Restoration-Mini

Technical Forums => Restorations => Topic started by: DarkHelmet on August 13, 2017, 05:29:47 PM

Title: Winston the '78-998: it's almost time.
Post by: DarkHelmet on August 13, 2017, 05:29:47 PM
Hi, I post over on Minimania (been a while) as the same name but also muse over on Oppositelock at times. With an upcoming move, I had to cobble the project together with mostly busted parts so it could at least roll to the next house a mile away, lo and behold it runs and drives...a bit.


I got the car (cheap doesn't even describe the deal I got) the fall of 2011 up here north of Denver and started on some mechanicals to get it running. It ran like a top (probably needs a new timing chain) and discovered how rotten the floor was shortly after....it was REALLY rotten. then I was to redo the brakes, cause i was more interested in the drive than the real whole fix at the time. I put it up on jack stands, took apart all the brakes and found them horribly seized and hopeless so with the worsening work schedule and parts cost going up, it stood on those stands for nearly 4 years. Now, the trifecta is upon me.

time, space, money.

So it will be done. But I must now plan the fix. Step one is to take the whole thing apart and tack in some bars across the door openings and across so the thing doesn't taco. Media blast the thing, and then I guess I'll work from the top down as the top and most of the middle is perfect.

(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--Yjtc-ElO--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/nakinwlqhaucahmddt10.jpg)

List: lower scuttle, "A" panels, lower rockers, whole floor, lower firewall, rear subframe panels, etc, etc. Bottom 8 inches of the car must be cut out, replaced, and fix/replace the cancer up to the windshield. lower doors, aaannnd...complete suspension and brakes.

Not much, really...
I'll update this winter when I get him apart and start really digging into it.
Title: Re: Winston the '78-998: it's almost time.
Post by: MiniDave on August 13, 2017, 05:32:03 PM
Welcome, Dark Helmet!

Look forward to the updates as you go along
Title: Re: Winston the '78-998: it's almost time.
Post by: Dmulder on August 14, 2017, 08:13:23 AM
watching.  I need to do some work to mine eventually as well.  However, not sure I will ever have time, space, and money all at once
Title: Re: Winston the '78-998: it's almost time.
Post by: Bahowe1 on August 15, 2017, 02:02:17 PM
Your project sounds exactly like mine. It's the post '70 mini- rust repairs to daily driver'. You can do it. The advice I got was 'take each rust repair as it's own project and do them one at a time. It sort of helps with the overwhelmed feeling.
Title: Re: Winston the '78-998: it's almost time.
Post by: DarkHelmet on August 16, 2017, 06:55:17 PM
Quote from: Bahowe1 on August 15, 2017, 02:02:17 PM
Your project sounds exactly like mine. It's the post '70 mini- rust repairs to daily driver'. You can do it. The advice I got was 'take each rust repair as it's own project and do them one at a time. It sort of helps with the overwhelmed feeling.

Absolutely my focus. Turtle deck, A-sections, firewall, rockers, floor, rear areas....pretty much in that order. Thanks for the encouragement
Title: Re: Winston the '78-998: it's almost time.
Post by: DarkHelmet on August 25, 2023, 11:54:57 AM
Well this has been a while, but new job, life, etc has made things take longer. I skipped a lot along the way but I have the front and rear subs done and getting the final bits stripped off the car. i have a set of graying plastic flares and a full length original style exhaust system to get rid of (anyone in colorado let me know) and somehow I wound up with two extra left side window scrapers....but everything is ready to plug in once I drive down to the website HQ and pick up the shell Touring94 is working on.

here's the writeups and details over the last year (https://opposite-lock.com/search?term=restoring%20winston&in=titles&matchWords=all&sortBy=timestamp&sortDirection=asc&showAs=posts) when I really got to buckle down (finally with time,space,money) (for each one, right click and open in new tab so you don't have to go back and reclick a lot) and start working on it.
Title: Re: Winston the '78-998: it's almost time.
Post by: 94touring on August 25, 2023, 12:35:27 PM
Cool, I'll have to read through that.
Title: Re: Winston the '78-998: it's almost time.
Post by: MiniDave on August 25, 2023, 01:44:33 PM
Wow! 6 years later!   :grin:

Thanks for coming back to us, I'll go take a peek at your other thread too
Title: Re: Winston the '78-998: it's almost time.
Post by: 94touring on August 25, 2023, 03:04:00 PM
You need to post up the buff day pictures to your blog!