1983 Austin Minivan Resto begins.

[Pixel-Snapper]

AGAIN.....!

So the story goes back by 6 years and im a 19 year old shadow of myself today, 3 weeks before I head for the dizzy heights of freedom from the parents and go to Uni, I decide that it would be a good idea to buy myslef another mini as a project while im home at the weekends(which never happend). Purchasing from a friend the other side of the village, I drive my prise home to the sum of almost a mile (on 2 cylinders) and stick it in the garage. The very next day out come the spanners and its striped to a shell in a matter of hours.









Fast forward to the present day and the car is still sat on the same axle stands it rested on 6 years ago. In this time a good friend has setup his own company doing roadside bodywork repair and has become a dab hand with a spray gun.....ARRHARR.....interest in my project has resumed.

So off we set Obital sanders in hand on a Saturday afternoon and 3 hours later this.


(crap iphone pic)

With rejuvenated enthusiasm to get the thing painted by this side of christmas I shall be in the garage most of this week and only contactable by carrier pigeon.

Thanks for looking.

Updates to follow......



(please dont let me lose interest again or my mum will sell it!)

[LongQ]

Pixel-Snapper said:

(please dont let me lose interest again or my mum will sell it!)

Sell it?

Your mum could sell it?

Hmm.

I have a fantastic, huge old wooden fireplace taking up too mch room ion my garage. Can't seem to get anyone interested in buying it. Would your mum be able to sell that for me? No respray required - a light dusting should suffice ....

Good luck with the resto. My first vehicle was a mini-van. Ex AA. 1963 vintage. Those were the days ...

[Pixel-Snapper]

Well the thing is LongQ its been in her garage all these years, which means that shes been unable to put her car in there....! oops.... mothers ay never happy ;OP

[LongQ]

Pixel-Snapper said:

Well the thing is LongQ its been in her garage all these years, which means that shes been unable to put her car in there....! oops.... mothers ay never happy ;OP

Hmm. I did the same with a Mk 1 Mexico many years back, though in my case I had only owned it a few months when I changed jobs and got a company car. Realising that it was not likely to get much use (in that I was living 100 miles away and getting more or less free petrol ...) I realised I had to let it go.

But that was about 6 months as I recall. 6 years is a bit of a stretch ...

[Pixel-Snapper]

I just keep telling her its an investment and will be worth alot of money one day..

Although i dont think i could sell it now.

[Pixel-Snapper]

Found a new best friend last night NITROMORS.

Got some from halfrueds, wow that stuff is potent spent an hour last night scraping the paint off the passenger side rear panel.





and low and behold found yet more filler...



and another picture of the roof, only the gutter to go and we can get some primer on it.

[Pixel-Snapper]

Well not much has happened the last couple of month due to the flipping dam cold weather over christmas we had...wuss I know!


Angle grinders coming out in Feb to cut all the rust out and starting to buy the panels needed to patch the old girl up.

Does anyone know the likelyhood of getting a off side van sill? or can you use a saloon sill and cut it to the bits I need replacing.

Usual spots gone around the front and rear arch.

[chrisj_abz]

still get van sills ok,

http://www.minispares.com/Product.aspx?ty=pb&p...


nice project, not many vans on the go so nice to see another one being saved!

[Pixel-Snapper]

chrisj_abz said:

still get van sills ok,

http://www.minispares.com/Product.aspx?ty=pb&p...


nice project, not many vans on the go so nice to see another one being saved!

Legend Chris I went through all the pages on minispares trying to find one must just be blind!

ow and she will be back on the road one day.

Edited by Pixel-Snapper on Thursday 21st January 15:47

[dogfather]

chrisj_abz said:

still get van sills ok,

http://www.minispares.com/Product.aspx?ty=pb&p...


nice project, not many vans on the go so nice to see another one being saved!

we are doing a 79 clubman estate at the moment along with my 93 mayfair (which is ready for paint after 3years on my garden patio under the kids window..not a happy wife) but weve bought pretty much all the panles for the underside including the flitch panels which run from the edge of your outer sill and right up to and including the air duct (these are a great buy and very simple to fit, you just bolt it on to your door hinge panel and you cant go rong) but the 1 thing we cant get is the boot floor panel so we have to rebuid that ourselves.

[Pixel-Snapper]

Well spent the last 2days sanding the roof in prep for getting some primer on at last! so should have some more pictures to update the thread. My guy thats doing the welding is due to arrive next saturday with an angle grinder to cut out the rust and clean up the areas that will need new panels/patches.

So im looking towards final paint colours, I want the body to be the classic AA van yellow and a gloss black roof, wheels and arches.

However does anyone know where I can find the correct paint code? ive found
AA Yellow 2ct LRC-559 on an american site but would like to make sure.

[Cooper1999]

Pixel-Snapper said:

AGAIN.....!
(please dont let me lose interest again or my mum will sell it!)

Inspiration, that's what you need:

http://www.six-ex.com/umw367tproject.htm

(Not mine, by the way!)

Edited by Cooper1999 on Wednesday 3rd February 21:08

[LongQ]

Pixel-Snapper said:

However does anyone know where I can find the correct paint code? ive found
AA Yellow 2ct LRC-559 on an american site but would like to make sure.

HEY. That's My Van!

Well, OK, noy my actual van I don't think - I can't recall the number at all but I don't think it was 200 something ...

All the signwriting had been brushed over and of course there was no roof sign - in fact I don't recall anything for mounting one either. Maybe my memory is not good. But the number plate above the rear doors was a feature.

Happy days.

[LongQ]

On the colour thing.

Try the AA?

Or whoever owns (or looks after) the van in the photo.

[LongQ]

On the other hand ...

Screwfix do a Van touch up spray paint from Hycote called AA Yellow and

The official Cabs in Derby are supposed to be painted AA Yellow.

See

http://www.derby.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/AAD0BF8E-38DB...

in particular page 5.

Now whether this AA Yellow is the same yellow as the AA's Mini vans were painted in the early 60s is unclear but it would seem to be a reasponable bet that someone ikdentified in this information should be able to tell you what is known.

[roscozs]

Try Ford Signal Yellow for a colour. This is what my dad chose for his 79 Clubman estate.

[Pixel-Snapper]

Cooper1999 said:

Pixel-Snapper said:

AGAIN.....!
(please dont let me lose interest again or my mum will sell it!)

Inspiration, that's what you need:

http://www.six-ex.com/umw367tproject.htm

(Not mine, by the way!)

Edited by Cooper1999 on Wednesday 3rd February 21:08

WOW they have done a nice job there..

Inspiration Yes....Realisation theres still a long way to go....BIG YES

Cheers though.

[Pixel-Snapper]

LongQ said:

On the other hand ...

Screwfix do a Van touch up spray paint from Hycote called AA Yellow and

The official Cabs in Derby are supposed to be painted AA Yellow.

See

http://www.derby.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/AAD0BF8E-38DB...

in particular page 5.

Now whether this AA Yellow is the same yellow as the AA's Mini vans were painted in the early 60s is unclear but it would seem to be a reasponable bet that someone ikdentified in this information should be able to tell you what is known.

That looks about spot on LongQ

Virtual Beer mate

[Pixel-Snapper]

roscozs said:

Try Ford Signal Yellow for a colour. This is what my dad chose for his 79 Clubman estate.

Lovely looking Clubby Roscozs, just abit to canary for me though sorry.

[Mini_Lund]

Cooper1999 said:

Inspiration, that's what you need:

http://www.six-ex.com/umw367tproject.htm

(Not mine, by the way!)

If its the same one I saw at Bingley Hall at the weekend; its all very well, but I would have used genuine wings if I was to build that front end - they didnt match! The photo's don't exactly back up my argument, but... you had to be there

Edited by Mini_Lund on Thursday 4th February 13:54