Securing the Boot/Bonnet:

So after debating everything from leather straps to hood pins, I finally figured out what my secondary securing mounts will be on the mini. For the hood/bonnet, I will use the large rubber hooks I was originally planning on using at the A-pillars to secure the flip front. As for the rear, I’m going to go creative and use the rubber hook from a moke. I have seen both used in this way before and I love the way it looks. It’s vintage racer for sure.

 

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Wheels/Arches:

As it currently stands, the mini is set to be built without arches on 10×5 mini special wheels. This gives it a nice poke and it is overall appealing but part of me wonders if having Force Racing turn them into split wheels wouldn’t be a bad thing. Then I can have them turned into 10×6, or even 10×7 and put them under miglia or sportpack arches. We cut off the rear valance/seam but are planning on fabricating brackets to hold the bumper and a new valance back on. So either option would work in theory but it comes down in the end to money. Is it worth 264 pounds + shipping to do so? And that isn’t even accounting for the cost of the arches…

http://www.force-racing.co.uk/wheels/force-racing-10-wheels/product/custom-split-one-piece-wheels/

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Patching the Roof:

So today, Mike spent the day fabricating the patch panel to match the many curves of the roof. Now we have the patch welded in to replace one of the worst rust patches the car had. #Victory

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Primer Day Two:

My Father in law continues to amaze me. Mike spent two days detailing these panels to remove anything left after the sandblasting. They looked amazing and now they look even better. I really hope the finished product doesn’t look too bad without bondo. I really don’t like the idea of putting anything back on her after we got all the panels so clean.

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Post-Sandblasting:

Thanks again to Sierra Sandblasting for doing an amazing job!

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Pre-Sandblasting:

We called a few local sandblasters, and what do you know? We found someone crazy enough to take on the Mini. #letthegoodtimesroll

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Removing the Front End:

So I was able to get Mike to break out the plasma cutter and we cut off the front end in one giant piece. Now I have a fully removable metal front end that if we choose to, we can make into a flip front later down the road. Bracer Bars are in route as we speak.

For the record: Mike was and still is less than pleased about doing this to a classic. Especially one in this good of condition. Good thing I’m not a purist.

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Trimming the Roof Gutters:

Once we had sanded enough off the roof to see how much bondo and rust was around the seam, I decided to trim the curl off of it and leave it as a flat seam like the rest of the body seams. Now we can access all of the rusty metal with the grinder and clean it all up for welding. I also feel like it looks more aggressive and streamlined.

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Just a Shell:

We stripped out everything so that we could start sanding down to the paint. God I hate sticky sound deadening material. Its a nightmare to remove.

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