Mk1Mad

Mean. Go and get some screws for the door handles and some self tappers for stuff like grills etc Gaz. Next week is gonna be a busy one!

Gazza. Im investigating soda blasting for your rims (just the bands). Think it will be cheapish and way easier to polish up after. Also, the central dish would be cleaned up to. Would have to remove tyres tho...

He forgot to include the $ sign. Its the total bill.... Check out my mini below man. Best thing is to find a good panel and enjoy the site of it. Its annoying, but peeling off other peoples patches is a fact of life with old cars.

You covered up that battery cutoff switch this time?

You want a job at OPUS chris? Go join all those others... Go Team OPUS Go haha. So Cazza, what do you do for OPUS? Lots of us engineers on here me thinks.

Ill get in before Gaz and Chris. It got a Cert. Stoaked. First time and passed straight away. Congrates Chris.

Gaz has a sierra haynes manual. Look under that under the carb engine section.

Ok. Been thinking about this/doing a bit of reading. 1st What cars are standard RWD twin cam. Figure standard nissan range ca etc as Gaz is doing. Then the UK people all do Vauxhall XE, but there aren't many of them in NZ. Then figure Duratec and Zetec converted with type 9 but starts to get pricy with bellhousing etc. How about... MX5 of some age. What have people heard about them? Seams that the best would be second generation (NB) with the BP-Z3 I4 engine and 5-speed gearbox. Then in future you could get a factory turbo engine (BPT I4) and it will fit right in on same mounts and can also get factory 6 speed gearbox. Let use know peoples thoughts, I know there is a lot of tuning parts readily available also. Escort with MX5 engine photoshopped/scissored in... P.S. I wont be replying much as don't live on a comp right now.

Just put it on and then cover it with glad wrap. Works a treat.

Yep. Putty for the little pin holes. Um, orbital sander = kinda average as the pressure isn't equal as you work over the whole area. Are you doing spots or whole panels? Anyway. For final finishes 1st - spray on a light (dry dust coat) of black paint from a spray can on large surfaces 2nd - get a long board (some just use a bit of 2x4 with paper on it) about 30cm long and sand in cross direction over panel untill you have no more black paint. Then do the detail areas around windows and doors etc with a little block/bare paper (So say your doing a door on the car. Hold the board horizontal and sand from the bottom left to the top right of the door and then the opposite) Keep sanding untill all the black is gone. If you cant get rid of the black then youll have to put on more high build primer or body filler Cus your doing a white car it wont be too hard to get a real good finish. Dark colours are harder. Im no pro so ppl tell me if ive missed anything

Early Minis and Land Rovers had push button on the floor. Try Tradme auction (expired) 166906676. Make sure its a push button one but im pretty sure it is. Was cheap too. (Also, designed to be put in battery + cable from battery so must be able to handle the jandel)

Oi Chris. You better be working on this this WE. What is the verdict on the engine?

True Gaz. Well, get it stripped quick. Auction: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... =168432722, I would buy it if I was up there...

Oh God Chris. Buy that sierra on Trademe up the coast. Reserve is only $250. And if you do can you keep the rear calipers and discs for me... Haha

And then he drills some holes in it for super light weight.... Luv ya Jase

Since youve fixed this we may as well have a pic to show ya... for next time. http://westfield-world.com/mellowyellow/pix/Tip2.jpg

Try these guys: http://www.tradetools.co.nz/dbsweb/TTLW ... 456&CLASS= under jobber drills..

soften up them boots in boiling water and they should stretch over.

Low'n'Slows mean good at gasless welding... haha. Gasless. How long do ya holidays go for Gaz? My olds have headed off to Aussie and though I might get my unemployed ass down to help out maybe/probably not.

Looking mint gaz. Good job guys.

Go see the guy at McGuniness Classics out in Petone. He might do one up for you. His cars are always slightly too highly priced too but hes been in it a while so probably has good cred etc.

Throw up your colour ideas.. Ill be back in NZ on the 12th, will head down for a weekend in Welly after that sometime.

So whats the color plans for now Gaz? With all the effort and money going into the rub down etc this time around i would just paint it white as the base for the castrol car paintjob. White is the easiest color to get to look good when painting at home. You still aiming for castrol colours? Just blow over the whole shell with white and clear coat.. rubbing down an olive drag&clear job in a year or two will suck mega... aka. try getting everyone back together to do what they have already done once....

Sucks so bad Gaz. Feeling for ya. Wonder what the insurance company is gonna pay out!! If you stick that in a panel shop it will cost more than buying a complete mint cortina.

Ok. So my mini resides at home where my Dad drives it weekly. Ive been in the States for the last 4 months and during that time hes had the front panels of the front seats retrimmed (Tidy Trim, New Plymouth did a great job) and he fitted the white wheels. Really coming together as I wanted it now. Still a few more jobs to do when I get back but he took it to the Inglewood Car Show in Feb. Anyway, pics: