When we I first meet the wife my car was a
Reliant Regal and after I passed driving test we decided to buy a car but some
how ended up buying a Mini Van.
Now many years later my youngest daughter Lucy and her partner Bob were going to
Mini shows and rallies so I took Julie (the wife) to a few Mini
shows and rallies and Julie enjoyed them so we decided to get another van so we
did and this is the story of my new project
Mini Van
On October 5th 2007 I bid and won a 1980 Mini Van on E/Bay for £510.06 I paid £50 delivery and it arrived at my home a week later.
THIS IS HOW I GOT I TOOK THE WHEELS OFF TO STOP IT BEING STOLEN
as you can see it is not a complete van
in fact it’s only a rolling shell there is some rear doors laid down inside.
Also it dose not have a log book (V5) but there is a chassis number so my first
job is to write to DVLA and request a log book this cost £25 but 3 or 4 weeks
later I received the log book this was good news.
A neighbour suggested that I put the van in her garage so I took up her offer and the van was put a way.
March 2008 I bought a Mini Car to use as a donor for the van this was fully striped down and as much as possible, and all the parts were stored in the back of the van.
Saturday 24th January 2009 I
sorted the garage out and collected the van from my neighbour and parked it in
my garage, this has meant Mr Bug being parked in my neighbour’s garage.
Next I removed all the parts out of the van I have stored them in my old trailer
so I can move them out of the way when I am working in the garage.
Monday 26th after work I jacked the van up and put it on axle stands then I removed the front sub frame and steering rack.
I have decided that before I remove the rear sub frame, I will make a jig frame too hang the van body from a bit like a pig roast this means I will be able to turn the body over there for making it easy to weld the floor Ect without having to lay on the floor, so I have managed to get some scaffold poles to make the frame out of.
So after a few days of cutting and
welding I made up a jig.
The front end of the body is attached by using the holes were the studs that hold the master
cylinder on and the studs that hold the heater pipes in the bulk head, the rear
is attached by the a bar across the rear doors then an long tube is passed
though the two brackets and a “A” frame at each end so the body will turn over
like a pig roast?
It’s a two man job to turn it over, but it will make all the welding so much easier to do and save a lot of time.
VAN BEING TURNED OVER
I MADE A BRACKET AND BOLTED IT ON
VAN UPSIDE DOWN
SILLS ARE ROTTEN BUT FLOOR IS OK
Now I have seen under the van
for the first time I was quite surprised at the condition of it.
Saturday 21st February
I removed the rear sub frame this was so much easier with the van up side down
and only took an hour to remove but that included striping all the brakes and
all the suspension as well.
My next job was to remove 4 door hinges what a job it took me about 2 hours and
there was only four nuts holding them on.
I then turn the van up the right way I was surprised how easy it was now the sub
frame was removed.
I let the van down on to a pallet that I had to wheels on so I could move it out
and clean up the garage it will also be handy when I to it on a lorry to take it
for sand blasting next Saturday.
Next I strip down the front sub frame so I can send that for Blasting as well,
the rear sub frame is not worth saving it could be used but I’m not sure how
long it would last.
Sunday I sorted out some parts and
striped the rear doors and the bonnet ready for blasting.
I was looking at a;; the parts which I am storing in my old trailer.
WHEELS BOLTED TO OLD PALLET
NOW READY TO PUSH ON TO LORRY
LOTS OF WORK TO SORT THIS OUT
Monday 23rd February: I started cleaning and repairing my first part, it was the radius arm, now I am not going to list every part that I do as that would be boring so when the trailer looks empty you will know that I've Finnish, well ok I might tell you about some parts.
Wednesday bought my first parts today a new rear sub frame
and radius arm pins & bushes and sub frame mounting kit and few other bits to
complete the rear suspension.
I have sorted out a lorry to take the shell for sand blasting so that's the
first job Saturday as it's got to be there by 10:00am.
Saturday 28th February Early start today left home at 7am to fetch the lorry, delivered the mini and took the lorry back got home at midday, I then collected a Bug for me to repair, no rest for us wicked ones.
Saturday 7th March another early start this time to bring the Mini home it looks a lot better now with all the paint off and to my surprise not to many holes that I didn't know about I spent the rest of the day checking it over and making a list of body panels as on Sunday I'm going the a Mini Show and hope to find some cheaper ones then they are in the shops.
This is just bear metal
Nice and clean now
making a inspection
Monday 9th March made a start on the body work as there is
a lot to do.
Thursday 19th March after 40 hours of cutting, grinding, welding, and
cussing and swearing I have fitted all the new panels and made good the
rest of the body.
Next with all the welding done and after a bit of a clean
up I hand painted the under floor with 2 coats of Hammer Right Black paint this
was easily done with the body up side down.
Bob started the body paint job prep again this was done on the spit making it
easy to rub it down and fill it a messy job, at the same time i was working on
the doors getting them ready for Bob the front doors need some welding along the
bottom but the rear doors were bad so I bought new panels for the bottom of them
and these were very difficult to fit as the door have a carve and no straight
line to use.
The sub frames was my next job these needed painting and again I used Hammer
right brush paint, with the rear sub frame ready I started to rebuild some of the rear
suspension parts.
Friday 27th March
We are now ready for painting.
Saturday 28th March, I got up early and my first job was to
clean up all the dust from the garage what job that is but with a air line and
hover I had most of it out but you never remove all of it.
Then I removed the spit frame and put the body on a load of old wheels, Bob said
that this was best as he would need to sit inside to paint.
Then with help from Bob we fitted the doors and that took a lot longer then
we thought it would take, our next job was to line the garage out with plastic
sheets this was done to keep the dust off and keep my garage clean as well.
After that we at to clean the body with Panel wipe and Tacky rags to remove and
remaining dust then Bob set up ready to spray the first coat was Etch primer due
it the body being bear metal, he had not used this before.
By the time we had painted it all and cleaned up it was about 10pm yet another long day.
Sunday 29th a late start to about 10am before Bob came
round so to day we at to finish the painting, so Bob was doing most of the work
and I was helping him out.
First sprayed on a filler coat this is Gray primer but it is a bit thick so it
can be rubbed back, after this was put on we needed to get the garage hot so
with a gas space heater and some electric heaters left on for a hour or so god
it was hot in there, then we was able to rub down the paint I hate that job,
then we at to clean it all again and get to dry and warm again so the top coat
could go on.
By the time we was all cleaned up it was yet another late night.
During the following week I got with the rear sub frame assembling all the suspension and brakes the rear radius arms I had fitted new bearing and bushes only to find the bushes needed reamering out so I borrowed one from a mate.
Saturday 4th April
The sub frame was ready to fit so with help from Bob we fitted it then we were
able to lift the front and put the van outside so we could turn it around and
tidy up the garage floor as I now have 10 days off work including weekends and
Easter so I need to get as much done as I can with Bobs help that is.
Bob got on with polishing the paint work I started the
front sub frame and cleaning and painting loads of parts.
during the week I started work on the engine, when I removed the engine from a
old Mini about a year ago we got it running and it seem ok so all I was going to
do was clean it and Fit new water pump, by-pass hose, thermostat, plugs,
points, condenser, cap, leads, alternator, apart from that I checked the clutch
and tappets.
On Good Friday 10th with the front sub frame ready and the
engine also ready the plan was to put the engine in the sub frame and then to
lift the van body over both and bolt the sub frame in this was not easy and was
a bit on the heavy side for two of us but we mange to do it but first we needed
to fit the steering rack.
next we fitted the suspension and we then fitted the wheels then we was able to
put it out side again.
Our next job was to jack it up so I could work under the
van, Bob got on the the in side and the wiring loom and lights, windows
door handles ect.
I fitted the fuel tank, exhaust brake pipes fuel pipes and many other parts.
By Easter Monday night after 10 very long days and a few ,ate nights the van was
looking like it would soon be ready.
In the next few evenings we had it just about all done and on Sunday after a
problem with the clutch we Started the engine and Bob had the first drive up and
down the alley way every thing seem to work apart from the wipers this was
sorted out.
Wednesday 22nd April at 4pm the van had a MOT and passed ok.
Friday 24th April I was on holiday Again this time for a
Bond Bug rally but I took the van so I could put some miles on it as next
weekend I am driving it to Newquay In Cornwall for a Mini rally.
Sunday 26th after about 200 miles the van went well it's still not completely
finished yet.
All week I have used the van for work and have spent a lot of time in the evenings in fact some evenings went on to midnight, but by Saturday it was finish, and a group of us dress up in fancy dress set off to Newquay.
The End