This Webpage describes my project to restore a classic Mini, with my brother Ed's help. It was originally Ed's first car, and we did (or tried to at any rate) a lot of things to it. It started off as a bog standard Grey 1989 998cc Mayfair, then Ed fitted Superlight alloy wheels (as in the photos), got it resprayed black, fitted crome grill and bumpers and a centre exit exhaust (later replaced with a side exit bodged up from a Mini front section and sierra rear section). The engine then died sometime in 2001, never to turn its crank in anger again, and the Mini then sat in my Parent's drive until they moved house. Ed and I then towed it to a lockup garage, and I decided to try and get it back on the road.

This is the Mini in the state it was in when I decided to start restoring it. As you can see from the pictures there was a lot of work needed - most of the front end was rotten, as well as a lot of other panels (the list of rust repair includes both sills, both A Panels, welding in new plates to both rear wheel arches, a new rear subframe and numerous plates around the car). Not to mention a new engine! Pretty much the only things not to require replacement were the wheels and tyres!

My aim is to restore it to better than new spec. I've got a whole host of work planned, which I'll document in the next few pages.

Here are a few other pictures of the unrestored car to give an impression of it's original state (click on the thumbnails for a bigger picture in a new window):



The First Step was to take it to a local specialist, Southam Mini and Metro Centre (tel 01926 815681) to find out if restoration would be cost-effective, or if we'd be better starting with a new shell (it really did look quite bad in places!). Fortuneately their view was repairing the existing shell would be the most cost effective option, and I booked it in with them to get the work done.

When Southam Mini and Metro Centre inspected the Mini, we agreed that I could reduce the labour costs by removing everything possible from the Mini (including some of the rotten panels and the rear subframe) before they took it away to save them time (and hence me money).Click the link below to go to then 1st stage of the project - stripping the car!