I've been thinking that I'd really like to build/rebuild a mini.
Being a 1st year apprentice, money isn't readily available to me, so I was thinking, if I built one, I could do it in steps, making sure everything is right in it, rather than paying out a bulk amount for a good mini.

So what is the order that a mini should be rebuilt in from a shell?

I'm guessing there are things that must be done together, like stripping of paint, rust removal and priming.

But if someone could give me a brief outline of what I'd be looking at doing, that would be great.

Thanks
Cass

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Talk is Cheap because Supply Exceeds Demand

Cass, from my experience it's better to buy someone else's hard work, buy a car already restored, you can drive it & enjoy it right away, restoring a car can take 5+ years.

Doogie

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I won Hay once, here's the pic to prove it..


Hay, it's not about the car, it's not about the venue, it's about the people that come here. Peter Dwyer, Mayor of Hay NSW.

I have 4 years of my apprenticeship to go.

At the moment I'm earning $500 a fortnight. buying someone's $10 - $15k mini isn't really an option when I dont want to wait.

I think what I'm getting at is that I'd like to own a mini, whether it be in pieces or the mini that I want. But at least if it's in pieces and I'm doing something about it, I will feel like I'm working towards something. Rather than trying to save(which I am really bad at) for a long time.

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Talk is Cheap because Supply Exceeds Demand

i have to agree with doogie, building a mini from the ground up is very hard, will take a long time and will cost more than purchasing an already restored one

I understand how much easier and less expensive etc it is to buy an already rebuilt mini.

But I'm after some learning here - on whats involved in rebuilding a mini. So I can get some smarts about how I'm going to get a mini.

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Talk is Cheap because Supply Exceeds Demand

and there's the rub...it might be better to use the time to strip down a cheapie and learn what makes em tick...then, as you get better pay you can decide what you want to do and how much you intend to spend.

When I was an apprentice, I bought a near new Deluxe (cause they were near new then )...meanwhile, my mate who was also an apprentice bought a 997 Cooper and proceeded to put everything that was available in it at the time...C/R box, cam, headwork...special tuning bits etc etc...he probably had generous parents for all I knew....

Whilst I felt envious every time we went for a blast in his car, I was content to keep the maintainance up to my mostly standard unit and felt confident it wouldn't let me down. I drove thousands of miles in that first car (Sydney to Cairns and back once) and had a ball...I suggest you do something similar whilst concentrating on your studies and getting your quals.

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"Show me the Mini!"

I did my first as a first year apprentice, then $114 per week (218 per fort in the hand).

Same rules apply, take apart and organise into sorted bags. Work out the work you want to do yourself and the work you will farm out. As always, I like to do the mechanicals and farm out the bodywork.
After that it is purely a function of dollars. The more work you force yourself to perform at home, the more money you have for fun stuff. Don't confuse doing work at home to simply ignoring the part's condition...

If you really love it, you will make it happen, and you will be all the more proud for doing it on so little money. It's not as satisfying if you simply throw money at the job until it is beaten into submission.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

The way I'd re-build a mini is to;
(1) strip it down completely, then clean up the shell so it's straight and rust free,
(2) then build your subframs, suspension and breaks,
(3) Paint it if that's not already done and fit the subframes so it's now a rolling shell,
(4) now you can work on the interior and assembling the doors and boot,
(5) decide what engine you want and put it in,
(6) assemble and finish off all the little things and then your done.
In theory it's easy as but in reality it's very time consuming but not all that hard

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Respect mine and I'll respect yours.

Cass,
I say you should go for it!
Nothing will teach you more about Minis than building your own. I personally would not be happy with driving a Mini someone else had put together, its just not the same!
What apprenticeship are you doing?? Automotive related?

As far as the order things have to be done in, well, thats up to you. Everything has to be done so just treat every job as an individual project and don't look at the car as a whole.
It is the attention to detail in restoring every part that you should concentrate on and will produce the best result.


My advise would be to Buy the best shell you can find, preferably straight and minimal rust. It will cost more but will be the best money you spend. It will save you big money and a lot of time in the long run. Remember you can't make a silk purse from a pigs ear!
Buy yourself a copy of David Vizards How to Modify Your Mini and read it from cover to cover until you think you wrote it
Don't be frightened to buy a car without a motor, there are heaps of mini motors about the trick is to find a good Body..
Good Luck,
Dave

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The Moke cost about $6,500 (the car was free) in parts to rebuild. No labour. Additional to were the additional tools needed (about $800).

It took 18 months of four hours a day, five days a week.

A mini would cost more but you would probably have a better shell than I did. You will want a better paint job - professional is best - which is between about $1500 and the sky depending on what you want.

remember also you will need plenty of space and somewhere so all your WIP won't be disturbed over a project time span of probably several years. Funny also how when you pull even a Mini apart, it seems to take up three or four times the room.

kenno's project plan looks good to me.

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1967 Cooper S - new front bearings to do.
1965 Cooper S shell - Slow progress. No time or money!
1966 Deluxe- next rustoration!
Mk 2 & XJ6 Jags. Less said the better.

The other aspect is that your project is whatever you make of it. You can do a nuts & bolts, bare metal rebuild, or you can do a rolling restoration by getting the car's mechanics sorted without worrying too much about the shell. Take it at whatever speed you want, but you do need space for a full resotration. You need to be able to store parts and maintain a reasonable working space, which can be an issue (It is with me).

Either way, you'll learn a lot and probably achieve a lot. Your mate's probably have less idea of the mechanics of their cars, you'll be able to learn about the way your car actually works - I think it's well worthwhile.

Having said that, it's tempting to strip a car down and then lose interest. Just keep the momentum up and you'll achieve a lot over time and have something you're proud of.

id say go for it. im doing a mini and a moke and im a first year apprentice, have been for 2 years haha.



this is a good simple rule.

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I have a problem.. apparently

Ditto to that Doogie - I am now in my second year on the 65 Deluxe and I am OVER IT!

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Dave K.
1979 Moke Californian + 1981 'Coke' Moke

Thanks for the responses guys!

At the moment I'm just looking into it all. There is no chance of me owning/building a mini until I con my dad out of some shed space. And that won't happen until he's finished building the boat, or maybe when I move out As he is a builder, and I wold want at least half the shed maybe if I started paying rent... I might get half the garage.

I think I like the idea of building my mini from ground up. I know it's a long and tedious process. But I like to think of the pleasure I'll have knowing I did it myself, and everything I will learn on the way. How many girls or even guys for that matter, can say they did that.

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Talk is Cheap because Supply Exceeds Demand