How bad is my 1969 Morris Mini body? - Its bad! Back to metal secrets revealed!

[@JamesG75]

My daughter Annie (7) has recently started watching your videos with me and this is her favourite car in the Furious fleet. She's watched the back catalogue of this series and is now always asking me when the next Mini video is!

[@Parknest]

Matt, those "lava discs" as you call them are polycarbide discs which as you've found out make short work of paint and filler. I used them when I stripped the paint off my 1972 Triumph Dolomite when I had it resprayed. Taking it back to bare metal is absolutely the right call. You know the true extent of the condition of the body and there's no danger of your fresh paint reacting with anything left behind. The various "bodge" repairs have helped this Mini to survive for over 50 years.

[@tridaks]

You can easily buy new panels for the Mini,: don't mess about patching.

[@stevieboyNI]

Horrible work sanding but well done for getting stuck in Matt. I'm enjoying this series of vids, the Mini is a piece of British motoring history. Be great to have another one saved. Have a great Christmas when it comes!

[@t2stu]

Heat gun and wallpaper scraper with a sharp edge works wonders with removing underseal.

[@furiousdriving]

and smells so good too!

[@phillynch6295]

Underside - start with heat gun and scraper, clean and strip wheel (Brillo pad). White spirit / thinners can shift stuff after the heat gun stage

[@nickhaag7803]

Good to see this car being saved. Given the history with it, it will be nice to keep it original. Plenty of restomods out there already.

[@Bratfalken]

In an glassblaster cabinet at work we had an airhose with a pin that we could blow reverse through the blastergun to unclog the blast tank.

[@thisiszaphod]

Matt, I read somewhere that an easier way to remove underseal is to plumbers' spray freeze it before chipping off - more investigation required by this one.

[@furiousdriving]

worth a try!

[@delukxy]

@@furiousdriving Dry Ice but you'll have to get someone in. Heat gun and scraper. 2 ends of the temperature range. Clean N strip wheels work well. Pay a bit extra for good ones as they will end up being more economical as they last longer.

[@3vom]

I think someone (Sarah-n-tuned?) used dry ice but it was for sound deadening inside. Make the material brittle so can be scraped and chipped off.

[@mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm420]

My first car was a 1968 Mini in 1980. It had all the same rust problems as this. I couldn't weld and so I became a sculptor- in filler. I soon realised this wasn't even a medium term solution and was soon overwhelmed. I sold it. I did enjoy driving it and passed my test in it but I still look at them to this day with disdain.

[@anthonystevens8683]

I had a couple of Minis around 40 years ago when they were everywhere. My cars were old when I got them, the usual places of rot were the front floors (my 1st one was like lace in the front floors), sills, the 'A' panel, the headlight surrounds, rear subframe, the join between the 'A' pillar and the wing, inner front wheel arch below the door pillar, inner and outer front of the rear wings. Oh and check the battery tray in the boot. All could be patched up to do the job but would be far from concourse work. The roof on both were good though. I paid a fair chunk keeping my cars on the road but they were worth it as long as the mechanics were OK. A stuffed gearbox synchro meant my first one was sold, the second was sold because I was being nagged by a lass who wanted it for when she was at uni. Great memories of brilliant cars though, I would have another one but I'd like a 2CV first as I'm getting old and don't fold into small cars well these days. Thanks for sharing.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

I’m glad you still have the Volvo - such a lovely barge! Good to see some Mini progress too - one of the more interesting projects you have on!

[@jamesdecross1035]

Metalwork is the most satisfying part of any restoration.

[@clivewright4398]

Lots of repair panels around. Lower rear quater panels are also available. I had some for my old mini when I had it restored years ago.

[@elliotrawstrone6137]

Stick some heritage wings on it. Anything else would be a false economy. With the availability of full good quality panels its best to do it properly. With it being a good early car its going to be worth it

[@adrianmassey6673]

Great progress, and fair play undertaking this all yourself. You must have an understanding landlord allowing the dust and noise.

[@Morgans_Miles]

Matt - look up dry ice blasting. You may find a mobile service down near you, and from what I’ve seen it’ll make mincemeat of that underseal

[@Rich13-60]

Nice one Matt, it maybe worth contacting ADO restorations ( the place Steph works for) and ask them the best place to get the best Mini panels, and what you need to do to get them to fit. It would appear they do loads of Mini's according to Steph's latest vid.

[@davidrobinson970]

At least its in better shape than Binky when Bad Obsession Motorsport started their project! Its just a case of taking your time, and getting it right. Best of luck, and I look forward to see the completed Mini back on the road, ..

[@PatrickHostler]

I would be tempted to use the blaster on the difficult fiddly areas, and the sanding tool on the main large bodywork areas. Keep going though!!!

[@grahamclark4518]

Mine went in for restoration (Yeah okay not a MK 1) no panel got patched just replaced, only original bits left. Roof and Doors, Its all available. Also an auto. Get it back just before Christmas (Not that I can I afford Christmas)

[@penfold5095]

You need a needle gun (needle scaler) such as Draper 84131 which will run off your air compressor. That should get the underseal off and the rest of the paint.

[@gazonatrike7005]

I believe a certain Steph works in a Mini specialists😊 allbeit the other side of the country, would it fit in the trunk of a Crown Vic 😅

[@Fourwheeledfarming]

We know where this is going… I smell a collab with Simpsons Classics coming along 😊

[@ThisWontEndWell]

You might as well replace both A panels, its a known rot spot if you want the high end of the value it helps to show its been done.

[@cliveprocter3698]

It's a (very) old mini so just assume you will be replacing sills, wings, A-panels, front panel, floors, rear valance and lots of patching

[@tasospappas6627]

Great job!

[@bobgorman9481]

Nothing in humanity rusts faster than a newly stripped car in an British December ( yes ,even indoors ).

[@worldofrandometry6912]

By the time you do all that work to a decent standard, you might be better off buying a new bodyshell and fitting the existing mechanicals and interior to it.

[@profrumpo]

I wondered about that and research tells me they don't produce a Mk.2 Mini bodyshell. The Mk.1 bodyshell is £16k though! Not a viable proposition at all.

[@furiousdriving]

No, the price makes it not possible

[@jimmyk9523]

Replace the whole rear quarter, and front wings you can remove it and there will be an inner rear wing that'll hold the shell anyway. It is far easier to drill or grind off spot welds than it is to cut and butt weld in a repair section that big. I've seen your welding and it's not to a decent enough standard for a seamless repair. I think you should buy yourself a 3 phase spot welder and do it that way rather than try to butt weld in a massive panel. I replaced the whole rear quarter panel of my MK2 Fiesta on the drive in all kinds of crazy weather. It's doable but you've got to be brave with the grinder.

[@garethconnett7672]

How was your Sand-Wich Matt?

[@furiousdriving]

soooperb

[@tony-yp6qk]

Another great video has always matt and family 👍

[@giulianomarco]

B-b-b-bad to the bone! 😁👍☠️

[@classics144sportscarschannel]

that mini shell by you will have to be taken to a paint body shop as to bigger job for yourself to sort needs a BIG RESTO.

[@GSimpsonOAM]

A heating pad on the sandblasting chamber to keep it dry? Like a home brew unit.

[@stephenadams7596]

Think replacing quicker n easier then repairing panels . What a problem to have resto mod or original. 👍👍

[@upturnedkangaroo]

Please make this your sole big 2025 project. get it done!

[@davidhinkson8856]

Have you farmed out some of the work on this car, e.g., the engine and transmission and the interior trim, for example?

[@furiousdriving]

no, those are the easy bits

[@turnfordguitars]

A scraper or a wide flat screwdriver to remove underseal. & plenty of time!

[@fhwolthuis]

Well done, the end of the de-rusting is somewhat near 😅👌 I would do 2 new wings, as they are pretty much in sight.

[@3vom]

How is the shell where the subframes mount?

[@Robhoyle1]

I've driven a Mini automatic, don't knock it till you've tried it. I'm no fan of automatics but the Mini was miles better than I expected, and amazingly, the easiest car I've ever driven in snow. Honestly, the auto is a lot of fun to drive

[@philiptidmarsh]

I have a later Mayfair auto which has been in the family since new and I agree that they are great. They are not like the old 3 speed slush boxes that were in other cars of the era.

[@888johnmac]

for the underseal .. buy / borrow / steal / make a rotisserie so you can access the underside in relative comfort .. last time i used a blowtorch & a scraper ... was a PITA of a job , but everything else either clogged up ( wire brushes / lava disks / DA pads ) or didn't touch the underseal ( paint stripper / thinners / acetone ) ..... would love to know if there is some secret chemical / tool / technique

[@furiousdriving]

I have a spit on loan, so thats not a problem its the actual removal thats going to be messy!

[@d.c.Jones70]

That reminds me how is the Mercedes W123 coming on.

[@wanderingorganist]

Would it be easier to get a new bodyshell?

[@furiousdriving]

if you have a spare £25,000 yes

[@terryatkinson899]

Rare footage of you without a hat... 😮 Pretty soon you'll have the same amount of thatch that I have 😁👍🇮🇪

[@furiousdriving]

it was very warm that day!

[@jasoncornell1579]

Did u use the tea shelf?

[@interestingspagetti]

You could just buy a new shell primed from British Motor Heritage.

[@lesklower7281]

The simple fact is that this is an automatic which makes it rare which makes it a five figure car and also to be all steel body mo filler will increase its value also l was just wondering about your automatic mini and this video l can see the continuing work a long process is it worth yes especially when finished the automatic mini will be worth a lot of money

[@albertbekassy2709]

I'm glad it's better than the w123 was.

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

That was painful to watch. Acid bath?

[@gareththompson538]

It's all fixable but it will be a big job. How are you going to stop it rusting even further now that it is back to bare metal?

[@ben_jam]

Talking of paint jobs, did the Rover 420 Tourer ever make back to the fleet ? Apologies if i missed that update !!

[@furiousdriving]

Nope. still waiting!

[@ben_jam]

@@furiousdriving Oh wow, that's a long queue ..

[@AndyPipkin-dj8sy]

sure I would not do this, I use acid dip and be at home with my feet up lol

[@furiousdriving]

acid dip leaves pockets of acid which ruins the paint months later on minis

[@AndyPipkin-dj8sy]

@@furiousdriving oh really - so not a splash and job done, like pockets of trapped acid in the shell?

[@furiousdriving]

@@AndyPipkin-dj8sy they submerge it in a tank, so exactly that

[@markknight9934]

Would it be cheaper buying a new shell?

[@TroyGoodacre]

Honestly you would be better replacing the whole front end it’s much more practical

[@billgriffiths1685]

Yipee I'm finally here.

[@justsofrivolous]

Ah well at least the roof is ok 😂 I could have bought a white mini in mint condition in the mid nineties but didn’t because it was an auto 😵‍💫

[@MINIMOTOMADNESS]

where did taylor from auto alex take his supercharged mini?they done a top job..

[@RadlerMannheim]

Furious Car-Tetris... 🙄🙄🙄

[@davefrench3608]

Looks like dong this car the way it deserves Yes, keep it as original as possible, even with the awful auto box. Given it’s 55 years old, it’s not that bad.

[@nadim1683]

Matt you need help mate

[@ianjenkins4641]

It’s had more hits than Elvis

[@rimmersbryggeri]

Do you have an air dryer on the compressor? HAve you ever drained the water out of the compressor?

[@furiousdriving]

there are 2, and yes, every time I use it

[@rimmersbryggeri]

@@furiousdriving Then it's more of a mystery the blaster clogging up. Very common for thoe 2 things to be forgotten. I remeber renting out a simnular blaster when I worked in rentals and it worked really well as I remember. The guy used soda or some other white medium wits small grain size. ( He tried the setup out in our lor first having had cloggin problems at some other time).

[@phil7301]

,👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿😉

[@ianleak]

Dip the car will take all crap off the outside and inside of the car

[@furiousdriving]

yes but it traps the acid in the corners of Mini shells for later

[@ry491]

Mini autis are terrible . Noisy , slow and very unreliable . I used to work on them . Made by AP .

[@ukmud6218]

Mu muuu merrr mu mur murrr mu meh😂

[@terryatkinson899]

Google translate couldn't make sense of this comment either 😂👍🇮🇪

[@blueyes163]

I have said before I sick of see you with a mug or a mug around you. I don't think make won't buy one sorry

[@damonrobus-clarke533]

What? Learn to write, especially if you’re going to be rude!