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1922
United Kingdom
549 Posts |
 Posted - 16 Jan 2011 : 18:08:12
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This the Minx I bought in 1985, a couple of years later I bought my '73 Rapier to drive while I restored the Minx. As you might expect, that plan didn't work out
As a few of you seemed to be interested in the Minx I've scanned a few photos in to post on the forum - while doing this I discovered just how many pictures I have of my '73 Rapier, I think I have more pictures of that than anything else!
Anyway - here it is a couple of days after I bought it. A photography enthusiast friend of mine took the pictures (hence the black & white) - don't be fooled though all those dark patches are actually rust brown!
Note the stylish rivetted on aluminium door bottoms and decorative underseal on the front mudguard and all over the engine bay and interior - lovely.
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Edited by - 1922 on 16 Jan 2011 19:42:23 |
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1922
United Kingdom
549 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2011 : 18:25:19
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These pictures are from around 1987, just after I bought the Rapier.
This is what my parents had to put up with - welding on the front lawn!
First we removed most of the welded repairs that the previous owner had paid several hundred pounds for - it was a horrible bodge up of very badly fitted pieces badly welded over the top of the rust with an arc welder. It would never have passed the MOT.
I then got the whole car grit blasted and primed by one of the oil rig service companies in Great Yarmouth - only £50 and they loaned me a car trailer!
We then cut out the rust, of which there was surprising little and welded in some new metal repair pieces.
This is my big brother doing a spot of welding:
My job was to clean up the welds:
You can also see the rather iffy repair to the botton of the sill - this looked perfect until used I a blow lamp to burn away the half inch thick filler that was hiding it.
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Edited by - 1922 on 18 Jan 2011 19:31:54 |
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1922
United Kingdom
549 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2011 : 18:45:44
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This is now the early nineties - possibly 1994.
I've borrowed one of my boss's shed (and electricity).
The Minx project stopped for a few years while I restored the Rapier (1989 - 1991).
But now have my own SIP 130 welder and know how to use it!
Here is that sill with the bodge job patches removed. As expected this revealed the original rusty sill still in place under the new metal - I find it difficult to believe anyone would do this 
Here is a view of the tail - after removing some more horrible bodges I'm left with a big gap and lots of rust that had been hidden under new metal.
So I had to use my imagination a bit and made a whole new rear lower panel. The inner panel was a nice simple straight bit - bent in the vice. But the outer panel is an awkward double curve. I didn't have a special tools so this got made by bending it over my knee. I was very proud of the lip at the top - made by hammering a long piece of metal around a brass curtain rail!
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1922
United Kingdom
549 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2011 : 19:12:20
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Not much happened to the Minx for the next ten years. I did some work but it progressed slowly and I realized my bodywork skills just weren't up to it.
Around 2004 I was in the habit of stopping for a pint on the way home from work - I got chatting to this bloke at the bar about cars. He was a regular and usually nipped in for a quick pint on the way home - same as me.
He told me lots of horror stories about bodged up cars he had put right - it turns out the guy restored Austin Healeys, the odd MGB, 1950s Bristols - basically he'd tackle anything from the '20s to the '70s.
So in 2006 the Minx went to stay with Phil Buskell:
Not much happened for a while as I suddenly found myself rather short of money. So everything stopped until 2008.
Phil started at the front end - replacing the edges of the front mudguards. I had already replaced the centre section where the headlamp is mounted.
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Edited by - 1922 on 16 Jan 2011 19:13:50 |
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1922
United Kingdom
549 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2011 : 19:26:14
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2009:
This the door post area - where the mudguard fits:
Then to the rear mudguards, this one of jobs I never knew how to tackle - replacing the whole edge of the rear mudguards. Easy when you know how I suppose.
And the door bottoms - I would never have dared cut off so much! I had already attempted to replace the door bottom and made a rubbish job - so that all went in the bin.
Good riddance to the hole for the indicator - they just let in the rain. They are useless as indicators - modern drivers won't be looking between the doors for an indicator!
Repaired rear inner wheel arch. My repairs survived here and Phil welded in some captive nuts.
Here is the rear mudguard back on the car:
Then came the biggest problem of all - the roof. The car originally had a sliding roof, but all the frame had rotted out. I had attempted to weld the sunroof into the main roof - I'd then used a bucket of filler to try to get the shape right and failed.
So - out it comes 
And in goes a handmade roof panel - looks pretty awful at this stage:
But when finished - you'd never know it wasn't original:
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Edited by - 1922 on 18 Jan 2011 19:34:50 |
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1922
United Kingdom
549 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2011 : 19:31:51
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Next job is the bonnet. The mounting panel for the lock had rusted away so Phil made a new one using the parts book as a guide.
And replaced the rusty bits too:
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1922
United Kingdom
549 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2011 : 19:33:43
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Finally those door bottoms get done:
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1922
United Kingdom
549 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2011 : 19:39:32
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And finally the bootlid - this is the last panel that needs any major repair.
I'd bodged it up - and used it for trying out some possible colours. But it needed repairing properly.
First job was to burn all the filler off  - which revealed lots of small holes and dents.
And some big holes that needed some large chunks of new metal.
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Edited by - 1922 on 18 Jan 2011 19:37:02 |
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1922
United Kingdom
549 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2011 : 19:41:34
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At last, December 2010, it's into the paint shop!
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arrocuda
United Kingdom
501 Posts |
Posted - 16 Jan 2011 : 23:59:14
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Excellent thread and pics..... but wouldn't it make more sense to chop and lower the roof BEFORE taking the car to the paintshop? 
Building the 'Mark II' fastback Rapier ('Arrocuda'). |
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1922
United Kingdom
549 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2011 : 15:13:03
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That was part of the original plan which also included a Jaguar rear end, Ford Corsair V4 engine (only because I had one in the shed), hydraulic brakes and Wolfrace slot mags.
But then I discovered how rare these cars are so I bought a Rapier to drive fast instead
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arrocuda
United Kingdom
501 Posts |
Posted - 17 Jan 2011 : 17:00:20
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quote:
Originally posted by 1922
That was part of the original plan which also included a Jaguar rear end, Ford Corsair V4 engine (only because I had one in the shed), hydraulic brakes and Wolfrace slot mags.
But then I discovered how rare these cars are so I bought a Rapier to drive fast instead
I've got an XJ6 jag IRS in the lock up if you're interested! Seriously though.... I agree! These old Minx's are the proverbial rocking horse doo's these days. Not seen one on the bay for some time. Have to admit though I would have been keen to take the cutting gear to it myself 25 years ago.
There are plenty of better (less rare) cars around for practicing 'cut and shut' roof skills on. Funnily enough.... was only the other night I dreamt I had a PT cruiser. Has this guy lost his marbles?? I hear you thinking! Anyway.... I dreamt I had this PT Cruiser and I chopped the complete front end off of it. I then remember getting very stressed about it as I hadn't propped up the front and it was on the floor in two halves. I can't remember what exactly happened next, but it involved laying a ladder underneath it and something to do with a motorbike engine. (Don't ask!) Then a friend of mine turned up with the front end of a car in the boot of his car. It looked very small in the boot of his car but was normal sized when we got it out. Remember.... this is a dream, so anything is possible!
Anyways... he told me it was off of a Jowett Javelin which seemed reasonable to me at the time, but to be honest it looked sod all like the front of a Jowett Javelin. We set about fitting it to the PT but was woken by my partner yanking on the duvet. I tried to go back to it to see what happened (like you do), but the thread of the dream was lost. Just out of interest, a couple of days later, I googled Jowett Javelin and you know.... I think I'm on to something here!
Has to be one for when I finish the project car..... but I'll keep the Jag IRS to one side for now.... just in case!
Building the 'Mark II' fastback Rapier ('Arrocuda'). |
Edited by - arrocuda on 17 Jan 2011 17:08:26 |
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1922
United Kingdom
549 Posts |
Posted - 19 Feb 2011 : 19:13:09
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Some more progress made on the Minx.
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janmarine3
South Africa
286 Posts |
Posted - 19 Feb 2011 : 19:34:53
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This is a cool rare car !
It will all be more than worth it when you hit the road with it.
Good job. |
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Jon
United Kingdom
221 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2011 : 09:46:59
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Hows the minx coming along? Looks like its nearly ready for paint? What colour is she going to be? 
Hillman Avenger MK1 GT,
Commer PB Pick-Up x2,
Commer PB Panel Van,
Dodge spaceavan Auto sleeper,
Triumph Stag MK1,
Chevette HS x2,
Lancia Delta Integrale,
Fiat Mk1 Uno Turbo, |
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1922
United Kingdom
549 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2011 : 10:48:57
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I went to visit it last week but it looks pretty much the same so I didn't bother with any pictures.
The plan is metallic purple - the original 'Smoke Grey' colour looks like something left over from painting battleships during the war, a colour so mind numbingly boring it makes me sleepy just thinking about it.
Some of the pictures show the boot lid in the purple colour - I sprayed the boot lid a few years ago to see how it would look.
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1922's Minx
