This mini belongs to a mate of mine. It was originally purchased by his father new and left to him. I am yet to get the specifics of sale from him.
I helped save this mini from my mates barn west of Macksville on the north coast during the big bush fires 12 odd months ago so I guess you can call this a genuine barn find. It had been stored at my father's place and today was bought back to my place to be worked on. I have agreed to do most of the work to get her back on the road.
From what I can see its basically original and untouched. It retains a heap of natural patina and some really nice original items.
The dash still has original top and bottom vinyl pieces, has original vinyl floor with genuine BMC rubber matts. All seats and door cards are original as is the paint, rubbers etc. There is also a boot matt but its torn and pretty ratty.
Wheels have some surface rust but behind the centre caps is the original colour.
Engine I have been told is original but has had a head change at some point.
The plan is to not restore the car (funds don't allow this right now) but to go over the car mechanically and fit new parts to anything that needs replacing. I have suggested to be very careful to not repaint or refurbish ANY item unless necessary to retain originality. Pretty much get the car running as is.

My question is has anybody done this to their mini. How is it best to preserve this natural patina. I have seen some guys in the US clear coat the car on rat rods etc to seal it all in. The car from now on will be kept garaged and dry.
Should the paint be polished or lightly buffed? Or simply left as is. Suggestions please.
There are also some items I would like to see replace at some point as they become available. Front bar has had a hit on the drivers side. The rear seat on the top of the backrest is ripped and fallen apart. These of course would need to be original items not new ones to help maintain the rat look.
There is a rust hole at the bottom of the drivers side A panel that will need fixing and also some rust in the boot floor.
Hydro needs pumping up/checking for leaks. I have a hydro pump and original fluid but would rather not waist that testing it out. What solution/concoction can be used to temporarily pump the suspension?

Any help or advise would be much appreciated.
Cheers
Ian

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1965 Smooth roof Van
1969 Cooper S MK2
1970 Mini K

Hate to tell you this ,the mini will need a resto, you cant buff out rust as on bonnet etc.
Allen

p7676 I am not going to try and buff out the rust areas just want to hold the original paint that is there. They are only original once.


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1965 Smooth roof Van
1969 Cooper S MK2
1970 Mini K

Good luck just remember all old paints have a limited time line ,when you paint the rusted sections the colour and finish will be different. Think about it.
Allen

Lovely, I reckon the least invasive approach is how I'd go if I owned that too

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Build thread for Supercharged 1275 1967 Deluxe Resto
Build thread for Mini ute conversion 998cc Turbo

Very nice. Amazing how well preserved some cars can be.

Penrite Green pre mix coolant fluid is pretty much the same, (minus the alcohol). Its what I've used for hydro.

My '66 was similar in part - was in dry storage for 28yrs in Perth. As soon as I got it to Sydney I was watching it rust. Rusted more in 6mths than entire time in Perth. I don't think the humidity in Coffs will be a great environment rust wise.

My other experience - The roof & gutter should be treated, difficult to deal with once its gone too far, looks like hail damage as well ?

A lot of the patina is more than surface rust, it really needs to be treated and sealed, even if it was with some sort of rust treatment plus clear coat (i think they do a specific top coat for patina), even then the rust will march on and then at some point the panel is shot.

The A panel & boot you noted, Did you lift the flooring to check floor pan, sills ? Engine bay looks past the point of return.

The rubbers will disintegrate and/or be like cement, most likely have to replace everything - its cheaper to buy a whole car rubber kit than do it piece meal. The vinyl flooring will be very fragile, mine cracked under its own weight as I took it out so be super careful with it.

I wanted to just get mine running and on the road, but ultimately i knew to save the car it needed to be stripped, rust protected and sealed properly.

Only you and your mate can decide how far to go with it - cool project, will love to see how you get on.

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1966 Mini Deluxe - “Gabby” 34 years under restoration and counting...
1970 MGBGT
1959 MGA

What an amazing find. Looks incredible.

Repair what you need to for safety/roady and then preserve the rest. That’s what I am doing on my farm find ‘64 850 so I retain the patina and reduce the costs as well.

Don’t clear coat as it does not stop the rust progressing and usually leaves a “shine” on surface rust no matter what flat clear coat you use.

I am using Ankor Wax that you can order from Bus&Bugs in Melbourne (http://busnbug.com/sb_clients/busnbug/b ... or_wax.cfm). I have used it before on rat Beetles and rat rods and using it on my ‘64, it works a treat and looks great. Carefully follow the instructions and it will preserve the paint/patina and will stop any surface rust progressing. Usually 2-3 years between coats and it can be driven in all weather and you don’t have to worry about the surface rust getting any worse.


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1963 Morris Mini 850 - Blue
1963 Morris Mini 850 - bare shell
1975 MGB Roadster - undergoing 3.9ltr V8 conversion
1998 Ducati M900 Monster

The dealer took up a large amount of real estate under the bonnet. I wonder if they stenciled all the cars they sold or was it bought by them and used as a runaround or demo?

Not too rusty by the looks...boot floor etc and maybe some more investigation under the mats...BE very gently lifting those rubberised mats, they rip real easy when old....yours are in great condition for their age!

(edit: a little history attached]

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"Show me the Mini!"

Ankor Wax for the paint, but i'd leave the rest - even the dented bumper and torn rear seat.. Love it!

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Cheap, Fast, Reliable. Choose two.

Thanks guys, it tells some great stories.

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1965 Smooth roof Van
1969 Cooper S MK2
1970 Mini K

What a great little car! Its exactly the same spec and colours as mine, but 4000 units later.

A common recipe for sealing patina is shown here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD7AvQZoYcU

skip to the 27 minute mark

That is beautiful! I reckon you'll find that the paint is in really good condition and it just needs a gentle cut to take the powder off

I use straight antifreeze concentrate in my suspension, prefix is fine or temporarily use straight water to clean the system out. I did a car last week with water so the bloke can move it around... we'll put antifreeze in it when he's ready

My Cooper S is in similar (actually a bit worse) condition. I don't really plan on restoring it at all. I may paint it one day but for now I just fix what needs fixing and leave the rest. Where I've repaired the body I got paint mixed up to the formula and painted it, so it's very obvious where I've done work on it. I had it out yesterday and had a couple of comments about how original it looks. Some purists don't like it but most people love it. I get a quiet kick out of parking it in a row of beautifully restored Cooper S and seeing their noses turn up

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

My Deluxe. Reg since new. dry ice blast 2021. All original

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1960 Morris Mini Minor

Nah looks better without the rust

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1965 Morris 850
1966 Morris Mini Minor
1967 Morris Cooper 'S'
1977 Leyland LS