you'll need to farm out. Get a rough idea of what things will cost and what you're after. For example, a concours paint job on a good shell will cost over $2,000. But if, like most Mini owners you;'re happy with something you like but isn't going to win an award, you can accept a cheaper paint job.

Personally, I'd get it running, register it and drive it a while. Because a lot of people strip a car, get ideas in their head about what they're going to do and over the weeks, they lose heart or enthusiasm. Eventually it ends up permanently parked in the driveway or back in the For Sale column. I know because I have a Clubman halfway through, and van when I'm done with that (aha ha ha...). But then I love driving the ugly, crappy paint job 850.

The answer to your question depends on wheither you are planning a rolling restoration - that is you are planning to use the vehicle and do bits to it as time and money permit, or you are doing a full strip down restoration in one go.

For a rolling restoration I would do in the following order....

Make it safe [suspension and steering]
Make it stop [Brakes]
Make it go [Engine recondition and mods]
Make it comfortable [interior trim and seats]
Make it straight [Panel work]
Make it pretty [Paint and Brightwork]

Full strip down rest means just that - the car is stripped of every nut and bolt.

In this case the shell is stripped bare and we mean naked metal, old paint comes off as well.
Rust is the next thing to get rid of
then the panel work to make it straight where required
then the paint to keep it from rusting up again
the subframes are restored separately [ including all suspension and brake components] and then mated to the shell when done
electrical wiring is laid out
the interior dash & trim goes in. connecting to elecrtics as required
the engine is restored separately [stripped, restored, upgraded, re-built, repainted] and mated to the body when it is a completed unit. This is one of the last things to be put back into the car.
Glass goes in last

A full resto has the advantage of avioding doing things twice [or undoing previous work as you say] but you have to put the vehicle aside and you don't get to use it till it's all done.

The rolling resto takes longer and therefore is less initial outlay and spreads the payments over time - but in the end you do have to do a few things more than one, so it is a compromise to be able to use the car between "jobs"

Which way you go will largely be determined on where you are starting - a functional car that is already on the road and most would go for the rolling resto route. A bargain in a box and most would find a corner of the garage and start "My Project Car".

Good Luck whichever route you choose.
Cheers Dat

lol, something i can give advice on!!

i recently started restoring my 72 clubman... i started with the interior!!

first i ripped all of the old chaddy crapola out... keep EVERYTHING!!! label all bolts screws and the like... get some photo's of what you think is good or bad and post in here... make sure you check for rust anywhere! if you see daylight where you shouldnt (which i did in the footwells) you are gonna have to repair it!

next i would hit the engine bay with a good cleaner of some sort!! i personally bombed it with degreaser and hosed it off... not sure what it is like, but mine was an old paddock basher and was covered in grime, grease and our favourite MUD!

next i inspected the bottom of the car (underneath) for dints and damadge!

just clean it all up!!

does it run at all?? if so default any problems it might have etc, if not solve the prob....

keep us up to date i would loe to see how this turns out!!

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Even god told Noah to Ark it up!!
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1972 Mini Clubman 1100 cc
1972 Mini Clubman 1100 cc
2005 VZ SV6 Commodore

Yeah,
As the engine doesn't run at the moment and the fact that the car is painted with house paint i will be using this as a project car and fully strip it down.

Thanks for the advice Dat, i think i'll go with the order you suggested.

And yeah Angus, my wife's parents live next door to a mechanic so i'm going to get him to look over the car before i start so i know exactly what needs to be done (i'm sure it well be a huge list )

what is the best method for stripping paint? hand/power sanding? sand blasting or paint stripper??

thanks for all the help so far guys

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1975 Hairy Lime/White Clubby
Build Thread: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=80657

well i recently bought some Auto Paint stripper, i have been told wet n dry sand paper aswell... my motor didnt run either... have a go at it yourself! does it turn over? even have a hint
check the battery

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Even god told Noah to Ark it up!!
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1972 Mini Clubman 1100 cc
1972 Mini Clubman 1100 cc
2005 VZ SV6 Commodore

gladwrap http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13620

Cool... thanks for the link Marvin...
That paint stripping method looks sweet as i'll definately be trying that!!!

If all goes to plan, i will start this problem on Saturday Week,
This week my dad is comming over to my place to help me pull down and rebuilt some shelving in my Shed as well and helping me build a Work Bench.... then on Saturday week some friends are comming to pickup a whole lot of old couches and tables and crap from my shed, which will give me the space i need to work on the mini

This is what my shed looks like atm i dont even know where have the crap came from!!!

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1975 Hairy Lime/White Clubby
Build Thread: http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=80657