Classic Mini Restoration Episode 36 - Bodywork Repairs At Classic And Retro Restorations

[@philhuggett4776]

That was some undertaking! Bet you're glad you have someone as skilled as Dennis. Awesome job

[@SmugwoodMini]

If I knew then what I know now...Id probably not have bought the car as I honestly believed id be able to sort it all out. Id have probably looked for a car in better condition. But the flip side is that I know it'll be right when its finished and I pretty much know the car inside out now. But without Dennis...it'd still be a rusty old shell in the garden :-) Can't wait to get it back from the paint shop and start putting everything back together.

[@recreativesigns4571]

Dennis is a genius with a welder. What a lot of hard work but definitely worth doing so you know it’s straight and no rot.

[@SmugwoodMini]

Yeah, a lot of work. But thankfully all sorted now. Dennis has done a great job…not just with the welding but also putting up with me 😂

[@pauljeffries]

Fantastic build by Dennis....👍

[@SmugwoodMini]

Looks so much better…I taught him everything he knows 😉😂

[@anthonybrown7959]

And it's as simple as that. Lol. Many hours and hard work has gone into repairing that shell. It's going to be sound once it's finished.

[@SmugwoodMini]

Very true. A lot of hard work. I’d have loved to have filmed the work being done and maybe Dennis would have agreed…but part of me didn’t want to get in the way and slow down progress…but the main reason was that all the noise, the grinding, the sanding, the welding…all the horrible stuff that goes on behind the scenes…I don’t think I could have dealt with that. I remember attempting to do the toe board and the noise and the mess in the workshop was crazy. Some things are best left to the professionals 😂 Hopefully once it’s finished, it will be sound 👍 and I can’t wait to get behind the wheel again. Once it’s back from the painters it’s all go. 😊

[@richardwalker5906]

It's looking good now 👍

[@SmugwoodMini]

It is 😊 I’m a bit upset that I wasn’t able to do it myself but it’s what’s best for the car that counts I guess.

[@richardwalker5906]

@@SmugwoodMini.. Don't beat yourself up about. We all can't do everything!. Main thing is this time next year you will be doing trip out vids.. 👍👍

[@SmugwoodMini]

I really hope so 😂👍

[@MiniMattTV]

It’s shocking what shot blasting reveals on a car that looks relatively okay. Much better off for the new panels and the work looks fantastic!

[@SmugwoodMini]

Yeah it shows up all previous repairs and any rust issues. Pretty much every panel had some issue :-(

[@geoffmcconville5410]

M machine and magnum might have been a bearer bet for panels

[@SmugwoodMini]

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 :-)

[@geoffmcconville5410]

@@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!

[@harveyfred2426]

Nice results, if don't mind me asking how much did it cost to welding and paint the bodyshell?

[@SmugwoodMini]

Not quite sure just yet as it needs it’s assessment from the paint shop. The price can vary depending on how much work there is to do and it can vary from shell to shell. I’m expecting it to cost around half the amount it would have cost for a re shell.

[@jeffparker4490]

Maybe a new body shell ???

[@SmugwoodMini]

That was the original plan but budget put a stop to that. If I had the money Id have ordered one for sure. But they do still require a fair bit of work to get them right despite being new. When my car was here at Classic and Retro, I got to see 2 new shells that had been ordered for customers and they both needed a little work before they could go to paint shop.

[@johngidman4574]

At what point a new body shell?

[@SmugwoodMini]

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 :-)

[@busatrx850]

Body shell?

[@SmugwoodMini]

A new body shell was considered but the cost of a new body shell is quite steep and there’s still quite a bit of work to carry out even on a new shell. Plus I really wanted to keep the original identity of as much of the car as possible. The scuttle and the inner wing still have the original I.D. 👍

[@erik_dk842]

@@SmugwoodMini Trigger's broom