I have a RHD 79 Mini 1000 with 30,000 miles that I acquired last fall. I have not had much time to work on it over the winter due to work by day, and graduate degree work & family by night. However my intent is to remove interior/exterior parts for a respray. I have the last 8 years of MOT records before it was brought over last year, so I know its had a couple of small repairs in a couple of the usual places - however all key areas are very solid :smile: .

My expectation at this point is to have a car that I can enjoy - that is mechanically sound as well as sound in body. It is not for show, it is to drive - what else would you do with a mini anyway. The paint is fair condition at this point and has been repsprayed with the original color at some point in its past (exterior only).

I will be hiring out the prep/paint etc... as such as I can afford to since I do not have access to facilities for body type work - nor do I have the ability either.

What are the best ways to approach a respray??? Dip the shell, repair it and repaint? Chemical strip yourself? Take to a media blaster?

In the end its probably going to be a cost/benefit situation given that its a car to enjoy driving. However I do live in Ohio, so I am considering having the bottom undercoated after I am done even though I will only drive on dry, non-winter days...

Suggestions and advice are welcome!!!

One other question - I had a friend help me pull the engine after I got the car to correct a couple of oil leaks problems... and it was not driven much after this due to a recent relocation. This winter I have gone to start the car a couple of times and the starter turns over for a long time before the car will fire. Plugs, wires and other tune up items were handled after purchase so I am in good shape there. I am guessing without having spent any time that mechanical fuel pump may be the issue? Any other thoughts? Any threads/sites on how to upgrade to an an electric fuel pump? Also any suggestions on the right sized battery available here in the US - the one in there now is small in physical size and is prone to shift and the cable loosened once leaving me in a parkig lot scratching my head for a minute or two!

Thanks, Graeme

 

The respray approach depends on how much work the car needs. If it has a fairly good paint job at the moment and doesn't need any rust work, I would remove the windows and do a scuff & spray. Taking it down to the metal is not neccessary and sometimes creates more problems. I would never dip it - the chemicals tend to leak from the seams in the future. Aircraft paint remover one small spot at a time is the way to go if you need to strip it.

I would go with an electric fuel pump. Either get a blanking plate & gasket to take the mechnical one off the block or make a loop with fuel line from intake to outlet on the old pump. Then mount a fuel pump (I like the Carter cylinder type you get at the auto parts stores, rahter than the SU type) on the sub frame, under the gas tank. Run a short fuel line (with a filter) from the tank to the fuel pump, then from the fuel pump to the hard fuel hose. One keyed hot wire to the fuel pump will work with the other terminal on the pump grounded to the sub-frame. On the front, run a fuel line from the hard hose to the carb, being very carefull not to get it near the exhaust!

The best battery - in my opinion - is the sealed battery you can get at Costco for $120. The battery shouldn't shift - you may be missing the hold-down hardware.

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