Hi, would there be anyone in Wollongong who can put on my chrome strip on the side of my mini?
Thanks
Daniel

Yeah, it's a bugger of a job, especially the Cooper S type. I take it this is the type you have as the standard type is a POP. I put mine off for months then decided to go for it. Laid a rug down the length of the side of the car, this saves scratching the strip as you twist and turn it. Start at the rear, clip it over the wheel arch, then as you get near the front of the rear arch, very slowly heat the strip with a hair dryer, not too close as it will strip the chrome off, and not to close to the paint work as well. Patience is needed, work slowly as you bend it into the profile. Once you get past the rear arch, the bottom sill part is straight, the you get to the rear arc of the front wheel arc, heat as per the rear. It took me 20 minutes a side, work slowly and carefully. If not confident, keep asking around, someone will have done it before. Don't attempt to install without the hair dryer as it will definitely kink and will look shithouse. It clips into place without rivets or retainers, this allows the strip to stretch and shrink a bit for the first few months. Now all this worked for me, but some expert may be along any minute to fine tune these instructions.

Thanks for the confidence. The only reason I ask is I already kinked one that I tried doing . Only have one new strip left.

Not all is lost. Have a practise with the kinky one, then you'll be a pro in no time. It's buggered anyway.

Yea I did that! It will be a fifty fifty I think.

Hey there Wollongong folk, there's a mini comrade around the corner that need some help. I'd say it could involve a cuppa (or beer if you're lucky). C'mon, give the man a hand.

There seems to be at least 2 different "grades" of these S type mouldings. I used a very thin/cheap one that kinked easily. Try and find a quality item that resists kinking.
The problem is that you forget the technique that worked because you only do this job occasionally.

The trick I found was that the coil of plastic strip should be used with the "natural" curl of the coil the same way that it is for the two tight bends, the one at the rear of the front arch and at the front of the rear arch.
As the mouldings is fitted around the wheel arch, it is the opposite to the curl of the plastic strip, but the radius is large enough to cope with this without kinking.
You still need to be careful around the two tight bends though. Warming it up will help.

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Find a job you love and you will never have to go to work !

This is a job that I will be doing in the near future so I have zero practical experience.

One of the sites that sells the strip said to sit the strip in the bucket of hot water to soften it and make it easier to work with. I will be trying this when the day comes so it will hopefully work...

The hairdryer might be the better option. I tried hot water when I did mine and it really didn't seem to make any difference. Or perhaps both is the way to go

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Mini-less ... for now

Start out by putting it onto a strip of 3m steel or alloy. Lay it out on the floor and poor hot water over it. Leave it to cool for 30 min in the shade and it should hold a reasonably flat shape. the reason they kink is you are going from a convex shape that follows the roll shape over the arches and then try to reverse it at the flare ends. Try starting with a flat one, its MUCH easier. Still use the hairdryer, but you will find you don't get a coil that tightens up on you as you go along, making the job a nightmate.

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1970 Cooper S ex-Bathurst & ATCC
1964 Austin Cooper S ex-Group C race car
1967 Morris Cooper S ex-Group B
1962 Mini Speed sports sedan
1968-71 ex-Peter Manton Shell car

Yep, I knew there were experts in the room. Getting it flat to begin with is a good move. Brilliant.

Gave up and put the old ones on ........running out of time.....Bathurst almost here......

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Cooper S Mk2
Cooper S Mk1
ex Cooper S Mk2, various Morris 1100s, 1300s, 1500s, Leyland Sherpa!