The front end work below had been done prior to the majority of the rear end earlier in the year.
All the holes for making the car right-hand drive had to be completely accurate, so a very high-tech template made using a donor vehicle and the box from some CrunchyNuts was used to make the holes for the cables, column etc .A reinforcing plate was also added to make sure there is no flexing of the pedal box area. The cutouts were then rustproofed with some red-oxide and the appropriate bits fitted.
We also tackled the the floor sanding away at the white and black paint, repairing rust as seen in previous posts, and to our noses displeasure a big load of rust protection and a couple of coats of two-pack gloss black, We also fitted the steering column and peddle box at that time which does highlight the difference in wheel position with the left being at an askew but the right being nice and straight.
Like the steering column the throttle cable on the left hand drive car had been incorrectly aligned from the factory, if you look closely you can see it has buzzed through the years and has eventually cut and sawed its way through the bodywork simply due to being misaligned.
The lovely photo of yours truly below shows the results of the change with the steering on the right side of the car and the red metal showing the process of the surgery involved. A new set of front doors (one white and one red) have been fitted as well, as the original ones were not worth keeping for a full restoration. Also to help with future maintenance holes for shock absorbers and steering gaiters were widened to allow easier access and improve clearance.
Now onto possibly the most important thing in a custom restoration, the colour. We both wanted something classic styled and 70's looking but with enough oomph to stand out on a nice summers day and not be drab when it's miserable. The four main choices were purple, green, blue or yellow, we ruled out purple as it would have been difficult to source the correct shade to fit a 4, and ruling out blue (Saviem Blue from an F6) because it is a fairly common sight on a 4 and was a standard colour so we were left with green (Limeflower from an original Mini) or yellow.
In the end we decided to go with Countrypolitan Yellow from a modern Fiat 500 'Colour Therapy Edition', a colour which we had seen a few times in our area on 500's and always thought 'that looks nice' whenever one passed. We also feel that nice chrome pieces and a shiny engine will look great with it. The grimy bulbs of the garage do not do the colour justice as in the sun it warms up and really stands out, even though we have only painted the engine bay in preparation.
The whole picture is coming together nicely now and looks great with the nicely painted tower of power 1108 engine fitted, with pictures coming soon.
can't wait to see more (restoration) pictures.
. These wings were also gifted with a healthy coating of red oxide underneath, especially on the sharp lip where the rust spreads from if not protected properly.
