ok , here we go,,, this has been a long time coming & today (for a number of reasons) i figured that it`s time i said this(again) ... I say it quite often to people, but i`m pretty sure it doesn`t sink in very well,,, & then maybe some people don`t really "want" to hear the truth

So,,, whenever i see a mini that`s been "done-up" & looks really nice, well i`m instantly skeptical,,, who knows what uglyness lays under cover????

I get a lot of really nice "looking" minis coming in here, & usually for mechanical work yeah? because that`s what i do right? i fix the mechanical s up & make em go good, stop nice & handle well,,, yeah? ,,, you all keeping up so far?

well,,, sooooooo many minis have had sooooo much money spent on them to make them "Look" really nice,,, clean, tidy, trimmed, paint is spotless, interior is custom & blah blah blah...

& , of course,,, all the people who wander in here comment on "Wow!!! What a nice mini, how good is this,,, man it`s mint" etc etc etc

Well,,, i`ve been doin this stuff for a very very long time (too damn long really) & as much as i`m sure you`ve all heard it before & you can all recognise that they are not always as good as they look right???

i`m soooo damn sick of hearing this stuff it really pokes a burnt stick in my eye, because "MOSTLY" the good looking ones are such utter crap mechanically that it`s sickening

& yet,,, anyone who walks past those "Good-Looking" minis will always comment on how hot they are or how sweet they look etc etc etc,,, human nature right,,, pretty is pretty simple as that right?

ok,,, cool,,, parked there they "LOOK" great right???,,, cool,,, now go for a drive

welll,,, what a pile of sh!t,,, i could name sooooo many people who fall into this category of being well known for making up really nice "Looking" minis, they even have built up a reputation for making really nice minis,,,, it then becomes common knowledge that "these people" are the ones to go & see to get your mini done up because obviously they make a nice "Looking" mini right???

yeah right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ------> NOT!!!!!!!!!!!

I personally (if i were wanting to "Do-up" a mini) would much rather build a mini properly, do the mechanicals up & dummy it all into place into the body shell first... then when all that`s happened, you fix the body shell & do whatever mods you need/want to create your own "Nice Looking" mini,,, then obviously pour whatever paint colour you like all over it & then upholster it & then fit all the stuff in like glass & handles & etcs

But No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,,, if a mini simply "runs", then away they go,,, making it "Look" pretty without hardly a cent spent on the mechanicals

So,,, 2x things here really,,,, why the fark would you even think a mini is "Mint" by just looking at it,,, oh yeah that`s right---> because it "Looks" sweet & obviously if it "Looks" good , then it must "BE" good right???,,, General Human nature has a lot to learn hey?

& 2ndly,,, if you know what i`m talking about here, & you`ve heard it all before... then why the fark would you still go ahead & make your mini "LOOK" good before making all the mechanicals safe & sound first??????????????????????????????

Do any of you know how difficult & time consuming & costly repairing the crap mechanicals on a mini that "LOOKs" good , all painted . gleaming & nice upholstery & all clean & shinny?????? does "ANYONE" have a clue how long it takes to rip all that crap out to repair some dodgey gearshift bracket or that handbrake bracket thats ripped out of the floor,,, or that center console with stereo & sat-nav & speakers & nick nacks like car alarms & imobilizers & crap & stupid appolstery glued all over the place & extra panels fitted jammed in, just to get to the brake or clutch clevis pins etc etc etc ,,,, & then have to stuff all that crap back in there after?????????

ok lets add air horns & bull bars & sump guards & spottys & Boom-box sub whoofter things screwd & bolted to the boot so you can`t even get the spare wheel out or check the battery has an fluid left????????????

Ohhhh Noooo,,, lets just jam all that sh!t into some crappy piece of sh!t, paint it all & upholster it all & spend whooping amounts of money on it,,, then cry poor when you need to have anything mechanical fixed,,, because the bill is now tripple what it would have been if it were left fairly stock & easy to get to everything,,,, Oh nooooo,,, don`t bother about that till the time comes right

what a nice mini, man that`s mint,,, i wish i had one just like this

yeah,,, go ahead mate

If you guys only knew who "some" of the people were that make minis "look" good, but mechanically are plain crap,,, oh don`t get me wrong tho,,, these people make the engines & suspensions "Look" good too,,,, nice & clean & spotless all over,,, painted this & touched up that & detailed everywhere,,,, right, now GO FOR A DRIVE IN IT

Ha!!!!!!



so,,, maybe i`m just saying that if a mini looks really nice,,,, have a think about this post for a minute before you comment on that nice mint "Looking" mini,,,, oh & don`t bother asking how it drives because it`s the owners car,,, he/she`s not going to say it`s crap hey???

But people still insist on making it "LOOK" good first

what the???????????

& before you reply,,, let me remind you how long i`ve been doin this for & then you might realise just how many of these total f#$@^-ups i`ve seen & had to work on ,,, & from some highly regarded mini club people too i might add

sorry ... no names,,, some "other" mini shops don`t have much integrity,,, bad mouthing is "normal" for him/them,,, but i like to think that i do have at least "some" integrity... so i`m not saying who all these people are.

besides,,, "usually" i don`t mind other mini people bagging on me or bad mouthing me because it`s "usually" jealousy or envy provoked

end zone--> just keep this in the back of your mind whenever you see a really nice "Looking" mini

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.

That was almost epic, but then coming from you Matt, we expect no less.

It depends on where peoples values lay.........

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you tell 'em Matt

Unfortunately this does not just apply to minis but every classic make of car out there

I gave up reading it all but I get the point. When I start restoring my car, I will spend the money on all the mechanicals first and then if anything is left I can make it look nice. Sound advice and I will use it.

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Flute - 68 MK I Cooper S
Member: VMCI #2474
Member: International Mini Model Collectors Club

+1

Cheers

Jacob

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'72 Clubman Van - 1022cc, 295 head, 731 cam - Daily Driver
'69 Morris 1100 S - Dinged by a bus, in shed under repair
'64 Morris 1100 - Early 1100, long term project

Oh yeah, I hear you alright.
I've got one here now 'looks briliant' nearly farqued mechanically...

My own mini's in the process of being cleaned up body wise, all I wanted was a roadwothy cert., but there wasn't a hope in getting one because the paint work was very tatty. Even though the mechanicals were spot on.

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How can it be rusty when it's covered in so much oil?

Oh Matt, really REALLY feel your pain.... Often the rarer models get this treatment.. "This is going to be the most Stunning Cooper S or GT or Cooper you have ever seen!" .... You take it for a drive, and one your way out of the driveway you scrape the clamp at the end of the collector for the extractors, cos some ass hat put it on up side down...

You take it into a tightish corner at some speed and it wanders to the outside of the corner... you later find out that they didn't bother replacing the tie rod bushes..... so you do that.... and now it just wanders under brakes... "they just need adjusting" you think... and when you get the wheel off and have a look at the hub, the nut for the steering rack is only hanging on my a thread... and whats that? The steering rack boot is leaking too! On this freshly ""Restored Classic""....

You take care of all that, and now you're in a hilly area and you need to stop at the lights.... you pulll the hand brake up in your Over Priced Classic.... Huh? Is it just me or is the road moving? Ohhhh the hand brake was never adjusted!

So you're taking off at the lights... there is some teenager in his '88 Toyota Camary laughing at you in your mini... "I'll show this little bastard what a classic 4 banger can REALLY do" you think.... you put the boot into it.... CHUUUUNCH into second gear CruuuuuuuuuuuuUUCH into 3rd.... WHAT THE HELL!,,, so you whip appart the "freshy reconditioned factory ridgy didge gear box" and find a worn layshaft (that looks about 40 hard years old) and whats that??? There is nothing left of the sychno's! This box has never been appart!!!

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The worst part? Its a bloody rare model.... so even though you can tell its a lemon mechanically, you know that if you don't buy it, it could be yeeeeeeeears before you get another chance... So you pay the grossly inflated price, knowing full well that there is about 50 hours of labour in it, and 8-9 grand worth of new parts it needs, so that you can FINISH this gooses resto...

Yeah, its happened to me a couple of times...

You really have to be careful what you buy, about 15 years ago I bought a nice supposedly restored Mk2 Cooper S, nice paint, very presentable, it was a genuine Mk2 S.
Was told it had a rebuilt motor and gearbox, well a few months after buying it the gearbox packed it in, I pulled it down and discoverd it was not an S box at all, motor was a Cooper S block but with the wrong crank and wrong rods, and it had one sleeved cylinder. Many thousands of dollars later I built it into what it should have been in the first place.
If the gearbox had not given up the ghost I would have been none the wiser. There were numerous other mechanical issues as well, so I realise what the original poster is on about.

I am seriously thinking of buying another S but I will be a lot more thorough this time around. All the 'nice looking' ones on the internet for sale have huge prices on them like $30k plus and I wonder how good they really are and is a Mini really worth that sort of money, the same cars some of which have been for sale for like 12 months. I would love to find a nice genuine honest car and do it all my self. Mechanicals first.

My cars like the opposite of that.

Trash as and The copper pulls me over because of how trash it looks.

But mechanicals are sweet

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I understand your pain. But i get a whole different sort of pain looking at some "mint" cars.
People are all saying wow, "that paint job looks mint", and i am thinking to myself "WTF!!!! look at that sink back there.... look at that run there.... look at that ugly paint edge there.... look at those sanding scratches ..... that colour match to that other part is awful.....
Yes car shows are mostly ruined for me since becoming a spraypainter.

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Tim
Dusk Blue
1964 850

One well known mini comes to mind, a recent paint job makes it look all shiny so everyone loves it but its really a POS with no brakes, no oil pressure & bald tyres.

I am the opposite, none of my cars look that great but there all new under the bonnet and they stop, handle & go like stink.

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Have a Nice Day.
If already having a nice day please disregard.

As a young bloke with my first mini, I rocked up to Mini Maxs and Margs door step for some help.

After working on the car Max said 'before making it look pretty make sure it runs'.

That was 10 years ago. That car is still on stands, but is just about ready for paint.

I have since purchased a second car (the AUTO), and before it's inevitable respray (back to its original colour) the engine and gearbox will be out and it'll be up on the blocks.


Just thinking about it.... your situation reminds me of those people who buy a massive double-storey with the works, but can't afford the curtains.

If you spend a lot of money on making a mini look pretty, spend the time to make it mechanically sound. In fact, try and do it in the reverse order.


Even though I'm not a mechanic or painter, I hear ya.

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1966 Morris Mini Minor Saloon (Dot) - 1275 Auto - Mongrel
1968 Morris Mini Van (Ivan) - 998 Auto - Mongrel
1968 Morris Mini.Matic (George) - Original
1968 Morris Mini.Matic (Charlie) - Original

A mini in great mechanical condition is fantastic to drive, but when they are not maintained they are a real POS! So, you are missing out on the magic if you are not keeping your Mini in top condition!

Dr Mini's signature used to be "looks like sh*t, goes like sh*t off a shovel"

I read this thread before I drove my cooper home from work -

it's nice to be able to let go of the steering wheel at 110kph and have it keep going in a straight line as long as the road stays straight

it's nice having a gearbox that changes smoother and more direct than my wife's 2006 subaru

it's nice having suspension that doesn't clunk and thump and is smooth over the train lines at 60kph

it's also kinda nice having a car that's worth quite a lot of money, and is incredibly quick, but most people don't give it a second glance