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I've lurked long enough on these boards that I decided to throw my build up. It's not the usual from what I've seen here, but maybe someone can benefit from my attempts to get a classic mini low-low and driveable. I've got several months of the build documented on my instagram page, but from here forward is the non-structural rebuild stuff.
I saved the car from essentially being scrapped for weight. The local Mini club found it rotting into the earth, and had to literally excavate it from the ground with shovels and jacks. I bought it from one of their members who realized just how big of a project it was going to be.
The shell had no identifiers, but it came with a title and subframes from a 1964, so I figured it would be a great car to really **** with. Tubbed fenders, wide flares, some frankenstein suspension from another donor car... But a few weeks into the build, I was told that I may have something a bit more rare than a scrap weight salvage project.
Turns out the car is a legitimate 1959 Morris Mini... A rare US import model. I ended up with a heritage certificate from the UK and it did change my plans a bit, as I didn't want to make any radical alterations that would significantly change a rare shell. I was still going to make it my own. I got quite a bit of **** for not doing a concourse restoration (not my bag) and as such the build earned a name. Project Turncoat.
So how far can you push the original platform? I wanted to find out, keep it simple, and keep it on 10" wheels with no flares, and hammer it to the pavement.
My 5 year old next to the mini early in the build
10" wheels fresh out of the paint booth:
Here's how she sits now, everything from 10" down is new sheet metal, and there's not a single panel that hasn't been touched. ground up brakes, hand rewire of the entire car... the list goes on. I went with the "small" touches on the design... shaved metal dash with no vents or ashtray, shaved wipers, and shaved door handles. Welded and filled body lines, and a front and rear bumper delete. Keep it looking like a mini, just a super clean one.
The car goes into paint in the next 2 weeks after a lot more block sanding, after that I'm going to see what can be done to get some camber into the car. as you see it the car is riding on bump stops in the front, and just leveled in the rear to match the front.
Getting more drop than this is going to take getting creative on the front suspension. She's sitting on all new bushings, ball joints, tie rods, and adjustable hi-los, but the limit of the suspension travel in the front is the amount of motion in the Ball joints, and the terrible geometry of the upper arm/shock/hi-lo at a lowered height.
I believe I can modify the front subframe to move the bump stops up, and then fabricate the pieces I need to not max out the travel on the ball joints. Some camber in the rear and I can get them tucked no problem. All things to come in the next few weeks after the "pretty stuff" is wrapped up.
I saved the car from essentially being scrapped for weight. The local Mini club found it rotting into the earth, and had to literally excavate it from the ground with shovels and jacks. I bought it from one of their members who realized just how big of a project it was going to be.
The shell had no identifiers, but it came with a title and subframes from a 1964, so I figured it would be a great car to really **** with. Tubbed fenders, wide flares, some frankenstein suspension from another donor car... But a few weeks into the build, I was told that I may have something a bit more rare than a scrap weight salvage project.
Turns out the car is a legitimate 1959 Morris Mini... A rare US import model. I ended up with a heritage certificate from the UK and it did change my plans a bit, as I didn't want to make any radical alterations that would significantly change a rare shell. I was still going to make it my own. I got quite a bit of **** for not doing a concourse restoration (not my bag) and as such the build earned a name. Project Turncoat.
So how far can you push the original platform? I wanted to find out, keep it simple, and keep it on 10" wheels with no flares, and hammer it to the pavement.
My 5 year old next to the mini early in the build
10" wheels fresh out of the paint booth:
Here's how she sits now, everything from 10" down is new sheet metal, and there's not a single panel that hasn't been touched. ground up brakes, hand rewire of the entire car... the list goes on. I went with the "small" touches on the design... shaved metal dash with no vents or ashtray, shaved wipers, and shaved door handles. Welded and filled body lines, and a front and rear bumper delete. Keep it looking like a mini, just a super clean one.
The car goes into paint in the next 2 weeks after a lot more block sanding, after that I'm going to see what can be done to get some camber into the car. as you see it the car is riding on bump stops in the front, and just leveled in the rear to match the front.
Getting more drop than this is going to take getting creative on the front suspension. She's sitting on all new bushings, ball joints, tie rods, and adjustable hi-los, but the limit of the suspension travel in the front is the amount of motion in the Ball joints, and the terrible geometry of the upper arm/shock/hi-lo at a lowered height.
I believe I can modify the front subframe to move the bump stops up, and then fabricate the pieces I need to not max out the travel on the ball joints. Some camber in the rear and I can get them tucked no problem. All things to come in the next few weeks after the "pretty stuff" is wrapped up.
I really really like the shaved handles and how it looks lower. If you wanted to change wheels might I suggest SSR FL-II? They're basically 10" versions of MK-II's. One last thing... what color is she getting painted?
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