"http://www.deagostini.co.uk/iloveminis"
tinyurl.com/sexymini

That mini is being sold locally and I'd love to to buy it as I adore minis. Unfortunately I'd be unable to lay my hands on the monies this side of next Christmas so I've decided to explore an idea: Restoring a mini myself.

Unfortunately there are two hurdles I need to overcome.

1)I know nothing about restoring cars.
2)I know nowt beyond checking water/oil/tyres when it comes to maintaining a car.

Contrary to popular belief I'm not a complete halfwit; I'm only half a halfwit but I'm certain I'd be perfectly capable of carrying out most repairs given reasonable instructions and appropriate tools however the idea of building a very big, very expensive airfix kit with no glue to sniff doesn't appeal a great deal to me so I'm going to need to do some learning.

I'll be making enquiries at my local HE college about part-time courses there with regards to point 2 as I think the first step would be to get myself in a position that I could take an old, non-working mini and make it road worthy regardless of it still looking like shit.

Can anybody recommend any other avenues for learning this stuff? Some literature perhaps?
( Captain V, Tue 16 Sep 2008, 23:02, 10 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

A good place to look
Or at least to start, are Haynes Workshop manuals; they make model specific manuals that detail most basic repairs about the vehicle (replacing bulbs,fixing electrics, etc etc) and provide a lot of information of the location of bits and bobs about the car.

They're useful in getting yourself grounded and as a launching pad to go from.
( SuperWeasel slightly better than the average weasel, Tue 16 Sep 2008, 23:45, Reply)

yep Haynes.
The Haynes books are great, I knew half dozen students who maintained the bangers with nothing but the Haynes manual and gaffer tape.
(smells-like-victory-v's, Wed 17 Sep 2008, 0:20, Reply)

Well it depends by what yo umean by restore
If you are going the whole hog look into welding classes.

Please be aware welding is actually harder than it looks and if you are doing structural work best to get someone who knows what they are doing to look over it as well.

Secondly, as I believe they have A series engines, armed with a Haynes manual you should be able to figure stuff out pretty easily.

Oh and join a classic mini club. Seriously the help you will be able to get from people who will have already done whatever you are planning to do is invaluable.

Edit: Oh and get some decent imperial (wait how old are we talking...) tools! Halfords have a pretty good range but you will be up against years of rust so fork out for a decent all metal socket set.
( TGB checking Off Topic is still shit at, Wed 17 Sep 2008, 0:51, Reply)

Take your time....
Make sure that you have somewhere to keep the thing. Ideally secure, sheltered (warm/well lit) and with enough room to get round and under it. Also be aware of which one you end up with - the 1275GT is great to drive, but you have to take the engine out to do anything to it. there is no space to get your hands down the side.

Don't rush it and you may as well dump your partner now - they may say they like it, but it isn't true. "You love that car more that you love me." "No I don't!" "Well you spend more time with it than me." There is NO correct answer to this.

I know - been there (now drive a passat - ugh)
(conanow, Wed 17 Sep 2008, 8:54, Reply)

Thanks guys
Hadn't thought about a Haynes manual and joining a classic mini club sounds like a good idea as well.

As far as welding is concerned it's something I'd like to learn to do but isn't something I expect I'll learn until I've got to grips with other bits first.

I suppose picking up a cheap mini that needs some love and attention but generally works (ie not just a shell) will be the best place to start. If I can maintain that myself with confidence I think I'll be in a good position to start thinking about taking on a more ambitious project.

Time to start looking about for cheap old minis!

:edit: There's no need to worry about issues with my partner as I don't have one!
( Captain V, Wed 17 Sep 2008, 9:03, Reply)

Minis
Great cars, as close to driving a Go Kart on the road as you'll ever get.

One thing to watch for is that the rear subframe that locates the suspension is very rust prone, as are the inner front wings. Later cars are much better in this respect, but it's something to bear in mind.

The A series engine is pushing 60 years old now but should be relatively easy to maintain, provided you remember that the gears are in the sump.
(Bicycle Repairman "you're also a bit of a wanker", Wed 17 Sep 2008, 9:32, Reply)

Depending on where you are
I have a pair of ramps and a load of old spanners you could have. I am on the south coast near Portsmouth if you want them
(conanow, Wed 17 Sep 2008, 9:37, Reply)

Conanow
That's very kind of you, thanks. I'll give it some thought as I need to work out where I could store the ramps. I'll gaz you within a couple of days to let you know.
( Captain V, Wed 17 Sep 2008, 9:53, Reply)

a little bit nerdy perhaps
Try looking for local mini clubs.

My mate is in one and has bought, restored and sold about 4 or 5 minis and has x2 of his own which he decided to keep
( SpikeyPickle wishes he was mabazaritchie, Wed 17 Sep 2008, 10:31, Reply)

Did some restoration on an old Golf GTi
I had (shortly before I destroyed it), my advice would be to get a car that drives with a few issues that you can practice on. Depending on how seriously you want to get into it, remember that anything mechanical can be replaced by you if you have the right tools, confidence and a Haynes manual. Bodywork, though, is a real bitch and expensive to boot.

I'd look for a car with a good shell but worn components. The only things I'd look out for in the engine bay is a white-ish residue around the inside of the oil filler cap and gunk inside the head. Other than that, everything else will be awkward rather than hard to replace.

Good luck with Minis, there's not a lot of room to work in that tiny little bay.
( Kroney, Wed 17 Sep 2008, 10:49, Reply)