So Cool! I need to subscribe. Keep up the awesome work.

 

All the details to get this together is crazy. Nice to see you kept at it. Love the newer JCW front on the 1st Gen.

 

Feels like I have achieved a lot again. Sadly its lots of little things. Been great having some time on the car again as I have had very little this year. Looks like the exterior is nearly finished now. Got the last few parts at the bodyshop (grills & bumper vents) they should be back in the next few weeks. Need to find my A panel arches, I did buy new items before I moved house and now I do not know where they are :(
All the guttering has been made ready for the glass which is now ready to install and if I can get some time over the next couple of weeks it will be in then it will be a very different car, still can't help but laugh when standing next to it with it being so short and that is me talking...

 

Wow from the side im amazed at how much the roof is chopped! Very nice..Once the glass is in the MINI it will take on a whole new look! Awesome job!

 

Amazed!!!

 

That looks insane! can't wait to see pics w/ it next to a "normal" mini

keep up the awesome work!

 

Nice to see an "old" mod coming back into play.

Very, very cool !

 

How are you getting the glass cut down?

 

thanks guys, I love the look of chopped cars. Always something I wanted to do, now something I never want to do again... It has been a good experience.

Windows are all done, the front was cut down, I will get the photos of how we did it, the sides and rear are all ready to fit and will be on this weekend.

The glass has never been an issue and was just a case of picking the phone up and ordering

 

Been spending what feels like forever shaping, sanding and fitting all the rear windows. When I ordered them I asked for them to be over sized a little so I had something to work with if I needed it, turns out I did not need the extra but I would rather remove than add...

I hope to roll it out next week so I can see it with all the screens in, still need to bond in the front and side windows but thats something for next week

 

Subbed

 

So the finial answer to the standard question "what are you going to do about the glass?"

I have been working hard on lots of little parts on the car and I have installed all the other windows now but I needed a windscreen. I purchased a couple of screens probably a year ago but I did nothing with it.

Today I looked out at the screens laying out in the garden and they have been out there for quite a while waiting for me to cut and fit them. Cutting the glass I left to my partner, she does stained glass as a hobby so thought she would do a good cut. She has never cut curved or laminate glass so I told her how to go about it.

I started to mark out the glass where to cut and managed to put my knee through the glass while leaning over, number one smashed before we stared



OK, so with the first smashed we carried out to cut the corners off the glass to relieve the stress, once she had scored the glass and broke it, I took the blow torch to the glass and melted the laminate and cut it with a sharp balde



We decided that this went so well we would try another screen, we did the same, removed the corners and scored the glass on both sides



Then it was just placed in the car and its great - it fits and I will be bonding it in over the next few days after I have painted the new top edge

 

Wheres the pics of the other windows installed?

We need PICS!

 

awesome build mate

 

Its been a good day with quite a lot achieved, I'd like to thank Mike for his help today;

Fuel filter fitted, Dip stick tube made and fitted, abs sensors fitted, heat shields;

Managed to finally fit the exhaust manifold too which was easier than I remember it being, and then I started to make the exhaust, this went quite well considering I was making the exhaust on the drive and tig welding it in the garage but all went really well.



Mandrel bends welded in place along with the back box


Lastly a shot of the whole exhaust, I still need to weld the flange on for the cat but I did not have it to finish the job off but maybe I can finish it next week

 

Still loving how this is coming. And anxiously awaiting pics of the finished product!

 

I should have done this ages ago but yesterday I decided to make my radiator this week and intercooler next week. First thing I had to do is select the size I need, I do not have much room at the moment so I have gone for a smaller but deeper radiator with better performance than the stock unit. It should do the job but if not I will just make another.

First I cut all the tubes down to the correct length, then cut the aluminium for the header plates. The header plates were interesting to make as I had to program the press to press and punch the dimples.



I then folded up the sides of the header plate to provide some extra strength and rigidity, they looked great. I had tube, headers, and had also cut some side plates so off I went to get some louvred fin, here is the first section coming off


As we do not have any jigs for the custom unit I was building I had to hand build the core, this took ages and made me mad as there was so many tubes. However now the unit is ready to go off for a trip through the furnace and I will then make and weld the tanks on.



Next week I will do the intercooler and will show the radiator after it has come off the furnace

 

Make your own radiator! Very impressive!

 

The things this guy has done...

Something to look up to!

Just needs to ditch the white, and let me go to town on the paint...

 

Would love something candy and blue but with all the pain bodyshops have caused me I will do it myself if I decide to ever change colour. Probably will leave this as it is forever now. Time will tell ~ I need to put it on the road first and then carry on playing with it.

Not much left to do especially if I can make the intercooler next week, I will be able to get all the plumbing sorted and maybe even run it

 

Holy cannoly, building your own radiator!!!! Simply amazing!!!
RoofChopMINI and Isobel are my favorite build threads here, by far!
Pure awesomeness!

 

The site needs to let me update pics and whatnot, but it is well overdue! Isobell's paintwork is at 99% (just need to do the new bumper covers) and I still need to stuff an engine in her, but also need a little fundage available to get her done!

Richard hasn't updated since I have been gone either, hope everything is going well on the chop project! If it werent for this guys work, I probably would have tried it myself and failed along the way... Past the point of no return.

 

I have been hiding for a little while but a lot has been going on with the car. I have been working on lots of small items as I have sent the car away for some other work.

I have been finishing off the trimming for the interior when the car comes back.

Also been making lots of parts like this new supercharger nose


The reason the car has gone away for a little while is due to the roof yet again the car was left in the sun and again the roof bubbled up a lot like osmosis effect and I believe there is some contamination with the materials used to build the roof. I have taken the sensible route now and I have commissioned an old school metal worker who is rolling me out a whole new roof out of aluminium. When the car comes back I have booked a week off work just to put it all back together and see if I can finish it.

I am way past the point of return now... I just keep ploughing time and money in but its almost there, I do not need much now to finish it off

 

Well its great news you aren't giving up, but sucks that you are still having problems with the roof.
Having it made from metal instead of a composite this time sounds like a safe bet on ending your issues. I really want to see this thing done, even if I will never see it in person.

 

Wow, what an amazing journey. Keep with it, you have done an amazing build so far. Nearly there now, best of luck.