hi guys today i started to strip out my mini ready to paint over christmas and fit with all my new goodies(rover wood grain dash, a/c, new carpets and fully retrimed interior and seats, new gearbox disc brakes and booster etc) the paint looks good but i was just going to fix a few bits of bubble rust and dents and paint engine bay as it was missed last time. but having removed interior and seats i found a big problem that the floor is not connected to the car the sill on both sides are totally shot and the floor under the front seat mounts is totally rusted out the floor is just hanging in there. i have been riding on air the only thing holding the front to the back is the door sill and the roof. i have allso found that about 50% of the boot floor is rusted out and there is rust in the gutter and under the back seat is stuffed. only the doors and the front end are any good. i only bought this in september and cost me $4000 i think i got done on the out side it looks excellent and the rust was covere up good but now after driveing it its all come out.

so my options are to repair all the rust in this shell which is major or just cut front end off and stick to my other shell which i'm sure only needs the front end replaced as it has been smashed and weld a back seat into it and a respray which i was going to do anyway.

i have been told by the guys at mini and moke world that there is an easy way to replace the whole front with out haveing to weld each guard or panel.

so what i want to know is does anyone how to do this and have pics of cuts needed
i'm so upset as we brought this so we didn't have to do all this but we have been duped.

any help apprecaticed

hi

My hubbie says it sounds as bad as ours was but we knew what we were getting.
We replaced both front and boot floor complete, this includes the rear seat base. The rear valance and we are now in the process of putting a complete front on.

Total cost of parts approx $420 for floors and the front end we were lucky with and scored a heritage rover complete for $300 on Ebay. If you can weld and have the tools it can be done but it is a big job and takes time. Hubby says you would probably be better to replace the front. We have pics of what he has done to ours but I am not sure if that is what you want.
let us know my hubbies log on here is minikook you can pm him if you like. Good luck and never say die ok.

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Hellooo from OODLES my mini. Is being restored to be revealed in all her glory one day in the future she looks forward to meeting you all.

Well the question is are you capable of fixing it? If you can fix it then this is an option if you cant well then I guess your gonna do a reshell... It would cost a packet to pay someone to do the rust removing and weld in all thos new panels... Mate do what is easiest for you.

Mike

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If it cant be fixed with a hammer it cant be FIXED!!

It's called a `cut and shut'.
It involves cutting through the windscreen pillars about 1/2 way up, and across the floor and sills rearwards of the A pillars.

I fixed a bent Hillman Imp GT this way 30 years ago, but I think maybe it's `illegal' now? Of course if so, that would not stop some people doing it...

Properly done, it could be as strong as original. Dodgily done though..... NOT.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Cut and shut is not illegal. I was selling a few half cuts to NRMA for repairs when I was working in a wrecking yard. If NRMA can do it anyone can.

well time is against us as we only have the christmas break of two weeks to sort this mess out plus this weekend and the nights after work. so looks like the frontend and back seat from the red car are going to get chopped and fitted into the purple race car shell then paint the lot red and white and no one will know the diffence.

so the nect thing is can anyone post pics or discribtion of an easy way to chop from from on and weld to another.

hubby say we could weld red one up but tons of work. quicker to cut loses and fix up purple one which is near perfect just need the frontend, back seat base and 2" in boot floor replaced. which we have all the parts to do.

will post some pics tommorrow night of the damge and start a progress report.

not illegal, but must be engineer approved

here is a link to photos of the shell we will be using it was smash by brick works and requires new front guards and apron. we unstiched one guards many months ago before we didnt have time to work on this but now we have to so i was wanting to know if any one has found a way of removing the whole front with out unstiching each piece then rewelding to this car. prefer to only cut in front of subframe mounts.
was thinking unstiching outer seam then cutting down inner guard then just rewelding and plating inner guard under wheel arch. welding is not a problem hubby has rebuild 7 car in past few years so he can weld good. just want to get peoples ideas on the easyest way.

http://home.kooee.com.au/web2798/album1 ... %20076.jpg
http://home.kooee.com.au/web2798/album1 ... %20077.jpg
http://home.kooee.com.au/web2798/album1 ... %20075.jpg
http://home.kooee.com.au/web2798/album1 ... %20074.jpg

Shorty

I am in Gulgong and have many parts. Not too many body panels but heaps of everything else. Contact me if you need anything.

Its about 1 1/2 hours from our place to Orange via Molong, Wellington, Goolma.


Mike

thanks mike but i have a whole running rego car it is just full of rust
so i have decided to reshell
i will post progress pics as i go

i have in my posession if your interested a whole clubby shell that would be perfect...
it's a 1972 model, if you want it's yours for $150 as far as rust goes there are 3 or 4 spots that people have said aren't even an issue and 1 dent on the front left quarter panel
other than that it's fairly clean it's just a bare shell though no subframes no motor it does come with two free seats even the paint is somewhat usable...

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why does everyone want a Cooper S when you ca have a better Clubby

moved to here as now it's going to be the quickest rebuild ever.

http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic ... 638#335638