#7 On the Rotisserie

Up on the "spit"

The Mini is finally mounted on a rotisserie. I considered a number of designs but in the end went with the one seen here simply because I was able to build it from materials that I already had lying around. I got the galvanized 2 inch pipe from an old skateboard ramp that I had built for my son. I also had plenty of 4×4s and 2×4s from previous projects, so I thought I would put some of them to use. I elected to bolt the metal pipe onto my Mini rather than weld it since I will be taking it down periodically to fit up the front body panels. It seems to work very well.

It's great to finally get rid of the rusty floor!

Although the floor was barely connected, I welded in four pieces of angle iron to help maintain the shell's overall shape before cutting out the floor. Also, turning the shell on the spit creates considerable strain and the bracing will help to diffuse the tension.

I welded the angle iron from the inner wing to the sides of the companion boxes to enable me to periodically put the doors in place while I work on replacing the sills and door step. I will need to replace both inner and outer A panels, the lower inner wings, and the door jambs as well.

The old floor--gone but not forgotten.

I will hang on to the old floor for a while. It still has all of the clips for the brake lines and hydrolastic pipes and will serve as a reminder for where to put new ones on the new floor.

#6 A Few More 'Before' Photos

I thought I might put up a few more 'before' pictures. From here on, hopefully most of the pictures will show new metal rather than an old, rusty body.

Here's the rear subframe with the section that surrounds
the displacer unit completely disintegrated.

As well, the mounting bolt section was barely hanging on.

Both inner and outer sills no longer exist
and little remains of the doorstep.

You an see that the A Panel and door jamb
are also in poor shape.

A look across the car shows the gap below the door!

The scuttle is also rusted, but only at the ends.

Here's the cross member - which has
entirely separated from the floor.

#5 Body Panels Have Arrived!

The first round of body panels have arrived. The project has made a satisfying shift from demolition to rebuild.

There are quite a few pieces although I am sure that I will need a few more. The list of parts is as follows:

• Crossmember
• Door Hinge Panel LH
• Door Hinge Panel RH
• Front Panel - Complete
• Full Floorpan
• Inner wing repair panel lower LH
• Inner wing repair panel lower RH
• LH Front Wing
• RH Front Wing
• Mini Doorjamb with switch hole LH
• Mini doorjamb with switch hole RH
• Mini jacking point assy saloon LH
• Mini jacking point assy saloon RH
• Mounting panel rear subframe
• Sill/rocker panel outer
• Sill/rocker panel outer
• Step side panel LH
• Step side panel RH

Everything arrived safe and sound despite a journey of over halfway across Canada. I am very grateful to Craig Hunter of Hunter Classic Sports Cars for his hard work in putting the parts together and his excellent job of wrapping them all up safely. Thanks Craig!

I am now working on building the rotisserie (aka 'spit') to mount the shell on so I can get full and easy access to the Mini for welding.

#4 Removing the Subframes

My Mini breathes a sigh of relief.

After battling with the subframes over a period of  a few days, I finally managed to remove them. In both cases the bolts had become so rusty that the classic "lubricate, tighten and untighten" strategy was pointless. I had to cut the heads off and generally wrestle with both subframes to finally free them. No doubt, they have never been removed in their 44 years of existence. It was a very satisfying accomplishment to finally get the shell free from the frame. I was then able to power-wash the subframes and take a good look at the shape that they are in.

The front subframe in excellent condition.

As can be seen in the photo, the front subframe is in surprisingly good condition. Fortunately it had been covered in a thick layer of black tar-like undercoating. As nasty as this was to remove, it had done a very good job of protecting the frame from rust. I was pleased to discover that the frame was in near-new condition. Even the hydrolastic suspension was fully intact and working.

The rear subframe  - retired after 44 years of service.

The news was not quite as good when it came to the rear subframe. It is well known that that the rear frame is more prone to rust both because it takes a bigger beating from what is thrown up from the road, as well as the fact that the frame itself is thinner in key places. You can see in the photo that the part of the frame that surrounds the hydrolastic displacers (especially on the right side) has completely disintegrated. As well, the displacer itself has dropped down out of place and begun to leak. So the frame is beyond repair.

This is not a surprising find but still a disappointing (and expensive) one. These frames were originally manufactured to be fairly affordable and easy to replace. However they are heavy and, because I live so far away from anyone who sells these items, the shipping cost will equal the cost of the frame. I must say I envy those who are restoring old Minis in the UK and can look to local dealers for much of what they need. All the same, there are some great suppliers in Canada and the US and I am grateful that I don't have to pay overseas shipping costs for big items at least.

I have been asked whether, since the frame needs to be replaced and the hydrolastic suspension is no longer fully functional, I will be converting the suspension to a dry one. I definitely don't plan to. From what I read there seems to be fewer and fewer Minis on the road with their original wet suspension. I really like the idea of "floating on fluid" and I am going do my best to get the suspension back to its original state. The simplicity and functionality of hydrolastic suspensions is really quite remarkable.

#3 Getting the Engine Out

It was a relatively easy process to remove the various engine components and then, finally, the engine itself. Despite having the Haynes Owner's Manual and Restoration Manual, I took a lot of pictures as I went just in case I don't remember what I have done. I also tagged and labelled all of the wires and bagged all of the small parts. I have taken notes of the various idiosyncrasies of the car itself as I have begun to strip it down.

The floor is hanging on with the barest of remaining metal. As can be seen in the picture, the tunnel and crossmember aren't even intact--and the floor panels are in pieces. The sills and door steps are virtually nonexistent. The entire floor assembly will have to be replaced, probably with an entire new assembly. No doubt the Mini is seriously out of alignment and it will take some doing to ensure that it is returned to its square and true original form.

I have started to compile a list of the panels that will need to be ordered to replace the parts that are rusty. So far it looks as follows: Floor Assembly, Crossmember, Outer Sills, Mini Scuttle, A-Panels, Door Jambs, Jacking Assembly, Rear Subframe Mounting panel and more!

#2 Opening the Package

For all of the Mini's obvious difficulties, getting it into my garage and taking a good look at it was like Christmas morning. I was eager to "open it up" and finally determine the model more precisely and to see what really needed to be done. It was clear from the serial number and engine identification plate that this was a 1967 Austin Mini MkII with a 998cc engine -- positive ground, hydrolastic suspension, dynamo, drum brakes all around, non-synchro first gear, larger rear window, new square rear lamps, and a new-style grille. Although the Mini had long ago been repainted blue, it was evident that it had originally been green. All in all a great model and one of the last original styles before the sweeping changes introduced with the MKIII.


Here's a brief walkaround of my Mini on the day I got it home...

#1 Bringing Home Baby

Dragged from the "back 40"

The task of bringing the Mini home was much more challenging than I had anticipated. A sign of things to come no doubt.

It sat buried in a shed full of car parts--its home for the last 12 years or so. Surrounding the shed was a field of old and neglected vehicles. Each car looked as if it was waiting patiently for a new owner to rescue it from a bleak fate--like old dogs at a forgotten kennel, tired but still hopeful.

When I first saw the Mini there was no way of ascertaining its true condition. All I really knew was that it seemed more or less intact and that it had the two features that I had hoped for--external hinges and sliding passenger windows. That was good enough for me.

On the way home

The owner dragged it out with a tractor since the tires had long ago cracked open and the front wheels were seized. As the Mini scraped along the grass, it left behind a long trail of large rusty metal chips. By the time it made the journey across the field to where my trailer was waiting, only the sides and roof were holding the front and rear ends together, the floor was mostly gone.

It was challenging to get the Mini on the trailer. But after about an hour of dragging and lifting and nail-biting, it was securely on and we could make the trip to my house. It was similarly difficult to get it off the trailer. I was relieved to finally get it tucked away in my garage so that it could start its new life.