Malvern Mini Day

The Weather was Cold wet and Horrible, but a good day out none the less. No real big shopping list at the moment, as I have yet to start taking NWS apart................I still had a rummage around in the jumble but nothing grabbed my attention....................

Still managed to come away with a new 2 ton Jack and pair of Axle stands, along with a new 1/4" socket set and 100 piece driver set the latter not for the mini but for the current daily driver, which one of the electric window has packed up on and being French has got those posi drive screws all over the place.

Unfortunately no pics as it was just too crowded to get any good shots, there was a pale blue Minus on one of the club stands. Just about recognise it from the minus registers site number 39 I think looks better than in the pics!Just wanna get started now, but still got another 7 weeks of early starts to go, even then I need to fit working on the car around fixing up the house...........

Insurance Quote

Attempted to sort out insurance to get the car covered while its in pieces, looked on Adrian Flux's website and they had cover for laid up but only if its garaged, so the best quote I could get was for a 1500 mile limited policy which does not cover parts if they are off the vehicle, tried to get Kit Car build up cover, but would only insure me if it was a "Full Kit" like a Westerham or Caterham................

Why can't life be more simple.......................................?

More Influences / Inspiration

I had a quiet few moments this week and time to surf the interweb, found a couple of blogs that I took a shine too (See Blog list on the right).

Found a photo of a very cool looking '49 Ford Saloon in a suede Purple, from the 'Lowtech' Blog......




The ideas are comming into focus........
......all I need is to combine the Mini Minus body with some of the body mods from the e-type / ABMC Shorting Brake, with the simplicity of the Classic Mk1 stylings with a mix of 50's Custom styling......
.......its just the details that are still blurry.

Suede and Chrome: American Car guy with loads of cool photos and links.

Lowtech: Swiss Car guy, with again loads of cool photos and links.
Fav Quotes-

writing about the '49 Ford pictured:
No flames, no flakes, no frills and just more proof for the philosophy that less is more. Or as the saying goes: keep it simple, stupid.

his philosophy on building cars /
(comparisons between traditional 32 hotrods or Cal look VW's):
……….building one of them in traditional style, you really have to find your own path between tradition and your own ideas and personal taste. There are many attempts (some successful, many not) to build that perfect car.

....capture "the look". May it be the combination of stance, details, selection of parts and performance or whatever.

And it keeps getting harder to build a car that really stands out from the crowd (or from the cars already built) but still captures the traditional spirit.

It's all about attention to details and a constant strive for perfection.

Could’nt agree more!

Inspiration & Influences

It’s been a long time in between posts, I apologise (not that anyone is following this yet), I have however been busy........... and not just with work.

Not a lot of progress has been made; I have got the space to start stripping the car, but have yet to move it to its new home. It looks like it will happen at Easter or maybe even in May just after my birthday due to work commitments.

But, I have been spending my free time productively, well looking at mini magazines, and the odd website trying to work out what the finished car will look like.

So I thought I would attempt to explain or expand on my initial inspiration and influences.........

I have always liked the Radford converted cars of the 60's and have recently found a couple of images to illustrate the blog with.....

I also stumbled across this, which is a BMC concept car (if only they had built them) and only one of the three built to survive........

Which has then lead me onto thinking about the style of the car, its "look".......... and I got to thinking about the GT Cars (Grand Tourer's) of the 60's and one of the best (well the best British Sports/GT) The e-type Jag:

but more realistically...............I have narrowed it down to making it look like a Mk1 Mini as much as possible, with additional subtle (ish) modifications.

Searching through some Old Mini Magazines I remember seeing a Grey MK1 Cooper Replica, that just sat right, looked right and was well detailed.

Then there was a pair of Fiesta Yellow Mk1 Coopers S's, again just simple Mk1 styling with period accessories they looked quick and subtly modified but so understated.

Mark Deakin's Tuned Cooper Replica, Tweed Grey
Mini Magazine December 2004 pgs 8 - 13.

Len Barlow & Barry Long's Cooper S Twins, in Fiesta Yellow

Mini Magzine February 2006 pgs 42 - 47

In a slightly more recent edition there was a French Mini Tuning companies Mini featured, Automobiles BMC Shorting Break

www.auto-bmc.com/abmc/

Yes I know it looks like a Sports Pack. But, it does have some interesting features.

Namely the rear doors, the fuel tank location and the rear folding seat mechanism. So with a little imagination, a hatchback design does work, and the Mini can have a nice big rear load bay ideal for carrying luggage on long trips, no need for a matching trailer, therefore no (extra) speed restrictions!

Looks alot like an e-type Jag........... if you squint a bit....ok, ok, ok alot......or though the bottom of an empty cyder glass! (the latter happens to me alot more than it should).

Bingley Hall BMC Show

At last my search for parts could begin..........the first show of the '09 season was upon us. I had a couple of quid to spend and a small list of essential parts to find and an even longer list of non-essential parts.

Show was good, absolutely packed......... according to BMC website it was the busiest ever! Some interesting minis on display on the BMC stand including a Paul Smith MPi in the £1 raffle, alongside a covered special guest that was later revealed to be an un-registered Mini 30 Special Ed with only 12 miles (valued at about £15k).............. to be raffled later on in the year at £2 a ticket.

The weather was cold and it was a fair old trek from Home upto Stafford County Show Ground, but we made it through the rain to arrive at a very soggy car park, with a couple of cars getting well and truly stuck...luckily not me!

Auto Jumble as always at mini show's not that extensive (sorry used to being dragged around Classic Bike Show auto jumble stalls by my dad........when he goes to Stafford the jumble stands take up the whole of the car parking site that was used for the mini show and they have to park in the fields opposite the main show ground site!) but I did manage to snuffle out a dry rear subframe, with radius arms (in full working order and not siezed) that looks ok. I've not had the chance to give it a good look over but for £35 you can't go too far wrong saw one on e-bay for £200............. bargain!

So I am currently feeling very pleased with myself! (all the way up until I find out the thing's bent and twisted out of alignment and more rotten than the one thats on the mini already).

Great Minds Think A-Like?

Around the World in a 15 year old Fiat Panda!

It appears that this long distance driving in small cars madness is not limited to Mini owners, a couple from Belfast have bought a Fiat Panda for £100, and driven it to Africa, America, the Nurburgring and are planning to go to the Arctic in 2009.

Have a look at www.littlefiatbigadventure.com , looks like they had fun, especially on the first trip back in 2005, with the car breaking down before they have even got going.

Total Kit Car Magazine

Searching the magazine shelves for my usual monthly magazines, Mini World, Mini Magazine, Old Skool Rodz and I found a new one, totalkitcar. The September/October 2008 issue and its next instalment November/December has a two part feature on every Mini based kit you can buy. As you would expect also features a small section on the Mini Minus body shell.

Mini Sprint Build Blog

I have also found another build blog, this time of a Mini Sprint fibre glass shell, progress has been quick and the results look good;
www.theminiforum.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=68818

NWS ***Y The Future?

A couple of months back, well just after the Last MOT in May, and again having to patch up the rusting shell of NWS, I got to thinking about GRP bodied Mini's. I have toyed with the idea of having ago at restoring the steel shell, but my welding skills are limited and to get it done professionally will cost £6,500 +.

So I started to look into getting my hands on a GRP shell and I came across the Mini Minus Register's website; www.miniminus.co.uk , and I liked what I saw. Having a quick look back through some of my old mini magazines I found a couple of these things featured and they looked good. So instead of restoring the steel shell and spending thousands getting it fixed up, only for it to start rusting again, I can spend thousands on making it go faster......!

The initial specification for the car goes something like this, a A+ engine bored out by 20 – 40 thou, fast road spec, with a super charger (possibly from either Jon speed or Mini speed), a 5 speed straight cut gearbox (Mini Spares), adjustable ride height suspension, adjustable suspension geometry all round, twin tanks, wide steel wheels (www.wide-wheels.com ), a Webasto sun roof, a 60’s GT car inspired interior, including a dash using original cooper 3 dash clocks and gauges, leather seats and door panels and painted in black (Kustom Flatz so it looks like it is still in primer), with red pin striping, red wheels and the odd bit of chrome.

Initially it appeared that these shells were no longer being manufactured, but they did appear to come up on e-bay regularly, unfortunately as is the way when these opportunities arise I did not have enough money and since I have got some money, none have appeared on e-bay for some time.

But fortunately these shells are now being reproduced by a guy called Sean at twotofour1 engineering, who is very helpful and at the moment is happy to answer any stupid questions I may have. They are selling the shells for £2225.00, they are also available through ABS Motor Sport on their website www.absmotorsport.net/minus-bodyshell-p-5133.html , for slightly more (£2300.00), but this site you get a couple of pictures of the shell.

There are a couple of hurdles to jump through to get the car on the road and legal, the possibility of a SVA test or more probably the Basic IVA test, which will be introduced in April 2009. Then there is the registration of the car and hopefully retaining an age related plate. As this will essentially in the eyes of VOSA become a kit car, and will need to be registered with a Q plate unless I can retain at least two components of the donor car, as defined by VOSA as; the engine, transmission, suspension (front & back), steering assembly and the axles (both).

Useful websites:

Registering vehicles
www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/RegisteringAVehicle/DG_10014246

SVA notes
www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/vehicles/vssafety/importsapproval/thesinglevehicleapprovalscheme

The Life & Times of NWS ***Y

The history of the car is fairly straight forward and easily traced. A 998 cc Mini Mayfair, in black with originally a blue interior, first registered in March 1983, with 3 previous owners, including myself, my mate and her first Lady owner.

The first owner looked after the car really well, the car was regularly serviced, only covering forty thousand odd miles, before being sold to a friend of mine in January 2000. He owned the car for two years, but only drove NWS for a year, put a further thirty thousand miles on the clock, and took what was a mint condition mini and ran it into the ground, the car was finally left to sit in a garden when the MOT ran out.

A year later with my then current Mini a 1986 Piccadilly was on its last legs, I was offered the car for nothing, just to get it out of the garden it had sat in for the previous year. The idea was to use it as parts to keep my other mini on the road.

I picked the car up in the dark, not even giving it a quick look over, just tied it to the back of the works Transit and pulled it to my parents drive and left, to take my mate for a pint to say thanks! Needless to say, the following morning with a hangover she did not look good, faded paint, holes in the floor, inner and outer sills rusted through, a hole in the boot floor, the clutch had seized and it would not start (Not that different to its current state).

In the end it worked out that the Piccadilly was in a poorer condition than I had realised, a quote for the repairs to the bodywork ran into a couple of thousand pounds, money at the time I just could not afford. So there I was broke and stuck with two cars that would not pass an MOT. Thankfully it was decided that NWS could be saved. My Dad coming to the rescue and offering to repair the rusting floor, the sills and to patch the hole in the boot floor, a much easier proposition than replacing the complete front end of the other.

From picking the car up in the November of 2002, to finally passing an MOT took just over a year and approximately £800.00. The car had a few modifications, namely a brake upgrade from front twin leading shoe drums, to a 7.5” disc set up, spacered rear drums and an adjustable brake bias valve, with parts sourced from the younger mini.

Over the following three and a half years further modifications evolved, a stage 1 kit, leather seats, a stereo install with CD changer, amp and 6x9 speakers, a new carpet and door panels, a planned new adjustable suspension set up including adjustable bottom arms, rear camber and tracking brackets and adjustable ride height suspension (Hi lo’s), that was put off until I could afford a full rebuild/restoration.

Having decided upon rebuilding at some point the idea was to keep the car on the road as long as possible, but the best laid plans and all that. The car failed its last MOT in April of 2008, with a rusted sill, rust in the floor within the prescribed distance from the rear sub-frame mounts, and a seized radius arm. All of which was repaired, the welding again done by my Dad.

But as described previously, the clutch went, tyres were worn and replacements difficult to source and wheel alignment impossible as all the machines in Bristol could no longer be used on the little 10 inch wheels. So slightly earlier than anticipated the Mini is off the road and the rebuild set in motion.

The car now sits on my parents drive once again, soon to have its own space next to the green house, waiting for the strip down to begin.

The pictures show the car when I firts got it, the Gold Car was the '86 Piccadilly (so wish I had stripped more from it and sold the parts off on e-bay), and the other picture is NWS back in 2002 just after its MOT.