I'm not going to name anyone but I can easily list three people who have chosen to cut up repairable mini shells for doner panels or projects when replacement panels are available for what they need or the shell they cut up can be repaired for a few hundred dollars.
Personally I have recently spent around $700 fixing a shell that was going to be destroyed for one front guard the shell will soon be rebuilt and sold for approximately $5000, even after building costs I will make 1-2k profit. I'm also planing on saving another 2 shells, both are worse than the three I referred to earlier.
Come on people these cars we love ain't growing on trees. Is it really worth chopping up a mini to save yourself a couple of hundred dollars
End rant .

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Respect mine and I'll respect yours.

+1 this buggs the crap outta me. quite a few half decent mini's going to mini heaven when theres another option out there

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one van, one mini s, one knitted cardigan

Have to agree with that

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Stop Licking the Dog...I Don't Care Who Started It

I hate to see just about any car destroyed, not so much the newer ones that are put together by machines but the older ones which were very hands on, come on. People put their blood, sweat and tears into creating what we love.

I made a comment on another thread to the extent that I was going to do that. The cost of the panels would have made my project (restoring my Mk II) uneconomic. The shell I bought had no papers so could never drive on the road again and it was literally a shell, no doors etc.

In some cases, particularly the front cuts being imported, I understand your point. But that's due to legislation and is preferable to the schemes in the UK, US and elsewhere whereby good cars are junked for cash as an incentive to buying a new car.

A case in point, this Volvo S80 being killed. I almost found this physically sickening to watch.

Incidentally, why the concern with body shells? No complaints about engine transplants? The shell is, let's face it, just another component of the car yet each one is treated like ailing child. At a certain point, emotions have to take a back seat to practicality. Building up a complete car from a shell isn't economic. Where are the other parts going to come from? Brand new, or scavenged from other carcasses?

And in NZ, the cost of getting a shell legally back on the road will cost thousands. This is no exaggeration. If the rego lapses here, you have to meet much, much stricter standards. A standard mini will not get back on the road in this country as the drum brakes don't meet the standard required. So that's a full set of brakes required. I'm doing it for my Clubman Estate and it's been painful on the wallet - god knows what my wife would do if she found out (and it's her car).

Don't get me wrong, I'm an enthusiast. But I'm not an evangelist. And my pockets are not endless sources of cash to buy new panels (considerably more expensive in NZ). Not everyone will share my view, but as I mentioned above, there was no way in the world the shell (which will save my project) would get back on NZ roads. I was tempted to swap the numbers to the newer shell, but that still means one shell off to the recyclers, and is illegal.

/end rant

Shells rust. Shells don't get remanufacrured. Shells can take other running gear. Point to be taken about unregisterable. But there's always an engineers cert. Original numbers. Matching etc is nice. But not everyone can manage that either.

Just a few points.

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Aussie Leyland, Aussie Factory, Aussie Mini S.

I personally dont see any problem with it. Original guards are hard to come by. If it means keeping another car on the road that is better or more historically significant, then why not. At the end of the day they are just minis. The collectability of a deluxe doesnt rate particularly highly in most peoples books. I am curious though. What kind of shell is worth $5000. Would love to see some pics/info.

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1970 Cooper S ex-Bathurst & ATCC
1964 Austin Cooper S ex-Group C race car
1967 Morris Cooper S ex-Group B
1962 Mini Speed sports sedan
1968-71 ex-Peter Manton Shell car

My money, my car. I will do as I please.

More cars that get cut up, more spare parts there are on the market.

Hi Guys,
Those who think every Mini should be saved have honorable thoughts but it will never happen. There is a positive twist though! The fewer around make the survivors rarer and more likely to be saved. Just about every collectible high priced car today is that because they are one of a few that have survived. Who would ever have thought that something as mundane as a Charger, Monaro or Falcon GT would bring the money they do now.

The folk that annoy me are the ones who seem to want everything and then leave em sitting in the weather to rot. Very few people I know with big collections have got one reliable car, nicely done up, they could jump in and do a reasonable trip. These folk are more of a problem than the guy who cuts up one car to make another one good. At least they are doing something productive to save a car.

My two bob's worth !!

Al

Hang on... the one that i cut up was a clubbie..!!!

THATS fine i was told.

Them theres fightin words

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1970 Cooper S ex-Bathurst & ATCC
1964 Austin Cooper S ex-Group C race car
1967 Morris Cooper S ex-Group B
1962 Mini Speed sports sedan
1968-71 ex-Peter Manton Shell car

haha oh god!

stop cutting up vans for trailers too.

And the federal government's proposed $2000 for your clunker may not help the situation. The same deal in the UK resulted in more classic Minis going to the crusher.

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Slide
1965 Mini Van (1360)
1970 Mk2 Cooper S (1310)
1978 Rover SD1 V8 (4.6)
1996 Land Rover Discovery V8 (4.0)

I agree with everything you said 66s, i don't know how many times i've come across someone that has heaps of gear just rotting away in the weather and will not part with a thing because they reckon they're going to do it up one day, or they're saving it for the grandkids.
And i wouldn't pay too much attention to cash for clunker's crap, that was not a CORE promise i'll bet .