'72 Mini Clubman Estate

[Raarasutra]

Awesome work! Patience pays off!

[Tupers]

Awesome work! Patience pays off!

Patience is indeed the name of the game, it'll all pay off in the end.


Another quite Sunday so I thought I'd go and fold up the centre section of the new tank box/boot floor.
After going over my scrawlings again I figured out I could make the tank a bit wider meaning it will be closer to 6.5 gallons.


This has got to be the most awkward thing I've folded so far.


It fit's like a glove, just need to make the other sections now.

[Kielan]

Oh hell yeah, don't know how I missed this but stoked to see it.

[Tupers]

Oh hell yeah, don't know how I missed this but stoked to see it.

Don't worry I'll let you off.


Here's a bit more progress from this afternoon.

I joggled the tail of the floor so it would slide under the step sill and put a load of self tappers in to keep everything in place.


The end plates were easy to knock up but I'll need to pull the floor out to get the connected up properly.








There's plenty of room for the exhaust with the new floor.


I started on the passenger side of the floor before I went home. This one was a bit simpler to fold.




It fits like a glove, just need to cut the profile of the wheel arch into it.

[Minuki]

Great work man. Floor is looking awesome.

Can't wait to see this!

[Tupers]

Great work man. Floor is looking awesome.

Can't wait to see this!

I'm aiming to have the floor welded in by Sunday and the rest of the structural metal work finished by the end of the month. Hopefully it should be in paint by September so we can trailer it to the Mini Action Day at Castle Combe


Back at it, I popped the floor out and screwed the sides on.


Then back to cutting the shape of the wheel arch into the floor. Fortunately we already had a template of an arch that I could use as a starting point.


It took forever to get it properly trimmed but it's 99.9% of the way there now.

[Tupers]

The rest of the floor's in now. It just needs a few minor adjustments and then it can get get welded up.






The 50 1/8" Clecos I ordered arrived as well, these should help hold the floor in place when I weld it.

[Svenska94Aero]

Awesome build! Sub'd.

[ThatEF9kid]

this is fantastic man keep up the good work!

[Lukey]

do work!

awesome stuff chief!

[Tupers]

Thanks for the comments guys, it's cool to see you like it.

I still need to do a little trimming to the floor but it should be all welded in by Monday evening. Once that's all in I'm going start fabricating the exhaust system and the custom rear valance.

[C-Hutch]

You and a few other guys on here have me seriously inspired to do a frame-off resto of some old rusted out , interesting little car. Great work.

[Tupers]

Thanks Hutch, I'd like my next project to be a split screen Morris Minor sectioned by 4 inches and roof chopped by 3 with a V6 engine and Miata rear suspension.

Something like this but truer to it's original shape.

[Tupers]

So the floor's not welded in yet due some other commitments but it's on it's way.

I cut an inspection hole into each of the side sections of the floor. These will allow me to get at the captive plates that the rear of the subframe bolt to.




I wanted to make sure the front of the floor stayed stiff so I knocked up a few gussets to be welded in underneath.




The new section of floor needed a lip adding to connect it to the wheel arch. I made this up out of three pieces using the shrinker stretcher.


All held together with lots of Clecos, this side should be welded in tomorrow morning.

[NathanHeeney]

When this is finished it will be so sweet!