M-tech Mike
4 posts
Joined: 29/10/2004 14:54:22
Location: Nr Bridgwater United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Ex Mini Seven racer bodyshell and roll cage
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4552290226&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1 Thanks.
Posted: May 27, 2005 11:55 AM
Rich
1 posts
Joined: 19/10/2004 20:22:19
Location: United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Weight of a minishell?
Hello, does anyone know how much a mini bodyshell weighs? Specifically one without a front end, subframes, interior, but with doors and glass? Any thoughts would be great.
Posted: Mar 10, 2005 09:51 PM
pickme
672 posts
Joined: 08/09/2004 23:10:14
Location: Chippenham United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
What Mk is my Mini??????????
Probably a Mk5. The general bodyshell didn't change after the Mk4 though. Mk6 saw the engine mounts move for the 1.3i and the Mk7 gained the front mounted radiator.
Posted: Jan 02, 2007 10:25 PM
Tim
1849 posts
Joined: 18/10/2004 09:40:59
Location: Bournemouth United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Vin Number
My 63 Cooper has a plate screwed to the top of the radiator shroud on the passenger side inner wing. It says "Chassis No C-A257-293796" and I believe the C- prefix is what denotes a Cooper bodyshell. I've no idea if the same is true of the Cooper S's, though, I'm sure someone else will be able to help.
Posted: May 16, 2007 09:10 AM
Pablo Rodriguez
Joined: 02/01/2009 21:06:19
Location: Naucalpan, Estado de Mexico
Proper colors
I'm repainting red a 1990 Cooper bodyshell and I need to know what are the proper colours for:undersideinner wheel arches boot interiorgas tankinside floor (under the carpet, and the exposed beam below front seats)Are those also painted red or should they be black?Thanks
Posted: Mar 07, 2010 06:34 PM
lone stranger
56 posts
Joined: 01/10/2004 13:17:18
Location: Horsham United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Christmas Wish List
A. Min to stop leaking (IN the cabin, OUT the engine...) B. A whole new Heritage bodyshell and ALL bits so I can custom build my very own bespoke Mini (to my spec)... alternatively a lottery win (would help with B!)
Posted: Dec 07, 2004 01:38 PM
Barry Brown
511 posts
Joined: 23/06/2008 12:08:31
Location: New Barn United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
movement on the inner offset sphere joint
Hi Phil,
The inner section of the point joint has a little movement in relation to the outer housing. However, if I am reading correctly then it is the outer half of the pot joint that is moving. This will cause failure of the new oil seal and is caused by wear of the output shaft bearings.
Now that you have new cones and the car rides high the angle of attack of the drive shaft is higher and will put more leverage on the bearings - this is probably what you are hearing rumbling. (or you have signs of big end shell bearings getting too worn - sorry!)
As for the ride height causing strange steering - if you move the body height in relation to the wheels as is the case with new cones (cones sit in turret and are fixed in relation to bodyshell. rack is bolted to bodyshell. wheels are moved further away from top of cone) then you are effectively shortening the vertical distance between the end of the steering rack and the steering arm which causes toe-out. Unless you do what Tim did and modify the suspension for the lowered look then the alternative is to reset the tracking. The inside edges of the wheels measured at the 3 & 9 clock positions should be 1.6mm narrower side to side at the back edge of the wheel.
Posted: Jul 22, 2013 10:03 AM
whole front panel
they are a pain to change as you have to drop the subframe a few inches to get them in which means undoing the track rod ends at the steering arms, undoing the intermediate exhaust hanger, the remote gearchange release mountsthe upper engine mount, speedo cable, fuel input line and both brake and clutch hydraulic lines at the bulkhead. the carb may have to come off as well to clear the bulkhead. Engine earth strap right inner wing, shock absorber top mounts and all the lower subframe mounts. You may need to remove the windscreen wiper motor as well to get to the left hand tower bolts. Personally I am surprised that the tower mount rubber gives this much looseness in the positioning but without the benefit of seeing them first hand the call is yours. I am going to differ from Tim on the choice of subframe mounts. Having fitted solid alloy front subframe mounts I can tell you that they much improve the handling. yes you do get more vibration but if you aren't doing lits of motorway work then most mini driver expect to live with a lot of noise. If you have a Mk3 bodyshell onwards then stick with the standard rubber rear subframe mounts as they stop the heelboard being turned into a one man jamaican steel band. On my Mk2 I have no rubber spacer - it is metal on metal as per the factory and this works well. you could try simply bolting your tower up tighter and changing the front subframe mounts. If that doesn't work then you know you have to drop the subbie.
Posted: Apr 22, 2013 09:51 AM
Door check panels
Hi Nick,
What do you mean by "door check panel"? It is not a term I am familiar with. Do you have a part number or link to the web page for the item you purchased as it would help us understand the problem a little more. Please also tell us your vehicle model and year of manufacture as doors vary greatly between the mk2 - mk3 bodyshell and also later ones with internal stiffening bars.
Posted: Feb 25, 2013 11:01 AM
Bodged repair - advice please?
I think the important thing is: how big is the gap? If only a mm or two I doubt it would make much difference to the handling - the mini bodyshell and subframes are not exactly "precision engineering". More than that and you might have cause for concern.
I don't think adjustable brackets will help, as what you've basically got is a skewed subframe. You could of course balance up the skew by putting some packing pieces on the opposite side - provided you can still do up the bolts at the rear of the subframe, of course.
Posted: Nov 07, 2006 08:05 PM
It all depends on the price of course. Armed with the knowledge it's not a 'genuine' Cooper, you should be able to beat the price down a fair bit!
At the end of the day, I don't think the bodyshells were different in any way, it's the mechanicals and trim that were special. You need to make sure the engine number has the right prefix - without that it really isn't anything special.
Posted: May 16, 2007 12:40 PM
Genuine vs Non Genuine
If you haven't already gone ahead and bought your panels, my opinion, for what it's worth (and I've done two front ends) is that the non-genuine panels from Minispares are good enough. You will have to fit them carefully, and maybe do a bit of hammering to persuade them, but they will fit fine in the end. The end result is far more dependent on the quality of your welding. The panels should be spot-welded, of course.
Somewhere in the archives there is film of the old mini assembly line, and a man with a very big hammer building a bodyshell. The panels never fitted very well when they were new!
Posted: Jun 16, 2017 03:48 PM
miniclare
14 posts
Joined: 29/03/2005 11:32:29
Location: Flitwick United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
My Mini
Hi,
I've owned my Mini for 17 1/2 years. He is a 1978 Saloon, reshelled with a Heritage bodyshell.
Here he is -
Posted: Aug 19, 2007 12:06 PM
Mini restoration
I don't think there's any such thing as a mini that is past restoration. All body panels and repair sections and mechancial compnents are readily available, and comparatively cheap. Also, the mini bodyshell is extremely easy for the amateur to work on because of the external seams, so you don't have to pay a fortune for a professional (which would make most mini restorations uneconomical) plus you don't have to get everything 100% perfect.
As far as which model to go for, I'm naturally more fond of the early (mark 1 and 2) models because they are more fun to drive. In terms of the restoration, there's no real difference in the bodywork, but the mechanicals and electrics are simpler on the earlier cars.
Posted: Mar 05, 2008 11:31 AM
Wanna stretch my mini
the best place to add the length will be in the doors. that means you can buy a spare pair of doors and just add the bit out of the middle so that all the door shuts and hinge sections are left intact.
you then add an extra section of sills, flooring and roof and for good measure I'd use a second cross-member. you'll need to add a couple of thin channel sections front to back in the roof to stop it collapsing in the middle. Don't attempt to put a sunroof in it.
but then again, if you want a longer mini with the two door look then you should buy a beaufort kit car (GRP bodyshell but uses the standard mini doorshells) - that means someone else can enojy your lovely car as it was meant to be.
Posted: Mar 26, 2010 05:58 PM
mini van to mini pickup??
I see no obvious reasons why this can't be done other than not wanting to lose a van bodyshell. Providing you have a strengthener at the top of the rear wings between the wheelarch area and the back of the cab then it shouldn't fold up on you. In the van the loading for the rear of the body is transmitted up the C-post and along the gutter line to the top of the B-post. This is what you need to reinstate when you cut the roof off. Run a couple of bits of 1" square tube from the front and rear of each wheelarch up to the point where you have cut the wing. Then run a similar 1" tube to the B-post. The wing can then be welded to this and it should all be as strong as the factory version. (seam weld all along)
Check with your insurers first though as they may want an engineers report when it is done before they will issue cover, at a premium, to reflect a customised vehicle. It will also prove that you haven't made any dangerous changes that contravene the construction of vehicles section of the road traffic act otherwise the elderly william may get upset if your modifications end up spearing a passenger with a bit of insecure tubing in the event of a rear end shunt.
You will need a different lower rear panel and hinges as the pickup is hinged at the bottom and not at the sides as per the van. All other mechanical bits are interchangeable.
Posted: Jan 16, 2012 03:58 PM
rear subframe
Hi, these rarely come up for sale in used/good condition unless the car was a front end write off. They are one of the most easily rusted bits of a Mini after the sill around the jacking point, lower doors and seam under the headlamp.
Personally I'd bite the bullet and purchase a pattern one. At leat you know it will be rust free and you can fill it with Dinitrol/Waxoyl to prevent it rusting again.
If your car has failed an MoT on the subframe then you need to suspect that there might be rust damage to the heel board where it mounts but you won't know that until you take it off. Soak the bolts in WD40 for a few days before trying to undo them and you'll stand less chance of snapping the front end fixing bracket bolts inside the bodyshell.
Posted: Oct 29, 2013 01:59 PM
Front Panel Change
Alun, The Mk1/2 front panel doesn't have the cutouts for the air hoses that you have on the mk3. They have blanking plates instead if you fit the Mk1/2 panel then you'll need to modify these blanking plates to take the plastic hose ends. It would be easier to fit a new mk3 front panel as the grill fitment is the same but you may need to make extra holes for the moustache sections.
as far as the bonnet is concerned just grind off the later lip.
tip - you'll probably need to repair the front inner wing edges before fitting the new front panel as they will have rotted out behind the bracket where it is welded on - get the REPAN155 and REPAN156 panels from Somerford as they are an excellent fit. The section heading upwards to the headlight can be made out of flat mild steel. also the front panel is aligned by bolting it to the subframe first and then clamping to the front wing lower edges - once you put the car on a flat surface to begin work on it measure the distance from the subframe mounting bolt centre to the floor and mark it with chalk - make sure this is the same on refitment or you'll end up with a twisted front end. It's preferably to jack the car off the ground by the bodyshell and then support the front subframe with blocks before cutting the old panel off. Remember - measure twice and cut once!!
Posted: Oct 30, 2009 02:02 PM
Peter
12 posts
Joined: 27/01/2005 13:07:22
Location: Colchester United Kingdom (Excluding channel Islands)
Bigger battery - bigger alternator
As Stuart suggests, the battery starts the engine, the alternator charges it back up again. I read somewhere that it takes 20 minutes to put back into a battery what starting the engine from cold takes out. I have tried alternators upto, and including, a 90A one from a RangeRover, and batteries from the Rover 200 turbodiesel. These two components are the largest I have found so far that will fit in the ordinary position/battery box. That said, neither have much to do with getting the car to start. A fuel injected Mini should start first turn of the key, so could get away with the smallest battery you can find. The problems in the Mini design are many, but in brief: The earth lead from the battery to the body in the boot - it is a poor quality lead, bolted into the boot floor, which then goes rusty. The -ve connection then has to pass through the bodyshell, and via another earth lead to the engine block, which the starter motor and alternator are bolted to. Any rust or corrosion on any of these connections and the 12v you had back at the battery will be 11 or 10 or 9v by the time you get to the starter motor. The positive lead from the battery to the front of the car - provided it is bolted to the battery tightly, with clean battery terminals, is no problem, but then it attaches to the starter solenoid behind the front grille, which, again, is open to the elements and can rust or corrode. From here a PATHETIC little wire goes up to the alternator terminals and just pushes on. When I replaced by alternator with the 90A one, I replaced this wire with two wires, each one made up from new heavy duty cable suitable for carrying 100A. That way, even if one was corroded or poor, the other would be ok. With this, I had 12.8v on the battery and 12.61v on the starter motor terminal. If it is any consolation, the early Ford Focus and Mk.3 Mondeo also had thse problems, as the negative lead was bolted down to the bodywork on the inner wing, and the paint was not removed first - the end result was that the MW radio could not be listened to because of all the electrical noise throughout the wiring loom! Just one thing - I know the phrase has been coined Classic Mini, as opposed to New Mini, but I was led to believe that something classic has to be 25 years old, something vintage 50 years old, and something veteran 75 years old. Can we not just stick to Mini and BMW M-series?
Posted: Jan 27, 2005 01:50 PM
Peter Pentz
5 posts
Joined: 27/05/2006 23:30:32
Location: SAINT CHARLES United States
Interior Body part needed
Has anyone got a badly damaged or rotten bodyshell that could harvest some body panel parts that I need, that are not available as new parts.
I am looking for the interior B pillars (behind the door) for a Mk1 (exterior door hinges).
If possible I want the entire B Pillar from the roof frame to the sill. for both the LH and RH side.
Please contact me at peter.pentz@gmail.com if you are able to help.
Many thanks,
Posted: Nov 29, 2019 11:01 PM