A Classic Mini Saga
So in early December 2014 we bid on a classic 1979 Mini Clubman, which is best described as a shell of a car with a few boxes of bits or "project".
With nothing to do until the Mini was collected, I organised help & a loaned car trailor in 3 weeks' time. The game plan was listed. 1 sort dents, check/do welding, sand & prime shell, 2 source passenger door, sunroof and get car sprayed, 3, fit windows, fit subframes and axels hopefully some wheels as well, 4 source engine, fit wiring loom, fit engine, 5 buy/fit interior. Boom MOT and done!!
Well what could go wrong with asking for a hours help to move a tiny car out of a garage and on to a trailer from just 2 miles down the road. Arr let the rocky road begin. A possible 3 car trailers were organised for the big day, 2 confirmed their trailers would be available for a very small cost so I played safe and accepted both offers. 10 days from the collection date the first trailer drops out when finding out the Mini has no wheels/ is not a rolling chassis, but it's OK we still have trailer 2. Enter smug mode for hedging bets by keeping 2 trailers at the ready.
The big day arrives to collect the new toy, the weather has been watched very closely for the last few days and its looking good. Having finished my morning shift, I walk to my work neighbours unit to check his dad is on his way there (this would be 12.20 and collection due to happen at 13.00) ..... The phone call was made and "Oh I'm a bit busy, any chance we can do next week" arghhhh. Out comes the phone, trailer 3 option was quickly blown away. The thinking cap comes out ...... time to ring dad and convince him its fine to use his aging boat trailor with a minor mod (if I pull in a favour), or course he was out and his mobile was at home. Deep breath, he's with my uncle so lets ring him, 5 mins later 4th trailer is theoretically good to go.
Feeling a little happier it was time to meet the seller on time collect the boxes and bits n bobs in my car, then break the news on not having a trailor. So with a content seller we arranged for the car to be moved a few hours later. Queue me rushing home unloading the bits n bobs, rush to dads to get the trailer, back to mine as I couldn't find a tail board for the number plate. Stripped my tiny trailers tail board and chucked it in the car. Time to pull in favour and get a make shift brace to stop the car rolling off the T frame trailer, with that done it was back to the seller. By this point ALL help had well and truly disappeared but being a man on a mission and the weather still good you carry on regardless.
Back at the sellers with a trailer that should hold a Mini, myself the seller and ... his mum dragged the Mini out of the garage, stared at the car then the trailer and back at the car. We were determined it was going, so aligned the trailer for the shortest move and ..... collared some neighbours. With a little effort the car was on the trailer, lashed down and tail board strapped to the roof of the Mini (bloody cable was not long enough to reach the back of the Mini) I thanked and waved good bye to all that had helped then stopped just around the corner. The worry had crept in, adapted trailor, crappy lights and it was well and truly night time now. Out comes the phone to get anyone to drive behind me, well not really much of a surprise that people did not answer, were watching x mass lights being turned on or just busy. Just about to give up and chance it on my own when the uncle comes good. Just as well he did, with only a few hundred yards to go the Mini slips, just a little, but just before a roundabout.
Easy ! well the car and trailor got dumped on front garden and the beers came out. Good enough for today.
Having owned a few Minis before I know that nothing is that simple and with it now being 20 years after my last Mini I did know it really would not be all that straight forward. But that was a really good/not very straight foward start.
So parts are being cleaned and painted at work and in the evenings down in my shed. Then after a lovely chat with our fantastic neighbours its decided that if I help clear his garage the mini can live there for 3-4 months.
Real progress. It's now 25/01/2015, I had managed to borrow a set of panel beating dollies, so after a few weeks the roof is just about the right shape. Thank you you tube for the guides on panel beating. This "just" leaves the small accident damage to the front, dent in the wing and rear valance to straighten out. Also in this time the sun roof and roof lining has been sourced and delivered, one radius arm has been sand blasted and painted and half a petrol tank sanded then painted. The latest part being a rear subframe donated to our course, well it needs a little TLC but a step close to goal 3 of having a rolling chassis.
The dent removal is going well but the hands are feeling it, not a good day yesterday. I could be mistaken for thinking every other hammer blow was to my thumb.
Some pictures, not that good as they are just mobile photos, but if you look close you may see some changes.
Radius arm from the box of bits,
The front of the roof.
So I think that covers the last 6/7 weeks highs and lows, oh we did join a local Mini group. P&S moc very nice and friendly bunch.
27/01/2015 - Busy busy, clocked up a few hours now cleaning up the rear subframe. Front panel dent much better and the rear valance is looking not so squashed. Not bad
Just noticed, the rear valance was only 2 cm away from the boot floor when I started. This was after the first "tweek"/pulled into rough shape.
The l/h side
After a lot of hammering we now have a realtively straight bottom edge and the lip is now unfolded and flattened out. (picture of r/h side)
27/01/2015 - Busy busy, clocked up a few hours now cleaning up the rear subframe. Front panel dent much better and the rear valance is looking not so squashed. Not bad
