Orighty,
So I've spent my Sunday creating a new BBQ for my new house. Thanks to John at Mini King we were able to pick up a clubman front end for cheap to get the project going. The reason why I went with the clubby is because a) I own a clubbie myself, and b) I figure you can fit a bigger BBQ.

THe goal of this project is to do it as cheap as possible and use as much as possible from the original BBQ and also the car parts.

This was what we started with...


She has a bit of rust but she doesnt need to be road worthy so it wasnt to had to cleanup and convert.


Speaking of the BBQ found a 4 Burner in the garage which was an almost perfect fit, a few cuts to the body and the back of the BBQ itself and she slid in like a glove.



Some legs were attached using the existing subframe mounting holes and the legs from the old BBQ.



You can see in the following pic where we have cut out the headlights to allow the grease tray to slide out. The grill will therefore be hinged to allow easy access.






And here is how it looks after day one. It's now functional so all we need to do is make it look pretty. Bog and paint will conquer all!






Has anyone got any thoughts on what else we can add to it ie cool locations for cup holders, tong holders etc?

Some of you may find this sacrilege but the way I see it is we have turned a once-beautiful car from a rust heap to something functional and beautiful.

More to come....

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So... I'm Seifer

I want one! That is great.

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

Thanks mate.
I have a few more parts to source if anyone can help...
I need:
-Headlights,
-Wheels & Tyres (Cheaper the better, dont care if mags or steelies, just cheap)
-Those vertical doodats that go under the bumper.
-Bonnet hinges.

If you have any of these that your willing to part with cheap then pretty please let me know.

Also, I'm going to put gas struts on it so does anyone have a recommendation on a set which will effectively open up on their own but not bend the bonnet when closed?

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So... I'm Seifer

Yer that's pretty cool.

No one better cut up a good car to copy this though!

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Box on casters that can slide in through the wheel arch on one side, with a tyre mointed on the end. Handy place to store the esky??

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..

Mate, looks great. Well done.

As for gas struts, are you sure you want them near all that heat?

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1964 Cooper UK 970 S 'CZ 4289'

Damn fine job!

I reckon you need some caster wheels or similiar on rear legs so you can move it around if you need to, like a normal bbq has on one end...

Idea from Vicmini13 is a pearler, but I would incorporate the draw into the grill or front apron, that way the draw is hidden behind the grill or apron and a lot easier to get to....

Thats a great idea, maybe not on casters but use heavy duty draw sliders or some sort of track
how about a couple of long draws behind the headlights for tongs etc, you could use some cord attached to the headlight rim as a pull for the draws.

Love these ideas guys, keep them coming.

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So... I'm Seifer

Oh and with the heat on the struts, will it be that bad an idea, any other ideas? The bonnet is a racing setup so it has the holes cut out for pins so you can take the whole thing off but I still thing it would look the goods with the bonnet straight up...

Also, any thoughts on where I can source some heavy duty rails, loving that idea.

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So... I'm Seifer

Ok, Whos got another clubbie front, i want 1 now

Pretty cool

Anyone got a clubby that has had a rear or side smash???

As for the bonnet, you could modify a hinge to have a bracket that goes through the firewall to the back, set up a strut to push the bracket down, bonnet goes up. Or make it such that the bracket can be pinned down in the open position.

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Dean Hutton's first car was a Mini.

How about a lockout strut/bracket, the kind where it locks out when lifted up then you lift a little bit more to unlock!

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New from the UK and wanting a NICE little British car!

Are you going to chop the bottom off the front legs and weld them to the front of the shell? i.e. get rid of the two legs sticking down at the front?

Otherwise looks like a great project.

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Michael Jones
Minis In The Gong
[email protected]
www.minisinthegong.com.au

mate the legs are holding the shell up. THe barbie itself sits in fine on a shelf which was already part of the body. Im not sure what to do about the legs but I cant see another option as its the only thing keeping it stable.

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So... I'm Seifer