Project Dick's cars: Mk2 'Scrote joins the fleet!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

It was the local Riviera Run this weekend - a large Mini rally which I've been to a fair few times over the years. There was something for everyone! 

@LightBulbFun 😉

This special was stunning.

I'm not sure why my photos are muddled after uploading them here. The Lotus motor was sat behind the back seats of the Metro. 

This AA van was spotless.

Rallye - yes please. 

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should...

Surprisingly non-rusty E30.

I'd have happily driven away in this van. Less is more.

Clubman was brochure quality. Stunning. 

My mate who we met up with, is now talking about selling his motorbike and buying another classic Mini after a hiatus of several years. Time will tell! 

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

And one more which greeted us as we walked in!

 

[Spottedlaurel]

Metro is mental, good on them for keeping a period look on the outside of it.

Particularly pleasing to see the stock blue L-reg, just like the M-reg Mini my mum had in the early-mid '80s.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

So, the MR2 has been laid up since December 2022. For the first time in eight years of ownership, I'm struggling to find the enthusiasm to transfer my insurance onto it as my summer daily. The lad is now at an age where I need a daily with a boot and I can't justify running a separate policy for the '2 + RFL. The solution was to put it in for an MOT and see what happened. On the way there, one of the power steering pipes shat itself (due to corrosion it transpires) and the exhaust was blowing like a bastard. Cue fitting a Malian sports cat and downpipe which I bought a while back knowing it was needed soon, along with a stainless back box to replace the rotten twenty year old exhaust. I scored the back box cheaply and it's in excellent condition. The drainpipe rear exhaust tips are a little OTT for my liking but it'll do for now. The sound is subtle rather than silly loud though, which is a bonus. 

It was in good company whilst waiting to be worked on...

A new MOT was achieved a short time after, which I'm relieved about. I've just replaced a damaged wheelarch liner with a decent secondhand replacement and the car is running sweet. 

What I have noticed is that the underside is crying out for the Lanoguard I've got sitting in the garage. It'll all need a decent wire brushing first though and that needs to be a garage ramp job ideally. My issue is that I've just taken it for a quick spin along my local private test track and I still really like the old thing. Sitting around is slowly killing it though. I'd more or less decided to get it advertised for sale in the next few weeks but as always, a bit of work and a quick drive has made me reconsider. 

Suggestions on a postcard welcomed...

[Matty]

9 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

So, the MR2 has been laid up since December 2022. For the first time in eight years of ownership, I'm struggling to find the enthusiasm to transfer my insurance onto it as my summer daily. The lad is now at an age where I need a daily with a boot and I can't justify running a separate policy for the '2 + RFL. The solution was to put it in for an MOT and see what happened. On the way there, one of the power steering pipes shat itself (due to corrosion it transpires) and the exhaust was blowing like a bastard. Cue fitting a Malian sports cat and downpipe which I bought a while back knowing it was needed soon, along with a stainless back box to replace the rotten twenty year old exhaust. I scored the back box cheaply and it's in excellent condition. The drainpipe rear exhaust tips are a little OTT for my liking but it'll do for now. The sound is subtle rather than silly loud though, which is a bonus. 

It was in good company whilst waiting to be worked on...

A new MOT was achieved a short time after, which I'm relieved about. I've just replaced a damaged wheelarch liner with a decent secondhand replacement and the car is running sweet. 

What I have noticed is that the underside is crying out for the Lanoguard I've got sitting in the garage. It'll all need a decent wire brushing first though and that needs to be a garage ramp job ideally. My issue is that I've just taken it for a quick spin along my local private test track and I still really like the old thing. Sitting around is slowly killing it though. I'd more or less decided to get it advertised for sale in the next few weeks but as always, a bit of work and a quick drive has made me reconsider. 

Suggestions on a postcard welcomed...

You know the answer 😏 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

MR2 has gone. After nine years, it's strange seeing it leave. 

End of an era. 😑

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Riviera Run 2024. It seemed more organised this year with much better kids entertainment and a £10 charge per car to enter as a day visitor. Free entry last year apart from negligible car park cost. Still reasonable though. Unfortunately no Metro content this year although the Moke contingent were stronger than ever. The Mini below was one of the cars of the show for me - I got chatting to the owner after he caught me papping it and showing my lad. 

He alleges it is unrestored and is still on its original floor pans. In fact, he was eager to show me and proceeded to lift the carpet in the driver's footwell to show s solid, original looking red pan. He original owner bought it new and held onto the receipt- four hundred and something apparently. The equivalent Cooper was seven hundred and something he said - the original owner fancied a Cooper but couldn't justify a price tag of almost double. 

The owner got it to 45k miles by using it sparingly. He died and his wife left it in their garage and eventually offered it to the fella who owns it now. He'd been chasing it for several years. He already owned Minis and is well known in their village of being 'that Mini bloke'. She's in her 90s apparently and actually walked down to his place and knocked on the door with her offer. 

Anyway, the fella's recommissioned it and now shows it. The icing on the cake for me is that he still stores it in the garage owned by the little old dear, so it's still tucked away in the same place it's lived since new in the late 1960s. 

Proper unicorn poop. Unfortunately, he was just about to leave after I'd papped the front of the car so I only managed to pap one shot. 

My lad took some of the photos hence the finger appearing in some of the shots 😅

This van stole the show for me though. I'd love something like this. Just perfect. 

Rocker Racing for the kids. Pairs of racers built from A series rocker covers were launched and judged on speed. Quite a few taking it was too seriously to be fair. Great spectator sport though and I'm tempted to build one for the lad to enter for next year. Anyone got a scruffy A series rocker cover they want shot of? 

This one was so subtle with a slight roof chop but everything put back together beautifully. 

To finish, this bloke custom built this caravan and tows it with his Mini. He and his wife sleep in it! It was due to appear on George Clarke's Amazing Spaces and then covid hit. The lads loved it. 

In all, an excellent turnout and plenty of impressive motors. 

[Tommyboy12]

A couple of my friends did Riv Run this year. I was in Italy on holiday but next year it's already on the calendar!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

On 08/05/2024 at 19:41, Tommyboy12 said:

A couple of my friends did Riv Run this year. I was in Italy on holiday but next year it's already on the calendar!

It's well worth it. It seems to be getting better year on year. We're entering the 'rocker racer' competion next year and now have an A series rocker cover sat on the bench ready for work!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

On a different note, I'm off to collect a new-to-me motor tomorrow. I'm taking the train with my lad - hopefully the stars will align and we'll arrive before sunset. 

Updates in the morning. 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

See ya dreckly, Kernow. 

[High Jetter]

Chodspeed!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

This happened.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

But then this happened. 

[HMC]

Oh no what happened?

[Dick Cheeseburger]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

Oh no what happened?

The old girl started to smell of fuel and then started kangarooing. Then the engine conked and I managed to pull into a side road and have a look around - there was a fair bit of fuel around the engine bay. Turns out the fuel filter had split. Recovery replaced it with a piece of straight pipe and Bob was my uncle once again. 

My lad fell asleep for the last half hour- despite the windows down because it was a bit fumey and the noise of the crossflow working hard in fourth! 

We got there in the end. 

Good to meet you @HMC. 

[Marshall2810]

1 hour ago, Dick Longbridge said:

This happened.

Hadn't realised this was for sale but well bought 👏 

*Dibs pls when you get bored obviously 

[Back_For_More]

Nicely purchased..... I hadn't seen a for sale either.... 

Well played with taking your boy along - mine came along for most of my collections from him being 5 through 11. He still asks what 'chod' we're going to be getting next. 

Adventures they'll never forget..... 👌

[High Jetter]

6 hours ago, Marshall2810 said:

Hadn't realised this was for sale but well bought 👏 

*Dibs pls when you get bored obviously 

Stolen 😀

[Dick Cheeseburger]

This was fun. I sidelined an hour of this evening to sort the shitty mess left over from when the rear spoiler was fitted. 

A quick poke of the residue confirmed it was tigerseal and it would therefore be a tart to remove. The toffee wheel did the square root of feck all.

I started with a wide scraper which removed the largest chunks. 

Then I moved onto a really sharp chisel to skim the black stuff back closer to the paint. 

Next I coated the residue with thinners, left it for 10 minutes and then used the chisel again to skim the residue closer to the paint. 

Then I tried some G6 compound in the vague hope it would shift the remaining blackness. 

Nope, didn't make a difference. 

A bit more thinners? All that did was softened the residue but it still wouldn't shift.

My calculated solution was to use 600 grit wet and dry with a block and plenty of water. The paint on this car already has heavy patina so a few more rub marks aren't going to spoil it. It couldn't look any worse than when I started, right? 

Here's the finished job - I'm pretty pleased with the outcome! 

[HMC]

Nice one that transformed it!

[danthecapriman]

I didn’t realise you’d bought this! Well, actually I didn’t even realise it had been for sale either!

Glad it’s staying on here, such a cool car. 
That boot lid looks a million times better than already. Tigerseal is a right twat to get rid of!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I visited Royal Cornwall Show yesterday with the family. There was some interesting metal on display. The Julian's cart was something else. The older I become, the more it like old commercials - we saw a rough 60s commercial up for sale at £6k and I joked with my lad whether I should buy it or not. Got some looks from Mrs L.... 🤣

Lots of the commercials have Cornish registrations too, suggesting they've never travelled far in their decades of existence. 

[danthecapriman]

That dark blue Bedford TJ is absolutely gorgeous! Loads of nice stuff there though.

[SiC]

Often quite a lot of commercials at the Powderham Castle Classic Car show too. I think that's next month. Went last year and got royally soaked 🫠 was a good show though (my pics are somewhere on the forum). 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I spent some more time on the mk2 this afternoon. The interior was pretty hanging- loads of pet hair and a fair accumulation of dirt on the carpets. I don't think it had been touched since landing in the UK a couple of years back!

After picking up lots of loose bits - nuts, bolts, fuses, bulbs to name but a few, I then concentrated on clearing the old mouse shite which was in the passenger side front blower pipe, and spilling into the footwell when knocked.

A lot of graft later, I reckon it's cleaned up pretty well. Having said that, the photos do flatter it. Apart from the top of the back seat, the seat fabric is in really good nick considering it lived in a hot climate for over 40 years. My assumption is it had seat covers fitted for years which have helped save it. 

I even cleared and cleaned out the boot - look, it has a boot floor!

The fuel tank is venting correctly behind the back bumper, so I'm wondering if the fuel smell is just the way it is?

To finish, I found this sticker on the driver's door - another little clue to its past in warmer climes. 

 

 

[danthecapriman]

That’s cleaned up really well, doesn’t look a bad interior at all. Old Ford interiors don’t tend to wear well unless they get looked after! Even the little chrome effect trims on the door cards look like they’ve lasted well - it usually flakes off and leaves just a clear plastic bit.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Any ideas what shade of gold my mk2 is likely to be? 

[AndyW201]

Solar gold would be my guess.

[danthecapriman]

Isn’t there a plate riveted onto the slam panel with the colour name? 
Similar to the VIN plate but it’ll have the cars exact details - paint colour/code, interior type/colour etc.