Restoring classic Mini's

I actually wrote this as an e-mail to my cousin who is interested in buying - and eventually restoring - a classic Mini. After re-reading it in my Sent Items folder, I figured I had composed such a work of art that it warrants being planted onto my blog. So, here goes (well, an abstract of it, anyway!):

For starters
Start stocking up on the necessary parts. Seriously. Someone advised me to do that. I did not heed the advice, and regretted it. The last thing you want is to be caught with your pants down during the restoration stage, realising that some critical screw, bracket or steering wheel is missing．For me, it was the mistake of buying the door rubbers after the welding and painting was done. I ended up with so much trouble fitting the rubbers because I did not have them on-site at the panel beater's shop to test-fit them (a critical step in the door alignment process). Arm yourself fully to the teeth before you enter the maelstrom of no return.

Welding
If you are serious about doing restoration on a Mini, this is a must. Do not listen to the crap that people tell you about using fibreglass sealant and putty. Rust is to metal what gangrene is to flesh - it just propagates and eats the body up. The only real cure is to amputate and replace the section. Workmanship varies from once place to another, but you generally get what you pay for. If you are lucky, your shell is not too rusted, and you could get away with an RM600 job (I did). Someone I know up in Northern Malaysia, reputed to own the most pristine MkI Cooper S in the country, reputedly blew RM5,000 on the floorboard alone (but this could be an urban legend). And if you are going to do real welding, it is best to have the engine complely pulled out, and the interior stripped bare. Leave only the bare shell exposed.



Painting
This normally goes hand-in-hand with the welding, while the shell is bare. After the welding, insist to the painter that he is to blow-torch the old paint layer down to bare metal (yes, strip off the old undercoat, too). DO NOT, on pain of death, allow the lazy bastard to paint over your existing paint layer. Make sure he scrapes or sandblasts every square inch till you see bare metal (I did it myself - armed with a hot-air gun, paint scraper and a then-strong right arm). After that, he has to immediately apply the undercoat, else the rust will set in within 24-48 hours (due to our country's high humidity levels). Then only can he start the paintjob. Last I heard, a reasonably good paintjob in Kulim would set you back about RM2,500.



Uphostery
Prices vary. And if you choose to import all your original uphostery from Newton Commercial UK (they are the best), expect to blow about RM3000. I did mine under RM1000 - seat cushions, carpet, roof lining, the works. It was a shop run by an old man in Penang, obscure place. Recommended by my trusty mechanic (it pays to have good contacts!). I gave him some photos of a typical original MkI interior, said "I want my car to look like this". His terse answer, "Leave your car here with RM200 deposit, and come back in a week." The rest is history.



Panes and windows
Apparently, the front and rear panes are easily available locally or in Thailand. The side ones are a little tougher to come by, especially if you want to restore your good ol' MkI/II sliding windows. Best to import new, since salvaging old glass will probably mean they will come with all those scratches. Make sure it is Triplex hardened.

Engine
The guts of the car. Never neglect this often-hidden, but crucial bit. To get the car in good running condition, it is recommended that after the engine has been pulled out for the shell's welding and painting, the mechanical does a full block conditioning. Pull out the pistons and change all the rings. Replace the gasket for the head. Polish the in/out ports. Heck, even service the gearbox, too, if need be. There are only so many times in your Mini's life when you will actually strip the engine totally naked，so you might as well bathe the bugger properly before he puts on his tuxedo again.



Miscellaneous nuts & bolts
This is the biggest headache, because there's so many of them! How much you can source locally really depends on how prepared you are to run around shops and scavenge scrap yards like a mad dog. Else, there's always Mini Spares and your Platinum Visa Card.

Finally...
GET A BOOK. I recommend two books: One Mini owners manual (available through Haynes) and a Mini Spares catalogue (so that you can easily look up the part numbers).