[onlymelloyd]

Am longing to get another mini, Have had five in my time including an Innocenti Hatch.

Is it me or does the later 90's minis seem to have EVEN worse rust proofing then earlier cars?

The late 90's minis do rust more as they were built using italian steel which was thinner and not treated against rust. The reason for this - it was cheaper!

 

[se7enmvu]

Bit of an update on my mini, someone broke into her in the summer of 2010 so I had to replace the n/s window and get the n/s resprayed.

In Jan 11 i got a contract working in cumbria and for 7 months the mini took me up there every week. Putting over 10,000miles on with only the regular oil changes and ball joint grease.





Then with two weeks left until I finished the cumbrian job I did a 6am-10pm shift and drove the 140miles home. Except I clipped a kerb and crashed into a traffic light 139miles in.





She was a CAT C write off but I bought her back and shes sat in the garage ever since.

I am going to rebuild and I'm slowly acquiring the steel to make a jig and the spare parts i'll need to rebuild, and the plan is to have her back up and running for summer 2015, when she will be returned back to standard complete with the orange/cream colour scheme.

 

[blackbob]

What a shame... were you hurt, looks a fair impact?
Often wonder how many half-asleep drivers there are around, the nanny state makes a fuss (and lots of money from fines!) about many things, but tiredness is something which can't be legislated against, and is possibly just as lethal.
I've done it too.
Glad you're (still) not scrapping her!

 

[donniedarko2]

Beautiful! love the green!

 

[se7enmvu]

Sadly the original timescale slipped and the original shell could not be saved. Here's an update.

By 2015 I'd saved up enough to pay to have a new front end fitted bulkhead forward and to have a new floor fitted. However I decided to get the shell blasted by a firm who assured me they knew what they were doing.
Except they didn't. They destroyed the roof and a rear quarter panel so with the amount of metal that would have to be changed I decided to scrap the shell and save abit longer for a heritage shell.

Christmas 16 I ordered the new shell and picked it up the following February. I prepped the shell myself they took it to a professional to paint it back in the original colours.

I then spent the following year slowly building it back up. With its first mot in 2018. In the end almost everything had been replaced for new. The interior, rear glass, wheels, suspension arms and engine are all that's left.

I used it most days until Christmas 19 when I took it off road to do some maintenance.

The heater matrix was leaking and the crankshaft oil seals. So I removed the engine and sent the head off to be worked on by Keith calver who converted it to stage 2 spec.

I refitted everything with a new maniflow exhaust system.

Since 2018 it's covered 10k and is used most of the year. It's currently off road again for maintenance as I hope to drive it to Italy again this summer for the international mini meet so want it 100%.