Mk1 Mini Cooper S restoration

[Mick Annick]

Nice work Bert. Mrs A still wants another mini but it’s stuff like this that puts me off buying one, we got rid of her old Rover Cooper because of rust, despite being low mileage and always garaged it started rotting around the screen / scuttle, headlamps. Door bottoms…

 

[bert]

Thank you everyone, Mini's do like to rot especially the 90's ones.

This one had been in dry storage for the best part of 30 years so wasn't too bad.

Attaching the A panels is next on the list. You need the door clamped in the right place to do it as the hinges on a mk1 are bolted through the A panel.

Once it's in the right place final trimming is done and then you can weld on the A panels.

Hopefully it all lines up and the door gaps are nice and the door latches flush with the A panel and rear quarter. The rear quarter on this car has had some damage in the past which I hammered roughly in to shape but it needs some more work

 

[Popcorn]

Wheres the sailors legs ? those doors fit far too well

 

[Myles1970]

Very impressive... Puts my 'diy resto project' to shame, but gives me something to aspire to

 

[Exuptoy]

Same here. Puts my 93 Cooper to shame. Nice to see this done properly Bert.

 

[bert]

Thank you, Mini's are probably the easiest to restore as almost every panel is available off the shelf.

I work on the basis of it a panel needs 2 small repairs it will get a complete new panel as there isn't much point in doing the little bits.

If in doubt cut it all out

I've got the drivers door fitted and A panel welded in place. It took a bit longer to sort than the other side but pretty happy with where it is now.

 

[Exuptoy]

Nice gaps.

 

[JMS1972]

Thank you everyone, Mini's do like to rot especially the 90's ones.

This one had been in dry storage for the best part of 30 years so wasn't too bad.

Attaching the A panels is next on the list. You need the door clamped in the right place to do it as the hinges on a mk1 are bolted through the A panel.

View attachment 310564

Once it's in the right place final trimming is done and then you can weld on the A panels.

View attachment 310569View attachment 310568View attachment 310568View attachment 310567View attachment 310566View attachment 310565

Hopefully it all lines up and the door gaps are nice and the door latches flush with the A panel and rear quarter. The rear quarter on this car has had some damage in the past which I hammered roughly in to shape but it needs some more work

Lovely work. Fixing my own mini floors and and A panel was the reason I bought a Cebora Turbo MIG in the early 90's - still got it now ... The MIG that is

 

[minimutly]

Just popped out to see how my old mk1 Cooper is doing in the garden - not good..
It’s early, maybe one of the earliest, with steel trumpets and radius arms in the back subframe, and a chassis number that doesn’t follow the 850 or cooper rules. I bought it with another, without its 997 engine or gearbox, and some scooter had pinched the speedo..
Must make a start on it...

 

[Exuptoy]

@bert what sort of cost would a resto like this run to with an obviously reasonable (ie not rusted out) body to start with?

 

[bert]

I don't think it really matters what condition the shell is in to begin with as a half decent one will still need the same panels as a completely rotten one.

It labour wise 400 to 450 hours at £50 an hour plus parts and materials.

 

[RWD3M]

I don't think it really matters what condition the shell is in to begin with as a half decent one will still need the same panels as a completely rotten one.

It labour wise 400 to 450 hours at £50 an hour plus parts and materials.

Hey Bert, (I must get round to dropping in for that coffee by the way!)

I've done many shell changes (albeit, not for a few years now) and as I recall the insurance used to give us around 80 hours for a shell change (including prep and paint).

Even taking into account the almost 10k for a Mini shell, does it not make more sense to replace the whole thing than to spend 400 odd hours repairing one

Then again, I suppose if you have a genuine Mk1 Cooper I guess you'd want to keep as much of it as possible.

 

[Bobupndown]

It's a dilemma no doubt, we mini owners are lucky that buying a whole new shell for a 60 odd year old car is even an option. There is a lot of fettling to make a repro mk1 shell 'right' and then it will always not be original. I own a humble 850 mk1 mini, restored in its mainly original shell, I wouldn't be that concerned if it had a period correct reshell. If I was paying the prices asked for a councours Cooper S however I don't think a heritage reshell would be so appealing. Naturally minis have been reshelled since day one and loads of 'original' cars probably had new shells years ago when they were less valuable and collectable.

 

[Onoff]

I don't think it really matters what condition the shell is in to begin with as a half decent one will still need the same panels as a completely rotten one.

It labour wise 400 to 450 hours at £50 an hour plus parts and materials.

I recall one of the pro restorer lads doing a MK1 Capri a couple of years back and nowhere finished the bill stood at £26K from memory.

 

[Exuptoy]

I don't think it really matters what condition the shell is in to begin with as a half decent one will still need the same panels as a completely rotten one.

It labour wise 400 to 450 hours at £50 an hour plus parts and materials.

So basically £20-£25k?

 

[bert]

Just for labour yes, then 10 to 15k on top for everything else. My most expensive so far was £34k.

 

[bert]

80 hours for a reshell Inc paint? I quote 100 hours just to paint a mini shell let alone unbolt and rebolt stuff back on.

 

[RWD3M]

80 hours for a reshell Inc paint? I quote 100 hours just to paint a mini shell let alone unbolt and rebolt stuff back on.

Yep. One man for two weeks.

It used to be pretty standard stuff back in the 80's and 90's. I've done an Escort, a couple of Mondeos (one of them an estate), a Cavalier (remember them?!). I even did a Rover SD1 which was a surprisingly easy one. Remember this was all on stuff typically less than a year old. Much older than that and the insurance companies wouldn't authorise it. The shells were in factory primer and already seam sealed so not too much to do to them. The biggest headache was the fact that ideally you needed 3 bays to do one. One bay for the old shell, one for the new shell (painted) and one in the middle to put everything as usually, the first bit you need to fit to the new shell, is the last bit you take out of the old one!

I suspect that is a thing of the past now though, aside from the regs, I would imagine cars are just way too complex nowadays.

 

[JMS1972]

Yep. One man for two weeks.

It used to be pretty standard stuff back in the 80's and 90's. I've done an Escort, a couple of Mondeos (one of them an estate), a Cavalier (remember them?!). I even did a Rover SD1 which was a surprisingly easy one. Remember this was all on stuff typically less than a year old. Much older than that and the insurance companies wouldn't authorise it. The shells were in factory primer and already seam sealed so not too much to do to them. The biggest headache was the fact that ideally you needed 3 bays to do one. One bay for the old shell, one for the new shell (painted) and one in the middle to put everything as usually, the first bit you need to fit to the new shell, is the last bit you take out of the old one!

I suspect that is a thing of the past now though, aside from the regs, I would imagine cars are just way too complex nowadays.

A friend twisted the shell on his M3 about 20 years ago. Insurance paid for BMW to reshell it. He had an itemised bill that ran for about 20 pages. £50k bill

 

[MG David]

My Dad had a crash in a new Cavalier Mk2 and it was re-shelled. He was expecting to have lots of problems with it afterwards but it was fine.