mexico blue mini

Started by 94touring, December 09, 2012, 08:30:20 AM

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94touring

The next project mini is in the works.  More updates in a few weeks..


Willie_B

Looks like a decent starting point.

94touring

Game plan for now is replace a few panels and paint the underside till he's ready for the rest. 

joltfreak

So what is the plan with this one?
check out the official website for updates!!!!! 


94touring

See above lol.  Got some door skins, valance, apanal perhaps, and cills to work on.  A bunch of gunk on the underside to clean up too. 

jemo

Nice car, Dan! 

I'm excited to get the ball rolling on this car. I've had it probably 5 years and did a little to it.  I stripped it for the most part, removed the valence that was rotted out, welded in new Mk1 taillight panels, and started repairing one of the door skins.  It is pretty solid but based on what I found with the doors, anywhere there is primer sprayed, it's a cover up for rust.  The bottoms of the doors looked like they sat in salt water.

This is the third project car I've had.  First two were old Chevys. One is still in the works but nearly finished. I don't know why but these Minis intimidate me so I asked Dan for some help.  My wife has never been fond of my old cars but did say she wants a Mini of her own.  She can't have this one!

Jeff

jemo

I never learned how to paint but am pretty good at welding and replacing panels.  Here were the other cars that got in the way of the Mini.  Before and Afters.  The truck is still not quite finished - has an electrical glitch that I can't find.










94touring


joltfreak

check out the official website for updates!!!!! 


Mudhen

Nice!  Looks pretty good!

Cool before/after pics.  Seems like it would be harder to do one of those, just because of the extra square footage!   :o

94touring

Car showed up today!  Overall looks solid.  We have a nice brand new minitec subframe in a box ready to go on also....  exciting stuff. 

94touring

Pictures and cool stuff. 





Today I got the subframes off, removed some panels, and started the test fitments.  Needs thrown on the rotissier, cleaned up, blasted and painted behind the panels before I toss them back on.









The boot has some issues in the corners, much like Deans car I just did.



Some shady patch work.




94touring

Got it up on the rotissier today and began de-gunking the underside.  A lot of waxoyl under there along with undercoat.  Used a new tool called a needle scaler and I am happy with how it knocks off undercoat.  I'll need to go over it with the sandblaster to finish it off once I finish knocking it clean.  Took off the front end which was beat up and rusty. 








94touring

Placed a large order of parts this morning.  New rear subby, brake conversion, wheels...all sorts of good stuff. 

Mudhen

Quote from: 94touring on January 03, 2013, 10:30:29 AM
Placed a large order of parts this morning.  New rear subby, brake conversion, wheels...all sorts of good stuff.

Crap...I thought things like brakes and wheels were ordered a minimum of 2 years after the project commenced...

OEM rear subframe or aftermarket?  I'll be needing one in the future...

How's that scaler thing work?  High pressure water?

94touring

I'm more of a two weeks top to bottom kind of restoration guy, haha.  With the exception of my pickup! 

OEM powder coated subby with exhaust hangers.  The subby I pulled off was beat up and rusted pretty bad.  All new everything in the back...bushes, brake assembles, hi-lows, cones, and adjustable shocks.

Needle scaler works with air, and not much air at all, I was surpised.  The needles vibrate and move around rapidly causing loose "scale" to fall off.  Its not too powerful that it dents the metal which is good.  The waxoyl is a little gunky and doesn't just chip off like the undercoat, but gets enough off that a pass with the sandblaster will finish things off.  The sandblaster doesn't do anything to undercoat since its so thick.   

biketesting

Cool tool! I like the "needler" . I was looking the other day at dry ice blaster. Amazing tool, not sure it's for this application though.
Disregard all the above text, it is flatulence (still)

94touring

#17
Did a little work today.  Continued cleaning the bottom, cut out some areas to be patched, found some more rust, and got the cill areas cleaned up the rest of the way.  The needle scaler lets you know when you find rusty weak metal, it bust right through it. 






94touring

Have a handful of days to get busy on this car.  So here's todays work.

Fixed up a couple botch patch jobs from its past.



Getting this part out was rather tricky.





Much better once this is welded and cleaned up.



Right side cill ready to be put on.  Primed up and painted.  This is some old blue I'm using up to paint the backside of the cill/door frame sections.   



Showing the fab work in the floor section that needed cut out and replaced.  Also you can see where I've started pulling up the sound deadening/dynomat crap from the factory.  Notice they didn't paint under it, just primer. 


Mudhen

Quote from: 94touring on January 15, 2013, 08:10:00 PM


Is that the floor NOT welded to the rear quarter panel or something?

Mine is the same way - was thinking it was from some previous crappy workmanship - maybe the factories crappy workmanship??

94touring

It will be.  I took off the patch piece someone layed on top of things.  The factory piece is spot welded along the lip. 

Mudhen

Quote from: 94touring on January 16, 2013, 07:23:17 AM
It will be.  I took off the patch piece someone layed on top of things.  The factory piece is spot welded along the lip.

Sorry...put the wrong pic in my post.  I meant to ask about the inside of the sill:


94touring

You must be looking at the rearward section, yeah that's factory.  Its just a ledge that keeps the rear pocket from the cill really. 

jemo

I've done a little bit to get the engine ready to drop in when I get the car back.  I had a new timing belt, clutch, and front and rear main seals replaced.  I was going to try it myself but the local Honda mechanic said he'd do it for 2 hours labor plus parts.  I also took the valve cover off and shaved the Honda emblems.  Dan is going to paint it for me.  Last, I took the engine harness off and sent it off to a guy in California that adapts them to work with Mini's.








94touring

Cill on.



This bastard was tricky due to the curves and bend where it meets the lip.



This rear corner the way the patch panels worked out I have a double layer, so painted up and sandwiched together.  I made the bottom skin so it will blend with the curvature of the spare tire holder, and the closing panels/subframe plate will cover the other section along the wheel arch.  Still have my share of cleaning and blending to do.