There may have been the odd one or 2 non heritage panels fitted, but I cant remember which ones. Dennis, who fitted them, tends to use particular panel manufactures depending on where they are fitted as I believe some fit better than others...but I left him to it when he was welding them up...after my poor attempt at welding I thought it best to stay away :-)

@@SmugwoodMini yes, clearly, in my enthusiasm, I didn’t wait for your m machine and magnum plug! Can just say that I admire your candour. Refreshingly honest. Well done!

I was really surprised Smiths dont do repairs...unless I misheard them...but I guess sometimes it can be cheaper to replace than restore for some companies.

This was originally planned for a brand new heritage shell...but when all that stuff happened in the earlier episodes, it wiped out my finances. This really should have been a brand new shell but it does go to show that literally any car can be saved using panels. The beauty of this though was that all the original stamped panels were saveable so the shell still retains all of its original numbers...which I thought was a bonus :-)

They’ve been so much better on my back compared to the ones I had before. My only moan with them is that after sitting on them all the way back on the subframe, it’s dented my side bins in the back…only noticed this week. Not a major issue but a little annoying. But the seats themselves are really comfy and do compliment the car.

Pretty much...although the mistake I made was not knowing that some parts are worth keeping hold of...I should have kept hold of things even if they were no use to me as some things surprisingly have a sellable value. Towards the end of the build I did start to learn that lesson :-)

You'll see things didn't all go as originally planned...huge learning curve...but things work out in the end :-)

Was the most expensive workshop ive ever built...still not quite finished :-)

He’s done a great job with mine…although I can’t technically make recommendations etc as I don’t know the place well enough to comment. It was minisport who recommended…they’re not really using their rolling road for customers at the minute so they’ve been redirecting people to Ken. I can’t fault the work I’ve had done but one thing I will say is that the rolling road wasn’t fully operational when I went so some things were a bit limited. But luckily I wasn’t there for max power and Bhp figures etc…so fortunately I was able to get done what I needed. Worth giving them a call but also it’s worth checking to see if any of the limitations would affect the work you might need doing. 👍

@@SmugwoodMini Thanks for that additional info.

I can certainly double check. I might be changing the rocker cover soon so I'll give them a check when I do.

Yeah I think any change made to the vehicle probably results in the need for a tune up. I did mine all by ear and feel to get it running but thats probably not ideal long term. So much more fun to drive now. Ive often wondered how they do those alterations with the needles and I sort of have an idea...but part of me knows that if I find out how to do it...I'll probably end up having a go myself and messing everything up :-)

@@SmugwoodMini mine had a hammer being used on it but I’ll be stating well clear of playing with it now it performs so much better. I too found the pull was better in lower gears than what it used to be like. Hills are not such a problem now.

Yeah probably best leaving it alone now...I know I will :-) I think the lesson I learnt this week is that if I make any changes to the engine setup or suspension...I need to take it somewhere to be checked.

I went for the Yokohama A008s this time. The Ao32rs didnt really last long and were a bit too sticky on the roads for my liking. I do prefer the look of the A032r but Im finding the car more fun to drive with the A008s. And they are half the price :-)

Underfelt

My honest answer would be...I didnt know about the underfelt until now :-)

I was born in Preston yes :-)

Definitely one of the easier jobs Ive had to do :-)

Took me long enough :-)

Thanks. Should hopefully mean I scratch the car a lot less too :-)

Will that fit a metro engine 1275

Thanks :-) Next job...getting the car tuned up (fingers crossed)

Thanks. Its good fun making the videos...although a little bit stressful at times. I always stress they aren't tutorials, but hopefully they do give an insight as to whats involved when restoring a mini. Good luck with your build.

Thanks. Seems so long ago since I started the videos...had originally planned to have the car finished within 12 months of purchase...that didnt quite go to plan :-)

@@SmugwoodMini does not really matter - people love a journey and the knowledge gained from watching it. Hero!

Im still undecided as to wether these were the better option. Its a really close fit to the wheels I have and I reckon drums might have given more clearance. I was always worried about heat build up so I opted for discs but now im driving the car I find I dont really go fast enough to worry about heat build up :-)

I think I remember my dads car having something like that in the window many years back. Not sure what car it was though...but I also seem to remember him having to indicate with his hands too :-) Must have been quite an old car

Kind of...it ended up being cheaper than a new shell but thats sort of because im friends with the guy doing the work. It really was a contender for a new shell though. Aside from the cost though, I wanted to try and keep some of the cars originality and we were able to use the original parts that were stamped...like the inner wing and scuttle. But if money was no object...I would have opted for a new shell.

Thanks. I definitely prefer it over the pancake and standard filter. Its not as noisy as the pancake but its not quiet like the standard box...but it makes adjusting things a lot easier. Plus I guess my engine has been built for performance so its probably a good idea not to stick the standard box back on :-)

I’m trying to remember…I struggled getting a proper answer for this when I did mine because lots of people were telling me different things. The first thing that confused me was it felt too long out the packet and I think I had to cut a little bit of material off the ends but I’m struggling to remember. I didn’t glue it though, I think it initially held in place with the control panel screws and then I used little clips to hold it in place. I think the dash material wrapped around the metal and the clips held it there. Can’t remember the name of the clips but they were similar to the ones that hold the window trim etc. It took me a while to fit it because it was all guess work but it wasn’t a really hard job…it’s just one of those jobs that’s always a lot easier second time round. I’ve no idea if the way I’ve done it is right or wrong but whatever I did still seems to be holding up 🤞

Thanks. I remember those days of buying a mini for £400 😂 Be nice if that was still the case 😊

I was counting on the drip tray catching everything...but now you mention it, a pint pot or plastic bag would have helped prevent a bit of mess...especially when lifting it through the grill. I'll have to try that next time :-)

@@SmugwoodMini it's worth a try

Definitely...makes a real mess that stuff. Its not in the video, but when I was topping up the oil, it overflowed out the top. Not a lot...but took forever to clean it up...and thats new oil :-)

Hi. I cant remember which book I was using, but I only own two...A Haynes Restoration Manual and the Haynes Manual for the mini. Two sort of similar books but also quite different :-)

Good luck. Can be very stressful :-) But good fun to drive once they're roadworthy :-)

Yeah the one that came with it wasnt great. Im not sure why they dont provide a decent one straight from the box, maybe its a way to keep cost down. But a nice little upgrade for sure.

Glad it could help...good luck with the rebuild.

Glad it could help :-)

A little bit of mixed messages from Minisport as initially I was told summer time but have since been told there’s no time been given as yet. I believe there’s a computer issue. If it gets sorted soon I’ll book my car in. If not, I believe there’s a place in Morecambe which has some experience tuning minis. The hubs now had a new cone washer fitted and been re tightened…just hope this one lasts 🤞

Yeah, just one of those things I guess. I'll spend a good few weeks checking everything...should keep me busy :-) Plus everything is a bit more familiar to me now so not quite as stressful as when I first bought the car.

He did offer his services...and if I lived closer I definitely would. But hes so far away which is a shame. If hes ever passing this way then that might be an option. Other wise I may just have to wait until the 2 rolling roads near me get fixed.