1967 Austin Mini Cooper Body restoration

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Specification (briefly) for this project is as follows: Replace rusty floor pans, repair various corrosion issues thoughout car, bare metal repaint in red with black roof.

I am pleased to report that we have now finished sanding and buffing your car and it is ready for collection at your convenience.

We have now painted your car and should have the sanding and buffing process wrapped up by the end of the week.

We have now finished the sheet metal repairs and have begun the filler and blocking process. All being well, the car should be painted next week.

Old accident damage will be repaired	Seams between cowl and front wings will be lead loaded
Repaired boot lid needed only minor adjustments to fit nicely	Both doors fit very well
Filler work under way

Repairing the rusty boot lid...

Surface rust cleaned out from beneath rear roof gutter rail	At first glance, the rust in the boot lid did not seem too bad
Rust is actually quite bad	Fabricating a repair panel for the rear edge/underside of boot lid
Comparing new panel with old, rusted panel	Trial fitting repair panel
Outer boot lid skin is also badly pitted
Welding the replacement panel in place	Lower corners of boot lid skin will also be replaced

More rust repairs, including the roof gutter rails...

Welding driver's front floor pan in place
	Ledges beneath both rear windows require rust repairs
Rear floors needed only minor repairs
Both roof side gutters are rusty	Lower sections will be fabricated and replaced
Trial fitting repair panel for lower ledge of rear window
Completed repair
Oscar using the bead roller to fabricate new gutter rails
Trial fitting new gutter rail	Weld thru primer applied before new gutter rail is spot welded in position

Replacing the front floor pans led to the discovery of various other rusted areas that required sheet metal repairs. Oscar fabricated eight small replacement panels which he is currently welding in place, along with the new floor pans. The additional repairs have added about a day of labor to the project.

Fabricating a repair panel for the right hand rocker
Trial fitting the rocker repair panel
Panel now welded in place
Floor pan has been trimmed and primed	Offering into place
Cleaning back welds	Replacement panel virtually undetectable
Fabricating a repair panel for the driver's footwell	Trial fitting the new panel

I am pleased to report that we now have this project underway.

The iconic Mini Cooper - an all time great	Oscar trial fitting the new floor pans
Boot lid will require rust repairs	Floor pans removed