it’d be no huge loss as the car had come
free anyway.”
The initial cutting down of the shell
would cost Ross nothing except time,
but soon new panels were bought or
fabricated and his commitment to this
project increased. “The 2.5 inches
removed from both the pillars and the
body took longest to do because of all the
detail such as the passenger door wing,”
Ross explains, “I bought the 13 inch
Revolution wheels from Huddersfield
Mini Spares very early on to keep me
motivated! Once you’ve committed to
parts the project feels more real.”PANEL GAME
The doors also needed cutting down to
the correct size in order to achieve a
perfect fit, so did the bootlid, which due
to its curvaceous shape proved tricky. “I
spent a long time making sure the
bootlid looked like the original. I ended
up using two seperate bootlids to get the
inside diagonals neatly aligned into the2.5 inch shorter panel,” Ross points out,
“it took three weeks to get to a stage I
was happy with!” The rear bins and
inner wings also had to be reduced in
size for that Sprint look too.
Aside from the modified metalwork,
there was still plenty of welding to be
done just like there would in any major
restoration. These included full length
f loor panels, boot f loor, back seat panel,
subframe mounting panel, sills and
pillars along with the front panel andslam panel which have all been replaced.
“The rear valance and closing panels
along with lots of sundry fittings were
also replaced,” Ross tells us, “in fact, the
only panels that haven’t been replaced or
modified are the roof and toe board!”
Those wider 13 inch wheels would
have struggled to fit under standard
arches, Ross electing to use fibreglass
Sportspack arches to create his desired
look. Typically, these wouldn’t be a
straightforward fit as they neededRevo split rims were an early purchase.Both fuel tanks have been shortened.Ross, and wife, Jo, are enjoying
the fruits of their labours.With a total of five inches
taken out of the height,
this is one low Mini...it’d be no huge loss as the car had come
free anyway.”
The initial cutting down of the shell
would cost Ross nothing except time,
but soon new panels were bought or
fabricated and his commitment to this
project increased. “The 2.5 inches
removed from both the pillars and the
body took longest to do because of all the
detail such as the passenger door wing,”
Ross explains, “I bought the 13 inch
Revolution wheels from Huddersfield
Mini Spares very early on to keep me
motivated! Once you’ve committed to
parts the project feels more real.”
PANEL GAME
The doors also needed cutting down to
the correct size in order to achieve a
perfect fit, so did the bootlid, which due
to its curvaceous shape proved tricky. “I
spent a long time making sure the
bootlid looked like the original. I ended
up using two seperate bootlids to get the
inside diagonals neatly aligned into the
2.5 inch shorter panel,” Ross points out,
“it took three weeks to get to a stage I
was happy with!” The rear bins and
inner wings also had to be reduced in
size for that Sprint look too.
Aside from the modified metalwork,
there was still plenty of welding to be
done just like there would in any major
restoration. These included full length
f loor panels, boot f loor, back seat panel,
subframe mounting panel, sills and
pillars along with the front panel andslam panel which have all been replaced.
“The rear valance and closing panels
along with lots of sundry fittings were
also replaced,” Ross tells us, “in fact, the
only panels that haven’t been replaced or
modified are the roof and toe board!”
Those wider 13 inch wheels would
have struggled to fit under standard
arches, Ross electing to use fibreglass
Sportspack arches to create his desired
look. Typically, these wouldn’t be a
straightforward fit as they neededRevo split rims were an early purchase.Both fuel tanks have been shortened.Ross, and wife, Jo, are enjoying
the fruits of their labours.With a total of five inches
taken out of the height,
this is one low Mini...