LIGHTS, SIDE WINDOWS & REAR SEAT

1 After fitting a new front bumper and a pair of new overriders, the Mini’s underbonnet sound insulation was folded back so all the visible areas at the base of the bulkhead and behind the master cylinders could be painted with body colour. The exposed parts of the front subframe showing in the engine bay were all coated with satin black paint at the same time.

2 Before the Mini was reunited with its freshly painted engine, bodyshop technician Will Holliday refitted the opening rear side windows together with a new set of rubber seals. Fitting a new set of seals to a side opening widow like these can sometimes make it difficult for the over- centre catch to snap shut. If too much force is applied the glass will shatter – so go easy.

3 With very little interior trim installed, it only took a few minutes to fit the new door seals. Although the new ones just push onto the bodywork, make sure each seal is fully seated where it goes around a sharp corner, otherwise the seal won’t fit as these items are usually moulded in one piece. Using a small block of wood and a hammer to lightly tap the corners in place can help.

4 Quite often fitting a new door seal will require the striker plate to be adjusted so the door shuts without having to use too much force. A top tip here is to use an impact screwdriver to loosen the fittings if they haven’t been disturbed for some time, as any over enthusiastic use of a crosshead screwdriver can chew up the heads if the setscrews won’t budge.

5 To keep this one family- owned Mini as original as possible, a crease in the old bumper bar was skilfully eased out and the back of the blade painted and coated in wax-based preservative before bolting it back on the car. Before fitting the blade, it’s a good idea to coat all the bolts, as well as the part of the bodywork the bumper sits on, with preservative before tightening all the bolts up.

6 Last month we showed how Will got a little bit ahead of himself while fitting the hinged rear number plate carrier, as the cable to the lamp needed to be threaded through the double skinned boot lid before the carrier could be fitted. The way to do this is to patiently feed a length of plastic coated stiff wire between the two holes, tape the number plate light wire to it and pull the two lengths through.

7 Before feeding the wire for the hinged number plate light through the Mini’s double skinned boot lid, Will fitted a new cable grommet to the cable and used new nuts and bolts to secure the recently repainted plinth to the lid. Repairing the damage to the Mini’s now unobtainable original-style bootlid allowed this novel early Mini feature to be retained.

8 Applying a light coating of wax preservative along the Mini’s lower body seam before refitting the decorative plastic chrome trim is a good idea, as this will protect the new paintwork from any moisture and road dirt that may get trapped behind the trim. The original pieces were reused and a small self-tapping screw at each end just in front of the front wheels stops the trim flying off.

9 The mouldings covering the vertical seams on a Mini’s bodyshell are notorious rust traps and after the originals had been cleaned and painted, each one was given a generous squirt of wax-based preservative before being refitted to the car. Gently warming the aerosol in lukewarm water will help make the contents flow better, but don’t put the can in very hot water as it could rupture.

10 It’s easy to see why the four vertical seams on a Mini’s body rusted so badly almost as soon as the car rolled out of the showroom, as pressing these covers in place scratches the paint down the seam and creates the ideal environment for the tin worm to thrive. It’s a good idea to treat all these seams and mouldings to a fresh dollop of preservative once or twice a year.

11 The Mini’s original classic-styled wing mirrors were both cleaned up and carfully refitted to the original holes that were left in the repainted wings…

12 … while fitting a new pair of wiper blades and arms will provide this car’s lucky new owner with a clear view of the road ahead.

13 As two new sealed beam units had been fitted, the headlights will have to be set up correctly before the car goes for its MoT, as an incorrectly aimed beam will fail the test. After refitting both the front indicator bases onto the front panel under the headlights, Will reconnected all the wires and after checking the bulbs worked, he carefully eased the amber covers into their rubber mounts.

14 Before the Mini’s rear seat base could be replaced back in the car, the covering needed to be re- glued to the base where it had come away along the edges. Contact adhesive was carefully sprayed onto the material and foam before all the loose edges were rolled over and stuck down. Once the glue had dried, the seat was turned over and cleaned up with Meguiar’s vinyl restorer.

15 After a thorough clean up, the Mini’s rear seat looked as good as it would have done when the car rolled off the assembly line back in 1969. The overall condition of this low mileage car is truly amazing – all the outer panels and most of the interior trim parts are the original components.

16 The Meguiar’s team had started to clean the Mini’s front seats while the car was on show on show on the Lancaster Insurance stand at the Classic Restoration Show back in early March, so it didn’t need too much elbow grease to finish the job off, although the driver’s seat will get another good going over with vinyl cleaner when the car is valeted at the end of the restoration.