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Restoration guide or guidance.......

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Silverghost

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Looking for input on what procedure to follow as I begin to restore my Mini. Is there a guide book or something like that? I plan on not changing major components ie. engine, brakes, etc. The car survived this long with it's parts intact, it would be a shame to alter it now.

Should I work out all the mechanical issues first, then take it apart again to fix the cosmetics, rust, etc? My thoughts here would be that I could drive it sooner and then do the cosmetics next winter. Or do I fix the rust and paint issues and then worry about the mechanical issues? Or do I just turn it into a 1:1 scale model kit and put it all back together again?

The car has an 850, which will remain. I know most would opt for a larger engine, etc. but I am choosing not to as previously mentioned. Are there any improvements for the 850? Dual carbs, better exhaust, or.....?

I appreciate any and all helpful advice you can offer. I am wanting to get my car back on the road sooner than later so any knowledge from previous experiences would be great.
 
The best overall text for early Mini restoration would be the Lindsay Porter book published by Haynes. It covers both mechanical and body restoration.

The decision on how to proceed is obviously yours. The Mini mechanicals are still readily available and the rule is typically to buy a sound body first. Bodywork is equally expensive no matter whether the car is a common 850 or a much more rare 1071-S.

Since you already own the car you will have to weigh how serious the body work is and how soon you want to do it. The car is very simple and it doesn't take much time or effort to strip it. Once stripped the body work is easier. There are also a number of mechanical tasks that are easier with the engine and tranny out. Were it me and I were doing this again I'd pull the subframes off and put the car on a spit for the bodywork. In between bodywork tasks I'd work on the drivetrain.

I don't know what best benefits the 850. If you don't already have a copy of Vizard you might find answers in there. People did squeeze more out of the 850s in the early days. However, remember the crank and related components were built for about 34 horsepower. There's just so much you want to try and squeeze out of it.

EDIT:
I stumbled on this link. Perhaps it will help with ideas for tuning the 850.
https://www.ime.org.uk/ime/t/tuning_850cc_mini_engines.html
 
If you are doing it yourself type of restoration and do not want to drive it for a few years, do it all at once. If you still want to drive it and progress the cosmetics, do the mechanicals then cosmetics. Once you get the mechanicals to 100% you will not want to take much time for the cosmetics and you will get them done sooner, so you can enjoy the drive.
 
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