1960 Morris Mini Minor

Hi All,
New to the forum, so I thought I'd brief you all on my mini... I bought it for myself for my 21st, it hadn't been MOT'd for 9 years, but having spent the previous few months reading through a collection of Miniworld Magazines that I'd bought, I knew it was worth it's price. The plan was to restore it, but college got in the way, followed by a few years of looking for work... I'm now getting ready to do the restoration only 7 short years after buying it!
It's a cherry red 848cc with grey and red interior. Completely original apart from a resprayed front left wing and bonnet. It even has the glass washer bottle!! Turns out that the reg plate (742 EOD) is worth well over what I paid for the car, but English law says that I cannot sell the reg on unless the car is MOT'd... Can't quite figure out why this is, but if anyone knows why please enlighten me!
So the restoration... The body is quite solid compared to some that I've seen, but it will still need a complete going over. I'm fairly sure this will eat up the majority of the costs.
I'm quite capable of sorting the mechanicals myself, the interior will be a learning curve, but it's not rocket science, so I'm sure I'll manage! I've cleared out my garage so a workbench, parts cleaner and shelving is going in shortly.
The plan is to create a website where the restoration can be followed, I shall let you all know when this is happening.
The aim, by getting started on it this year, is to have it completed for the 50th anniversary... If anyone knows a bodywork specialist who will take cups of tea as payment let me know!

The reason why a Car has to be MOT'd before you can sell the plate on is to prevent someone buying an old wreck just for the resale of the plate alone. The intent is always to try to keep the registration number with the original vehicle, and so the reasoning goes that someone is less likely to sell the number if they have put some time, effort and money into the car.

Congratulations on starting your delayed project. Keep in the back of your mind that no project ever goes exactly as planned due to surprises as you begin almost every task. Enjoy yourself and don't rush!