16XE Classic Mini restoration

[Captainbland08]

hey there!
not been on here long at all to be honest... but thought it would be one of the best places to get advice etc. for the majority of the build that I'm doing...

the master plan...
to fit one of these:

(im sure you all know its a x16xe out of a corsa b gsi)

into my 1989 mini racing flame


now i have actually run the mini on a 998 a series for about a year and a half... but going down to cornwall for a mini run (was with HARBER07 at the time) i had a slight problem with someone coming round a corner on a b road on my side of the road... causing me to stack the car into a hedgerow... the other car didnt stop

so i was left with this...





you can see it hit low down on the drivers side... so this has cause the subframe to be pushed back into the floor mounts which has resulted in some bulkhead damage...




so whilst being left in this senario... i felt this is better time than any to shove something a tad more fun into my mini...
ive organised a to pick up my new engine this coming tuesday which is as mentioned an x16xe from a corsa b gsi, comes with exhaust, induction system (which wont be used) 2 corsa looms, gearbox and ecu... only thing i will need is a flywheel and clutch but i would be replacing these with uprated items anyways... so thats not a problem... and thats for the costly sum of £150:P

in the mean time however ive been pulling the car to bits... and as always... it was deamed "solid" by the previous owner...






one it was down to a bare shell, i sold off the engine so i wouldnt be tempting to take the easy option back... then spent some time clearing out the garage and making space so i could wheel the bare shell indoors for the winter



thats were i am now... this afternoons plan is to start with some much needed welding as ive finally setup my welder properly... so watch this space

Cheers

Chris

[Melv]

Fair play Chris. Good on you for keeping going with it as a project. If I saw all that rust on one of my motors i'd be scrapping it.

[Captainbland08]

its one of those projects that it would make alot of sense to reshell due to cost etc... but at the end of the day its my first car and i still have alot of that first car love for it:P especially considering the mechanical work ive had to do to it already (replace rear subby, numerous engine changes etc)

Chris

[Todi-Corsa]

Intresting mix, gonna have a watch of this looks like it could get intresting keep us posted always liked old minis

[nige-p]

nice work mate and will be watching with interest as my friend want me to do the same to his mini

[Joker]

different.

[nova4x4]

ive just done a c20xe into a mini so any question youve got give me a shout

[DarrenH]

you can see it hit low down on the drivers side... which has resulted in some bulkhead damage...

yes the impact was so bad it turned your bulkhead to rust lmao

just kidding, look forward to your updates

[Captainbland08]

yes the impact was so bad it turned your bulkhead to rust lmao

just kidding, look forward to your updates

HAHA you have a good eye there luckily it was rusty in such a way that it came away from the floor pan enough to prevent it from and damage... so all is well on that front... im probably going to roughly beat the panel back into shape then cut it out and replace it anyway for good measure...

heres todays effort... pretty slow day due to having to cut out any patches by hand...
welded up some small loom holes in the bulkhead and also welded up the left hand drive opening for the master cylinders...



also welded up the openings for the left hand drive wiper holes...


then made a start beating what was left of the inner wing back into place and re-welding the brace back onto it... im pleased with how its come out so far... will go and buy some primer tomorrow so I can neaten it all up...



thanks for the interest

Chris

[Todi-Corsa]

keep it up mate, you keeping it the same colour?

[Captainbland08]

not to sure on colour... i do like red... but you can wipe your arse with red minis theres that many...

ill be bonding on a carbon roof skin so itll have to be something that goes well with carbon... im thinking a baby blue kinda of colour

[vantastic007]

That's as rotten as my mini was, good work, hope to see it up and running again!

[Melv]

Want the title changed to "16XE mini restoration" or something similar?

[Todi-Corsa]

not to sure on colour... i do like red... but you can wipe your arse with red minis theres that many...

ill be bonding on a carbon roof skin so itll have to be something that goes well with carbon... im thinking a baby blue kinda of colour

cool, midnight blue would look nice imo, thou im sure it il look good whatever colour it is

[Captainbland08]

Want the title changed to "16XE mini restoration" or something similar?

i honestly dont mind... your a MOD so what ever you would consider more apropiate for the forum i guess... im not too bothered about the title:P

cheers for the kind words... got some more welding dont today but few pictures... will save them up for a big update in a few days

Chris

[Melv]

When I see the thread on the boards I think - What the f is ....... Oh yeah, it's the small block mini lmao

That's it changed Chris.

PS. - Brother in law has just bought a classic Mini. He's a vauxhall nut so I will direct him to this thread. Will probably give him ideas though lmao

[st3vo]

looks like a fun project, have you seen this one at all? tink - small bore 16v - Page 36 - 16v Mini Club Forums

[Captainbland08]

yeh seen that one before haha in fact its what this whole project is based on... spoken to alex about that blue mini alot... shall be asking him for subframe advice etc... hes sticking a x18 turbo in it now and turning it into a hill climber...

[dopey]

interesting project you got going on here. ill be keeping an eye on this one.

[HARBER07]

Looks good grandmother!. When I (eventually) get up your way, I'll bring those panels along!. Done for next years Rivi Run? lmao.

[Captainbland08]

check this out for a repair!!

this is what it looked like after wiring off a tonne of filler...


the plugs welds on the patch hadnt penetrated and there were dots of grip fill or similar all over the back holding it in place


and the lovely bit of rust left for me to repair


its so bad it made me laugh... which quickly turned to a frown... ah well... head down, carry on

Chris

[Captainbland08]

pretty much managed to repair that gastly shock mount today... although i need to do some more grinding down and finishing off tomorow...

PROGRESS:






Chris

[Todi-Corsa]

Nice update Chris, amazing the stuff you find under body filler

[Captainbland08]

got a load of supplies in...


then my angle grinder decided to set on fire


finished the inner wing section making a little capping for the top which ive welded in place... but i need to make a flitch section and weld that in then this side can be considered done...


i then cut out the dash rail


and was left with loads of space to play with


Chris

[Turbostevo]

Interesting project! Hope all goes well for you. Keep up the great work and great updates too!