1960s Rally Spec Mini Cooper Restoration Project
- Thread starter yantorsen
- Start date
My wifes mini (a "rover type" lol) has just had a complete front suspension and brake replacement, a engine freshen up, new exhaust and a subframe refurb (blasted and powdercoated) with me doing all the work, this cost roughly £2500 using all new parts. Will do the rear next winter, prob at a cost of about £500. The car needs some very light bodywork sorting, prob about £500 worth, plus I would like to get it painted, which will prob cost me about £2000. Baring in mind I do all my own work, other than painting and bodywork and you can see thats already £550. The wife gets comments on the car and how mint it looks all the time, and it does. So you can guess what a full resto on a 63 thats been sat will cost, believe me it will be a fortune. For a full on resto, even doing everything bar paint yourself I think you will see no change from £10000. It will prob need £1000 just in panels, if the doors are rotten you are looking at serious money for a pair of mint ones, the subframes will need a refurb at the very least, prob replacing if its been rallied.
If that's with new parts I could perhaps do it cheaper with used parts. Also I'd probably spray it myself as it will only need touching since most of the paint work is fine, just a bit faded and some rust patches. Obviously new panels will need spraying. I can throw a bit more than 2k at it if I need, but i don't really want to as it's not that worthy of it tbh. I mean I have about 18k to play with, but I want that for uni really.
Thanks for the input though, gives me a good idea of costs
the problem is you will struggle with getting decent used parts, a lot of what you are replacing will be perishable and need to be new. Mini parts are not actually that expensive, the problem is you will need so many of them!
TBH you will need to have it painted, if it has a few rust patchs you can see then it will prob need many panels, once you get into several panels then you are going to need full paint, and it really is not something you can just do, its a highly skilled job. I can paint small things to a fairly good standard, but would not be confident doing a whole car.
Seriously mate, take it from me, the car will be a absolute money pit, no such thing as a cheap mini!
TBH you will need to have it painted, if it has a few rust patchs you can see then it will prob need many panels, once you get into several panels then you are going to need full paint, and it really is not something you can just do, its a highly skilled job. I can paint small things to a fairly good standard, but would not be confident doing a whole car.
Seriously mate, take it from me, the car will be a absolute money pit, no such thing as a cheap mini!
also, check out www.theminiforum.co.uk and www.minispares.co.uk
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
How do you expect anyone to take you seriously when your budget goes up and down by 10's of thousands of quid every 34 seconds? I mean what? Earlier you were explaining how £300 on depreciation is a huge deal to you, enough to be really important, yet now you've got £18k to play with?!
This whole thing is a dream isn't it? You've just decided to use Motors as a more interesting playground than GD.
[TW]Fox;13401006 said:
No, I have 18K in a trust which I get when I'm 18, well it could be more or less than that now, that's how much was put into it when I was younger. But that is really for uni, but I can spend it on what I want. So i'd be happy to take a grand from it, but I'd really rather not.
[TW]Fox;13401024 said:
Yeah I know, but I don't intend to get the car until I'm 18. I can use the 18k as much or little as I want. For example, if using second hand parts I could get it road worthy for 3-4k I'd consider it.
Also things like rusty doors aren't that important (having said that I'm not sure if that'd make it fail it's MOT), the structural condition of the sub frames etc is more important. You'll think I'm an idiot but I think that a rusty looking mini looks a lot nicer than a mint 90s hatchback
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It was intended for Uni actually, but I get access to the account when I'm 18, and I can do what I like with it.
I know, but now I've started to dabble with this Mini idea I would rather the Mini, but I don't think this Mini is going to turn out to be viable. I have been offered a mint ex mod defender for 2.5k as well, which I might take.
This whole thing stinks of fail, you have no budget, no idea of what things cost to do and you ard under the impression that restoring a car for profit is a good idea. I can tell you now you'll never ever in a million years make your money back if you do a restoration, and i mean a proper one. Be more realistic and people may take you more seriously. Do something clever with your cash, not fritter it away on a pipe dream
I never I was doing it for profit. I just meant that throwing money at a "classic" isn't as silly as say throwing money at say... an old Saxo.
O RLY?! NO WAI!
Gosh fancy that. ex MOD as well, I bet its never been off roaded and was waxed and polished every weekend.
Janesy B keepin' it real since April 2008