Customer Reviews

Mini : Purchase and Restoration Guide

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My Mini was in horrible shape and had been sitting around unused for 3 years. When my welding equipment finally arrived my father decided to get this book to help us with our restoration. In my case the front end of my car had been smashed by a previous owner and getting the original shape back would be almost impossible with my bodyworking skills. The book shows how to do this although I would really prefer more close up pics of EXACTLY how the front can be cut off carefully in order to preserve it. Sometimes you can buy a used Mini and chop off the front for less than it would cost to buy repair panels. This is especially true in countries far away from the UK where it is much easier and cost effective to buy brand new Rover replacement panels.

The photography is all in black and white and if you're familiar with Porters books this shouldn't come as a surprise. This might be a little dissapointing as these days there are websites where people post full colour, detailed pictures of their restoration projects. I may be mistaken but I believe this book was written in the 80s.

One dissapointment to me was the fact that there was no information on completely replacing the floorboards. The paint and upholstery scheme charts only go up to 1969 which was unfortunate since my car is a 1975 model Mini 1000.

It is not a book on metalworking but it would be nice to have sections on how to build floorboards from scratch. The Mini floorboards are not very complicated compared to newer cars and I believe this is something that a lot of hobbyists can do.

It would be good to have Porters bodyworking book, or the Richard Finch book on welding to aid you in your restoration if you're going to do it yourself. For engine repairs the two Haynes books on Minis would be good. If you're going to do any performance modifications then David Vizard's book on A-series engines is a must-have.

In conclusion I would recommend this book to beginners who want to restore their Minis but they should also get the relevant service manuals, bodywork and welding books. Experienced Mini enthusiasts might be dissapointed. 10 years ago, I thought the Porter book on VW Beetle restoration was excellent but when I read it now, after years of reading magazines, watching friends cars being restored and looking at websites, I don't have the same enthusiasm I had for his book as I did earlier but I still think his writing is good and very relevant as a guide to restoration efforts for beginners and even people with experience.

It had all of the right information. This was my first mini and I used the book at first to aquaint myself with the car. Now it will come in handy with the overall restoration. I was glad to have found this book.

In addition to providing helpful step-by-step instructions and guidance on restoring a Classic Mini, this manual has a rich historical section to help understand the heritage of the vehicles.