There ended up being a couple of years pass by before the mini went away for bodywork. I wanted to take it somewhere where I knew the work would be done to a high standard and that meant either Southam Mini & Metro Centre, or Old Skool Minis. I contacted Southam first, as they’d most recently worked on my Mini 40 and I was very happy with their work. They were just too busy though and had a waiting list that kept getting longer, so I got in touch with Old Skool. They also had a long wait for work, but I got myself on the list and waited for my time to come.
Here’s a few pics of the rust on PJ before he went away for bodywork. The bulkhead needed putting back to standard, after I’d modified it for the VTEC inlet manifold, the sills and doorsteps on both sides needed replacing, a new floorpan, drivers side flitch panel, boot floor, rear valance, heel board and some other odds & sods. The boot lid was rusty, but that was no big issue, as that will be replaced by a mk1 style carbon fibre boot lid. PJ also has a sunroof, which I’ve always hated, partly because it always dribbles water down my neck when I go round a left-hand corner when it’s been sat in the rain! I decided I’d have the roof cut off, so I could fit a carbon fibre roof skin.
About six months later, it was time for PJ to go off to Old Skool on the back of a recovery truck. This marked a momentous occasion for me, as PJ’s new life was about to begin!
