While the mini is off the road for 12 months it will be getting a respray. Im thinking of getting the whole shell sandblasted. Has anyone ever done this? Or is it just easier to strip bak by hand?

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12 Months ?????????????

sand it...then you really do get a feel for what needs doing.

Ive been told that snad balsting the whole var can leave little dents all over your car!? Not sure if this is true or not. If youve got the time do it by hand!

Id sand it.....saves dollars aswell

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[Maverick] 1971 Mini K

On thin metal, sand (or more likely glass bead blasting) can leave panel distorted rather than dented panels. I had a non-mini shell bead blasted by a reputable company. This shell had very thin metal and no problems occured. If in doubt, consider chemical dipping - places like redistrip. There's a few in Melbourne, a couple in Sydney. Check your local area. The only problem for the home restorer with either method is that it will remove all traces of paint everywhere. A lot of manufacturers dip-paint bodyshells when new up to half way up the a pillars, then top coat the lot. It's hard to get paint back into some of the recesses with a spray gun.

KB

You still thinking of doing it rally style?
A road going rally car - 10s, mudflaps, spotlights, stickers,
would be awesome.

Think about it!
But the cop attention

Nope...its gunna be devil yellow with a black roof.

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12 Months ?????????????

Still sounds nice

What wheels?

Any idea on the cost of that Kev??

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[Maverick] 1971 Mini K

I'm guessing - it's been a while: around $600.

I paid $375 10 yrs ago.

what the panel beaters doing my brothers car suggest is that you strip it using paint stripper by hand and then get all the fiddly bit like sils and seams etc. done by sand blasting.
That way you don't get any distortion of panels (this generally happens on flat large panels) from the sandblaster and it saves money.

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Roads need more corners
A Deluxe(CG13DE), 2 Clubbies(998 and 1275) and 2 Morris 1100Ss

just buy a twisted wire attatchment for your angle grinder works a treat on anything (including bog and surface rust) took me about 45 mins to do one side of a clubman.

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lookin for another clubby

If you do this though, it can leave gouges or swirl marks in the metal which you need to use hi-fill primer to cover, same with Orbital sanders (unless they are random pattern - usually air driven specialist panel beater tools rather than your electric 1/3 sheet sander).

If you're doing a full on bare metal resto, you don't want that.
KB

yeah i was sceptical about that aswell , but mine came up liuke pollished steel , no gouges at all .

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lookin for another clubby

What Ben is talking about is a 4" straight `twistknot' wire wheel, with 5/8" hole for a 4" angle grinder.
Once the wires are burnished a bit from use, it's hard to gouge steel. Takes everything else off real quick!
And it's real great for the Mini side seams...

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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.