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HOME RESTORATION
With Terry Hickey.
Final of the 3 part series
The project was going to plan until the grief set in! After a couple of months I noticed that some small bubbles had appeared around both rear wheel arches where the holes from the screw on flares had been brazed up. We had used braze in the belief that the lower heat would result in less panel distortion - it was a big mistake! What we did not know was that braze and paint do not mix very well, especially if there is some ‘flux’ still on the braze. Unfortunately, the areas had to be ground back, the braze removed and re-welded with steel wire. Then both panels needed to be fully prepared again and repainted. This process was done with very little enthusiasm and this was the first time that I felt really despondent and wished that I had never started the project.
Once the body repairs and repainting had been completed, I had a new roof lining made up in original grain pattern and colour material and installed it myself with excellent results. I also went to wreckers and obtained original trim panels to use as patterns and, using original grain pattern and coloured vinyl, made up door pocket liners, rear storage pocket liners, dash liners etc. I had the seats professionally reupholstered and had original door and rear panel liners professionally recoloured as new ones could not be economically produced in the original style. Whilst I searched extensively for the original type of carpet that would have been installed in my car, I was not able to obtain any and so had new carpets made up in a similar colour. I installed all of the interior myself and am very satisfied that the results are at least as good as originally left the factory. I also fitted up all of the glass at this time using new rubbers and installed new door weather stripping.
It was now early October 1996 and I was feeling pretty proud of myself and hoped that the restoration would be finished in time for the Coopers at Como concours display which was to be held the first week of December. There was, however, to be one final and devastating disappointment which would prevent me from getting to the 1996 concours as well as blowing the budget through the roof. A mistake was made very early in the restoration, when fitting up the new door hinge panel on the passenger side. We had clamped it then fitted the door to ensure that everything lined up nicely - we then removed the door and welded the panel in place. What we had failed to do was to fit the door up again after the welding to ensure that nothing had moved during the welding process. The consequence was that when I went to fit the beautifully painted door to the beautifully painted shell, the gaps were terrible and the door was a very poor fit. Not only was I very despondent about this, I also doubted that I had the skill to put it right without doing untold further damage. As my original goal had been to do all of the work at home, it was with some considerable regret that I passed the job over to a professional to fix, though I am now very glad I did. His work was excellent and, whilst it cost a bit of money, the fact was that it was done quickly and without further anguish.
Once that was finished and the doors were fitted, it was then time to look at painting and fitting the engine which happened without serious incident, as did all of the ancillary mechanical bits, including new exhaust system, new tyres. The fuel lines and electricals were connected and the engine sprung to life. Brake and clutch bleeding, suspension pump up, wheel alignment, new stainless bumpers, grille, grille surround etc followed till the stage where I realised that there was nothing left to do. Whilst it sounds like all of this happened in quick succession, it did not. There were minor hiccups all along the way and, as I did not have unlimited funds, there were delays in between purchases of tyres, stainless trim, exhaust system etc.
Wherever possible all new nuts bolts and washers were used and a copious amount of time was also spent tending to all the little things - instruments, brackets, odds, ends and fittings which go into a motor car. In my view this probably took up most of the time, as the project never entirely stalled, I was always on the look out for missing parts and doing little tasks etc. Care and attention to all of these little bits and pieces are what, in my view, make much of the difference between a ‘just so’ restoration and a good restoration. It was this part of the restoration project that I really enjoyed - regular trips to ‘Pick a Part’ were a very valuable source of obscure little bits and pieces and, believe it or not, yielded some really fantastic finds. In my searching, I realised also that quite a few very hard to get Mini ‘fiddly bits’ are, in fact, quite common fittings on other British cars of the same era. In particular, I found the Morris 1100, Austin 1800 and Morris Marina yielded various bits and pieces that I was having trouble finding.
I am very proud of the results that have been achieved in restoring my Cooper S and am also proud of the fact that my restoration has sought to reinstate the unique original features of my car which may otherwise have been lost. On issues of originality, I drew very heavily of the advice of the Victorian Mini Club historian, Stephen Dalton, who is well known and respected among Mini enthusiasts, both in Australia and internationally, for his knowledge on Mini Coopers and derivatives, particularly Australian Mini Coopers. Another club member, Philip Johnstone, also gave me extremely practical and helpful technical advice and support throughout the restoration. Also extremely supportive were many of Melbourne’s Mini parts specialists. I visited the loft at Piston’s Auto with monotonous regularity in search of obscure bits and pieces and drew heavily on Lindsay Seibler’s wealth of experience. Similarly, I had numerous trips, both to the counter and ‘out the back’, at Link and Northern Mini and was always met with good humoured helpfulness and expertise. We really are spoilt in Melbourne by the standard of our Mini parts specialists.
Whilst I did a lot of things wrong along the way which caused me plenty of anguish and had to be redone, I remain convinced that one does not have to spend a fortune and turn the project over to professionals to achieve a high standard result. Even though much wiser to the trials, tribulations and frustration of a home restoration, I would do it again.
Finally, if you have been thinking of restoring your motoring pride and joy, go for it! You’ll be surprised at just what you are able to achieve if you put your mind to it.
Terry Hickey
I would like to thank Terry for supplying this article. I hope it encourages a few of our members to have a go at home restoration. It can be very rewarding. Ed
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