Mini Sport completely transformed this holey, rot ridden shell, in to a thing of beauty!
Andy Walkingshaw’s 1962 Mk1 997 Austin Cooper was brought to us here at Mini Sport in desperate need of some TLC! It was time for us to work a little magic, and restore some life back in to this to this Fiesta Yellow shell!
Bought as a project 4 years ago, the shell had been sandblasted right down to the bare metal and then stored outside for an extended period of time, unfortunately meaning the condition of the metal had deteriorated and rusted severely – leaving this Mini with rather a holey appearance!
Having brought the shell to Mini Sport, we began this restoration journey by sandblasted the body to remove as much of the rot and grime accumulated from it’s outside storage, we then proceeded to coat the shell with de-rust, to prevent any further rot before work began taking the Mini to bits.
Having been sandblasted and then stored outside, this shell was a little worse for wear to say the least before being brought to us here at Mini Sport!
Due to the dire state of the shell, we began this restoration by repairing any panels we could, to salvage as much of the original shell as possible, before replacing panels where necessary – including the floor, scuttle panel, roof & drip rails, A-Panels and doors. Once all these panels had been welded in to place, the front panel was fixed on, with a temporary bonnet to enable the accurate positioning & lining up of the wings. Starting to take on the shape of a Mini once again, we moved on to replacing the rear valance, closing plates, boot floor and wheel arch supports, finally we were ready to get this Mini in our spray centre for etch-priming and priming the exterior of the shell! Once this process was complete, our bodyshop technician proceeded to prime the underneath & inside of the shell and also stone-chipping the underneath. Ready for colour, we began painting the underneath & interior before finally the exterior of the shell was returned to it’s original Fiesta Yellow!
Mini Sport completed the restoration on this Mini, and fit the exterior brightwork. Just before we returned the finished shell back to it’s home, we had quite a rare sight in our bodyshop, one Fiesta Yellow Mini finished & ready to leave us, and our next restoration… Another Fiesta Yellow Mini ready & waiting for us to work our magic! Check out the two beauties side-by-side in our gallery below.
Another job well done… This Fiesta Yellow body shell was then loaded, and returned home to a very happy customer, to continue the build!
Check out the full transformation this Mini took in our gallery below (click the thumbnail to expand the image):
To see more Minis given a new lease of life by Mini Sport, check out our blog here, or for more information on our Bodyshop & Spray Centre please see here.
Interested in having your restoration done at Mini Sport? Check out our page here, or contact our dedicated team of experts today on 01282 778731, alternatively you can email us on sales@minisport.com
